Cuttack is the former capital and the commercial capital of the state of Odisha,India. It is the headquarters of Cuttack district and is located about 20 km to the north east of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Kataka that literally means The Fort, a reference to the ancient Barabati Fort around which the city developed. The city is spread across an area of 398 km2 (154 sq mi) and is situated at the beginning of the River Mahanadidelta.
Historical background
Established in 989 CE, Cuttack was the seat of government in Odisha for close to a thousand years before its burgeoning size forced the creation of a new capital at Bhubaneswar in 1948. The two cities are collectively referred to as the twin cities today. Cuttack is famous for its unique silverfiligreeworks and textiles of woven silk and cotton.
Early history of Cuttack is associated with the Keshari dynasty. As stated by the distinguished historian A. Stirling, present-day Cuttack was established as a military cantonment by king Nrupa Keshari of Keshari dynasty in 989 A.D. Stirling based his opinion on Madala Panji, a chronicle of Jagannath temple of Puri. The reign of Markata Keshari was distinguished for the stone embank built to protect the new capital from flood in 1002 A.D.
Historical evidence suggests Cuttack becoming capital of a Kingdom founded by Anangabhimadeva of Ganga dynasty in 1211 A.D. After the end of Ganga rule, Odisha passed to the hands of theGajapati Kings (1435-1541 A.D.) of Solar dynasty under whom Cuttack continued to be the capital of Odisha. After the death of Mukunda deva, the last Hindu king of Odisha, Cuttack first came under Muslim rules and later underMughals.
By 1750, Cuttack came under Maratha rules and it grew fast as a business centre being the convenient point of contact between the Marathas of Nagpur and the English Merchants of Bengal. 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 of Odisha.
Remnants of an old fort called Barabati Killa still exist in the heart of Cuttack with the moat around the fort. Nearby is a modern stadium called the Barabati Stadium, host to many national and international cricket matches. Recently the stadium was updated with floodlights and D/N matches are taking place.
The introduction of the Sharadiya Utsav tradition in the city dates back to the visit of Saint Chaitanya in 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.
Geography and climate
Cuttack is located at 20.5°N 85.83°E.and has an average elevation of 36 metres (118 ft). Located at the apex of the Mahanadi delta, the city is surrounded by the river and its tributaries on almost all sides. These include the Kathjori, the Kuakhai and the Birupa. The summer season is from March to June when the climate is hot and humid. Thunderstorms are common at the height of the summer. The monsoon months are from July to October when the city receives most of its rainfall from the South West Monsoon. The annual rainfall is around 144 cm. The winter season from November to February is characterised by mild temperatures and occasional showers. Temperatures may exceed 40°C at the height of summer and may fall to below 10°C in winter.
The city is prone to cyclones from the Bay of Bengal. Summer thunderstorms also cause a lot of damage. Cuttack is however safe from earthquakes, being situated in the relatively safe seismic zone II.
The Mahanadi provides much of the drinking water to the city. There are also numerous ponds (pokharis) in the city that store rain water. The river is also used as a dumping ground for sewage produced in the city.
Cultural and Religious aspects
Religious places
Cuttack hosts Paramahansa Nath temple (near Biribati, 14 km away from the city center), the famous Katak Chandi Temple, Bhattarika Temple, Dhabaleswar temple, Panchamukhi Hanuman temple and others. The Barabati fort houses the Gada Chandi temple which is one of the oldest temples in Cuttack. The Dhabaleswar temple is located on an island in the river Mahanadi and is connected to the mainland by a long hanging bridge. The pillar less hanging bridge is unique of its kind in India.
Here is situated a holy historical Sikh shrine ‘The Gurdwara Daatan Sahib’. It is here that the first Sikh Guru, Shree Guru Nanak Dev halted on his way to Puri. It is believed that a tree branch planted by him after using it as a tooth cleaner still flourishes here, hence the name Daatan Sahib. Cuttack houses several churches that include holy rosary church, Oriya Baptist church etc.
Cuttack also hosts of various mosques namely,
Qadam-e-Rasool
Cuttack town enjoyed for a pretty long time the honour of being the seat of political authority of the Muslims in Odisha. During this period numerous Muslim monuments were built in Cuttack. The Qadam-E-Rasool is a monument of beauty built by Shujaddin Khan. At four corners of its high compound wall are four small yet strong towers constructed out of chiselled stone. It is adorned with four flat domes and pucca pavements from all direction of the grave yard to the main octagonal building with magnificent dome in the centre. It contains the foot print of the Prophet engraved in a circular stone. The dome outside is adorned with a golden pinnacle.
Juma Masjid
As the name suggests Juma, means Big, this masjid is the oldest, biggest, and the most beautiful masjid of Cuttack. It was built during the period of Mughals. It possesses several rooms for visitors and students. Earlier there used to be a Madrasa in this mosque. However, since last 10 years, the Madrasa is shifted out of the mosque. The neighbourhoods surrounding the Juma Masjid are inhabited both by Hindus and Muslims, who live peacefully with perfect communal harmony.
Shahi Mosque
The Shahi mosque is situated inside the Barabati fort. It is structurally similar to the Ujale Khan mosque at Mohammadia Bazaar. All these mosques are adorned with beautiful domes on hexagonal base. Stones and tiles are used in construction of the mosque. It seems that during the British rule of Odisha, it was used as a Magazine as it is apparent from the two Mehrabs on the flanks which are closed with bricks.
Festivals
Cuttack, being the aesthetic capital of Odisha for a long period of time, celebrates all festivals from all religions with much fanfare and devotion.
Dusshera, the festival of goddess Durga, is very popular in Cuttack. Idols are worshipped in many streets and localities. In this city, Dussehra is famous for its Chandi Medhas, in which the idols are adorned with huge amounts of gold and silver, with localities trying to outsmart each other by constructing more attractive idols. Indeed, the whole city comes to a standstill on Astami, Navami and in Dashami burning of effigy of the demon Ravana (the eighth, ninth and tenth days of Dussehra) as people travel all over the city appreciating all the idols put forth by the neighbourhoods.
Kali puja, Just after Durga puja gets over, cuttackis gear up with all their vigour to celebrate Kali puja.On the auspicious day of Diwali amidst the bursting of firecrackers on the banks of Mahanadi (called Gadgadia ghat) people not only celebrate the victory of good over evil but also pay tribute to the goddess Kali.
Bali Yatra,But the festival which Cuttackis look forward to most is the Bali Yatra. In olden times, merchants from Odisha used to trade with South-East Asian countries. And whatever items they brought from those places after trading Oriya goods used to be put up for sale in the capital city (which was then Cuttack). People from all over the state and beyond used to come to Cuttack to buy these items. Bali Yatra is the festival of continuing this ancient tradition. It is held every year in the month of November on the banks of the Mahanadi (“Bali Yatra” literally means a festival to celebtate the trade that the ancient Oriyas had with the island of Bali in the ancient days), where many stalls are set up selling both local and exotic goods. People from all over Odisha come to the Baliyatra to buy items, as was the custom back in those days.
Kartikeshwar puja: The organized puja committees incharge of carrying out the worship of the deity of Cuttack get ready for Kartikeswar Puja.Kartikeshwar is the eldest son of Lord Shiva. No where else except Sabarimala is the Kartikeswar puja carried out with so much elan.
Kite flying is also celebrated with much enthusiasm and energy in the city. Kite-flying culminates with the Makar Sankranti, with kite-flying competitions being held all over the city. All the other regular Indian festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Vasant Panchami, Holi, Id, Good Friday, Rath Yatra, Diwali, Christmas and the numerous Hindu festivals are also celebrated here.
Cuisine
Among the culinary delights unique to the Millenium City, none compare the famed Dahi vada and Aludum, a spicy concoction of three basic dishes i.e., dahibara – vadas soaked in skim yoghurt, ghuguni – curried chickpeas and aludum – whole size potatoes immersed in fiery curry. All and sundry sample this traditional dish nearly every day and is a must on most tourists’ itinerary. Other popular fast foods include Chat, Gup-chup (pani puri).
There are several nice restaurants in Cuttack that serve very good food at reasonable price. Some of the nice restaurants of Cuttack are situated near College square (close to Railway station).
anubhav mohanty 