The Capital City of Odisha, Bhubaneswar is celebrating its 75th foundation day, today, in a grand way for which elaborate plans have been chalked out.
Here are some interesting and lesser-known facts about the city to read on this occasion.
- India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone of Bhubaneswar on April 13, 1948.
- German architect Otto Koenigsberger had designed Bhubaneswar’s masterplan in 1948 for a population of 40,000.
- Bhubaneswar is among the first four planned cities of India.
- The city has a history of over 3,000 years beginning from the Mahamegha-bahana Chedi dynasty (around 2nd century BC) with Sisupalgarh as its capital
- Bhubaneswar derived its name from Tribhubaneswar, which means the Lord (Eeswar) of the Three Worlds (Tribhuvan), referring to Shiva.
- Bhubaneswar is also known as Toshali, Kalinga Nagari, Nagar Kalinga, Ekamra Kanan, Ekamra Kshetra and Mandira Malini Nagari.
- Planned initially for 40,000 population, Bhubaneswar city is now being inhabited by over 14 lakh people.
- Bhubaneswar replaced Cuttack as the capital of the State in 1948, a year after India secured independence from Britishers.
The Capital Foundation Day celebration-cum-Rajdhani Mahotsav will be observed for three days from Thursday to Saturday. Detailed plans have been sketched for the event with the participation of government departments, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), people’s representatives and the Capital Day celebration committee members.
The mega celebrations will kick off with a ceremonial civilian parade at 7.30 am on Thursday morning for which a practice was conducted on Wednesday. The joint parade will be presented before Assembly Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha and a host of dignitaries in front of Vidhan Sabha. The parade will be taken out from Rabindra Mandap to Jaydev Bhavan.
Apart from a meeting where the dignitaries will speak about the state capital, its history and journey, there will be cultural competition among educational institutions at Utkal Mandap.
Rajdhani Gouraba Samman 2023 will be presented at an event at Utkal Mandap, while cultural events have also been scheduled at the same venue in the evening.
The cultural events will continue from April 13 to 15, to mark Capital Foundation Day.
It may be noted here that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had laid the foundation stone of Bhubaneswar as Capital City of Odisha on April 13, 1948.
