Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha celebrates its 74th Foundation Day today. On this day in 1948, exactly at 10 . 20 AM, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone of this magnificent city as the capital of Odisha. With its roots in the temples and cultural heritage of centuries, Bhubaneswar today has transformed itself into a modern urban city making place for people from all walks of life. Set up for just about 35 thousand population in 1948, Bhubaneswar today is a place of residence for nearly one and a half million people.
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Bhubaneswar has emerged as one of the best Smart Cities and one of the most rapidly growing cities of India. Be it Tourism, Education, Industries, Information Technology or Sports, the city is counted one among the frontliners. The transformation of Bhubaneswar into a truly cosmopolitan city in nature could be achieved because of the people who have made it their home.
Designed by German Architect, Otto Koenigsberger, Bhubaneswar was the first few cities of the country built keeping in mind modern aesthetics.
In the last seven decades, Bhubaneswar has changed into a city that excels in many areas. As a major tourist destination, its centuries old temples invite visitors from all around the world. While the Lingaraj Temple, Rajarani Temple, Kedar Gauri Temple, Mukteswar Temple and Khandgiri Udayagiri caves demonstrate the cultural and traditional history of Bhubaneswar, modern marvels such as the Kalinga Stadium, AIIMS, Nandankanan, and a large number of scientific and educational research institutions make the city an example of a modern city.
Some of the iconic building of Bhubaneswar include the Raj Bhavan, Lok Seva Bhawan, the Legislative Assembly, State Museum, Kharvel Bhawan, Rabindra Mandap, Gita Gobinda Sadan, Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalay, Odisha State Archives, Central Market Building, Utkal University, University of Agriculture and Technology, Ramadevi Women’s University, State Library and many more. Important centres of learning and research in the Capital include the Utkal University, University of Agriculture and Technology, Regional College of Education, Sainik School, Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Institute of Physics, Institute of Industrial Management, State Institute of Education, Eastern Regional Language Institute, Regional Research Institute (Ayurveda) etc.
Some of the new abodes of administration that have come up in the last few years include the Commissionerate Building, East Coast Railway Headquarters etc. Educational Institutions of eminence such as the KIIT, SOA, XIMB, IIT, IIIT, AIIMS, NISER, ILS have made the city one of the leading hubs of education in the eastern part of the country.
In the sports arena, Bhubaneswar has has carved a special position for itself in the sporting map. It has today became one of the major destinations for international sporting events of the country. Kalinga Stadium has become the epicentre of sports in the country. Bhubaneswar has hosted a number of international tournaments and events that have proved it as the sports capital of the countr.
Some of the major events that Bhubaneswar hosted in the last few years include the Asian Athletics Championship in 2017, World Cup Hockey in 2018, Khelo India University Games in 2020, Women’s Gold Cup Football in 2019, Hockey World League 2016, Junior World Cup Hockey in 2021 and many more. Bhubaneswar is also going to host some of the major sporting events such as the FIFA Under 17 Women’s World Cup in 2022, FIH World Cup Hockey in 2023.
Bhubaneswar has some of the best sports training institutions of the country including High Performance Centres – Abhinav Bindra Targeting Performance (ABTP), Dalmia Bharat Gopichand Badminton Academy, JSW Swimming HPC, Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE) for Athletics, Hockey, and Weightlifting, KJS Ahluwalia and Tenvic Sports HPC for Weightlifting, Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre (ONTHHPC), Odisha Aditya Birla and Gagan Narang Shooting HPC, Reliance Foundation Odisha Athletics HPC, SAI Regional Badminton Academy, Udaan Badminton Academy and AIFF High Performance Centre.
The transformation of the Capital city Bhubaneswar is not limited to any particular sphere. In healthcare too Bhubaneswar has become a hub in the eastern part of the country. AIIMS, KIMS, SUM, Capital Hospital, Apollo, AMRI, LV Prasad etc provide best of the healthcare facilities.
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Bhubaneswar is growing leaps and bounds in terms of economy, affordability and liveability. There is no doubt that, with Naveen at the helm, Bhubaneswar is also going to be the destination next for major institutions and industries of the country in the future.
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