Odisha

A battle Ashoka fought here changed his life so much he gave up war entirely. That battlefield is now one of India’s states.

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GK0053 · General Knowledge

State Profile

Odisha

Home to the Konark Sun Temple and Asia’s largest brackish lagoon

Capital

Bhubaneswar

Province Since

1 Apr 1936

Chief Minister

Mohan Charan Majhi

Since 12 Jun 2024

Geography

• Area: about 155,707 sq km
• Eastern coastline of about 485 km
• Chilika Lake: Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon

Culture

• Konark Sun Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Jagannath Temple, Puri, one of Hinduism’s Char Dham sites
• Site of the Kalinga War, 261 BCE

The War That Changed an Emperor

After the brutal Kalinga War, Emperor Ashoka renounced further conquest and turned to Buddhism, reshaping how the Mauryan Empire was governed.

General Knowledge Download

Must Know

• Odisha’s capital is Bhubaneswar.
• Odisha was carved out as a separate province of British India on 1 April 1936, the first Indian province organised on a linguistic basis.
• As of 2026, the Chief Minister is Mohan Charan Majhi, of the BJP, in office since 12 June 2024.
• The Governor is Kambhampati Hari Babu, in office since 3 January 2025.

Good to Know

• Odisha lies on India’s eastern coast, covering about 155,707 square kilometres.
• Its coastline runs for roughly 485 kilometres along the Bay of Bengal.
• Chilika Lake, on this coast, is Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon. It is also the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian subcontinent.
• The Konark Sun Temple, built in the 13th century, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Harekrushna Mahtab was Odisha’s first Chief Minister, serving two terms: 1946–1950 and 1956–1960. See ModHist0227 — Harekrushna Mahtab.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. What is the capital of Odisha?

Cuttack

Puri

Bhubaneswar

Konark

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Great to Know

• The Kalinga War, fought here around 261 BCE, was Emperor Ashoka’s last major military campaign. Its brutality led him to renounce conquest and embrace Buddhism.
• The Jagannath Temple, in Puri, is one of Hinduism’s four Char Dham pilgrimage sites, and hosts the famous annual Rath Yatra chariot festival.
• Odisha’s coastal geography, rich mineral belt, and ancient temple architecture together shape much of its modern economy and cultural identity.
• The 1936 province and the present-day state aren’t quite the same event. Odisha organised on linguistic lines in 1936. It then became a state of the Indian Union on 26 January 1950, along with the rest of the country.
• Odisha’s KALIA farmer income-support scheme, launched in 2018, was replaced by a leaner CM-KISAN Yojana after the state’s 2024 change of government. See IndSoc0062 — KALIA and CM-KISAN.
• The same new government also launched Subhadra Yojana, a Rs 50,000 women’s cash-transfer scheme, on 17 September 2024. See IndSoc0064 — Subhadra Yojana.