Thread on #utkaldivas
Odisha's present form is the culmination of a long and painful process. Undivided Cuttack, Puri and Balasore were part of Bengal since 1803. Undivided Ganjam and Koraput were a part of Madras since earlier. Sambalpur was with Central Provinces (1/n)
Odisha's present form is the culmination of a long and painful process. Undivided Cuttack, Puri and Balasore were part of Bengal since 1803. Undivided Ganjam and Koraput were a part of Madras since earlier. Sambalpur was with Central Provinces (1/n)
Rest of Odisha was all princely states with Mayurbhanj as the largest - together called Garhjat. Idea of Odia speaking province was considered not feasible as four separate small British tracts separated by huge native states would be admin nightmare. (2/n)
Demand however arose from the frontiers - Russellkonda in Ganjam, Sambalpur and Balasore. Odia speakers resented being forced to learn Hindi and Telugu. Sympathetic British officers like Beames, Hunter and Ravenshaw supported this. Finally Sambalpur joined Bengal in 1905 (3/n)
WW I led to economic tightening and Odisha issue moved to backburner. Separation of Bihar and Orissa from Bengal in 1912 was viewed as enough. However Patna was even more inaccessible than Calcutta. Struggle now received support from princes like Mayurbhanj and Gajapati (4/n)
Hubback Committee in 1935 recommended splitting Telugu speaking Srikakulam from Ganjam, addition of Angul to Cuttack, addition of Khondmals to Ganjam Agency and separation of Vizag Agency (Koraput). Massive Zamindaris of Jeypore and Khariar also added. Orissa was a reality (5/n)
Capital was fixed at Cuttack with Governor at Puri. Interesting idea of a summer capital at Mahendragiri was proposed. WW2 deprived Orissa of what would have been a good hill station at 1500m! First linguistic state of India came into existence on this day in 1936. (6/6)
Addendum 1: One interesting legacy of this mishmash are the separate laws that were (and occasionally still are) applicable. Sambalpur's Collector was known as a Dy Commissioner till 1963. Land kissams in old Ganjam and Koraput are different. Files are occasionally called tappal.
Addendum 2: My personal favourite books on Odisha history
JP Das, A Time Elsewhere
Mahatab, The Beginning of the End
Beames, Memoirs of a Bengal Civilian
Mazumdar, Orissa in the Making
Donaldson, Buddhist/Vaishnavite Iconography of Orissa
JP Das, A Time Elsewhere
Mahatab, The Beginning of the End
Beames, Memoirs of a Bengal Civilian
Mazumdar, Orissa in the Making
Donaldson, Buddhist/Vaishnavite Iconography of Orissa
