Prophets and Poets

Various prophets visited Orissa; the significant among those visits is the visit of Adi Sankaracharya in 9th century to Puri to make it a center of his mission and a towering citadel of his spiritual ideology & message. He established four monasteries in four corners of Indian Peninsula out of which "The Gobardhan Pitha" of Puri was one of the most significant. Another Great Saint Ramanujacharya, the proponent of Visista Dwaita philosophy also visited Puri and established the Emar Matha. In the same century Jayadev composed his world famous lilting treatise "Gita Govinda". Subsequently in 16th century Sri Chaitanya, the exponent of the Bhakti Cult came to Orissa and made Puri his abode for last 18 years of his life. His contemporary Pancha Sakha i.e. Sri Jagannath Das, Sri Achyutananda Das, Sri Balaram Das, Ananta and Yasobanta were spiritual stalwarts and literary luminaries of the time.

Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja, Kabi Surya Baladev Ratha, Radhanath Ray, Fakir Mohan Senapati, Pandit Gopabandhu Dash, Pandit Nilakantha Das, Godabaris Mishra, Kalandi Charan Panigrahi, Sachidananda Routray & many others have contributed substantially to the language & literature of Orissa.

Utkal Gaurav Madhusudan Das was the architect of Modern Orissa and subsequently Sri Nabakrushna Chowdhury, Dr. Hare Krishna Mahatab, Sri Bijayananda Patnaik and others engineered their best efforts for catapulting Orissa to Himalayan heights of fame.

In fact, Orissa has become a multi dimensional, multi colored, vibrant and boisterous modern state all set on its journey in the present millennium to make its presence and voice felt in the nooks and crannies of the world through the Universal Cult of brotherhood, its unique cultural heritage, luxuriant forests & wild life, sprawling Chilika Lake, bountiful coastline, wide range of tribes & colorful canvass of art & culture.

Orissa has been resurgent again rejuvenating and resuscitating its ancient glory, glamour and greatness.

The Division of Bihar and Orissa

But no step was taken for the transfer of Oriya-speaking areas from Bengal and Bihar. By this recommendation the total area was raised from 55,799 to 84,677 sq. km. (21,545 to 32,695 sq. miles). In the lines of the recommendations of the Committee, the Government of India Bill 1935 was passed by the Parliament and the new province of Orissa as an administrative unit came into being on the 1st April, 1936 with the following areas as per the Government of India (Constitution of Orissa ) Order,1936.

The Ganjam agency tracts - Non-agency portion of Ganjam district such as the Taluks of Ghumusur,

Chatrapur, Asika, Sorada, Kodala and a portion of the Taluks of Ichhapur and Brahmapur as laid to the north and west of the line described in Part-II of the Schedule.

So much of the Paralakhemundi estate as laid to the north and east of the said line.

From Vizagapatnam district-the Jaypur (Jeypore) estate and so much of Patangi Taluk as was not included in that estate.

Areas from Central Provinces

the Kharial Zamindari in Raipur district

the Padmapur tract consisting of the 54 villages of the Chandrapur-Padmapur estate,

Seven villages, namely-Kuakunda, Badima, Soda, Brahmapur, Palosoda, Jagni and Thakurpali.

Since then throughout the pre-independence days Orissa has suffered a lot as it was not possible to put together all the Oriya-speaking areas under a single administration. There were only six districts, viz., Cuttack, Puri, Baleshwar, Sambalpur, Ganjam and Koraput. The old district of Anugul was split up into two statutory districts, viz. Anugul and the Khondmals under the Angul Laws Regulations, 1936 and the Khondamals Laws Regulations, 1936 respectively. But for administrative purposes Angul was tagged to Cuttack district and Khondamals to Ganjam district. The Collectors of Cuttack and Ganjam became respectively the ex-officio Deputy Commissioners of those two areas. The rest of the province constituted 26 princely states, governed by the Rajas and Maharajas who had the last word of law within the jurisdiction of their respective princely states. They were loosely knit and administered under Political Agent of the British Government who was mostly satisfied after the collection of a predetermined part of the total revenue collection known as tribute or Nazarana from the rulers of those states. The process continued till 1947 when the country got independence.

The Simon Commission Report

The report of the Simon Commission led to the summoning of the Round Table Conference. Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Dev, the Maharaja of Paralakhemundi represented Orissa in the Conference. The Maharaja circulated the pamphlet, "the Oriyas, their needs, and reasons for a separate province." His efforts bore fruit: before the Third Round Table Conference ended, the Orissa Boundary Commission was appointed to review the boundary lines of the proposed Orissa province.

According to the suggestion of the Simon Commission the Orissa Boundary Commission was appointed with O¿Donnell as the Chairman. The Committee examined the claims of the Oriyas and finally recommended for inclusion in Orissa of the plains and the agency areas, excluding Paralakhemundi, in the Ganjam district; and Kharial and Padmapur, excluding Phuljhar in the Central Provinces. But the Commission opposed the inclusion in Orissa of the Oriya-speaking areas in Bihar and Bengal. The report of the Committee was vehemently opposed by the Oriyas.

The "white paper" was published on the 17 th March, 1933, containing the draft proposals for the reform of the Indian Constitution. It proposed to create two new provinces, viz., Sind and Orissa. But the proposal regarding the boundary of Orissa was far from satisfactory. It excluded the Vizagpatam Agency and Paralakhemundi estate and the Jalantar Maliah in the Ganjam agency from the proposed Orissa province. When the "white paper" was under review of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, an Oriya delegation consisting of seven members met the Secretary of State under the leadership of the Maharaja of Paralakhemundi on the 3 rd July, 1933 and submitted a representation.

In the meantime, the Utkal Union Conference Committee met and authorized the Maharaja of Paralakhemundi to represent before the British Parliament for the inclusion of the Oriya-speaking areas of the Ganjam district. The Maharaja by his powerful arguments convinced the Parliamentary Committee for the transfer of Jaypur (Jeypore) agency and a portion of Paralakhemundi to Orissa. The Commission after careful consideration made the following recommendations.

A separate province of Orissa would, however, be perhaps, the most homogenous province in the whole of British India both racially and linguistically. They recommended that a new province of Orissa be constituted. They also recommended that there should be added to the Orissa Province, a portion of the Jaypur (Jeypore) estate which the O¿Donnell Committee proposed to transfer to Orissa, the Paralakhemundi and Jalantar Maliahs and a small portion of the Paralakhemundi estate including Parlakhemundi town.

Administrative Re-alignment of the Districts

In creating consciousness for the amalgamation of the Oriya-speaking areas, the district of Ganjam played a leading role. The people of Ganjam for the first-time organized meetings and passed resolutions for the unity of all the Oriya-speaking areas. In September 1870, in the village of Russelkonda (present Bhanjanagar) under Ghumusar Taluk in the Ganjam district, a mass meeting was held. In the meting it was resolved to request the Oriyas of Cuttack to make united efforts for amalgamation. The Ganjam Oriyas formed an association called the `Ganjam Utkal Hitabadini Sabha¿ with the Raja of Kalinga, Venkates Beu, as its Secretary and carried on the agitation more vigorously. In the Orissa Division, on the 28 th November, 1874, there was a vast congregation of all the Rajas, Zamindars, and aristocrats in the garden of Bichitrananda Das to discuss the common problems of Orissa. In July 1877 an association called `Utkal Sabha¿ was formed under the leadership of Utkal Gourab Madhusudan Das. On the 16 th August, 1882 the Orissa Association was also formed by Mr.Das. In 1888 the Orissa Association made a representation to Sir Stewart Colvin Bailey, the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, to unite all the Oriya-speaking areas. On 15 th December, 1902 Raja Baikunthanath Dey submitted a memorandum to Lord Curzon to the same effect. In 1903 the Ganjam Oriyas sent a memorandum to Lord Curzon for the amalgamation. They also sent a copy of their memorandum to the people of Orissa Division. In the same year a meeting was held at Rambha in the Ganjam district under the leadership of the Raja of Khallikot and the `Ganjam Jatiya Samiti¿ was formed. Its first meeting was held at Brahmapur and Shyamasunder Rajguru of Paralakhemundi was its President. Delegates to attend this meeting from Orissa Division included such eminent persons as Utkal Gourab Madhusudan Das, Biswanath Kar, Nanda Kishore Bal and Gopal Chandra Praharaj. This meeting was regarded as the fist national conference of the Oriya people. This was followed by the formation of the Utkal Union Conference at Cuttack on the 30 th December, 1903 under the leadership of Utkal Gourab Madhusudan Das. This conference played the most significant role for the amalgamation of the Oriya-speaking areas.

In 1901 Andrew Fraser, the then Chief Commissioner of the Central Province proposed to transfer Sambalpur to the Orissa Division. On 3 rd December, 1903 Lord Curzon in a scheme proposed to unite under a single administration the scattered sections of the Oriya-speaking population while considering a proposal for the partition of Bengal. But the proposed scheme was partially carried into effect by the transfer of the Sambalpur district to Orissa Division on the 1 st September, 1905 minus the Chandrapur and the Padmapur estates and the Phuljhar Zamindari. In the same year the two feudatory states of Gangpur and Banei (Bonai) from the Chota Nagpur Division and the other five Oriya feudatory states of Patna, Kalahandi, Sonapur (Sonepur), Bamra and Redhakhol (Rairakhol) were transferred to Orissa Division from the Central Provinces.

The next great agitation for the amalgamation took place in 1911 when Lord Hardinge, the Governor General, created a new province consisting of Bihar and Orissa excluding the Oriya-speaking areas of Midnapore, Ganjam and Vizagapatnam agencies; the states of Sarangagarh, Rayagarh, Bastar, Phulijher, Chandrapur, Padmapur, etc. and the states of Saraikela, Kharsawan and Sundergarh. The Orissa being dissatisfied at this continued their agitation with double vigor. The claims of the Oriyas were discussed at the Utkal Union Conference which met from year to year. Besides the Utkal Union Conference, the Oriya Peoples¿ Association, the Balasore National Conference, the Udit Club of Singhbhum, the Utkal Milan Samaja and the Utkal Hitaisini Samaja of Ganjam also played leading roles for the union of the Oriya-speaking areas. A counter movement called the Ganjam Defence League was organized by the Telugus in Ganjam to oppose the Oriya movement.

In 1917 the Montagu-Chelmsford Commission visited India on the subject of self-Government. As regards Orissa, the Commission in its report recognized the need for an administrative union of the Oriya-speaking people and recommended for a sub-province for the Oriyas. But in the Act of 1919, there was no provision for a separate sub-province and the merger of the Oriya-speaking areas.

The question of amalgamation of the Oriya-speaking people was discussed from time to time in the Central and the Provincial legislations. On the 20th February, 1920 Satchidananda Sinha moved a resolution in the imperial Council for the amalgamation of the Oriya-speaking tracts. A similar resolution of A.B. Latthe supported by Brajasundar Das was moved in the Indian Legislative Assembly on the 2nd September, 1921. In reply Sir William Vincent, the Home Member, expressed his inability to take any step to change the provincial boundaries. On the 25th November, 1921, Viswanath Kar, an Oriya member in the Bihar and Orissa Legislative Council moved a resolution for the union of the Oriya-speaking tracts. In the same year Sasibhusan Rath moved a similar resolution in the Madras Legislative Council. All these resolutions were disallowed by the Government.

At last India Government appointed C.L. Philip and A.C. Duff to make an enquiry regarding the attitude of the Oriya inhabitants of the Madras Presidency towards this merger with Orissa. The Commission in their report made the following concluding remarks "Our enquiry has shown that there is a genuine long-standing and deep seated desire on the part of the educated Oriya classes of the Oriya-speaking tracts of Madras for amalgamation of these tracts with Orissa under the administration". Before any step was taken on the recommendations of the Commission, the Government appointment a statutory commission in 1928 under the Chairmanship of the Sir John Simon to report on the working on the reforms in India. The Commission in its report stated, "Bihar and Orissa is a glaring example of the artificial connections of areas which are not naturally related." The Commission, therefore, appointed a sub-committee for Orissa with Major Attlee as Chairman. The sub-committee recommended the creation of a separate Orissa province.

The Language Agitation era

A new awakening was marked in Orissa after the `Na Anka¿ famine of 1866 and during the time of the `language agitation¿. Growth of education, development of communication, increase in the volume of trade and commerce, establishment of printing press and publication of journals and periodicals paved the way for the growth of political consciousness in Orissa. This consciousness made the people aware of administrative disadvantages.

The tales of the woes of the scattered Oriyas under other neighbouring people and their strong desire for union with Orissa crowded the columns of the newspapers and journals. When Lord North Brook, the Governor-General, suggested to break up the Central Province and to merge its areas with other provinces, the pioneers of the Oriya movement advocated strongly merging Sambalpur with Orissa.

The question of amalgamating outlying Oriya-speaking tracts with Orissa was so far confined to newspapers and journals but later steps were taken to submit representations to the Government to that effect. When John Beams was the Commissioner of Orissa, the Oriyas appealed to him for the merger of the Oriya-speaking areas into a distinct linguistic unit. The people of Balasore made a similar representation to Richard Temple, the Lieutenant-Governor, who did not pay any heed to that appeal. In 1876, Raja Baikunthanath Dey of Balasore and Bichitrananda Das, the Sirastadar of the Commissioner of Orissa, made a representation to the Government for the union of all the Oriya-speaking areas under a single administration.