Chapter –I General “What’s in a name?” Asks Shakespeare and dismisses its significance lock, stock & barrel. However, certain names, pregnant with depth, evoke and inspire. Bhadrak is such a name that rings a note of spirituality. Presumed to have been named after its presiding deity Bhadrakali, Bhadrak registers a religious sense. And that virtue has played first to its existence- physical and psychic . Agrarian to the core, Bhadrak is no less egalitarian . Blessed with such proclivity, the place has carved a niche for itself through the ages . Its ancientness is mentioned by John Beams who writes in his “Notes on Akbar is subah with reference to Ain-i-Akabari” that “Bhadrak as it should be written with final KH, it should be said to be from Balabhadra Kshetra , the field or tract sacred to Balabhadra”. According to Hindu mythology, Balabhadra, eleder brother of Lord Jagannath, is the god of agriculture. In ancient times, Bhadrak was also famous for agriculture. Hence the place might have been named Balabhadrakshetra or Bhadrakkhetra or Bhadrak. Bhadrak , more precisely Charampa, is associated with Jainisim till 9th-10th century A.D In Jain literature, there is mention of ‘Bhaddiya-katak a place where Mahavir , the last Tirthankar had spent two rainy seasons to preach his sermons. Bhaddiya-katak might have been transliterated later on into “Bhadrak-katak” and then Bhadrak. Another assumption with regard to the name Bhadrak has been made by Dr Pravat Kumar Mohanty , who in his published doctoral dissentation expresses ,” The proposition which may be comparatively taken as more acceptable in that this land was named probably after an important person having some connection with it or a ruler who ruled over it . The possibility of the relation of the epithet “Bhadrak “of this region was with the name’ Bhadrak ‘which appears in 1-Ambasthya, B.P ,Beam’s Contribution to the Political Geography of the Subahs of Awadh, Bihar,Bengal and Odisha in the age of Akbar –Patna 1976 p-108 . 2- “The Bhadrak inscription as the husband of Rangholi (the donor) or with that of Bhadranath of the popular Bhadrakali legend may not be ruled out at together” . Mohanty ,Pravat Kumar History of Bhadrak,Bhubaneswar 2010 p-5 . 3- Dr Mohanty also refered to the Bhagabat where he finds “ reference to a list of ten kings of the Sung dynasty who are stated to reign successively over the earth (Magadha empire ) in Kaliyoga, and Bhadrak the son of and successor to Basumitra , has been named as the fifth king in the line. This Magadha ruler with his political power probably had some connection with the naming of this region as Bhadrak”. 2 4-Another assumption with regard to the origin of the name of the place has been made by Pandit Nilamani Mishra ex-curator of the Odisha State Museum. He says that according to hearsay, Charampa or Charampa Nagar, an important Jain center of Bhadrak was ruled in ancient time by a Jain ruler named Dadhivamana, who was an enemy of the king of the adjacent state Magadha later on his land was conquered by Magadha and Bhadrika, the chief of the Magadha army was appointed its ruler. Hence the region was named after him as Bhadrak. These assumptions testify to the ancientness of Bhadrak and its importance. Historically ,Bhadrak was a dandapata, under the gang kings and Suryabanshi rulers. During the Mughal period,it was made a “sarakar” and the Martha rulers constituted it as a” Chakala”. Under the British Raj, Bhadrak became a sub-division of Balasore district in 1847. However, it was elevated to a district on the first April 1993 . Surrounded by green paddy fields, enriched by the rivers like Salandi, Gumati, Baitarani, Kanshbansha etc , affluent in ancient times by maritime trade and commerce transacted through the ports such as Churamani, Chandbali etc and hallowed by a galaxy of literary luminaries and gallant freedom fighters, Bhadrak has been a place with a significant difference that enlightens, elevates and extends the horizon of people’s consciousness. It evokes a scense of glorious past, presents a persevering present and points to a fascinating future . This District is bounded by Balasore District on the north, Jajpur District and river Baitarani on the south, Keonjhar District on the west and Bay of Bengal & Kendrapada District on the east. It is located at Latitude 20 degree 43 minutes to 21 degree 13 minutes north and Longitude 86 degree 16 minutes to 87 degree east. The Bhadrak District covers an area of 2505 sq. kms. With geographical area of 246529 Hect. The total population of the District is 1506337 with total male population as 760260 and female population as 746077. Total SC population is 334896 whereas the total ST population is 30428. Bhadrak District has got only one Subdivision namely Bhadrak. There are 07 Tahahasils & 07 Blocks functioning in the District. The two municipalities, one NAC, 17 Police Stations , 193 Grampanchayats are there in Bhadrak District. 3 Subdivision Tahasil Block Police Station Bhadrak Bhadrak Bhadrak Bhadrak Town Bhadrak Rural Puruna bazaar Energy PS Chandabali Chandabali Chandbali Bansada Dhamara Marine Basudevpur Basudevpur Basudevpur Naikanidihi Kasia Chudamani Bonth Bonth Bonth Ps Agarpada Tihidi Tihidi Tihidi Dhamnagar Dhamnagar Dhamnagar Dhusuri Bhandaripokhari Bhandaripokhari Bhandaripokhari The climate of this District is generally hot and humid with May being the hottest month. December is the coldest month monsoon generally arriving during the month of June. The rainfall during June to October constitutes at least 75 % of the actual rainfall of this District. The area is mainly a plain area without any hill or high terrain. The main Rivers in the District are 1)Baitarani, 2)Salandi, 3)Gomei, 4)Kansbans, 5)Mantei, 6)Kochila, 7)Genguti, 8)Reba, 9)Kapali. Agriculture is the main source of Income of the District. Paddy is grown as the main crop in Kharip, covering approximately 94% of the total cultivable area. But people in the sea coast area ( Dhamara, Chudamani of Bsudevpur&Chandabali area of Chandabali Block) also depend upon fishing for their livelihood. 4 As per District’s economy is concerned Bhadrak District has some big Industries like FACOR, one of the largest manufacturers of quality ferrochrome in the country and a large number of small industries like AB electrical , Abhigoura Rice mill and Aloknath Ice factory etc. Bhadrak District has a District Industries Centre, which in addition to the promotion of the different industries, performance other functions like implementations of the different self- employment programs, undertaking of survey for potential enterprises and recommending for quality certifications like EPM/ISO for products and enterprises etc. Odisha witnessed a historical moment on May 6, 2011 with the beginning of commercial operations at its only second all weather port at Dhamra, in the northern part of Odisha. After the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru’s foundation stone laying ceremony for Paradip Port on 3rd January 1962, the fully mechanized port at Dhamra is cherished as one of the deepest seaports in South Asia and the second all weather port in Odisha. However, the formal inauguration of Dhamra Port was done on December 18, 2011 by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha Sj Naveen Patnaik. In the year 2005, a joint venture company formed in the name of Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL) with 50-50 partnership of Larsen & Toubro Limited and Tata steels limited had taken up the port project and activities of land acquisition and other formalities for the port and rail link project resumed. After being acquired by the Adani Group in 2014, the Dhamra Port is now heading for 2nd phase expansion. Presently, Dhamra Port is a fully owned subsidiary of Adani Port and SEZ Ltd. The public hearing for the port expansion project was already done successfully in the year 2013 and all necessary formalities are completed to commence the expansion activities. The educational development of the Bhadrak District is prominently visible in case of Bhadrak College established in the year 1947 which later on came to be known as Bhadrak Autonomous College. Bhadrak Women’s college, Bhadrak High School or Zilla School are also some of the leading educational institutes of the Bhadrak District. Bhadrak Institute of Engineering and Technology, Industrial Training Centres and Diploma Colleges are the epitomes of technical education of the District. The District has given birth to a number of prominent personalities like ex chief minister Dr. Harekrushna Mahatab & Mr. Nilamani Routray. Other personality included Moulabi Mohammad Hannif, Kanta Kabi Laxmikanta Mohapatra & Jatiya Kabi Banchhanidhi Mohanty. 5 Bhadrak District celebrates number of festivals round the year. Kali puja, Durga Puga, Jagar (Siva Ratri), Panchuka Purnima, Ratha Yatra & Holi are the important festivals of the District. AREA AND POPULATION OF BHADRAK DISTRICT. GEOGRAPHICAL AND POPULATION DETAILS IN THE DISTRICT GEOGRAPHICAL AREA 2505 Sq.Km % POPULATION TOTAL 15,06,337 MALE 760260 50.47 FEMALE 746077 49.53 RURAL 1320499 87.7 URBAN 185838 12.3 SCHEDULED CASTE 334896 22.2 SCHEDULED CASTE MALE 168687 11.19 SCHEDULED CASTE 166209 11.03 FEMALE SCHEDULED TRIBE 30428 2.00 SCHEDULED TRIBE MALE 15361 1.0 SCHEDULED TRIBE 15067 1.0 FEMALE POPULATION DENSITY 601 ( Per sq. Km) LITERACY TOTAL LITERACY 82.8 LITERACY MALE 89.6 LITERACY FEMALE 75.8 HOUSE HOLDS TOTAL HOUSE 238888 RURAL HOUSE HOLDS 215142 90.06 URBAN HOUSE HOLDS 23746 9.94 BPL HOUSE HOLDS ( 2001 58647 Census) 6 ADMINISTRATIVE SETUP Administrative Setup of the District No. of Subdivision 01 No. of Tahasils 07 No of Municipality / Corporation 02 No. of NAC 01 No. of Blocks 07 No. of Police Station 17 No of Gram panchayat 193 No. of inhabited Villages 1243 No of Uninhabited villages 68 No of Villages 1311 ECONOMY OF THE BHADRAKDISTRICT.