Odisha Day

• 02 Apr 2026

Source: PIB 

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation extended greetings to the people of Odisha on the occasion of Odisha Day. 

• Foundation and Significance: Celebrated every 1st April, Utkal Divas (Odisha Foundation Day) commemorates the formation of the separate Orissa Province in 1936, making it the first state in India to be formed on a linguistic basis under British rule. 
• Historical Context: The region was famously known as Kalinga, conquered by the Mauryan King Ashoka in 261 BC.  
  • Later, King Kharavela of the Mahameghavahana dynasty established a powerful state and is credited with fostering the region's rich art and architecture. 
  • Gajapati Mukunda Deva was the last Hindu king of Odisha, after whose defeat in 1576 the region fell under Mughal control, followed by the Marathas and eventually the British. 
• Administrative Marginalisation: Under British rule, Odisha was fragmented and merged into the Bengal Presidency, with Odia-speaking regions scattered across Bengal, Madras, Central Provinces, and Bihar, leading to a loss of cultural identity and administrative coherence. 
• Statehood Movement: The demand for a separate Odisha province was examined by a British subcommittee in 1928, led by Clement Attlee.  
  • It was strongly supported by Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati at the Round Table Conference (1930), and the boundary commission headed by Samuel O'Donnell in 1932 recommended its creation.  
  • Following a prolonged struggle for a separate identity, the province of Odisha was finally created on 1st April 1936.  
  • The movement remained largely non-violent, relying on petitions, conferences, intellectual efforts, and youth participation. 
  • Sir John Austin Hubback was appointed as the first Governor of the province. 
• Key Visionaries: The movement was led by prominent figures like Madhusudan Das, Gopabandhu Das, Fakir Mohan Senapati, and Pandita Nilakantha Das, with the Utkal Sammilani (Odisha Association) playing a central role in unifying Odia-speaking regions.  
  • Its first conference held in Cuttack in December 1903 was crucial in passing resolutions demanding a separate Odisha province. 
• Constitutional Evolution: While originally called Orissa, the state was officially renamed Odisha in 2011 following the 113^th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2010 (later enacted as the 96th Amendment Act) and the Orissa (Alteration of Name) Bill. 

Read more: Odisha's Border Disputes