Berhampur Brahmapur | |
|---|---|
       From top; left to right: Ramalingeswar Park,Brahmapur Railway Station,Parala Maharaja Engineering College,Berhampur University,MKCG Medical College,Gopalpur Sea Beach andGopalpur Port | |
  Berhampur Location in Odisha, India Show map of Odisha Berhampur Berhampur (India) Show map of India Berhampur Berhampur (Asia) Show map of Asia.svg) Berhampur Berhampur (Earth) Show map of Earth | |
| Coordinates:19°18′54″N84°47′39″E / 19.3150°N 84.7941°E /19.3150; 84.7941 | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Odisha |
| District | Ganjam |
| First settled | 1672[1] |
| Named after | Lord Brahmeshwar |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal Corporation |
| • Body | Brahmapur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) |
| • Mayor | Smt. Sanghamitra Dalei |
| • Municipal Commissioner | Shri Prathamesh Arvind Rajeshirke,IAS |
| • SP, Berhampur Police District | Saravana Vivek M,IPS |
| • Member of Parliament | Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy (BJP) |
| • Member of Legislative Assembly | K. Anil Kumar (BJP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 116 km2 (45 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 24 m (79 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 355,823 |
| • Density | 3,070/km2 (7,940/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Berhampuria |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Odia |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 760001–760010 |
| Telephone code | 0680 |
| Vehicle registration |
|
| Website | www www |
Berhampur (pronounced[bɾɔhmɔpuɾ]; also known asBrahmapur) is acity on the eastern coastline ofOdisha,India. Known as the "Silk City" it is the headquarter ofGanjam district and home to Odisha's one of the major and the oldest railway station.[3][4] It rank the4th most populous city of Odisha. Berhampur is also called the "food capital of Odisha".[5]
The name of the city is said to have been derived from the name of Brahmeswara, a deity in Hinduism, worshipped in a temple at Lathi, 4 km from the main city.[6]
Berhampur, along with regions of southern Odisha, have been a core part of ancientKalinga empire.Jaugada also known asSamapa, 35 km away from Berhampur on the banks of theRushikulya, was an ancient fort and city existing from 3rd century BC to 7th century AD. Its existence before and after this time period cannot be ruled out. AfterKalinga war, Samapa turned into a provincial headquarter ofMaurya Empire along withDhauli as evident from the edicts found at both places. Specific history about the place and civilisation does not exist after the Maurya rule and the fort is now buried.[6] As perAin-i-Akbari, this region used to be calledKalinga Dandapat which was an administrative division of the Odishan empire under theEastern Ganga dynasty and later theGajapati dynasty.[7][8]
Berhampur is also known as the Silk city for its famousBerhampur Patta (silk) Sarees. The chief of the Dera community, Kota Chandramani Kubera Senapati, led his community people to migrate to Mohuri (Berhampur) who settle down into their hereditary profession of weaving tussar silken products orPatta Matha. They migrated to the city fromRajahmundry (they were known asDevangas there) sometime during 1662-1672 on the request of the then Raja Harihar Narayan Deo of Mohuri zamindari. The festival ofBuddhi Thakurani Yatra also originated along with the emergence of weaver community in here. They started theGhata Yatra (Pot Festival) for the purpose of highlighting the tradition of worshiping the Goddesses as well as to use it as a platform for sales promotion of their silken products.[9][10]
The Ganjam Garhjat area was consisted of 22 zamindaris of various royal lineages. The French invaded Ganjam in 1759 (in the battle of Deccan) and quit in 1763. The British imposed their authority over southern Odisha in 1766 and placed the whole region under theMadras Presidency. The district headquarters ofGanjam district started functioning in 1768 fromPotagarh. An epidemic broke out in 1815 and that forced the authorities to shift the headquarters to Berhampur including the civil and military personnels. Berhampur was the capital and residence of the Mohuri (Mahuri) zamindar. But the Ganjam collectorate could not continue for a long time and shifted toChhatrapur in 1831 due to stiff resistance here. After the auction and abolishing theGhumusar andSorada zamindari in 1836, Britishers auctioned Mohuri zamindari in 1850 over non payment of tax dues and introducedRyotwari system of tax collection which led to Raja Krushna Chandra Narendra Deo out of power. The then value of Mohuri, which was a leading zamindari, was valued at 50 lakh rupees but no Indian dared to come forward to bid for it. So, it was auctioned for only 100 rupees. Britishers were stationed at Bhapur area, at the centre of Berhampur. They built military lines, a military hospital, a magazine house and a parade ground for sepoys there. Subsequently, Berhampur was formed into aTaluk and was kept under a senior assistant collector. The presentRevenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) residence was his residence. In 1867, Berhampur was declared as aMunicipality area and this being a part of Madras Presidency, it attracted further influx of settlers from south because of better engagement in business sectors. The bi-lingualism (Odia andTelugu) prevails since that time. TheBrahmapur railway station started functioning by 1900. This had profound effects in the transport system and mobility of passengers. The population in 1901 was 25729 which increased to 62343 by 1951 as per census report. The colonial town generated a considerable amount of interest among Indian scholars who linked the important issues of modernity, national aspirations, notions of citizenship and the creation of new artistic sensibilities. The city is also known for its love for the theatre and cinema. TheGanjam Kala Parishad andPrakasam Hall are one of the oldest theatre halls in the country. TheSri Sitaram Vilas Talkies is the oldest movie hall in Odisha which was established in 1927 but closed down after the devastating1999 Odisha cyclone.[11][12][13][14]
Berhampur was whereOdias assembled and started their agitations more than three decades prior to demanding introduction of Odia as a subject in theMadras University and recognition ofOdia language in courts and government offices of Ganjam. This paved the path for the public grievances. In 1903 at the FirstUtkal Union Conference atCuttack, Raghava Rao from Berhampur moved a resolution which called separation of the district of Ganjam,Ganjam Hill Tracts Agency andVizagapatam Hill Tracts Agency fromMadras Presidency. Subsequently, an annual conference of the Ganjam Jatiya Samiti (Ganjam National Conference) was held in 11 & 12 April 1903 at Berhampur. It saw the participation of some leaders from Odisha likeMadhusudan Das,Gopabandhu Das,Radhanath Ray,Nanda Kishore Bal andFakir Mohan Senapati. After continuous efforts the undividedSambalpur district was transferred toOrissa division fromCentral Provinces and Berar on 1 September 1905. Although the long standing claims of Odias of Ganjam was ignored. On 1912,Bihar and Orissa Province formed without Ganjam district and Vizagapatnam Agency. Although Telugus opposed the amalgamation of Berhampur, the leadersof the Andhra Movement advocated that, provinces were to be created on a linguistic basis. Some Telugus like Dr. B.Pattabhisitarameya, a nationalist, proposed to include Odia regions of Ganjam and Vizagapatnam to merge with Orissa. N. Subha Rao, aTelugu member of theImperial Legislative Council pleaded for the same with some compensatory gain. Sri Rama Rayanger, a member of Council ofGovernor-General of India strongly supported the amalgamation. He presided over a meeting at Berhampur where both Odias and Telugus attended and he said that both groups suffered under the Madras government. From 1920 to 1936, the Odia Movement became more active and vigorous after British administration ignored the demands of the Odias in theirGovernment of India Act 1919. Prominent leaders of Odisha repeatedly put the amalgamation question in the Provincial Legislative Councils, theImperial Legislative Council and even in theBritish Parliament.Mahatma Gandhi when he visited Berhampur on 29 March 1921 appealed to the non-odias to yield to the demand of Odisha amalgamation. When he returned he wrote an article supporting the demands of Odias inYoung India. In 1928 when theSimon Commission visited India,Krushna Chandra Gajapati, the Maharaja ofParalakhemundi Estate and Bhubaneswar Rath of Berhampur appeared before the commission atMadras and presented memorandum claiming merger. The commission recommended the merger on the basis of linguistic pattern and appoint a sub-committee, to conductdetailed investigation. The report of the Simon Commission led to the summoning of theRound Table Conference inLondon in 1930. The Maharaja of Paralakhemundi, leading an Odia delegate to the conference circulated a pamphlet,The Oriyas, their need and reasons for separate state. The Government of India appointed a boundary commission for Orissa with S.P. O'Oonell as Chairman whose report was opposed by Odias as it only recommended the inclusion of the plains and the agency of Ganjam and excluded areas likeParalakhemundi, Manjusa, Tekali, Tarla etc. Odia speaking people in and around Berhampur town tried their best to justify the linguistic affinity and socio-cultural attachment with the Odias of Odisha and Odia speaking people outside Odisha. They argued how under non-odia census officers, the population of Odias decreased from census to census. People realised Berhampur could become a noble point in the growth of socio-political consciousness and that territorial dismemberment of Odia speaking areas was the reason for backwardness under British rule. On 25 March 1933,Sashibhusan Rath led an Odia delegation to the Collector of Ganjam. Similarly at many places in and around Berhampur protest meetings were organized demanding the merger of Paralakhemundi in Orissa. The Maharaja of Paralakhemundi again went to London to give evidence before the Joint Select Committee and after strenuous efforts he was able to include the Odia majority portion ofParalakhemundi Estate along with its town andJeypore Estate in the new province of Orissa. In line with the recommendation of the Joint Select Committee, theGovernment of India Act of 1935 was passed by the British Parliament and theOrissa Province was formed in 1st April 1936.[15]
Maximum summer temperature is 40 °C; minimum winter temperature is 22 °C. The mean daily maximum temperature varies from 27 °C to 32 °C. May is the hottest month; January is the coldest. The average annual rainfall is 1190 mm and the region receives monsoon and torrential rainfall from July to October.
| Climate data for Berhampur, Odisha | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.4 (81.3) | 29.1 (84.4) | 30.9 (87.6) | 31.7 (89.1) | 32.8 (91.0) | 32.5 (90.5) | 30.8 (87.4) | 31.0 (87.8) | 31.5 (88.7) | 31.0 (87.8) | 29.2 (84.6) | 27.5 (81.5) | 30.5 (86.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.7 (62.1) | 19.3 (66.7) | 22.4 (72.3) | 25.1 (77.2) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.8 (80.2) | 25.9 (78.6) | 25.9 (78.6) | 25.7 (78.3) | 23.7 (74.7) | 19.3 (66.7) | 16.5 (61.7) | 22.8 (73.1) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 10 (0.4) | 16 (0.6) | 21 (0.8) | 17 (0.7) | 42 (1.7) | 151 (5.9) | 208 (8.2) | 227 (8.9) | 193 (7.6) | 232 (9.1) | 68 (2.7) | 5 (0.2) | 1,190 (46.8) |
| Source:en.climate-data.org | |||||||||||||
The city is administered by the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC). The city used to be the first municipality which was formed in 1867, and was upgraded to a municipal corporation on 29 December 2008. The Municipal body completed its 150 years in 2017.[16]
The Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) of Southern range is located in Berhampur and covers the undividedGanjam,Koraput,Kandhamal, andKalahandi districts.
The headquarters forBerhampur Tehsil,District Education Office (Ganjam) andBerhampur Sub-Division are also situated here.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1872 | 21,670 | — |
| 1881 | 23,599 | +8.9% |
| 1891 | 25,653 | +8.7% |
| 1901 | 25,729 | +0.3% |
| 1911 | 31,456 | +22.3% |
| 1921 | 32,731 | +4.1% |
| 1931 | 37,750 | +15.3% |
| 1941 | 43,536 | +15.3% |
| 1951 | 62,343 | +43.2% |
| 1961 | 76,931 | +23.4% |
| 1971 | 117,662 | +52.9% |
| 1981 | 162,550 | +38.1% |
| 1991 | 210,418 | +29.4% |
| 2001 | 307,792 | +46.3% |
| 2011 | 355,823 | +15.6% |
| Source:Census of India[17][18] | ||
| Male | 93.83% | |||
| Female | 85.92% | |||
| Total | 90.04% | |||
As of 2011[update] Census ofIndia (provisional), the population of Berhampur was 355,823, of which 185,584 were males and 170,239 were females making it the fourth most populous urban city in Odisha state[19] and126th in India.
The effective literacy rate of Berhampur was 90.04 %, higher than the national average of 74.04 %. Male and female literacy rates were 93.83 % and 85.92 %, respectively. 8.2 % of the population were children ages 0–6 years. The adult and child sex ratios were 917 and 898 females per 1000 males, respectively.[19]
As of 2021[update] Census ofIndia (provisional), the population of Berhampur was 356,598, of which 185,754 were males and 170,844 were females making it the fourth most populous urban city in Odisha state[20] and126th in India.
Brahmapur city is connected with National HighwaysNH-16 (Chennai–Kolkata),NH-59 (Brahmapur-Khariar),NH-516 (Narendrapur-Gopalpur), State Highway 17 (Odisha) and State Highway 22 (Odisha) which connect almost all other cities and towns of Odisha.
Three-wheeler auto taxis are the most important mode of transportation in this city, with Taxis also on the city's roads. Online "C-cabs" and "ola" taxi-service app is also available. The state government has constructed a new bus station at Haladiapadar, at the outskirts of the city. TheGanjam Urban Transport Services Limited (GUTSL) with joint partnership with Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) have an agreement to run a city-bus service for Brahmapur to urban centres on its periphery (Chatrapur,Gopalpur andHinjili, Taratarini, Bhairabi) since 27 February 2014.[21][22]
Brahmapur is served by its own railway station under the Khurda Road division ofEast Coast Railway, and is situated in the Howrah - Chennai Main Line.
The city has an airport atRangeilunda.[23] The airstrip was in use duringBritish Raj andWorld War II. However, post independence, it has lied in a dilapidated condition with no scope of expansion due to its adjacence toBerhampur University. Demands for a new greenfield airport have been echoing throughout the years but have remained futile due to government inaction.[23]
In 2018, the airport was selected for developing it into a commercial airport by thegovernment'sUDAN scheme. In view of this, in March 2023, it started commercial operations toBhubaneswar, with flights operated twice a week.[24]
TheGopalpur port was recommissioned after renovation and expansion.[25]
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Brahmapur is famous for its food, markets and also known as the food capital of Odisha.
The most famous markets are Annapurna Market, Bada Bazaar, Sano Bazaar, Bhapur Bazaar, Giri Market, Hanuman Market, Ganesh Market, and Sai Complex. Themango market of Brahmapur is one of the largest wholesale mango markets in India.[63] The Balunkeswara Bana Market here is one of the largest in the state.[6]
Brahmapur has been an important site of the state's culture due to its unique Odia culture and has held several national level Odia and Telugu literary meets.[64]
Sri Sitaram Vilas Talkies (SSVT) was the first cinema theatre in Odisha.[65]
There has been a critical lack of museums. The open air Scrap Museum near ITI is one of the largest in India.[66]
The Thakurani Jatra(biennial) is the most important festival in the city and is one of the state festivals of Odisha.[9] The cult of Buddhi Thakurani originated along with the emergence of Brahmapur town in and around 1672 AD. The Ghata Yatra was initiated for the purpose of highlighting the tradition of worshiping Thakurani as well as to use it as a platform for sales promotion of silken products.
The date for Thakurani Yatra was fixed by the yatra management committee at the house of Desi Behera, Chief of the Dera community. Buddhi Thakurani is considered as the daughter of the Desi Behera and the deity stays with her father's family during the entire Yatra period.[9]
Brahmapur is under the jurisdiction ofBerhampur (Lok Sabha constituency). The part ofBerhampur Assembly Constituency andGopalpur Assembly Constituency spread over the city.
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