Choudwar

Choudwar is located on the banks of Mahanadi and Birupa river near 16 and 55 National Highway. It is adjoining Cuttack, a largest city of Odisha state. The primary spoken language of Choudwar is Odia. The STD code for Choudwar is 0671 with 754025, 754071, 754072, and 754028 postal codes. Choudwar comes under the Bhubaneswar–Cuttack Police Commissionerate which is one of the under-development cities in the state as per the plan of the Government of Odisha "Vision 2030" .

Choudwar was the capital for Somakuli Keshari kings of Odisha. The Kashri dynasty established eight prominent Shakti Peetha shrines near Chodova, and they are now ruined. It appears that it was the capital of virat, the brother-in-law of Kichaka. It is said that Pandava brothers, along with Draupadi, took shelter in Choudwar during their exile. Choudwar was named after a fort and a four and four Chou (gate) which were constructed in the city during ancient period. Baidheshwar temple near Agrahat village is famous for the streams that are believed to had been dug with the archery of Arjuna, a central character of the Indian epic Mahabharata. The water has different tastes and is used by the people for drinking purposes. Archaeological Survey of India found lots of utensils and Boudhic elements. It appears that Virat's Palace was presented here. 10 acres of the land was fenced by the ASI out of 54 acres. It was officially declared as a heritage site. The site was survived in 2007 by the archaeologists. They found some evidence of the 13th century associated with Shiva temple. It has became a tourist place surrounded by a beautiful gardens.

There are a number of secondary schools and colleges in Choudwar:

• Aviation Research Centre (ARC)Charbatia Air Base
• Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Limited (IMFA)
• The Libra Carpets organization was functional until 1990s which was based on EOU Export-Oriented Unit.

After working for more than three decades, Odisha Textile Mills (OTM) shut down its operations over legal issues. It was a state government-owned company, occupied a wide area towards the town where a part of the central government engaged in aviation, research and development activities. Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys (IMFA) industry in the state is responsible for the production of charge chrome. November 26 is celebrated as Foundation Day as a part of its founder and chairman. It occurs every year. ICCL has been merged with IMFA Ltd. and it was now established at Choudwar division. The BILT began functioning in the late 1990s as a unit of Ballarpur Industries Ltd. and this company was also shutdown in 2003.

According to the 2011 Census of India, Choudwar had a population of 42,597, in which 54% were males and 46% were females. It has an average literacy rate of 77% (higher than the national average of 59.5%). While the literacy rate for men was 83%, for women it was 71%. 10% of the population was under 6 years old.[1]

The state of Odisha is famous for year-long festivals. Some festivals are; Rath Yatra, Dola purnima, Chadakai, Saraswati puja and Vishwakarma puja. Apart from Diwali, Dussehra and Laxmi puja are also celebrated by the people. Choudwar is famous for the Kumar Purnima jatra, a festival where all the idols are being made during the festivals of Dussehra and Laxmi puja. The mela lasts for three days. The state is also celebrating Cuttack Bali Yatra'.

A major population of the state works in private sectors. Due to the sudden decline in purchasing power in the region, the closure of OTM and Libra carpets in the 1990s was evident in all corners of society. The other segments of society comprises teachers, local administration staff and doctors. A very small segment depends on agriculture.

The capital is a part of the NH-5 road. It is well-connected to the rest of the state due to good road connectivity. Vehicles are generally passing through Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur and Angul via Choudwar. The nearest and largest railway station is Cuttack, which is 15 km away from Choudwar town. The capital city Bhubaneswar railway station is 42 km away from the town. The city has two railway stations which are connected to Charibatia and Manguli. The roads are well connected which is used for the government and private transportation.

The nearest airport is the Biju Patnaik International airport, the primary airport serving Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha. The Choudwar town is situated at the distance of about 55 km from Bhubaneswar airport. There is one village called Deulachua, which is situated just near the canal. Its People are almost educationally strong and employed. High populated areas are; Rout, Routray and Nayak. Another village 'NUNTIKIRI' is the border village of choudwar municipality situated in the front Lord Hanuman statue. Another village is situated near Maa bhagabati temple.

People of Choudwar are well educated. Some of them are working in government departments while some are working in private sectors.

The current Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Choudwar-Cuttack assembly constituency is "Souvic Biswal" of Biju Janata Dal. Previous MLAs from this seat was "Dharmananda Behera" of Biju Janata Dal, who won the seat during the state elections of 2004. "Bibhubhusan Praharaj" was the another assembly member who elected in 2000 as an independent candidate. "Kanu Charan Lenka" of Indian National Congress was elected in 1980 and 1995. "Raj Kishore Ram" of Janata Dal was representing the constituency in 1990. Later, he established his political association with Janata Party and was elected as the member of assembly in 1977. "Rasananda Sahu" of Indian National Congress was elected in 1985.[2]

Choudwar is part of Cuttack (Lok Sabha constituency).[3]

• IMFA group for more information regarding IMFA and ICCL
• Utkal University