Odisha day, also popularly known as Utkala Dibasa, is celebrated on the 1st of April in the Indian state of Odisha in memory of the formation of the state as a separate state out of Bihar and Orissa province with the addition of Koraput and Ganjam from Madras Presidency on 1st April 1936 in Katak at the Kanika palace.
On the same day, Sir John Hubback was sworn in as Odisha’s first governor. In response to the Joint Select Committee’s report, the Government of India Act, 1935 included a provision for the formation of Odisha as an independent state.
The name Utkala derives from the Indian social and cultural organization founded by Madhusudan Das in 1903 which consisted of 62 members. This organization was formed for the struggle for the State’s independence which went on for thirty more years until its independence in 1936. The movement took an intense under the leadership of Utkala Gouraba Madhusudan, Utkala Mani Gopabandhu, Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati, Fakir Mohan Senpati.
The State celebrates the day with a restricted holiday with colleges and schools organizing functions and competitions.
Timeline
1568: After Mukunda Deva was the last independent ruler of Odisha, the region saw a steady decline.
1576: Mughals got hold of coastal Odisha
1751: Marathas gained control of the region for half a decade
1803: Region passes onto the British Empire
The British divided and formed other provinces
1936: The state formation on the basis of population
History of the name “Odisha”
The term Odisha comes from the Sanskrit word “Odra Desa” which is the name of an old tribe that was gradually transformed into Odisha, which in English became Orissa, that spelling remained prominent until the original Odisha was reinstated in the early 21st century,
