Orissa, previously known as Odisha, is the 9th largest state of India with an area of 155707 Sq Km which placed in the eastern coast of central India. According to the census of India 2011, approximately 41947358 people reside here. The state is separated by its neighboring states Chhattisgarh to the West, Andhra Pradesh to the south, WB (west bengal) and Jharkhand to the north and entire eastern side is bordered by Bay of Bengal.

(Panchalingeswar in Nilgiri hill Orissa)

The capital city of Orissa is Bhubaneswar and it also the largest city of the state. Other big cities of the state are Cuttack, Brahmapur, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Bolangir, Balasore, Kendrapara and Puri. The state is geographically divided into 5 separate regions namely, Coastal Plain to the east, Middle Mountainous, Highlands Region, Central plateaus and western region. And these divisions are contained with thirty districts.  Read more...

The climate of the state is typically hot in summer but a pleasant temperature and humidity in winter. The weather characters of Orissa mainly depend on the wind flows of Bay of Bengal and it produce a heavy rainfall during the monsoon season. The climate season of the state can be divided into three divisions namely, summer, winter and monsoon.

Weather in summer
Normally the summer season of Orisya is continued from end of March to June. The temperatures varies during this season from 34°C to 48°C. during this season the state is often attacked by several thunder storms in the afternoon or evening, due to the winds of Bay of Bengal.

eather in winter
Normally the winter season of Orissa is continued from November to early February and the temperatures varies during this season from 13°C to 22°C. Some regions of Koraput and Phulbani receive a low temperature may drop 2°C.

Weather in monsoon
Normally the monsoon season of Orissa is continued from July to September and the average annual rainfall of the state is approximately 200cm.

Language and Religions in Orissa
Usually the people of Orisya use Oriya as their main spoken (spoken by 73.34% of total population) and official language. Some other dialects of Orissa are Hindi, Bengali, Telugu and Santali. The main religion of the state is Hinduism near about 94.35% of total population follow this religion. Other religions of the state are Muslim (2.08%), Christianity (2.43%) and some tribal communities like Santhal, Munda, Oraon and Kora tribal.

Festivals in Orissa
Jagannath Temple Festivals (Rath Yatra, Chandan Yatra and Devasnana Purnima) of Puri are most popular in Orissa. Some other major religious festivals of the state are Mahashiva Ratri, Durga Puja, Ganesh Chaturthi, Lakshmi Puja, Diwali, Dusserah, Holi, Puri Beach Festival, Konark Festival and Kalinga Mahotsav. Some tribal communities of the state also celebrate several festivals, some important of these are Chaita Parva, Karama Festival and Bali Jatra.