The District of Cuttack is named after the Principal  town as well as the head quarter of the district of the same name. The word Cuttack is an anglicized from of the Sanskrit word KATAKA that assumes two different meanings namely “military camp”  and secondly, the fort of capital on the seat of the Government  protected by the army.

Cuttack which is one of the oldest cities of India and the capital city of Orissa for almost nine centuries was built as a military cantonment in 989 A.D. by the king of Nrupa Keshari as stated by the distinguished historian Stirling. He based his opinion upon “The Madalapanji”, a chronicle of the Lord Jaganath Temple of Puri. The city however, attended glory early in the 12th century as the Capital of imperial Gangas whose empire stretches from the river Ganges in the north to the river Godavari in the south. This Capital town continued to prosper during the rule of the successive dynasties, except for a brief period of unrest when  in mid-fourteenth  entry Firoz Shah Tughluq invaded Orissa and let loose on orgy of vandalism, looting and destruction. After the death of Mukunda Deva, the last Hindu king  of  Orissa , the suzerainty of Cuttack passed on the Hands of muslims and mughals.

By 1750,Cuttack had under Maratha rule and grew fast as a business center unto, being a convenient print of contact between Marathas of Nagpur and the English merchants of Bengal. It was occupied by the British in 1803 and became the capital of the then Orissa Division in 1816. From then onward till 1948 when, the capital was shifted to Bhubaneswar, the city remained the administration head quarters of Orissa.             

Location: Cuttack is the administrative headquarters of the district and is situated in a tongue ;of land formed by the Mahanadi and Kathojodi rivers at their points of bifurcation in 20 degree 29 inch  North latitude and 85 degree 52 inch East longitude.

The railway line of the B.N.R. was constructed  through  the coastal region of Orissa as post famine measure and it was opened in the year 1819. It connects Cuttack Directly with Madras and Calcutta and provides enormous  opportunities for trade and Inland Communication.

Like Rome, Cuttack also was not build in a day, History has recorded the past of  This ancient city, the stories of rise and fall of several empires and dynasties.

The Cuttack Municipal was constituted in 1876 with 30 member 24 elected, 4 ex-officio and 2 nominated by the Govt. The Municipal Board took charge of lighting the town, providing drinking water facilities ,medical relief and public instruction at primary stage. The Municipality also took charge of few mileage of road and it worked, although under great restriction to develop Cuttack in to a modern town.

There was great change in education in Cuttack after The British occupation. Under the Mughals and the Marathas education in Orissa was completely neglected.  The missionaries  at first laboured hard to open up schools  to impart education, but their attempts were not so successful until 1838 when the Govt seriously thought of opening Modern  schools in Orissa. In 1841, the first Govt.English schools was opened up in Cuttack and it slowly progressed as the High English Schools of Cuttack until the great famine of      1865 -66. After the famine the then commissioners T.E. Ravenshaw gave sympathetic attention to the institution and it was by his determined effort that this school was converted into a college with intermediate teaching in 1868. Ten years after that, it rose to a first grade college with degree classes and it was named after Mr.Ravenshaw I.C.S., The commissioner Cuttack

The Orissa Medical School was established in 1875 following the establishment of the Cuttack General Hospital in 1874. In 1923 two new educational institutions were opened up in Cuttack,;one is the Cuttack training college for training the secondary school teachers and the other the school of Engineering, developed out of the Old Survey School, separated from Ravenshaw College in 1915.

Cuttack has all along been enjoying the unique privilege of being the administrative and the commercial nerve center of Orissa Division till 1936, and with the formation of the province of Orissa during that year, it was exalted to be the Head Quarters of the new province. The historic lalbag palace which was being occupied by The Commissioners, became The Government House. It has been described by late R.C.Dutta,I.C.S.one time Commissioner of Orissa as the best commissioner residence so far as the natural setting it concerned.                                           

The city is reputed all over the country for its exauisite and delicate filigree works, its artistic horn works and the  fome and colourful textiles manufactured here. The Barabati  stadium erected in the famous killa maidan near the Barabati  fort is considered to be next in size and magnificence only to those in Bombay and Delhi over the whole of India . The High Court Building on the Kathojodi is another impressive structure in the city

The hub of district administration, Cuttack collectorate is located near Chandini chowk. It houses all the important district level offices like District Planning Office, District Social Welfare offices, District civil supplies office, District sports office and District control room. The original heritage building of collectorate now houses the office of the sub-collector Cuttack.

Cuttack district is a narrow strip of land spreading from East to West. Topographically Cuttack has two prominent divisions viz., hilly terrain on the west and Mahanadi delta plains in the East. The highly fertile and densely populated land in criss- crossed by hundreds of rivers and rivulets. These water bodies function both as tributaries of the Mahanadi river system. Large portion of the landmass is low lying and gets submerged during floods. With very limited industrialization, people of Cuttack depend upon agriculture as the primary means of livelihood. The vast network of irrigation canals established by the British after the great nau- anko famine of 1866, is the backbone of agriculture. Cuttack city is still the commercial capital of Orissa with the Malgodown controlling the trade throughout the State.

Important Place

Cuttack is famous for its stone revetment on the riverbanks, a great engineering marvel of the 11th century AD and a remarkable example of ancient technological skill or Orissa.

The medieval Barabati Fort, with its moat and gate and the earthen mound of the nine-storied palace, is situated on the bank of the river Mahanadi.

A sacred shrine both for the Hindus and Muslims, Quadam-i-Rasool, has a compound wall and towers at each corner. Inside the shrine are three mosques with beautiful domes and a Nawabat Khana (music gallery). It is an object of veneration for Hindus and Muslims alike.

Chandi is the presiding deity of the city and the shrine dedicated to her is on the itinerary of all those visiting Cuttack.

A new attraction to the city of Cuttack is the sprawling modern cricket stadium near Barabati Fort. The stadium holds many test and one-day international cricket matches nowadays.

Dhavaleswar

A small but beautiful island in Mahanadi, Dhavaleswar enchants all with the spell of the river. The Shiva Temple, perched on a hillock, is approachable by flights of steps, one from the north and other one from the south. As a religious centre, Dhavaleswar throngs with religious activities throughout the year. It is 37 km by road from Cuttack and 4 km through water.

Chandikhol

Chandikhol is a perfect picnic spot with its thickly wooded hills and sylvan springs that flow perennially through its green glades. It lies about 40 km north of Cuttack. At Mahavinayak, 5 km away, there is a shrine of the five godheads on one lingam. Ganapati is much revered here.

Jajpur

Once the prosperous and ancient capital of Utkal, Jajpur was an important and flourishing centre for trade and commerce in the olden days. Its diverse cultural crosscurrents enlivened and enriched the city even in the days of the visit of the Chinese traveller Huien T'Sang. It is also one of the sacred pilgrim points in Orissa. Goddess Viraja (Durga) is the city's reigning deity. Jajpur is also known as Navigaya Kshetra where Pinda is offered by the Hindus for their ancestors. It lies 92 km from Cuttack.

Udayagiri-Ratnagiri-Lalitgiri

It was the conversion of Ashoka to Buddhism, after the bloody war of Kalinga that was responsible for the spread of this religion not only in Orissa but also to places as far flung as China and Japan. Some of the most wonderful relics of that era have come to light in the three hillsides of Udayagiri, Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri and their environs like Langudi hill, Kayam hill, etc. While a vast amount of research and excavations need to be conducted still, what we do have is a wealth of architectural and sculptural findings that speak glowingly about the fine artistry inherent amongst the people of Orissa's ancient past. Situated 70 km away from Cuttack, the hills were home to a large Buddhist complex which could be the ruins of a Buddhist University called Puspagiri (mentioned in the travelogues of the Chinese traveller Huien T'Sang). The complex comprises various brick pagodas (some in ruins), stone portals, Buddhist images, stupas and prayer-halls of the post-Gupta period.

Kendrapara

Famous for its presiding deity Lord Baladeva, Kendrapara is called the `Tulasi Kshetra' of Orissa. A grand Car Festival is held here annually which draws a mammoth crowd. `Tulasi Kshetra Mahatyam' refers that Lord Baladeva killed the demon Kandarasura ruling at Lalitgiri and married his daughter `Tulasi', for which the place is called. `Kendrapara' as well as `Tulasi Kshetra'- only 65 km from Cuttack.

Paradeep

This modern port is a hectic tourist spot today. Lying 94 km from Cuttack, it offers a beautiful fine-grained white beach, lovely creeks, and a riveting estuary with evergreen forests abounding on the estuarine islands of the Mahanadi.

PLACES AROUND CUTTACK

Banki is situated around 92 km away from Cuttack. The place has the shrine of eight-armed Goddess Charchika on the bank of river Mahanadi.

Nandan Kanan Biological Park, on the way to Bhubaneswar, is the place with the highest population of white tigers in the country.

Chatia, 30 km, has several shrines and the remains of an ancient fort.

HOW TO REACH

BY AIR - The nearest airport from Cuttack is Bhubaneswar, which is around 29 km away. Flights to other important cities in India can be taken from here.
BY RAIL - Cuttack is an important station on the Calcutta-Chennai main railway line and connected to Calcutta, Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai through regular trains.
BY ROAD - National Highway No. 5 passes through Cuttack and makes it the most accessible city of Orissa. The city is connected by road with Bhubaneswar, Puri, and other important cities of the state.

We would provide you all India tourist permit vehicles for the local transportations and also for the intercity drives too.

Important facts about Cuttack

Altitude 14.62 m above sea level
Language Oriya, Hindi, and English
Best time to visit October to March
STD Code 0671