Odisha is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of ancient republican nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Indian Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC, that led to a turning point in the Emperor's life when deeply saddened by the bloodshed he embraced Buddhism in search of inner peace.The modern state of Odisha was established on 1 April 1936 as a province in British India, and consists, predominantly of Odia speakers. 1 April is therefore celebrated as Utkal Divas (Odisha Day).

Odisha is the ninth largest state by area in India, and the eleventh largest by population. Odia is the official and most widely spoken language. Odisha has a relatively unindented coastline(about 480 km long) and lacks good ports, except for the deepwater facility at Paradip. The narrow, level coastal strip, including the Mahanadi River delta supports the bulk of the population. The interior of the state is mountainous and sparsely populated. Deomali at 1672 m is the highest point of the state.

Odisha is subject to intense cyclones. The most intense one, in October 1999, Tropical Cyclone 05B caused severe damage and some 10,000 deaths.

Odisha is home to the Hirakud Dam, one of the longest dams in the world. Odisha has several popular tourist destinations. Puri, with Lord Jagannatha's temple near the sea (famous for Rath Yatra or the Car Festival), and Konark, with the Sun Temple, are visited by thousands of tourists every year. The Jagannatha Temple of Puri, The Sun Temple of Konarka, The Lingaraja Temple of Bhubaneswar, and the Barabati Fort of Katak are important in the archaeological history of India.

                             I am proud to be an Oriya. I love my Orissa. Orissa is located at the eastern part of India besides the Bay of Bengal.  It is full of natural heritage. Puri is one of the holiest places in Orissa which is world famous for Lord Jagannath and Rath Yatra (Car festival). Also, there is a verybeautiful beach in Puri which attracts numerous tourists from across the world. Konark is another tourist place and is famous for the Sun Temple. Bhubaneshwar, the capital city is famous for Lingaraj Temple. Nandan kannan is a very big zoo located in Bhubaneshwar. Other attractions in Bhubaneshwar are Planetarium, Indira Gandhi Park, ISKCON Temple, Utkal University, Museum, Khandagiri, Udayagiri, Dhauli etc.  Chilika is a very beautiful salt water lake which is a favourite picnic spot.

Orissa is rich with natural resources. It has Hirakud Dam which is one of the longest dams in the world.  From education point of view Orissa is a forerunner in India. It is famous for its renouned Universities and colleges and for the quality education.

The arts produced by the famous Sand artist of Orissa, Mr Sudarshan Pattnaik is remarkable. Cuttack is famous for Tarakashi kama (Silver works). Pipili for Chandua. These products are high in demand inside and outside Orissa.

There are a lot more in Orissa than mentioned here. To get more about Orissa, you have to dig more into www.odissa.com.