Cuttack

Cuttack (/ˈkʌtək/ ^ⓘ, or officially Kataka in Odia [ˈkɔʈɔkɔ]), is the former capital, deputy capital and the 2nd largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. It is also the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised form of the Odia and Sanskrit name Kataka, which literally means the fort, a reference to the ancient Barabati Fort around which the city initially developed. Cuttack is known as the Millennium City as well as the Silver City due to its history of 1000 years and famous silver filigree works respectively. The Orissa High Court and some other Odisha State Govt. offices are located there, and the city is the judiciary capital of Odisha.

It is the commercial capital of Odisha and hosts many trading and business houses in and around the city. The city is famous in Odisha for foods, such as the Thunkapuri, Dahibara, Lassi, various kinds of Chat etc. Amongst all districts in Orissa, the undivided Cuttack district is famous for its tasty delicacies and sweets. Cuttack is famous for its Durga Puja, which is one of the most important festivals of Odisha. Being the favourite destination of poets and artists, it is also a cultural hub of Odisha. Due to its beauty, the term Kataka Nagara Dhabala Tagara is coined for it. The city is categorised as a Tier II city as per the ranking system used by the Government of India.

The old and most important part of the city is centred on a strip of land between the Kathajodi River and the Mahanadi River, bounded on the south-east by Old Jagannath Road. The city, being a part of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation consisting of 59 wards. Cuttack stretches from Phulnakhara across the Kathajodi in the south to Choudwar in the north across the Birupa River, while in the east it begins at Kandarpur and runs west as far as Naraj. Four rivers, including the Mahanadi and its distributaries, the Kathajodi, Kuakhai and, Birupa, run through the city. Further Kathajodi is distributed into the Devi and Biluakhai, which often makes the geographical area look like fibrous roots.

Cuttack and Bhubaneswar are often referred to as the Twin Cities of Odisha. The metropolitan area formed by the two cities had a population of 1.862 million in 2018. Cuttack is characterised by a maze of streets, lanes, and by-lanes, which have given it the nickname of a city with Bauna Bazaar, Tepana Galee, i.e., 52 markets and 53 streets, but some localities such as Jobra Colony, Markatnagar (C.D.A.) and Mahanadi Vihar are planned localities of the city.