Cuttack: Faded Glory

CUTTACK lies between the Mahanadi and Kathjuri rivers and is one of the longest serving capital cities in Indian history. Several dynasties including the Sailodbhavas, the Somavamsis, the Gangas, the Gajapatis, the Afghans, the Mughals, the Marathas and the British have ruled over it. The city derives its name from the word ‘kataka’, or ‘ mi l i t a r y camp’. It was also called Jajpur and Jajnagar by Islamic chroniclers.

The famous Kalinga war which transformed the great conqueror, Ashoka, into a man of peace was fought on the city’s outskirts in the 3rd century B.C. The site is marked by an ancient Ashokan edict.

Between the 5th and the 8th century A.D., the Sailodbhavas ruled around Katakabhukti, the area identified around present-day Cuttack. The Sailodbhavas developed extensive trade links with Southeast Asian kingdoms. The festival of the ‘Balijatra’ is still celebrated in Cuttack to commemorate the links between the two kingdoms.

In the 12th century, Cuttack became the capital of the Gangas. During their rule Oriyan architecture reached its peak. Narasimhadeva I built the Sun Temple at Konark. During the rule of the last Ganga ruler, Bhanudeva III, the forces of Firuz Tughlaq ravaged the city. In the 16th centur y, Akbar’s general, Man Singh obtained the surrender of the Afghan rulers of Cuttack, and Orissa became a sub-division of the Mughal province of Bengal. In 1751, the Mar a t h a s reached across the west coast of India and seized Or i s s a . The Bhonsl e s of Nagpur established their full sovereignty over Orissa. Eventually the British occupied Or i s s a . The province of Orissa was created on 1st April 1936, uniting the various Oriya speaking areas in different provinces. Cuttack was again a logical choice as state capital. It was only after independence that Bhubaneshwar was established as the new capital, 35km away from Cuttack.

Fast Fact

Cuttack is well known for its unique silver filigree work called tarakasi. Hence the city is nicknamed ‘silver city.’

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