Khurda: The spirit of Paika Mutiny inspired the people all over the country. I appreciate and honour from my deepest corner to the relentless effort of the Paikas of the brave land of Khurda," Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare said on the occasion of the commemoration of the 190th year of the first war of Independence.

Inaugurating the celebration, the Governor said Khurda was at the forefront in the freedom struggle. Although the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 was termed as India's first freedom struggle, in fact in 1817, forty years earlier, the fire of the freedom struggle was enkindled at Khurda, which is called Paika Mutiny. The rebellion broke out in March 1817 under the leadership of Buxi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar Mahapatra, the then military chief of Khurda Kingdom.

Sambad editor Soumya Ranjan Patnaik said the period from 1803 to 1817 was a very short one when Orissa came under the alien rule. This is enough to decide as to which of the two was the first struggle for Independence. Among others, former Minister Suresh Routray and veteran journalist Raj Kishore Ram spoke about the glorious history of Khurda. A souvenir Mukti Masal was inaugurated by the Governor to mark this occasion.

Organised by the Barunei and Khurdagada Bikash Parisad and Oriya magazine Pakhighara, the function was presided over by Parisad's president and ex-MLA Dr Dilip Srichandan. A poem-reciting and a discussion on Paika Mutiny were also held at the Town Hall by poet Banoj Tripathy.