Situated on the coast along the Bay of Bengal, Odisha stands for its ancient glory and modern endeavour. Endowed with nature’s bounty, a 482 km stretch of coastline with virgin beaches, serpentine rivers, mighty waterfalls, forest-clad blue hills of Eastern Ghats with rich wild life, Odisha is dotted with exquisite temples, historic monuments as well as pieces of modern engineering feat. The land, while retaining its pristine glory, also offers the visitors modern amenities.
Its lush green countryside and fertile plains, tiny hamlets fringed with palm, coconut trees and mango groves offer the charm of rural beauty while the urban pockets, the four cities in particular, with the splendour of modern technology provide the amenities necessary for a comfortable stay.
This wonderful land of fascinating beauty boasts of colourful festivals round the year. Odisha is also the land of unique handicrafts and other excellent artefacts. The state was called “Kalinga” in the ancient days.
Interesting facts about Odisha
The world’s oldest coins were discovered in Sonepur, in western Odisha. These priceless silver punch marked coins could be as old as 1000 BC. They are preserved in the Odisha State Museum.
Rasgolla, the sweet delicacy enjoyed all over India, originated from Puri, Odisha. It became popular in Kolkata in the nineteenth century and eventually spread across the rest of the country.
The ancient people of Kalinga sided with the Kauravas during the great Mahabharata war.
The city of Sambalpur in western Odisha was one of the world’s most prominent centers of diamond production. Travelers from as far away as Greece used to come to the city for trade.
Bhubaneswar, the capital city was the home of over 600 magnificent temples in medieval times. It is called the “temple city” of India.
Puri is one of the four Dhams – Hindu centers of pilgrimage. Every year, millions throng all over Puri to witness the famous Rath Yatra. The temple kitchen in Puri is reputed to be the largest kitchen in the world, with 400 cooks working around 200 hearths to feed over 10,000 people each day.
The Sinhala (people of Sri Lanka) are named after Raja Jai Sinha, an ancient Oriya king.
Odisha Economy and Investment Opportunities
Odisha is a littoral state with a storehouse of mineral wealth. It has the fifth of India’s Coal, a quarter of its Iron ore, a third of its Bauxite reserves and most of the Chromites. With its massive foreign investment in steel, aluminum, power, and refineries recently, the state holds the potential of becoming one of India’s major manufacturing hubs.
The extreme fertile valleys of the Mahanadi, Brahmani and Baitarani have given Odisha its long association with agriculture. Major agricultural produce include rice, wheat, pulses, oil seeds, spices and vegetables.
Odisha is also a major outsourcing destination for IT (Information Technology) and IT services firms.
The state Government offers several incentive programs for FDIs and the industry sectors in their list of priority include, – Mineral-based industries – Agro and marine-based industries, industries based on medicinal herbs and minor forest produce – Tourism – Electronics, Information Technology and Biotechnology
For more information please visit the website – odisha.gov.in