Balasore Baleswar | |
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City | |
     From Top; Left to Right: Emami Jagannatha Temple, Khirachora Gopinatha Temple, Chandipur Sea Beach, DRDO Integrated Testing Range and Balasore Railway Station | |
  Balasore Location in Odisha, India Show map of Odisha Balasore Balasore (India) Show map of India Balasore Balasore (Asia) Show map of Asia | |
| Coordinates:21°30′12″N86°55′30″E / 21.50333°N 86.92500°E /21.50333; 86.92500 | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Odisha |
| District | Balasore |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Body | Balasore Municipality |
| • Member of Parliament | Pratap Chandra Sarangi (BJP) |
| • Member of Legislative Assembly | Manas Kumar Dutta (BJP) |
| Area | |
• City | 17.48 km2 (6.75 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• City | 144,373 |
| • Rank | India 409th,Odisha 7th |
| • Density | 8,259/km2 (21,390/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 177,557 |
| Demonym | Baleswaria |
| Language | |
| • Official | Odia[3] |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 756001–756xxx |
| Telephone code | 06782 |
| Vehicle registration | OD – 01 (previously OR – 01) |
| UN/LOCODE | IN BLS |
| Website | baleswar |
Balasore, also known asBaleswar,[4] is a city in the state ofOdisha, about 215 km (134 mi) from the state capitalBhubaneswar and 240 km (149 mi) fromKolkata, ineastern India. It is the administrative headquarters ofBalasore district and the largest city as well as health and educational hub of northern Odisha. It is best known forChandipur beach.[5] It is also called 'missile city'.[6][7] TheIndian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme's Integrated Test Range is located 18 km south of Balasore.
Excavation at villages near Balasore has given evidence for three distinct cultural phases of human settlements, viz.,Chalcolithic (2000–1000 BCE),Iron Age (1000–400 BCE) and early historic period (400–200 BCE).[8]
Baleswara district was part of the ancientKalinga kingdom which later became a territory ofUtkal, till the death ofMukunda Deva. It was annexed by theMughal Empire in 1568 and remained as a part of their suzerainty up until the 1700s.
The BritishEast India Company (EIC) established afactory at Balasore in 1633. In 1719, theTrieste Company merchants established a trading post there.[9] AsCalcutta rose in importance, Balasore became the center forriver pilot services for vessels seeking to ascend theHooghly River. The city was bombarded by forces of theEast India Company during theAnglo-Mughal War in 1686, however, the company was repulsed by theMughal forces.
The oldPipili port was located near Baliapal, north of Balasore, along the coast near riverSubarnarekha.[10] The Portuguese arrived for trade and commerce, exporting Orissa products like rice, cotton and butter fromMalaysia toBorneo, and bringing Chinese products and spices fromIndonesia. Balasore gave its name to a type of cotton muslin.[11]
TheMarathas, then occupied this part ofOdisha and it became a part of the dominion of theBhonsleMaratha Rajas ofNagpur. They ceded this part through theTreaty of Deogaon in 1803 and it became a part ofBritishBengal Presidency until 1912.
Balasore as a separate district was created in October 1828 under theBengal Presidency.[12] On 7 November 1845, all ofDanish India was sold to the British to form a part ofBritish India.
With the creation ofBihar Province, Odisha, along with Balasore district, was transferred from Bengal to Bihar. But with the creation of Odisha as a separate state on 1 April 1936, Balasore became an integral part of Odisha State.[13]Thenational movement of independence surged ahead with the visit ofMahatma Gandhi in 1921. Similarly,Praja Andolan was initiated against the ruler ofNilagiri State. The state of Nilagiri merged with state of Odisha in January 1948 and became a part of Balasore district. On 3 April 1993,Bhadrak sub-division became a separate district and from this day, Balasore remains a district of Odisha with two Sub-divisions namely Balasore and Nilagiri having eightTehsils, namely Balasore, Soro, Simulia, Nilagiri, Jaleswara, Basta, Baliapal and Remuna and 12 blocks namely Bhograi, Jaleswar, Baliapal, Basta, Balasore, Remuna, Nilagiri, Oupada, Khaira, Soro, Simulia andBahanaga. The name of the district is being derived from the name of the town.
Balasore is where the famous Indian independence activist Jatindranath Mukherjee, also known asBagha Jatin, was injured and died fighting the British.[14]
Balasore has a tropical climate characterised by high humidity and hot temperatures throughout the year. The summers, which last from March to May, are particularly hot, with temperatures often reaching up to 40 °C. May is typically the hottest month of the year in Balasore. The winter season, which runs from December to February, is relatively cooler with an average temperature range of 16 °C to 27 °C. Monsoon season starts in June and lasts until September, bringing heavy rainfall to the city. Balasore's proximity to the Bay of Bengal makes it vulnerable to cyclonic storms during the monsoon season. The average rainfall in the district is around 1568.4 mm, which is largely due to the monsoon season.[citation needed]
| Climate data for Balasore (1991–2020, extremes 1901–2012) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.6 (96.1) | 38.7 (101.7) | 41.6 (106.9) | 46.0 (114.8) | 46.7 (116.1) | 46.1 (115.0) | 39.9 (103.8) | 36.7 (98.1) | 36.2 (97.2) | 36.1 (97.0) | 34.8 (94.6) | 33.6 (92.5) | 46.7 (116.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 26.9 (80.4) | 30.2 (86.4) | 33.9 (93.0) | 36.0 (96.8) | 35.8 (96.4) | 34.1 (93.4) | 32.4 (90.3) | 31.9 (89.4) | 32.3 (90.1) | 31.9 (89.4) | 30.3 (86.5) | 27.5 (81.5) | 32 (90) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 14.0 (57.2) | 17.7 (63.9) | 21.9 (71.4) | 24.6 (76.3) | 25.8 (78.4) | 26.1 (79.0) | 25.7 (78.3) | 25.6 (78.1) | 25.2 (77.4) | 23.2 (73.8) | 18.8 (65.8) | 14.6 (58.3) | 22.0 (71.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 7.2 (45.0) | 6.7 (44.1) | 11.7 (53.1) | 16.6 (61.9) | 18.4 (65.1) | 20.0 (68.0) | 20.0 (68.0) | 21.3 (70.3) | 20.3 (68.5) | 15.5 (59.9) | 8.9 (48.0) | 6.7 (44.1) | 6.7 (44.1) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 19.3 (0.76) | 28.8 (1.13) | 31.9 (1.26) | 65.0 (2.56) | 154.5 (6.08) | 262.5 (10.33) | 293.7 (11.56) | 313.4 (12.34) | 299.0 (11.77) | 206.3 (8.12) | 29.7 (1.17) | 6.7 (0.26) | 1,710.7 (67.35) |
| Average rainy days | 1.1 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 4.6 | 6.7 | 10.6 | 14.3 | 15.1 | 12.2 | 6.7 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 76.7 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 17:30IST) | 63 | 61 | 63 | 68 | 70 | 74 | 78 | 79 | 79 | 76 | 71 | 65 | 71 |
| Source:India Meteorological Department[15][16] | |||||||||||||
Balasore has been ranked 7th best “National Clean Air City” under (Category 3 population under 3 lakhs cities) in India.[17]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1872 | 18,263 | — |
| 1881 | 20,265 | +11.0% |
| 1891 | 20,775 | +2.5% |
| 1901 | 20,880 | +0.5% |
| 1911 | 21,362 | +2.3% |
| 1921 | 17,037 | −20.2% |
| 1931 | 17,843 | +4.7% |
| 1941 | 19,405 | +8.8% |
| 1951 | 22,851 | +17.8% |
| 1961 | 33,931 | +48.5% |
| 1971 | 46,239 | +36.3% |
| 1981 | 65,779 | +42.3% |
| 1991 | 101,829 | +54.8% |
| 2001 | 127,358 | +25.1% |
| 2011 | 140,000 | +9.9% |
| Source:Census of India[18][19] | ||
According to2011 Indian Census, Balasore (municipality + overgrowth) had a total population of 144,373, of which 73,721 were males and 70,652 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 14,773. The total number of literates in Balasore was 113,418, which constituted 78.6% of the population with male literacy of 81.7% and female literacy of 75.3%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Balasore was 87.5%, of which male literacy rate was 91.0% and female literacy rate was 83.8%. TheScheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 15,812 and 9,291 respectively. Balasore had 30460 households in 2011.[2]
The official language of Balasore isOdia which is also the most commonly spoken language of the city. It is followed byUrdu,Bengali,Santali andHindi in the descending order per the number of speakers.[22]
TheMP from Balasore Parliamentary Constituency isPratap Chandra Sarangi ofBJP, who won the seat in the Indian general elections of 2019. TheMLA from Balasore Vidhan Sabha Constituency isManas Kumar Dutta of BJP, who won the seat in the2024 legislative election.[23] Previous MLAs from this seat wereSwarup Kumar Das (BJD), who won in the 2020 bye-elections;Madanmohan Dutta (BJP), who won the seat in 2019; Jiban Pradip Das (BJD), who won this seat in 2009, Arun Dey (CPM) in 2004,Gopa Narayan Das ofINC in 1985 and Kartik Chandra Rout ofJNP in 1977.[24] Balasore is part ofBalasore (Lok Sabha constituency).[25]
Balasore government hospital was the city's first hospital. Also, it has a newly established Government Medical College at Remuna named after Fakir Mohan Senapati (FM Medical College).[26]
Balasore is the main city in the District of Balasore. The district has four major revenue sources – industries, agriculture, fishing and tourism with its base in Chandipur.[27] Many small and large scale industries are located both within the city limits as well as the outskirts. Balasore Alloys Limited,[28]Emami Paper Mills,[29]Oriplast, andBirla Tyres are some of the major industries based in Balasore. It is one of the richest cities of Odisha. The main markets of Balasore are Nua Bazara, Motiganj, FM Square, Vivekananda Marga, Station Square, ITI Chhaka, Kachehri Road, Town Hall and Nua Shahi.
In an effort to bring industry, trade and commerce to a common meaningful platform, theConfederation of Indian Industry, with local chambers like North Orissa Chamber of Commerce and Industry,[30] serve as an interface to fight for the rights and issues concerning the industrial scenario so as to contribute to the development of the state as a whole. Members from both public and private sectors work closely with the government for the expansion of business opportunities, enhancing efficiency and competitiveness and to work on policy issues. Located in Januganj, Balasore, NOCCI is essentially a business park with a massive exhibition hall, a separate residential block with hotel and restaurant facilities and an extended building called the industry facilitation center[31] specifically for industrial training. NOCCI comprises about 100 member units and six affiliated associations of the industrial units. NOCCI is instrumental in the promoting the initiative of the Department of Industrial Promotion and Policy, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India (GoI)[32] through a scheme of Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation.
TheIndian Ballistic Missile Defense Program's Integrated Test Range is located 18 km south of Balasore. TheDefence Research and Development Organisation developed many different missiles such asNag,BrahMos,Agni Missile among others here.
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Balasore culture is a blend of traditional festivals, food, and music. The city offers a cosmopolitan and diverse lifestyle with a variety of food, entertainment, available in a form and abundance comparable to that in other cities. Balasore residents celebrate both Western and Indian festivals.Diwali,Holi,Eid,Christmas,Navaratri,Good Friday,Dussehra,Muharram,Ganesha Chaturthi,Durga Puja,Raja andMaha Shivaratri are some of the popular festivals in the city. The akhada Arts Festival during durga puja is a unique culture of Balasore. Wedding ceremony of Lac Coated Dolls (also known as Jaukandhei) which has a rich ethical and ritual values in maintaining peaceful conjugal relationship in the family while bringing the health, wealth and prosperity to an individual's home is an important part of Balasore's folk culture.
Chandipur-on-sea is a seaside resort famous for its mile long beach. It is a unique beach – the tide comes to the shore only four times a day, at fixed intervals. At a distance of 30 km south-west isPanchalingeshwar, a temple and scenic spot high on a mountain. The presiding deity there, Shiva, cannot be seen. One has to touch and feel the statue as it is behind (submerged under) a waterfall. About 33 km south-west of Balasore, the town Santaragadia has the Bisweswara temple situated on a hill. The town is surrounded by hills on all sides. Nearby is Khulia village, a settlement of aboriginals. Around 30 km south-east of Balasore is a port named Dhamara.
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The nearest airport isBiju Patnaik Airport inBhubaneswar which is 200 km from Balasore.Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport inKolkata is 254 km from Balasore.
Balasore railway station is an important station on theHowrah-Chennai main line of theSouth Eastern Railway. The distance to Kolkata is approximately 254 km, while the distance to Bhubaneswar is about 206 km. A branch line toBaripada starts fromRupsa, near Balasore. Balasore is connected to different parts of India through trains. There are frequent trains to Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Brahmapur, Mumbai, Kolkata, New Delhi, Chennai, Guwahati, Bangalore, Puri, Pondicherry, Ernakulam.
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Show zoomed inBalasore has well developed roadways. National Highway 16 and National Highway 18 pass through the city. A part of theGolden Quadrilateral project, this highway runs fromChennai toKolkata. Intra-city transport comprisescycle rickshaws andauto rickshaws. City bus services commenced in Balasore on 15 August 2017. The bus terminus is at Sahadev Khunta and thousands of private buses ply to hundreds of destinations every day. Many luxurious A.C buses ply to Bhubneswar, Kolkata and other nearby cities daily.
Balasore is the main education hub of Northern Odisha with many engineering schools and colleges and theFakir Mohan University, named after novelistFakir Mohan Senapati who hails from this town of Odisha.Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital was established in 2018 to boost the medical facility in Balasore and Northern Odisha.
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Cricket is the most popular sport in the city. The city is also represented by the Balasore Baghas in the Odisha Premier League. Apart from cricket, people here love the game of football, volleyball and other sports.
It is a mini stadium located in front of District Hospital in the heart of the town known to host District and State level Cricket and Football matches. Many people come here for an early morning walk or doing yoga. This place has given birth to many sports personalities of Balasore. This place is maintained by Balasore Athletic Association.
It is a big ground which belongs to the Balasore Police Department and is maintained by them. It is used as a parade ground during various occasions. Many athletes come here for training purpose. General Public is allowed for morning walk.
It is a mini stadium which is situated near the Balasore Zilla School and is known to host various events such as Trade Fairs, District's Annual Fest and games like Cricket or Football. The stadium remains open for general public and is a popular spot for locals to engage in outdoor activities such as jogging, walking and playing cricket.
It is a very popular ground which is widely known for hosting mega events such as the famous EXPO and Pallishree Mela Balasore, which are popular events in the town. In addition to these events, ITI Field also plays host to several other government-sponsored events throughout the year. One of the standout features of ITI Field is its cleanliness and well-maintained appearance, which has helped to establish it as a go-to place for outdoor events in Balasore. With its versatile facilities and prime location, ITI Field is poised to continue as one of the town's most popular event venues for years to come.
Balasore has several cinemas playing films in Odia, Hindi, and English languages.
Chandipur travel guide from WikivoyagePanchaLingeswar travel guide from Wikivoyage
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