odisha

"From the Pike Struggle, the Ganjam Movement, and the Larja Kolha movement to the Sambalpur war, the land of Odisha always gave new energy to the flame of revolution against foreign rule. So many fighters were put in jails by the British, tortured, and so many sacrifices were made! But the passion for freedom did not weaken. Surendra Sai, the brave revolutionary of Sambalpur War, is still a great inspiration for us. When the country launched its last fight against slavery under Gandhi ji's leadership, Odisha and its people were playing a big role in it. Heroes like Pandit Gopabandhu, Acharya Harihar and Harekrushna Mahtab were leading Odisha during movements like the non-cooperation movement, civil disobedience and Salt Satyagraha. There were so many mothers and sisters like Rama Devi, Malti Devi, Kokila Devi and Rani Bhagyavati who gave a new direction to the freedom struggle. Similarly, who can forget the contribution of our tribal society of Odisha? Our tribals never allowed foreign rulers to rest with their bravery and patriotism."

"Order issued on all faujdars of thanas, civil officers (mutasaddis), agents of jagirdars, kroris, and amlas from Katak to Medinipur on the frontier of Orissa:- The imperial paymaster Asad Khan has sent a letter written by order of the Emperor, to say, that the Emperor learning from the newsletters of the province of Orissa that at the village of Tilkuti in Medinipur a temple has been (newly) built, has issued his august mandate for its destruction, and the destruction of all temples built anywhere in this province by the worthless infidels. Therefore, you are commanded with extreme urgency that immediately on the receipt of this letter you should destroy the above-mentioned temples. Every idol-house built during the last 10 or 12 years, whether with brick or clay, should be demolished without delay. Also, do not allow the crushed Hindus and despicable infidels to repair their old temples. Reports of the destruction of temples should be sent to the Court under the seal of the qazis and attested by pious Shaikhs."

"Allah, who is the only true God and has no other emanation, endowed the king of Islam with the strength to destroy this ancient shrine on the eastern sea-coast and to plunge it into the sea, and after its destruction, he ordered the nose of the image of Jagannath to be perforated and disgraced it by casting it down on the ground. They dug out other idols, which were worshipped by the polytheists in the kingdom of Jajnagar, and overthrew them as they did the image of Jagannath, for being laid in front of the mosques along the path of the Sunnis and way of the musallis (the multitude who offer prayers) and stretched them in front of the portals of every mosque, so that the body and sides of the images may be trampled at the time of ascent and descent, entrance and exit, by the shoes on the feet of the Muslims."

"It (Sîrat-Fîrûz Shãhî) is a text either written or dictated by Sultãn Fîrûz Shãh Tughlaq himself. According to this book, the objects of his expedition to Jajnagar were: “extirpating Rai Gajpat, massacring the unbelievers, demolishing their temples, hunting elephants, and getting a glimpse of their enchanting country.” ‘Ain-ul-Mulk also says, “The object of the expedition was to break the idols, to shed the blood of the enemies of Islãm (and) to hunt elephants.”"

"After some time he proceeded to Orissa with the intention of jihãd. He attacked places in the neighbourhood of that province and laid them waste, and destroyed the temples after demolishing them…"

"“…Mahmood Shah Shurky, having recruited his army, took the field again for the purpose of reducing some refractory zemindars in the district of Chunar, which place he sacked, and from thence proceeded into the province of Orissa, which he also reduced; and having destroyed the temples and collected large sums of money, returned to Joonpoor.”"

"From the time that India was conquered, none of the princes had raised his standard over Orissa. The rulers of that country had always been powerful, and the Rajah who was now ruling them was especially so. From the time when the Afghans had stretched their hand out over Bengal they had continually planted in the gardens of their as- pirations the wishing tree of the conquest of Orissa, but it never bore fruit. For on the borders thereof there were dangerous passes and lofty mountains, and heights and declivities innumerable, and difficult forests so that grasping hands of princes could not reach it. It is difficult for armies to tread on that soil."

"“Kalapahar, by successive and numerous fightings, vanquished the Rajah's forces, and brought to his subjection the entire dominion of Odîsah (Orissa), so much so that he carried off the Rani together with all household goods and chattels. Notwithstanding all this, from fear of being killed, no one was bold to wake up this drunkard of the sleep of negligence, so that Kalapahar had his hands free. After completing the subjugation of the entire country, and investing the Fort of Barahbati, which was his (the Rajah’s) place of sleep, Kalapahar engaged in fighting… The firm Muhammadan religion and the enlightened laws of Islam were introduced into that country. Before this, the Musalman Sovereigns exercised no authority over this country. Of the miracles of Kalapahar, one was this, that wherever in that country, the sound of his drum reached, the hands and the feet, the ears and the noses of the idols, worshipped by the Hindus, fell off their stone-figures, so that even now stone-idols, with hands and feet broken, and noses and ears cut off, are lying at several places in that country. And the Hindus pursuing the false, from blindness of their hearts, with full sense and knowledge, devote themselves to their worship! It is known what grows out of stone: From its worship what is gained, except shame? “It is said at the time of return, Kalapahar left a drum in the jungle of Kaonjhar, which is lying in an upset state. No one there from fear of life dares to set it up; so it is related.”"

"'The victorious standards set out from Jaunpur for the destruction of idols, slaughter of the enemies of Islam and hunt for elephants near Padamtalav. The Sultan saw Jajnagar which had been praised by all travellers'...'The troops which had been appointed for the destruction of places around Jajnagar, ended the conceit of the infidels by means of the sword and the spear. Wherever there were temples and idols in that area, they were trampled under the hoofs of the horses of Musalmans... After obtaining victory and sailing on the sea and destroying the temple of Jagannath and slaughtering the idolaters, the victorious standards started towards Delhi..."

"Half-a-century ago, I came to Odisha to embark on my musical journey. This land has nourished my soul and nurtured my spirit. Through this Gurukul I wish to give back a small part of what I received from here."

"“Kalapahar, by successive and numerous fightings, vanquished the Rajah's forces, and brought to his subjection the entire dominion of Odîsah (Orissa), so much so that he carried off the Rani together with all household goods and chattels. Notwithstanding all this, from fear of being killed, no one was bold to wake up this drunkard of the sleep of negligence, so that Kalapahar had his hands free. After completing the subjugation of the entire country, and investing the Fort of Barahbati, which was his (the Rajah’s) place of sleep, Kalapahar engaged in fighting… The firm Muhammadan religion and the enlightened laws of Islam were introduced into that country. Before this, the Musalman Sovereigns exercised no authority over this country. Of the miracles of Kalapahar, one was this, that wherever in that country, the sound of his drum reached, the hands and the feet, the ears and the noses of the idols, worshipped by the Hindus, fell off their stone-figures, so that even now stone-idols, with hands and feet broken, and noses and ears cut off, are lying at several places in that country. And the Hindus pursuing the false, from blindness of their hearts, with full sense and knowledge, devote themselves to their worship!"

"'The victorious standards set out from Jaunpur for the destruction of idols, slaughter of the enemies of Islam and hunt for elephants near Padamtalav. The Sultan saw Jajnagar which had been praised by all travellers'...'The troops which had been appointed for the destruction of places around Jajnagar, ended the conceit of the infidels by means of the sword and the spear. Wherever there were temples and idols in that area, they were trampled under the hoofs of the horses of Musalmans... After obtaining victory and sailing on the sea and destroying the temple of Jagannath and slaughtering the idolaters, the victorious standards started towards Delhi..."

"Order issued on all faujdars of thanas, civil officers (mutasaddis), agents of jagirdars, kroris, and amlas from Katak to Medinipur on the frontier of Orissa:- The imperial paymaster Asad Khan has sent a letter written by order of the Emperor, to say, that the Emperor learning from the newsletters of the province of Orissa that at the village of Tilkuti in Medinipur a temple has been (newly) built, has issued his august mandate for its destruction, and the destruction of all temples built anywhere in this province by the worthless infidels. Therefore, you are commanded with extreme urgency that immediately on the receipt of this letter you should destroy the above-mentioned temples. Every idol-house built during the last 10 or 12 years, whether with brick or clay, should be demolished without delay. Also, do not allow the crushed Hindus and despicable infidels to repair their old temples. Reports of the destruction of temples should be sent to the Court under the seal of the qazis and attested by pious Shaikhs."

"From the time that India was conquered, none of the princes had raised his standard over Orissa. The rulers of that country had always been powerful, and the Rajah who was now ruling them was especially so. From the time when the Afghans had stretched their hand out over Bengal they had continually planted in the gardens of their as- pirations the wishing tree of the conquest of Orissa, but it never bore fruit. For on the borders thereof there were dangerous passes and lofty mountains, and heights and declivities innumerable, and difficult forests so that grasping hands of princes could not reach it. It is difficult for armies to tread on that soil."

"I am looking forward to the opportunity of helping you in this bold and interesting scheme."

"I do not know if they [Health Ministry] will be able to spare him [Koenigsberger], for any length of time but I suppose he can go to Orissa from time to time."

"...was conceived as a modern new town based on neighborhood planning concept by the internationally acclaimed urban planner, Dr.H. Otto Koenigsberger."

"Bhubaneshwar’s history from the 3rd century BC is represented in the nearby Dhauligiri rock edict of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka at the site of his famous conquest of the Kalingas. Between the 5th and 10th centuries CE it was the provincial capital of many Hindu dynasties and a centre of the Shaivite faith. Its many temples (including the Mukteshwara and Parashurameshwar), displaying every phase of Orissan architecture, were built between the 7th and 14th centuries."

"Administrative and institutional activities have contributed to the increase in the volume of trade and commerce activity."

"Bhubaneswar, well connected with the city of Cuttack (30 km) through rail and road linkages (NH-5 and Howrah-Chennai Rail route), has tremendous potential to act as a complimentary growth center to Kolkata in the Eastern Region for trade and commerce."

"The Bhubaneswar region, conceived after independence, has experienced tremendous growth."

"The city consists of the old quarter, containing about 30 ancient temples, and a planned township built after 1948, when the capital was moved there from Cuttack."

"Bhubaneswar before becoming the capital of Orissa in 1948 had been a temple town. As a temple town it prospered and thrived, becoming an important Hindu cultural and religious center...it is generally believed that the town probably developed around the Lingaraj temple, erected to commemorate Lord Shiva. Thus the name Bhubaneshwar – the Lord of the Three Worlds: Tribhuvaneshvara."

"...the city’s character alternated with Buddhism, Jainism, Shaivism, and Vaishnavism – religions which found a home in Bhubaneswar at one time or another with the changing dynasties of Kalinga, the ancient name for Orissa. The presence of different religions gave Bhubaneswar its pluralistic character, but not without making the Oriya people suspicious of outsiders;m and it also gave Bhubaneshar its definite religious character, which has endured into the present."

"How do you ignore history? But the nationalist movement, independence movement ignored it. You read the Glimpses of World History by Jawaharlal Nehru, it talks about the mythical past and then it jumps the difficult period of the invasions and conquests. So you have Chinese pilgrims coming to Bihar, Nalanda and places like that. Then somehow they don't tell you what happens, why these places are in ruin. They never tell you why Elephanta island is in ruins or why Bhubaneswar was desecrated."

"The temple town of Bhubaneshwar is predominantly saiva, and the Oriya Hindus who live here belong, for the most part, to families of hereditary servants (sevaka) of Lingaraja, the form in which Shiva is worshiped here."

"This temple, Lingaraja Temple is an important pilgrimage site for all Hindus. Pilgrims from North India and Assam, and Bengal, in particular make a point of praying here before going on south to worship at the Jagannath temple."

"There is also an open air Tantric temple to the south of Bhubaneshwar that is dedicated to the sixty-four yoginis, each of whom is associated with a particular yogic ability. It is said that people still worship the sixty-four yoginis here on New Moon (amavasya) nights."

"The Lingaraja temple in Bhubaneswar, built in the eleventh century, has two classes of priests: Brahmins and a class called Badus who are ranked as Sudras and are said to be of tribal origin. Not only are Badus priests of this important temple; they also remain in the most intimate contact with the deity whose personal attendants they are. Only they are allowed to bathe the Lingaraja and adorn him and at festival time (...) only Badus may carry this movable image (...) the deity was originally under a mango tree (...) The Badus are described by the legend as tribals (sabaras) who originally inhabited the place and worshipped the linga under the tree.'"

"...history is reflected in the present-day appearance of the city, with the old city centre in the vicinity of the Lingaraj temple , and the far bigger new part of the city, the core of which was planned by German architect Otto Königsberger in the late 1940s. The layout of the new streets is very spacious, as are the parcels of the government buildings, with many trees and green areas along and inside them, respectively."

"...the modern administrative city that only came into being after 1948, [is] now capital to around 37 million Orissans."

"What makes Bhubaneswar a special case is the fact that there are wide areas inside the city limits that can be developed into modern urban, densely populated quarters rather than allowing the city to sprawl excessively."

"...Orissa government had taken the decision for placing the capital at Bhubaneshwar in September 1946...Dr. H Otto Koenigsberger, a German Jew, was first mentioned as a town planner, who had fled Germany and arrived in India at the invitation of Diwan (Chief Minister) Mirza Ismail of Mysore in 1939."

"We want a good architect and Town Planner to help us in preparing a scheme for [Bhubaneshwar]...The remuneration which will be paid to Dr. H Otto Koenigsberger, may be settled by mutual agreement."