History
Balasore district was a part of the ancient Kalinga and later became a territory of Toshala or Utkal, till the death of Mukunda Dev. It was annexed by Mughals in 1568 and remained as a part of their suzerainty up to 1750-51. Subsequently, the Marathas of Nagpur occupied this part of Orissa and it came under the dominion of the Maratha Rajas. In 1803, this part was ceded to The British East India Company through the Treaty of Deogaon and it became a part of Bengal Presidency until 1912. But the first English Settlement came into existence in Balasore region in 1634 while Shah Jahan was the emperor at Delhi. The region was an early trading port for British, French and Dutch ships in the early age of Enlightenment and became a colonial part of first Danish India and later British India. The first of English factories was established in this region in 1640. During this period Dutch and Danish settlements were also found in this region.
Balasore as a separate district was created in October 1828 while it was in the Bengal Presidency. With the creation of Bihar province, Orissa was diverted along with Balasore district from Bengal to Bihar. With the creation of Orissa as a separate State on 1 April 1936, Balasore became an integral part of Orissa State. The national movement of independence surged ahead with the visit of Mahatma Gandhi in 1921. Inchudi Salt Revolution (Lavana Satyagrah) and Srijang Satyagrah for non-payment of Revenue Tax are famous as part of the struggle for freedom movement. Praja Andolan was initiated against the ruler of Nilagiri State. In January 1948, the state of Nilagiri was merged with the state of Orissa and became a part of Balasore district. On 3 April 1993, Bhadrak Sub-division became a separate district.
In the early 17th century, Balasore was an important trading destination in the eastern coastline of India. Inhabitants of the place sailed to distant ports in south-east Asia, especially to Lacadive and Maldives islands for trade and culture. Copper coins excavated from Bhograi and statues of Lord Buddha unearthed from places like Avana, Kupari, Basta & Ajodhya signify the existence of Buddhism in Balasore which was popular during the rule of Bhoumakar dynasty. The statues of Lord Mahavira found at Jaleswar, Balasore & Avana date back to the 10-11th century and show the existence of Jainism in the region.
Read more about this topic: Balasore District
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The history of all countries shows that the working class exclusively by its own effort is able to develop only trade-union consciousness.”
—Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870–1924)
“In front of these sinister facts, the first lesson of history is the good of evil. Good is a good doctor, but Bad is sometimes a better.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Anything in history or nature that can be described as changing steadily can be seen as heading toward catastrophe.”
—Susan Sontag (b. 1933)