Cuttack, Odisha, India

🇮🇳 Cuttack is the former capital and the second largest city in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Kataka which literally means The Fort, a reference to the ancient Barabati Fort around which the city initially developed. Cuttack is known as the Millennium City as well as the Silver City due to its history of 1000 years and famous silver filigree works. It is considered as the judicial capital of Odisha as the Orissa High Court is located here. It is the commercial capital of Odisha which hosts many trading and business houses in and around the city. Cuttack is famous for its Durga puja which is one of the most important festival of Odisha. Cuttack is also the birthplace of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The city is categorised as a Tier-II city as per the ranking system used by Government of India.

The old and the most important part of the city is centred on a strip of land between the Kathajodi River and the Mahanadi River, bounded on the south-east by Old Jagannath Road. The city, being a part of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation consisting of 59 wards. Cuttack stretches from Phulnakhara across the Kathajodi in the south to Choudwar in north across the Birupa River, while in the east it begins at Kandarpur and runs west as far as Naraj. Four rivers including Mahanadi and its distributaries Kathajodi, Kuakhai, Birupa run through the city. Further Kathajodi is distributed into Devi and Biluakhai which often makes the geographical area look like fibrous roots.

Cuttack and Bhubaneswar are often referred to as the Twin-Cities of Odisha. The metropolitan area formed by the two cities has a population of 1.862 million in 2018. Cuttack, an unplanned city, is characterized by a maze of streets, lanes and by-lanes which have given it the nickname of a city with Bauna Bazaar, Tepana Galee and i.e. 52 markets and 53 streets.

History The earliest written history of Cuttack may go back to the Keshari dynasty. As stated by the historian Andrew Stirling, present-day Cuttack was established as a military cantonment by king Nrupa Keshari of Keshari dynasty in 989 CE. Stirling based his opinion on the Madala Panji, a chronicle of the Jagannatha temple of Puri. The reign of Maharaja Markata Keshari was distinguished for the stone embank built to protect the new capital from flood in 1002 CE.

Historical and archaeological evidence suggests Cuttack becoming capital of a kingdom founded by Raja Anangabhimadeva III of Ganga dynasty in 1211 CE. After the end of Ganga rule, Odisha passed to the hands of the Suryavamsi Gajapati dynasty (1434–1541 CE) under whom Cuttack continued to be the capital of Odisha. After the death of Raja Mukunda deva, the last Hindu king of Orissa, Cuttack first came under Muslim rule and later under Mughals, who made Cuttack the seat of the new Orissa Subah (imperial top-level province) under Shah Jahan.

By 1750, Cuttack came under the Maratha Empire and it grew fast as a business centre being the convenient point of contact between the Bhonsale Marathas of Nagpur and the English merchants of Bengal. The term "Attock te Cuttack" (Attock to Cuttack) was first used to describe the extent of the Maratha Empire after they conquered Cuttack in 1750 and Attock in 1758. It was occupied by the British in 1803 and later became the capital of Odisha division in 1816. From 1948 onwards, when the capital was shifted to Bhubaneswar, the city remained the administrative headquarters for the state of Odisha. The introduction of the Sharadiya Utsav tradition in the city dates back to the visit of Saint Chaitanya in the 16th century when the consecration of the idol of Durga by using the mask pattern was conducted in his presence at Binod Behari Devi Mandap.

The remains of the old moated Barabati Fort still exist in the heart of Cuttack.

Geography Cuttack has an average elevation of 36 metres (118 ft). The city is spread across an area of 192.5 km² (74 sq mi). The city, being a Cuttack Municipal Corporation which consists of 59 wards. The city stretches from Phulnakhara in south to Choudwar in north and Kandarpur in east to naraj in west while main city is located at the apex of the Mahanadi River delta. Apart from Mahanadi, four of its distributaries also run through the city. The distributaries include Mahanadi, Kathajodi, Kuakhai and Birupa where Kathajodi further has two distributaries; the right being Devi while the left is Biluakhai. Mahanadi runs through the city on the northern side separating the main city from the Jagatpur Industrial Area. The Kathajodi river forms a riverine island of Bayalis Mouza (42 Wards) after separating the main city from Gopalpur. The Kuakhai river separates the southern part of the city into two-halves, namely Pratap Nagri and the new township of Naranpur. The Kuakhai runs throughout the south of the city along Phulnakhara before entering Bhubaneswar. The Birupa river runs through the north of Jagatpur Industrial Area separating it from Choudwar. There are numerous ponds known as (pokharis) in the city that store rain water. The Mahanadi provides much of the drinking water to the city.

Recent growth of the city has resulted in expansion across the Kathajodi River and a newer township towards the head of the delta formed between the tributary Kathajodi river and the main river Mahanadi has come up by the name of Markat Nagar (popularly known as CDA by the local residents) which is spread across 2000 acres. CDA has 15 sectors out of which 11 are residential & has population around 150,000. Jagatpur & Mahanadi Vihar are the other two townships in the city. Mahanadi Vihar is the first satellite city project in Odisha. Cuttack is referred to as a city with Baaban Bazaar, Teppan Galee i.e. this is the city of 52 markets and 53 streets which is told by people of Odisha for the largeness of this city. Naranpur is another satellite township coming up in Trishulia, on the other side of Kathajodi River.

Economy Cuttack is widely known as the commercial capital of Odisha. It is believed to have the largest GDP among all cities in Odisha due to its large business houses and a wide range of industries ranging from ferrous alloys, steel and logistics to agriculture and traditional industries like textiles and handicrafts. There are many trading houses in the city renowned nationally and internationally. The Paradip Port which is around 85 km from the city facilitates this process.

Traditional Industries The city is one of the largest hub for textiles in eastern India. The city's annual textile trade generates over a billion dollars of revenue. A large textile park is planned, giving a facelift to the erstwhile Orissa Textile Mills in city outskirts. Cuttack is famous for its silver filigree works and only because of these works it is also known as the silver city of India. Cuttack is also famous for its handicraft works using cow and mostly Buffaloes horn. Cuttack has only one retail store for horn items named Utkal Gaurab Madhusudhan Horn Work. It was greatly contributed by Late Kalandi Charana Behera. Generally, the horn of dead cattle is used and it is performed by licensed craftsmen only. This peculiar artefact is limited to Cuttack only and anything of such kind is found nowhere else in the world. These fine and unique handicraft works add significantly to the local economy.

Industrial corridor and Special Economic Zone There are 11 large-scale industries in and around Cuttack mostly in Choudwar and Athagarh and many more in the pipeline. These industries include steel, power, automobile, alloys, fireclay, etc. Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys (IMFA), the country's largest producer of ferrous alloys is in Choudwar, Cuttack. A mega-auto complex is in implementation stages on the city's outskirts. Cuttack occupies a very significant place in the logistics map of the country. The number of medium- and small-scale industries concentrated around Cuttack is by far the largest among the cities in the state. The industrial estates in and around Cuttack numbers around eight. Jagatpur and Khapuria are industrial estates inside the city. A large chunk of these serve as ancillary industries for the big industrial houses in Odisha and other states.

Service sector Being the former capital and now the partial capital of the state and a big business hub, many central and state government and corporate offices are in Cuttack. The service sector is quite large. The people of nearby districts are heavily depended on the city for their livelihood, contributing to the service sector and, thus, the floating population. The presence of Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI), the largest rice research institute in Asia, adds to the importance of Cuttack in the agricultural map of the country. The presence of Odisha High Court and the SCB Medical & College, the largest medical institution in the state, further nourishes the service sector. Education is a major industry due to large number of universities, colleges, schools and coaching centres and caters to the neighbouring districts. The proximity to Paradip Port comes as an added advantage. OSL Group, one of the leading stevedore firms of the country is headquartered in Cuttack. Cuttack, being the largest business hub of the state is the nodal point of trade and transport. It also has the largest wholesale commodities market of the state at Malgodown and Chhatra Bazaar catering the whole state.

Media Cuttack has a Doordarshan centre which telecasts Odia programs. The Cuttack station of All India Radio started post-independence in 1948 and broadcasts programs in AM as well as FM bandwidth catering the whole state. At present Cuttack has six local radio stations broadcasting on FM, including two from AIR. The private FM stations include 91.9 Sarthak FM, BIG 92.7 FM, RED 93.5 FM and Radio Choklate 104 FM.

Among several print media houses located at Cuttack, the Oriya newspapers published here includes The Samaja (founded by Utkala Mani Gopabandhu Das), Prajatantra (founded by Harekrushna Mahatab, former Chief Minister of Odisha and former Governor of Maharashtra), Sambad, Dharitri and the Matrubhasha to name a few.

Healthcare Cuttack is the healthcare hub of Odisha. Millions of people from different parts of Odisha and other states throng to the city with the hope of better medical facilities. Shri Ramachandra Bhanj Medical College (SCBMCH), the largest medical college of the state is located in Cuttack. The Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre (AHRCC), the only one of its kind in Eastern India, carries out high-end research and treatment in cancer. The Regional Spinal Injury Centre (RSIC) is also situated in the S.C.B. Medical College Campus which provides rehabilitation measures to persons with disabilities especially spinal injury. Swami Vivekananda National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research (SVNIRTAR) is the most prestigious institution in the field of rehabilitation located at Olatpur, 30 km from Cuttack. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel PG Institute of Paediatrics (SVPPIG), popularly known as Sishu Bhawan is an annex hospital of SCBMCH. It is the largest hospital of its kind in eastern India. Leprosy Home and Hospital near Nuabazar is over 100 years old and is still serving the people.

Major hospitals in and around Cuttack are District Headquarters Hospital (City Hospital), Shanti Memorial Hospital, HCG Panda Cancer Hospital, Ashwini Hospital, Sun Hospital, Sabarmati General Hospital, Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital, Heritage Healthcare Hospital, Rotary Eye Hospital and Melvin Jones Lion's Eye Hospital among others.

Universities and institutes of higher education and research The Twin Cities account for around 100 engineering colleges. Cuttack is home to several technical institutions which include Institute of Management and Information Technology (IMIT), Bhubananda Orissa school of Engineering(BOSE), Institute of Textile Technology (ITT), Dhaneshwar Rath Institute of Engineering & Management Studies (DRIEMS), Image Institute of Technology & Management (IITM), Ajay Binay Institute of Technology (ABIT), Institute of Professional Studies and Research (IPSAR), Jagannath Institute of Engineering and Technology, Barabati Institute of Management Studies etc. Some of the other institutes include Biju Pattnaik Institute of Film and Television and the Madhusudan Law College. Madhusudan Law college has been declared to be upgraded as a university. Established in 1869 as Cuttack Normal School, converted to Cuttack Training School in 1875 and later in 1923 as Secondary Training School, later renamed as Radhanath Training School, after the eminent teacher and poet Radhanath Ray, now known as Radhanatha Institute of Advanced Studies in Education (RNIASE) offers various teaching Courses, is located adjacent to the campus wall of Ravenshaw Collegiate School and in front of Swaraj Asrama in Bakharabad is the oldest institute in the State. Also in 1912, Odisha's only Urdu teacher training school was established in Sheikh Bazar Which is now only the Muslim Minority Govt Elementary Teacher Education Institution in Odisha where every year 100 pupil teachers complete their elementary teacher training.

National Law University Odisha (NLUO) Cuttack is the home to the National Law University Odisha, one of the 14 NLU's in India, which was established under the National Law University Odisha Act of 2008, the National Law University(NLU Cuttack). It is one of the institutes for legal education in India funded by the Central as well as the State government. Housed in a sprawling campus the university sees a host of legal luminaries who impart education to the students.

Madhusudan Law University (MLU) Cuttack houses Odisha's oldest law college, Madhusudan Law College. In 1869 the law course was introduced in the Ravenshaw Collegiate School, thereafter it continued in the Ravenshaw College. That time the Bachelor of Law course was under the University of Calcutta and after the foundation of Utkal University in 1943 the Madhusudan Law College was also established in the same year. This college is named after National Leader and politician Madhusudan Das. With effect from June 2020, Madhusudan Law College has been upgraded to Madhusudan Law University. As per the notification from DHE Odisha, "ll the existing government and private law colleges, except the constituent law colleges of different universities of the state shall be affiliated and cease to be affiliated from their respective universities from that date and direct that the said University shall have jurisdiction, save as aforesaid, over all law colleges of the state".

Ravenshaw University Ravenshaw University is one of the oldest institutes of India and the oldest college of the state which was founded by Thomas Edward Ravenshaw in 1868 and was granted University status on 15 November 2006. Ravenshaw University came into existence on 15 November 2006. It was an up-gradation of Ravenshaw College established in 1868, one of the oldest and largest colleges in India which subsequently became an autonomous college with CPE status by UGC and 'A' grade by NAAC.

Sri Sri University Sri Sri University established by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Art of Living is situated at the far end of the city in Naraj. It came into operation in the year 2012.

National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) Asia's largest rice research institute, the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) is situated in Cuttack. In 1945, the Government of India decided to establish a central Institute for rice research. As a result, the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) was set up on 23 April 1946 at Bidhyadharpur, Cuttack, Odisha with an experimental farmland of 60 hectares provided by Government of Orissa. The CRRI is one of the Institutes of the ICAR under the Division of Crop Sciences. The institute has two research stations- Central Rainfed Upland Rice Research Station (CRURRS), Hazaribagh, in Jharkhand, and the Regional Rainfed Lowland Rice Research Station (RRLRRS), Gerua, in Assam. These research stations were established to tackle the problems of rainfed uplands, and flood-prone rainfed lowlands, respectively. Two Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) also function under the CRRI and guided by the DDG (Agril. Extension). These KVKs are located at Santhapur, Cuttack and Jainagar, Koderma.

Srirama Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) Shri Ramachandra Bhanj Medical College (SCB), the largest medical college of the state is located in Cuttack. The S.C.B. Medical College also has a dental wing which offers bachelor's degree in dental sciences. Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre (AHRCC), the only one of its kind in Eastern India, carries out high-end research and treatment in cancer. The Regional Spinal Injury Centre (RSIC) is also situated in the S.C.B. Medical College Campus. RSIC is an autonomous organisation under the administrative and financial control of Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Odisha and is headed by the director of the RSIC which provides rehabilitation measures to persons with disabilities especially spinal injury.

Swami Vivekananda National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research (SVNIRTAR) Svnitar is an institute in the field of rehabilitation. Swami Vivekanand National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research (SVNIRTAR) is an Autonomous body under Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DIVYANGJAN), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India. It provides total medical rehabilitation for the Persons with Locomotor Disabilities. It also conducts three bachelor's degree courses in Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Prosthetics and Orthotics, three Postgraduate courses of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Prosthetics and Orthotics affiliated to Utkal University, Bhubaneswar. It also has an accreditation for DNB in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of National Board of Examination (NBE), New Delhi.

Sardar Vallabhbahai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics (SVPPGIP) SVPPGIP also known as Shishu Bhawan is the largest Paediatrics hospital in eastern India. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics (Sishubhawan), Cuttack, Orissa is based on manifold historic backgrounds situated on the bank of river Kathjori amidst the lush greenery. This palatial building was the centre of administration during Mugul, Maratha and British regime from 1568 A.D. till independence. After independence this building was known as "Rajbhawan" where Governor of Orissa used to stay.

Biju Pattnaik Film and Television Institute of Odisha (BPFTIO) The government of Odisha has established an autonomous Institute in the name and style of Biju Pattnaik Film & Television Institute of Orissa (BPFTIO) under World Bank assisted scheme to meet the emerging demand of well trained technical manpower in the field of television network and film production activities. Situated on the bank of river Mahanadi, BPFTIO occupies an independent space in the sprawling campus of Bhubanananda Orissa School of Engineering (BOSE), Cuttack the oldest Engineering School of the State. Funded by Government of Odisha, Department of Employment and Technical Education & Training, the institute offers diploma courses in 3 disciplines such as Cinematography, Sound & TV. Engineering and Film & Video Editing.

Libraries, Art Galleries and Auditoriums Cuttack has been the seat of various literary activities and many notable writers and poets lived and worked here. There are many old libraries in Cuttack including the first library of the state Kanika Library at Ravenshaw University, Biswanath Pandit Central Library, Odisha Urdu Library, Madhusudan Library, PK Padhihari Pathagara, Bakul Library, Biren Mitra Library etc. CMC Sahid Bhawan has a big art gallery for exhibitions. Town Hall, KVK, Sahid Bhawan, Satabdi Bhawan, Sarala Bhawan etc. are the prominent auditoriums in the city.

Odia film industry The Odia Film Industry has its base in Cuttack. The Oriya film industry is popularly known as Ollywood, the name is a portmanteau of the words Oriya and Hollywood. In 1974, the Government of Odisha declared film making and construction of cinema theatres as industry in the state, and two years later in 1976, it established the Orissa Film Development Corporation in Cuttack. One of the regional offices for Central Board of Film Certification is situated in Cuttack.

Movie theatres The city has several cinemas playing movies in Odia, Hindi and English languages. Historically, Cuttack accounted for almost half of the number of cinema halls in the state but eventually, those numbers declined. Presently, Cuttack hosts five single-screen movie theatres name Grand, Brindaban, Samrat, Nishamani and Jayashree. It also houses two multiplexes namely Inox and Sangam; the former being the state's second four-screen multiplex after its Bhubaneswar branch. Odisha's First Cinema Hall marks its beginning from Cuttack. In 1926 a Mobile Cinema Hall named Chameria Cinema Company showed films. Thereafter Annapurna Theatre came into existence. In 1932 Hallmuk Cinema Hall marked its beginning at Tinkonia Bagicha. Movies like Harischandra and Odia First movie Sita Bibah screen from this cinema hall in 1934. Another cinema hall named Capital Cinema was also built in Tinkonia Bagicha in 1936. Second Odia film Lalita release from this Hall. Similarly, in 1944-45 Pravat Cinema Hall near Baropathar, in 1951 Hind Cinema was built. In 1962 United Talkies Came into existence in Saheed Bhawan. Thereafter Parvati Talkies also built in Kalyanmandap of CUTTACK Municipality. In 1969 Grand Cinema and Suraj Talkies, 1972 Jyoti Cinema which renamed as Laxmi Hall came into existence. 1979 Durga Hall, 1980 Nisamani Hall, Samrat Hall, 1982 Brundaban Hall, Sagar Sangam Hall, Devi Cinema, 1983 Rajtarangini, 1985 Jaysree Talkies Came into existence. Inox Multiplex opened in 2018, as Odisha's second after Bhubaneswar Inox.