Orissa

      Bhubaneshwar is the capital of orissa .it is known as the temple city. Lingaraj temple is the most famous one .there are only few large towns or cities in orissa.most people live in villages

       Cuttack is an old city known for its fine craftsmanship on silver.puri near bhubaneshwar is an important place of piligrim age and is known for its jagannath temple. The rath yatra of puri is very famous.konark is famous for its sun temple.in the dhauli hills ,near bhubaneshwar,there is a beautiful Buddhist temple.

      Orissais very rich in minerals.mining is an important occupation of the people .it is the biggest producer of iron-ore in India .one of the biggest iron and steel plants of the country is located at raurkela in orissa .manganese and bauxite are also found in large quantities .cement paper ,jute ,silk and steel are the big industries of orissa .

     Many people earn their living by catching fish in the lakes and in the sea .the famous chilika lake ,not far from the sea ,has plenty of fish .the chilika lake actually is the biggest lagoon in India .it is a big tourist attraction also .paradwip is being developed as a major seaport .

      The people speak the oriya language.the men wear dhoti and shirt .the women wear saree and blouse .rice with pulses or vegetable is their main food.the people take plenty of fish as well

      Many tribal people live in orissa .each tribe has its own customs ,dress and language.they wear colourful dresses.they are mostly farmers. Some still live by hunting and some work in mines and factories.

      Durga puja ,diwali and id are celebrated all over the state .shraban purnima is their main harvest festival.the odissi dance of orissa is one of the classical dance forms of .india.

Land Surface and Rivers of Orissa

Orissa has three kinds of land surfaces. The eastern part is a fertile coastal plain .it consists of the delta regions of the mahanadi and other rivers .the western parts of the state are hilly .the remaining parts lie in the plateau regions .these hilly regions are covered with forests of leak ,kusum and oak.the lac –insect ,which gives as lac ,thrives on the kusum tree.lac is used for sealing things .

      A number of river flow through the state .the mahanadi is the biggest river .every year ,during the rainy season the mahanadi gets flooded .hirakud dam has been built across it. It is the longest dam of our country .the extra water is now stored up and the floods controlled. The dam supplies water for irrigation ,and it also produces electricity for the industries of orissa.the brahmani and baitarani are the other important rivers.

Crops Of Orissa

Farming is the main occupation of the people of orissa .rice is the most important crop .other important crops are pulses ,oil-seeds ,jute ,sugar –cane and sweet potatoes .there are large groves of mango, coconut and palm trees

Districts of Orissa