Bhubaneswar(Odisha): Odisha celebrated its 86th Foundation Day on April 1. According to an official statement, the State-level function of the Odisha Divas will be organised at Unit-III Exhibition Ground. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will be the chief guest and will inaugurate the event through video conferencing. According to official sources, 10 Covid frontline workers will be felicitated on the occasion. The meeting will be followed by the rendering of patriotic songs and the staging of cultural programmes. PM Modi extended his greetings to the people of Odisha by tweeting "On the special occasion of Utkala Dibasa, best wishes to the people of Odisha. Odia people are making landmark contributions to India’s progress and Odia culture is globally admired. I pray for Odisha’s development in the times to come."
History of the formation of Odisha: Odisha was carved out of Bengal with the addition of Koraput and Ganjam from the Madras Presidency on April 1, 1936. During the British reign, Odisha was part of the Bengal presidency, which consisted of the present-day Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha.
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After losing its political identity completely in 1568 following the defeat and demise of the last king Mukunda Dev. The new province of Odisha was formed after people’s continued struggle, which finally paid off a politically separate state on a linguistic basis on April 1, 1936, with Sir John Hubbak being the first Governor of the state.
Prominent leaders like Utkala Gouraba, Madhusudan Das, Utkala Mani, Gopabandhu Das, Fakir Mohan Senapati and Pandita Nilakantha Das fought to achieve an independent identity for the state. Odisha is a land of temples and spiritual significance for many Hindus as the state was dotted with many temples, including the Jagannath temple in Puri, which was built in 1078. Puri is famous for ‘Rath yatra’ or ‘Chariot Festival’ and it is also believed to be the final resting place of Lord Vishnu.
