municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
Kendrapara district
Kendrapara District is an administrative district of Odisha state in eastern India. The town of Kendrapara is the district headquarters. Kendrapara District is situated in the eastern portion of the state, and is bounded on the north by Bhadrak ...
of the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
. It is the headquarters of Kendrapara district.
Geography
Kendrapara is located at . It has an average
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...
Jajpur
Jajpur (also known as Jajapur) is a town and a municipality in Jajpur district in the Indian state of Odisha. It was the capital of the Kesari dynasty, later supplanted by Cuttack. Now, it is the headquarter of Jajpur district.
Etymology and ...
,
Cuttack
Cuttack (, or officially Kataka ) in Odia 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 literall ...
and
Jagatsinghpur
Jagatsinghpur is a city and a municipality in Jagatsinghpur district in the Indian state of Odisha. It is also the headquarters of Jagatsinghpur district. It got the recognition as a new district on 1 April 1993 formerly it was a sub-division of ...
districts and the
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...
to the east.
The
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
Mahanadi
The Mahanadi is a major river in East Central India. It drains an area of around and has a total length of . Mahanadi is also known for the Hirakud Dam. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha and finally merged with Bay o ...
) flows through Kendrapara district. Other rivers in Kendrapara include the Luna, the Karandia, the Gobari, the Brahamani, the Birupa, the Kani, the Hansua, the Baitarani, the Kharasrota, and the Paika. This district has 9 blocks, which are
Aul
An aul (; ce, oil; russian: аул) is a type of fortified village or town found throughout the Caucasus mountains and Soviet Central Asia, Central Asia.
The word itself is of Turkic origin and simply means ''village'' in many Turkic language ...
, Derabish, Garadpur,
Mahakalapada
Mahakalapada (Sl. No.: 100) is an unreserved Vidhan Sabha constituency of Kendrapara district, Odisha.
This constituency includes Mahakalapada block and 16 Gram panchayats (Silipur, Dasipur, Dumuka, Marshaghai, Garajanga, Talasanga, Parakula, ...
, Marshaghai, Kendrapara,
Rajanagar
Rajanagar (Sl. No.: 99) is a Vidhan Sabha constituency of Kendrapara district, Odisha.
This constituency includes Pattamundai (M), Rajanagar block and 18 Gram panchayats (Bachhara, Srirampur, Damarpur, Sansarphal, Khanata, Oupada, Chandanaga ...
,
Rajkanika
Rajkanika is a town and block of Kendrapara district in the Indian state of Odisha.
Geography
Rajkanika is surrounded by rivers in three sides, the rivers are Brahmani, Baitarani, and Kharashrota. It is the north end block of Kendrapara distri ...
, Pattamundai.
Transport
To reach Kendrapara one can take the Jagatpur- Salipur state highway SH9A or National Highways No.16 and 53. Kendrapara is a two and a half hour drive from
Bhubaneswar Airport
Biju Patnaik International Airport is an international airport serving Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha. It is situated around south-west from Bhubaneswar Railway Station and from the city center. Named after the former chief minist ...
on the National Highway 16 and State Highway 9A. The nearest
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
is at
Cuttack
Cuttack (, or officially Kataka ) in Odia 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 literall ...
, which is 54 kilometres from the Kendrapara township on State Highway 9A.
Demography
As of the
2011 Indian census
The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...
, Kendrapara district has a population of 1,439,891, roughly equal to the nation of
Eswatini
Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...
or the US state of
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
. This gives it a population ranking of 344th in India (out of a total of 640 districts). The district has a population density of 545 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,410 /sq mi) . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 10.59%. Kendrapara has a sex ratio of 1006 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 85.93%. The
mother tongue
A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...
of most of the residents of Kendrapara is Oriya (Odia). However, there is also a sizable population of
Bangla
Bangla (Bengali: বাংলা) may refer to:
*Bengali language, an eastern Indo-Aryan language
*The endonym of Bengal, a geographical and ethno-linguistic region in South Asia
*''Bangla-'', a prefix indicating Bangladesh
Businesses and organ ...
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
are also widely understood.
Hindus
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
encompass the majority of the population. There is a substantial
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
minority.
Most of the residents of Kendrapara are farmers. Some do business and some fish in the rivers and the Bay of Bengal. Some people also grow prawn near the sea shore, as it is profitable. Many small-scale industries are appearing in the area and bringing job opportunities.
Culture
The
Baladevjew Temple
Baladevjew Temple is situated in Ichhapur (Tulasi Khetra), Kendrapara, Odisha, India. Baladevjew Temple is a very famous temple of Odisha and Balarama is its main divinity. However, Jagannath and Subhadra are also worshipped in the ''Ratna Sinha ...
is located in Kendrapara district of Odisha. A Chariot Festival, or
Rath Yatra
Ratha Yatra (), or Chariot festival, is any public procession in a chariot. The term particularly refers to the annual Ratha Yatra in Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and other East Indian states, particularly the Odia festival that involve a ...
, is held in the month of
Ashadha
Ashadha or Aashaadha or Aadi ( hi, आसाढ़ ''Āsāṛh'' or ''Āṣāḍh''; as, আহাৰ ''ahar''; or, ଆଷାଢ଼ ''Āṣāḍh''; bn, আষাঢ়; syl, ꠀꠀꠠ ''aáṛ''; ne, असार ''asār''; gu, અષા ...
(June/July) every year. The chariot of Lord Baladevjew is known as Brahma Taladhwaja and is considered the biggest chariot of its type in the world.
The Gajalaxmi puja on Kojagari Purnima or
Kumar Purnima
Sharad Purnima (also known as Kumara Purnima, Kojagari Purnima, Navanna Purnima, Kojagrat Purnima or Kaumudi Purnima) is a religious festival celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashvin (September to October), marking t ...
Durga Pujaat Amruta manohi village is celebrated in the month of October, and
Kartikeya
Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...
Puja and Maa Kali Puja at Olaver are held in November each year. Gajalaxmi puja is a big festival in Kendrapara and is celebrated for 7 days.
Maa Basanti Durga Puja in Basupur has been one of the region's most famous festivals for over 80 years. The Oriya sweet dish,
Rasabali
Rasabali (, IAST: rasābaḷi) is a sweet dish from Odisha, India. Rasabali is offered to Baladevjew, and originated in the Baladevjew Temple of Kendrapara. It is one of the Chapana bhoga of Jagannath temple.
It consists of deep fried flattene ...
, originated in Kendrapara. Kendrapara is also known as Tulasi Ksherta (as Tulasi, different from basil tulsi, the wife of Lord Balabhadra) and Gupta Kshetra (Lord Balabhadra wished to stay here secretly). Different types of prasad prepared and used in Baladevjew Temple are
Rasabali
Rasabali (, IAST: rasābaḷi) is a sweet dish from Odisha, India. Rasabali is offered to Baladevjew, and originated in the Baladevjew Temple of Kendrapara. It is one of the Chapana bhoga of Jagannath temple.
It consists of deep fried flattene ...
Karanji Karanji may refer to:
* ''Karanji'' (film), a 2009 Kannada-language Indian film
* Karanji Lake, a lake in the Mysore city of Karnataka, India
* Karanji, Maharashtra, a village, List of villages in Pathardi taluka, in Pathardi taluka, Ahmednagar ...
,
Chhena Kheeri
Chhena kheeri ( or, ଛେନା ଖିରୀ) is a sweet dish originally from coastal Odisha in eastern India.
Preparation
Chhena kheeri is made by deep frying cubes of chhena cheese. Although typically ghee, traditional clarified butter, is u ...
, Ghanabrata, Dahipakhala, Khiri, and Puri.
One of most popular festivals, Kartikaswar Puja, is held on the banks of the Luna at Kalapada Kendrapada. It has also been known as the Kendrapada Boita Bandhana Utchav ingratiation every year since 2005.
Tourist Places
Bhitara Kanika
Bhitarakanika is covered in deep mangrove forests and saline rivers. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary on 21 April 1975. It is known as a natural
crocodile
Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to inclu ...
breeding ground. Other animals like
deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
,
wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...
,
monkey
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
s,
monitor lizard
Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are recogn ...
s, pythons, and king cobra are also found here. The national park has an area of around 145 square kilometres. It is 160 kilometers away from the state capital of "Bhubaneswar".
Batighar is the location of the first
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses mar ...
on the Eastern coast of India. It is situated on the bank of the Kharinasi River. The height of the lighthouse is 125 feet. Construction of the lighthouse was started on 6 December 1836 and it was lighted on 16 October 1837.
Kanika Palace is a massive
palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
constructed by the King of Kanika. It was constructed on an area of 4 acres of land and height of the structure is of 75 feet. It is situated in
Rajkanika
Rajkanika is a town and block of Kendrapara district in the Indian state of Odisha.
Geography
Rajkanika is surrounded by rivers in three sides, the rivers are Brahmani, Baitarani, and Kharashrota. It is the north end block of Kendrapara distri ...
Block.
Aali Palace is situated near Aul Township. It is an ancient palace spread over 40 acres of land.
Lakhmi Varaha Temple
Sri Lakshmi Varaha Swamy Temple is a 500-year-old Indian Hindu temple, temple dedicated to Varaha'','' the Wild boar, boar incarnation of Vishnu.
Location
The temple is located in the Indian state of Odisha, in the Kendrapara District. Brahman ...
is a 500-year-old Indian
temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
dedicated to
Varaha
Varaha ( sa, वराह, , "boar") is an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, in the form of a boar. Varaha is generally listed as third in the Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu.
Varaha is most commonly associated with the lege ...
, the
boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is no ...
incarnation
Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It refers to the conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or the appearance of a god as a human. If capitalized, it is the union of divinit ...
of
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
. The temple is located in
Aul
An aul (; ce, oil; russian: аул) is a type of fortified village or town found throughout the Caucasus mountains and Soviet Central Asia, Central Asia.
The word itself is of Turkic origin and simply means ''village'' in many Turkic language ...
. The temple is about one kilometer away from the center of
Tehsil
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...
Aul
An aul (; ce, oil; russian: аул) is a type of fortified village or town found throughout the Caucasus mountains and Soviet Central Asia, Central Asia.
The word itself is of Turkic origin and simply means ''village'' in many Turkic language ...
, which is situated about 146 km from the state capital of
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar (; ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. The region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Ekamra Kshetra'' (area (''kshetra'') adorned with mango trees (''ekamra'')). Bhubaneswar is ...
. It is 17 km from
Pattamundai
Pattamundai is a town and a municipality in Kendrapara district in the Indian state of Odisha, located on the centre of SH-9A from Cuttack to Chandbali along the south end of Brahmani River. It is also the headquarter of Pattamundai Block.
Ety ...
and 38 km from Kendrapara.
Garteswar Temple is situated at Gosigan near Rajnagar, Kendrapara. It is an ancient
Shiv
The word Shiv or shiv may refer to:
People with the name
* Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a West Indies cricketer nicknamed Shiv
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Shiv, a fictional location in Magic: The Gathering, see Dominaria
* Shiv, a villain in the ...
banyan tree
A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as a ...
at Sakhibata in Kendrapara district. The large tree, spread across 1.3 acres of land with about 600 trunks and sub-trunks, has been granted
tourist
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...
spot status by the state government following active tourism in the area throughout the year. District Tourist Officer Bijoy Kumar Mohanty stated that funds had been sanctioned for building tourism infrastructure. The banyan tree withstood the devastation of the 1999 Super Cyclone. A 200-year-old temple is still intact at the spot, a reminder of the location's historic importance.
Badakotha is an old building near the Kendrapara bus stand. It used to be the only 2 floor building in Radhashyam Narendra.
Harihar Kshetra, Mahala is a famous temple situated at Mahala of Bangalpur GP in the Garadpur Block.
"Sri Chhualia Shakti Peeth" is a tourist attraction and shrine in Pattamundai block. It is equidistant from the nearest towns of Kendrapara and Pattamundai (12 km). The attraction is surrounded by Sahada trees. Other trees like Kadamba, Krushnachuda, Panihenduli, Ashosth are also available here. Maa, the deity, takes nonvegetarian food offerings (bhoga) such as fish. However,
meat
Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...
s and
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
are strictly prohibited. Dola Melan, Raja, Panchuka, Biswasanti Mahayajnya, Asta Prahar Namayajnya are the main yearly festivals of this Peeth.
Hukitola is a storm proof bunker constructed on Jamboo island by British, led by Captain Harris. It consists of 11 large size and 9 small size chambers.
Eka Kula is a unique island in Kendrapara, which can be reached via bike during low tide and via boats from Jambu.
There are many picnic spots in and around Kendrapara. Paradeep is a 20–30 km drive from Kendrapara.
Most popular Udaya Giri & Ratna Giri is a 10–15 km drive from Kendrapara. Mainly Budhu Murti and Budhu pratima are conserved there.
There also a picnic spot called Sakhi Bata situated near the Luna River.
The Lord Mahaveer temple is located at new Chandan Pokhari, Ichhapur, Kendrapara.
Pentha is situated in between the rivers Chitrotpala & Luna (Karandia). It's only 12 km from Kendrapara township and 5 km from Patkura. Direct buses are available from Cuttack to Pentha. The village is known for the Maa Sata Bhauni Temple (among the most ancient temples of Odisha), which is situated in the middle of the village, and Maa Kharakhai (Goddess Dhumabati), Gopinathjew Temple, Ram Mandir, Sarala Mandir, Tarini Temple, Hanumanjew Temple, and Nilakantheswar Temple. The Sandhha Nacha (in the memory of Sandha Raja of Kunjang Garh) is celebrated at Dola Purnima. The Rama Charita Manas & Parayan is celebrated for 9 days of every year on the occasion of Lord Hanuman's birthday. Pentha is also the birthplace of the poet and writer Kabibar Parida.
Sialiaa is situated in the Rajkanika block. The main attraction of this village is that there are no doors in the houses of the villagers.
Ma Patharakani Temple is situated at the SH-9A Main Road near Gogua Market, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Kendrapara. It is situated between Kendrapara and Pattamundai.
Education
There are many schools and colleges in Kendrapara. Kendrapara Autonomous College, situated in Kendrapara town is the largest college of higher education in the district. Other institutions include Pattamundai College, Sailendra Narayan College in Rajkanika, and Kendrapara High School (the oldest high school in the district, established in 1863). The second oldest high school in the district is R. N. High School Rajkanika, which was established in the year 1918.
Notable people
Kendrapara has produced a number of well-known personalities like astronomer, mathematician, and writer Suskhma Sphuta Siddhanta Pandit Sri Gokulananda Routroy (1947–2009), Pandit Binod Behari Dash, media personalities like Itishree Nayak (Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award for Electronic Media Oriya 2006). Another notable person from this area is Dr. Prafulla Kumar Behera, one of the scientists involved in the development of silicon pixel detectors, which played a big part in the success of the
Higgs Boson
The Higgs boson, sometimes called the Higgs particle, is an elementary particle in the Standard Model of particle physics produced by the quantum excitation of the Higgs field,
one of the fields in particle physics theory. In the Stand ...
experiment Dr Mahendra Tripathy Chief Consultant Cardiologist at CARE Hospital, Bhubaneswar is from Kendrapara.
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
is Anubhav Mohanty. The three major political parties in the Kendrapara Assembly and Parliament are the
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
, the
Biju Janata Dal
The Biju Janata Dal (; BJD) is a regional political party in the Indian state of Odisha founded and led by Naveen Patnaik, the current Chief Minister of Odisha and the son of former Chief Minister of Odisha Biju Patnaik, after whom the party i ...
and the
Indian National Congress Party
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...
.
Politics has remained within local parties since the 1970s. Kendrapara has played a crucial role in Odisha's politics, producing leaders like Member of
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
Rabi Ray, the Speaker in Loksabha, and Biju Patnaik, former Chief Minister of Odisha.
The current MLA from Kendrapara Assembly Constituency is Sashi Bhusan Behera from BJD, who won the seat in state elections of 2019.
Previous MLAs of this seat include:
* Kishore Tarai of BJD in 2014
* Sipra Malick of BJD in 2009
* Utkal Keshari Parida of OGP in 2004
* Bed Prakash Agarwalla representing BJP in 2000, representing JD in 1990, and representing JNP in 1977
* Bhagabat Prasad Mohanty of
INC
Inc. or inc may refer to:
* Incorporation (business), as a suffix indicating a corporation
* ''Inc.'' (magazine), an American business magazine
* Inc. No World, a Los Angeles-based band
* Indian National Congress, a political party in India
* I ...
in 1995 and in 1985
* Indramani Rout of INC (I) in 1980