Khordha district General information
Khordha (also written Khurda) is an administrative division of the state of Orissa, India. It was formed on April 1, 1993 by the division of former Puri District into Puri, Khurda and Nayagarh districts. In the year 2000 the district name was changed to Khordha. The district headquarters is Khordha Town, formerly known as Jajarsingh, or Kurada. The capital city of Bhubaneswar is located in this district. Khurda is the most urbanized of all the districts of Orissa. Khurda Road, the railway station that serves the town is also the divisional headquarters of the East Coast Railway of the Indian Railways.
History
Khordha is the headquarter of the district of the same name and is situated in 85 degree 37'30"E and 20 degree 11'N. on the National Highway No.5. The town is 11 km. from Khurda Road railway station, with which it is connected by a metalled road.The local name of the place is Jajarsingh, which originally was a small village. Probabaly the place was also formerly known as Kurada, which means 'foul mouthed'. The old mile stones of the area had the word 'KURADA' dug into them which have now been whitewashed andthe word 'KHURDA' written on them. The present Khurda area was once heavily populated by the Savaras who are still to be found in the subdivision in some pockets. In this connection it may be noted that a village and ex-Zamindari in Ganjam distrct is named 'Surada' which probably means 'fair mouthed' as opposed to 'Kurada'. Khurda came into prominence when the first RAJAS OF KHORDHA dynasty,Ramachandra Deva, made it the capital of his kingdom during the last part of the 16th century A.D. The Bhoi kings lived in a part of the foot of the BARUNAI Hill, about 1.6 km. to the south of the town. This site was apparently selected because it was protected on one side by the Barunai Hill, which was easily defended, and on the other by dense jungle. The fort is now completely ruins, only a few traces remaining here and there which reminds one for its former glory. Khurda suffered repeated onslaughts from Muslim and Maratha cavalry but its royal house retained much of its independence till 1804 when the then Raja, Mukunda Deva under the guidance of Jayakrushna Raiguru, rebelled against the British domination and was dispossessed of his territory. Khurda is also memorable as the centre of activity of the "PAIKA REBELLION" of 1817-18 under the leadership of Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar.
Khurda is an important centre of handloom industry. The lungi, napkin and sarees produced here have an all Orissa market. There are a few Hindu mathas in Garh Khurda i.e. the old fort area of the town. The civic affairs of the town are managed by a Notified Area Council.
Topography
Khurda district on the basis of soil, climate topography,
geohydrology and other resources are divided into two
district sub-regions consisting of the following blocks as
given below.
I. Deltaic Alluvium Sub-regions :
----------------------------
Three Blocks namely, Balipatna, Balianta and Chilika came
under Deltaic Alluvium Sub-region.
II.Laterite Sub-regions :
--------------------
Remaining 7 Blocks i.e. Bhubaneswar, Begunia, Bolagarh,
Jatni, Khurda, Banpur and Tangi came under laterite
sub-region.
Demography
Demographic distribution of Khurda district may be described
as below :
Population :(1991 Census)
TOTAL
Total : 1502014 (4.75 % of the State)
Urban : 516281
Rural : 985733
COMMUNITIES
S.C. : 204564
S.T. : 77242
Others : 1220208
SEX-Wise
Male : 789334
Female : 712680
LITERACY
Total : 861321
Male : 528602
Female : 332719
LITERACY RATE
Total : 67.72%
Male : 78.74%
Female : 55.39%
RIVER SYSTEMS OF THE DISTRICT
(i) KUAKHAI
River Kuakhai originating as a branch of Mahanadi enters Bhubaneswar block area from the north near Jhinkardiha and Marichia villages of Dadha G.P. and flow touching the eastern boundaries of Kalyanpur, Barimund, Basuaghai and Sisupal G.P. and passes amidst Mancheswar. During flood the excess water from kuakhai river submerge Jhinkardiha, Marichia and some parts of Gandarpur village. It even affects Mancheswar Bhoisahi if the flood is very severe. Excess water over flowing Mancheswar escape over river Kuakhai completely submerges the paddy field of Mancheswar and Baramunda G.P.s and maroons Singada, Rokata and Krushnaranapur Villages.
(ii) BHARGAVI
The river Bhargavi starts from river kuakhai at Balakati & flows to east.The river Bhargavi passes through some villages of Balianta block. The river affects a part of Balianta and balipatna blocks during floods.
(iii) BUDUNAI
It originates from the forest and hilly tracks of chandaka and flows through Daruthenga G.P. near Alasua, Raghunathpur, Kalarahanga and Barimunda G.P.s anf finally merges into river Kuakhai near Jaripatna. Excess water flowing through Budunai flows over Nandankanan - Jaripada road. Communication is cut off during heavy rains and flood.
(iv) DAYA
The river Daya takes off from river Kuakhai at Saradeipur (near Badahati) and runs towards a few miles and then makes a sharp turn West ward for four miles and after that continues its course outwards the rest of the length emptying itself into the north eastern corner of the chilika lake 37 miles from its take off place.
(v) KUSABHADRA
Kusabhadra starts from the river Kuakhai at Balianta and flows in the South - Western direction for 46 miles till it enters the Bay of Bengal near Ramachandi temple, 15 miles East of Puri. The mouth of Kusabhadra below Ramachandi is free from lid. The river bed is shallow resulting in low discharge at the time of heavy flow. The river Dhanua with its tributory brings a large volume of water to Kusabhadra.
(vi) MALAGUNI
It runs through Khurda Tahasil. This is more or less a hill stream and badly affects some portions of Khurda, Chilika and Tangi blocks during flood.There is a Minor Irrigation project constructed on it near Rameswar village.
(vii) RANA
The river Rana rises in Khurda Sub-division and eventually join the river Mahanadi after flowing through Banki Tahasil in the district of Cuttack. An area of 27 Sq.Kms (some portions of Begunia and Khurda blocks) is innundated by the back water of this river when Mahanadi is flooded.
(viii) KUSUMI
This river affects some villages of Tangi block during flood.
Art and Craft
Romancing The Stone
Stone carving is a major handicraft of Orissa. As is evident from the innumerable archaeological monuments, rock-cut sculptures, caves and temples built for centuries and embellished with most beautiful and intricately carved statue and other adornments, the art of carving in stone had reached, in Orissa, dizzy heights of excellence perfected through centuries of disciplined efforts of generations of artisans.
The progeny of these artisans who built the magnificent temples of "Parsurameswar", "Mukteswar", "Lingaraja", "Jagannatha" (also spelt as Jagannath) and that wonder in stone, the temple chariot of the Sun God at Konark. Besides the beautiful Stupas and monasteries of Lalitagiri Ratnagiri and Udayagiri have kept alive the sculptural traditions of their forefathers and their deft hands can and do chisel and carve exact replicas of the original temple sculptures besides producing a variety of other items.
Unlike sculptors of other places, the artisans of Orissa are at home with a variety of materials. They handle with equal facility the ultra soft white soapstone, or "Khadipathara", as the slightly harder greenish chlorite or "Kochilapathara" and the still harder pinkish Khandolite or "Sahanapathara" or "Baulapathara" and the hardest of all black granite or "Mugunipathara".
The tools they use are few and simple and consist mainly of hammers and chisels of various shapes and sizes with such local names as 'Muna', 'Patili', 'Martual', 'Thuk-Thuki' and 'Nihana'. Whether the stone is hard or soft a sort of outline is first drawn on the stone which is already cut to the appropriate size.
Once the outline is incised indicating the shape, the final figure is brought out by removing the unwanted portions. While for the harder stones this is done by chiseling out the extra material, with softer stones this is done by scraping out the same with a sharp flat-edged iron tool. As for the motifs, the endless variety of sculptures adorning the temples provides the models although other motifs are also not uncommon.
The Exquisite Embellishments
Among the former the ubiquitous "Alasa Kanyas" or indolent damsels and "Salabhanjikas", lady with the bough of a sal tree, "Surasundaris" heavenly beauties playing on different musical instruments adorning the topmost tier of the Konark temple, the "Nava Grahas" or nine deities representing the nine planets, Konark wheel, Konark horse, elephant, lion composite mythical figures like 'Gajabidala', 'Gajasimha' are quite popular.
Other motifs include representation of deities of the Hindu pantheon like Krishna and Radha, Laxmi, Vishnu, Durga, Buddha, Ganesa, 'Haraparvati', Nrusingha etc. In recent times may decorative and utilitarian articles like ashtrays, paperweights, candle stands book rests are also being made. These carvers also make images for installation in temples as presiding deities and Parswa-Devatas as well as large pieces for decoration of public places.
One may find samples of these in the Handicrafts museum, Bhubaneswar, in the Parliament House annexe in Delhi, Konark horse in the Barabati Stadium at Cuttack and Konark wheel almost the same size as the original adorning the face of a modern Hotel at Bhubaneswar. Another giant Konark horse will adorn the traffic island at a busy intersection in Bhubaneswar and will soon be a landmark.
The four colossal Buddha images and the friezes depicting the life of the Buddha and Ashoka in the modern "Shanti Stupa" at Dhauli are also the handiwork of Orissa's craftsmen. Artisans mainly at Puri, Bhubaneswar, and Lalitgiri in Cuttack district practice the handicraft though some are also found in Khiching in Mayurbhanj District. The traditions are carried on from generation to generation and a few ancient texts on the art, which have survived, are followed closely.
Utensils & Kitchenware
Apart from the decorative, votive articles and modern utilitarian items, the craft also covers another group of products in shape of stoneware utensils and kitchenwares.
Following the simple process of turning and polishing by using a local wooden lathe called "Kunda", the craftsmen produce beautiful polished plates ('Thali'), containers ('Gina, Pathuri'), cups and glasses. These are used for pujas, ritual worships as well for regular eating 'Pathuris', stone ware deep containers are particularly good for storing curd as they do not react to acid and these are also filled with water and used for placing the legs of wooden 'Almirahs' to prevent ants from getting in. The craftsmen making these articles are concentrated at Baulagadia and Nilgiri.
Temples
There are numerous temples in the Old Town built from the 6th century A.D. to the 15th century A.D. an account of which is given below according to their period of construction. Many of these are covered from top to bottom with exquisite relief carvings with delicate floral and geometric designs, figures of gods and godlings, nymphs and dryads of the woods, and couples in amorous embrace. The two temples, commonly known as Lakshmaneswara and atrughneswara, standing in a row (along with Bharateswara) opposite to the much later Rameswara temple by the side of the road leading to the Lingaraj temple have generally been regarded as the earliest temples. The period of the Satrughneswara and Lakshmaneswara temples is assigned to the close of the sixth century A.D. The Satrughneswara represents a sikhara temple. The sculptures of this temple are marked by the vigour and exuberance of the designs recalling the best characteristics of the post-Gupta art. The date of the arasurameswara temple has been assigned to 650 A.D. At Bhubaneswar there are at least two other temples, such as, the Bharateswara (opposite the Rameswar temple, standing alongwith the Satrughneswara and the Lakshmaneswara), and the Swarnajaleswara temple which can be recognised as close cognates of the Parasurameswara. The conservation work of the temple Swarnajaleswara has been undertaken by the Archaeology Department, Government of Orissa. The Parasurameswara temple, a small but lavishly decorated temple, embodying nearly all the characteristics peculiar thereto. Enclosed within a compound wall, the temple facing west, is a small compact shrine with squattish thick-set gandi, while the Jagamohan, instead of being stepped pyramid as in the typical Orissan temples, is a rectangular structure with a terraced roof. The next epoch (C.A.D. 700-900) produced a large number of temples at Bhubaneswar, of which ten or twelve are still in its original condition and the rest have perished leaving a number of detached sculptures. So far as architecture is concerned, these temples are characterised by the Pancha-Ratha plan unlike the Tri-Ratha plan of temples of the earlier group. The Jagamohans are of the same type with one door but no window and pillars inside. A Buddhist inspiration had influenced the iconography and execution of a few images which may be traced to the influence of the Bhaumas. The above characteristics are common to the Markandeswara, the Taleswara, the Vaital, the Sisireswara, the Mohini and the Uttareswara. The Vaital temple is remarkable for its uncommonly barrel shaped double-storied tower.
The Mukteswara is one of the most beautiful temples of India and has been described as a dream realised in sandstone. Elegantly decorated from top to bottom, it stands within a gracefully laid out low compound wall with a beautiful torana in front. Apart from its beautiful sculptures that eloquently speak of the sense of proportion and perspective of the sculptures and their extraordinary skill, the temple also reveals some notable features both in architecture and in the attributes of the cult images, which with some or no modification came to be the standard of all the other important temples that followed it. The builder of the Mukteswar borrowed certain features from the early architectural tradition but also introduced new architectural designs, new art motifs and new conceptions about the iconography of the cult images. The abrupt changes in the early forms of the cult images, in the architectural designs and even in the minute details of the sculptural representations indicate that the builder of the Mukteswara was the harbinger of a new culture. The date of the temple is assigned somewhere between the temples of Sisireswara (800 A.D.) and the Brahmeswara (1060 A.D.). There are two other temples at Bhubaneswar which may be regarded as close conteporaries of the Mukteswara. One of them is the Sureswara, a very small structure, which stands near the Kotitirtheswara temple in the close neighbourhood of the Swarnajaleswara, and the other is the Gauri temple situated in the compound of the Kedareswara. The superb temple of Rajarani bears certain architectural features rare in their occurrence in the other temples at Bhubaneswar. In spite of such features, which seem to lend it a somewhat exotic appearance, the temple has a distinct relation with the evolution of the Orissan temple form. The figures are so beautiful that stealing still goes on. About the time of the last Govinda Dwadashi a head was broken and stolen. During last few years another head has been stolen. The figure of a damsel playing with a bat and a ball had its head a few years ago. Now it is without one. All this is happening inspite of watchman being appointed. Its magnificent sculptures are unparallled in the history of plastic art in Orissa, and they are more akin to the Mukteswara, the Brhameswara and the Lingaraja, than to any other. Hence, it is apparent that its chronological position lies somewhere about the dates of these temples. Dr. Krushna Chandra Panigrahi has tried to show that the original name of the temple was Indreswara and that it was a Saiva shrine. Mano Mohan Ganguly has written that the present name Rajarani has been derived from a "very fine grained yellowish sandstone called Rajarania in common parlance" with which the entire edific has been built. The Chief Editor, Gazetteers, Orissa, has observed, "The name Rajarani may have come from the name of the stone or the name of the stone may have come from the name of the temple. A visit to the interior of the temple makes two points clear :
(a) There never was a deity in the temple
(b) When Rajarani was built multiple storeyed building and use of iron beams had come into vogue.
Jagamohan of Rajarani shows some numbers on the stones which probably meant that it has been rebuilt".
What strikes the visitor at the first sight is the cluster of minature rekhas around the gandi. The temple is noted for the well-preserved dik-palas, all on the corner projections of the lower jangha. Clad in diaphanous drapery they stand on lotuses, with their mounts below. The celebrity of the Rajarani temple is also to a large extent due to the tall and slender sophisticated nayikas carved in high relief and depicted in various roles and moods. The Dakra Bhimeswara temple that bears the feature of the Rajarani may also be assigned to this period. It stands on the left side of the road to Puri in the close neighbourhood of the eastern gate of Lingaraja compound. This monuments has projecting turrets in its sikhara in the same way as those of the Rajarani, and like the latter, a number of obscene figures also.
The next dated temple is the Brahmeswara, erected about 1060 A.D. by Kolavati Devi, mother of the Somavamsi king Uddyota Kesari in the eighteenth year of his reign. The Brahmeswara temple supplies some well-marked features and characteristics that became distinctive of the Orissan temple type in the later ages. The Orissan temple form as one sees in the Brahmeswar, and so grandly exemplified in the majestic Lingaraja, is certainly the result of a long process of evolution through centuries. This is the second temple at Bhubaneswar with internal embellishments in the Jagamohan, the first being the Mukteswara.
The temple of Lingaraja is the most notable temple not only of Bhubaneswar, but also of Orissa; and according to expert opinions is also one of the best archaeological monuments of the East. Rising to a height of about 180 feet (54.8640 metres) and dominating the entire landscape within an area of about fifteen kilometres this great temple represents the quintessence of the Kalinga type of architecture and the culminating result of the architectural activities at Bhubaneswar. It stands in the midst of a number of smaller temples within a spacious compound of laterite measuring 520 feet (158.4960 metres) in length and 465 feet (141.7320 metres) in breadth and having gates on the east, north and south. So much has been said about its architectural features that very little remains to be said. Prof. R.D.Banerji records from his personal observation that the sanctuary is a hollow pyramid composed of several superimposed chambers, the access to which is obtained by a staircase built through the thickness of the wall. Barring this peculiarity, the sanctuary is otherwise a Panch-Ratha deul having close architectural affinities with the Brahmeswara temple.
The Lingaraja temple is a combination of four structures, all in the same axial alignment, viz., deul, jagamohan, natamandira and bhogamandapa, the last two being subsequent additions. The bada of the sanctuary has five divisions. The pabhaga consists of five richly-carved mouldings. The corner and intermediary rathas of the lower jangha are relieved with khakhara mundis having the seated figures of eight dik-palas. The recesses between the rathas are filled in with varieties of gaja-vidalas and nara-vidalas. The bandhana is made of three finely-carved mouldings and the baranda of ten. In the recess are nayikas of enchanting grace and beauty in various actions. The carvings on the mundis and in mouldings, rich and minute as they are, do not overshadow the essential character of the figure themselves-a remark that as well applies to the entire temple itself. The grandeur of the temple chiefly lies in its towering gandi.
The effect of its great height is accentuated by the deeply incised curved vertical lines which sour upwards to its top. The number of bhumis in kanika-paga has been increased to ten, and the bhumi-amlas have assumed a new form, rounded at the corner and rectangular at the sides. The decoration of the raha above the projecting lion, rampart on an elephant, is a series of chaitya-windows in low relief. The ponderous amalaka is supported by dopichha lions at corners and four-armed seated figures, one each above the raha. The jagamohan is equally monumental and closely follows the deul in decorative details. The pidhas are arranged in two tiers, each crowned by a lion above a bho-motif. The vertical sides of all the nine pidhas of the lower tier are relieved with friezes consisting of processions of infantry, cavalry, elephants, etc. Both the Natamandira and the Bhogamandapa are open halls and the former has a flat roof. The images of Ganesha, Kartikeya, and Parvati appear respectively in the western, eastern and northern niches of the sanctuary. The life size images of the parswa debatas are all chlorite. The fine scroll work to decorate the garments of the deities and the magnificent backgrounds against which these deities appear, indicate a supreme artistic taste and the zenith of the decorative art of the period. The temple of Lingaraja was built in the 11th century A.D. The next dated temple is the Kedareswara. The inscription in the Kedareswara temple proves that it was built before 1142 A.D. Three other temples, which appear to be cognate members of this temple, are the Rameswara, the Alayukeswara and the Siddheswara. These temples represent a period when some of the most ancient shrines were renovated or reconstructed.
All these temples are of Pancha-Ratha type. A study of the western side of Siddheswara clearly shows that the stones were of an older temple, otherwise a piece which obviously meant to be placed horizontally could not have been placed vertically. This probably was not an accident, but purposely done to indicate that it was not the original temple, but rebuilt from the stones of a former temple. Here also many stones have numbers engraved on them to show that it was a rebuilt temple.
The Megheswara (1195 A.D.) and the Ananta Basudeva (1278 A.D.) temples were built definitely during the Ganga period. The Megheswara, the earliest of the Ganga temples at Bhubaneswar, shows the beginning of a Sapta-Ratha plan, and as time passed on, it came to be the established rule with the Ganga monuments. The accumulated experiences of the past in the temple building were utilised to build strong and compact edifices skilfully. During this period, in all the important structures, the frontal adjunct consisted of three chambers known as the Jagamohan (audience hall), the Natamandira (dancing hall) and the Bhogamandapa (offering hall). The iron beams which began to be used in the preceding period, now came to be used regularly, because of the increase of projection and their further subdivisions.
Another new feature introduced was the Bahana-Stambha set up in front of the shrines. The other important monuments belonging to this period are the Bhaskareswara, the Yameswara, the Mitreswara, the Varuneswara, the Chitreswara, the Sari temple, the temple of Parvati inside the Lingaraja temple and the Vakeswara. The Vakeswara is important in having a Naba-Ratha plan, the only monument of this plan at Bhubaneswar. Besides the temples mentioned above, the Ganga peirod also witnessed the construction of a large number of smaller temples, such as Someswara, Gosahasreswara, Bhavanisankar and several unnamed ones. In the compound of the Lingaraja temple alone there are about a dozen temples which bear some of the Ganga characteristics.
After the Gangas, the glorious period of temple-building activities in Orissa was over. But the spirit lingered on during the Suryavamsi supremacy which also witnessed the erection of some notable temples in Orissa. The temple of Kapileswara appears to be the last notable monument to be built at Bhubaneswar. It is situated on the bank of the Gangua about 1.6 km. to the south of the Lingaraja temple.
It has a three-chambered frontal complex, but the late date of the temple is more evident from its cult images.
Religious shrines in the New Capital area :
In the New Capital area several miniature temples have been constructed at different places. These temples, excepting the Chintamaniswara, Bhuasuni and Budheswari have been constructed during the last forty years.
Among these temples there are several Saiva, Sakta and Vaishnava temples built in stone or brick in Orissan style with cement plasters on it. Most of these temples are devoid of architectural skill, designs and decoratives. They are mainly constructed to meet the social and religious needs of the people, such as, daily worship, marriage ceremony, sacred thread ceremony, Janmastami, Sabitri Brata, Siva Ratri, Dola Jatra, etc. All these temples are built through public charity and donations.
Among these temples mention may be made of
the Jagannath temple in Unit VII;
the Radha-Krushna temple in Unit-IX;
the Sri Rama temple in Kharavela Nagar;
the Jhadeswari temple in Siripur;
the Bana Durga temple in Ganga Nagar;
the Chintamanishwara temple and
the Budheswari temple in the Old Station Bazar;
the Bhuasuni temple near Santarapur Bazar;
the Raghunath temple in Kesari Nagar and
the shrine of Jagneswara and the Sivananda Prayer Hall in Asoka Nagar.
Besides these Hindu religious shrines, there is one mosque, two churches, one Guru Dwara, one Buddha Vihar and one Jaina temple in the New Capital area.
The mosque was constructed in 1959 in Bhauma Nagar on the western side of the Sachivalaya Marga. The Sunni Muslims usually congregate here for general prayer on every Friday and their festival days. There is a Madrasa attached to the mosque.
The foundation stone of the Protestant church, called the Union Church, was laid on the 17th December,1960. It is located in Bhauma Nagar near the mosque. In this church all the Christians of Protestants denominations can be members. On every Sunday and ecclesiastical days people of the Christian community congregate here for prayer and for celebrating the festivals. The Church is under the charge of a Pastor. The Roman Catholoc church, called the Saint Vincent De Paul Church, was established in December, 1968 at Satya Nagar. A Parish Priest is in charge of this church. The office of the Archbishop is located in the premises. On every Sunday and ecclesiastical days the Roman Catholics assemble here to pray and to observe their festivals.
There is one Guru Dwara of Sikhs. It was established in 1960 in Kharavela Nagar. The holy book of the Sikha "Guru Granth Sahib" is worshipped here. The Guru Dwara also runs a charitable homoeopathy dispensary.
An area has been earmarked in Unit-9 on the eastern side of the Sachivalya Marg, for the construction of a Buddha Vihar. It is allotted to the Mahabodhi Socieity of India. The Holy Bodhi Tree has been planted here and a cement platform has been constructed around it.