Baripāda, India

History

Baripada became the headquarters of the state (now district) at the end of the 18th century during Sumitra Devi's rule, succeeding its earlier status in Haripur. However, it was initially documented as Burpuddah by Major James Rennell of the East India Company in his renowned 1779 Atlas, well before it assumed the role of the state headquarters.

The ruins of an old mud fort in the centre of the city have completely disappeared. A temple dedicated to Ambika Devi is the sole survivor. The chief shrine of the town is a Jagannath temple dating from 1575 AD. It is also the oldest structure in the area. A statue of the Buddhist deity Lokeshvara housed in one of its rooms is even older. However, Baripada developed into a town only under the rule of Maharaja Jadunatha Bhanja who died in 1863. His successors, especially Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo, added many other public infrastructure to the town. Baripada was linked to Rupsa in Balasore district through a narrow gauge line known as the Mayurbhanj State Railway in the first decade of the 20th century. This provided a major impetus to trade and commerce.

The city continued to grow after the merger of Mayurbhanj State with the Union of India in 1949. In contrast to the planned nature of the town centre, the newer areas have tended to adopt a sprawling nature.

From the History section of Baripada on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.