Utkal Plains

Last updated June 28, 2023

The Utkal Plain is part of the East Coastal Plain of India. It is a coastal plain in the Odisha state of eastern India. It includes the delta of the Mahanadi River, Brahmani River, Baitarani River. The most prominent physiographic feature of this plain is the Chilka Lake. It is the biggest lake in the country and its area varies between 780 km² in winter to 1,144 km² in the monsoon months.^[1]

Utkal Plains, coastal plains in eastern Orissa state, eastern India. Extending over about 16,000 square miles (41,000 square kilometres), the plains are bounded by the Lower Ganges (Ganga) Plain to the north, the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Andhra Plains to the south, and the Eastern Ghats to the west. The Utkal Plains are coastal lowlands consisting chiefly of Mahanadi delta deposits and marine sediments, and they merge with the Eastern Ghats at an elevation of about 250 feet (76 metres). The plains have a nearly straight shoreline.

Paleogene and Neogene alluvium (from about 65 to 2.6 million years ago) with patches of ancient Archean gneiss and sandstone (from about 4 billion to 2.5 billion years ago), the plains are widest in the deltaic regions. Sand dunes of decomposed granites and zircon, created mainly by the action of wind at low tide, and lagoons are found along the Bay of Bengal. Chilka, the largest lake in the region (in the southwest), is salty; Samang and Sur (north and northeast of Puri, respectively) are freshwater lakes. Littoral forests are found along the coast of the Cuttack and Balasore areas, and tropical moist deciduous forests are found inland throughout the regions near Puri and Cuttack. The Mahanadi, Brahmani, Baitarani, and Subarnarekha rivers are often subject to heavy flooding; the combined outflow of these rivers has formed the Mahanadi delta in the northern part of the plains. The region has fertile red and black soils.

Agriculture is the main occupation, and rice is the principal crop; pulses (legumes) and oilseeds are also grown. Major irrigation projects located in the plains permit double-cropping. Industry, centred in Cuttack, Bhubaneshwar, and Puri along the Kolkata-Chennai (Calcutta-Madras) railway, includes paper mills, refrigerator plants, and the production of ceramics, glass, refractories, textiles, and galvanized pipe. The plains have a network of roads and railways, inland waterways in Cuttack, and an airfield at Bhubaneshwar.

Buddhism flourished in the Utkal Plains in the 3rd century ce under the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, and the region is described in the rock edicts of Dhauli as forming part of the ancient Kalinga territory. Successive ancient dynasties including the Satavahanas, Karas, and Eastern Gangas ruled the region until, in the latter half of the 16th century, it passed to the Muslims and later to the Marathas. The British assumed control of the plains in 1804.

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India is situated north of the equator between 8°4' north to 37°6' north latitude and 68°7' east to 97°25' east longitude. It is the seventh-largest country in the world, with a total area of 3,287,263 square kilometres (1,269,219 sq mi). India measures 3,214 km (1,997 mi) from north to south and 2,933 km (1,822 mi) from east to west. It has a land frontier of 15,200 km (9,445 mi) and a coastline of 7,516.6 km (4,671 mi).

Odisha, formerly Orissa, is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Scheduled Tribes in India. It neighbours the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west, and Andhra Pradesh to the south. Odisha has a coastline of 485 kilometres (301 mi) along the Bay of Bengal in Indian Ocean. The region is also known as Utkala and is mentioned by this name in India's national anthem, "Jana Gana Mana". The language of Odisha is Odia, which is one of the Classical Languages of India.

The Mahanadi River is a major river in East Central India. It drains an area of around 132,100 square kilometres (51,000 sq mi) and has a total length of 900 kilometres (560 mi). Mahanadi is also known for the Hirakud Dam which was the first major multipurpose river valley project after India's independence in 1947. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha and before finally ending in the Bay of Bengal.

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Cuttack in Odia, is the former capital and the second largest city in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised form of the Odia and Sanskrit name Kataka which literally means The Fort, a reference to the ancient Barabati Fort around which the city initially developed. Cuttack is known as the Millennium City as well as the Silver City due to its history of 1000 years and famous silver filigree works. The Orissa High Court is located there. It is the commercial capital of Odisha which hosts many trading and business houses in and around the city. Cuttack is famous for its Durga Puja which is one of the most important festivals of Odisha. Cuttack is also the birthplace of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The city is categorised as a Tier-II city as per the ranking system used by Government of India.

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References

↑ Tmh (1 March 2007). Tmh General Knowledge Manual. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN 9780070619999.

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[1] Tmh (1 March 2007). Tmh General Knowledge Manual. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN 9780070619999.

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