Balasore

Balasore (also known as Baleswar or Baleshwar) is a city in Orissa state of eastern India. It is the administrative headquarters of Balasore District. It is best known for Chandipur, the site of the Indian army development of different missiles such as Nag, Agni missile etc.. The lingua franca is Oriya.

Description

Balasore is a place of scenic beauty and a major tourist attraction, also because of its historical monuments, such as various temples in the area. There are a few hill ranges in the region too.

It is now a launch station for sounding rockets on the east coast of India in Orissa state at 21°18' N and 86°36' E. Balasore has been in use since 1989, but unlike Sriharikota, it is not used for launching satellites. The rocket launching site at Balasore is situated in a place named Chandipur. Chandipur is located on the Bay of Bengal. The Interim Test Range in Chandipur, Balasore is responsible for carrying out tests for various missiles such as Agni, Prithvi, Trishul etc.

Balasore is the main town in the District of Balasore. The primary occupation of people in district of Balasore is cultivation. Balasore district is mostly known for cultivation of paddy since rice is the staple cereal of the local people. Balasore is also famous for the Khirochora Gopinath Temple situated at Remuna (about 14 kilometers from Balasore), approximately 7 km from the main town of Balsore, built by the Great King Langula Narasimha Dev who also built the world famous Temple at Konark. The "Biranchi Narayana", "AstaDurga", "Bhudhar Chandi" are some other temples located in that region.

Balasore Railway Station falls en route on the main line connecting Chennai to Kolkata. Road connectivity wise, National Highway-5 runs through Balasore.

History

The English settlement of Balasore was formed in 1642, was an early trading port for British, French and Dutch ships in the early age of Enlightenment and became a colonial part of first Danish India, later British India.

In 1763 Balasore became a Danish possession, governed from Tranquebar, as part of Danish India. Due to the shallowness of its bay, the trading post was abandoned, leaving behind only a small settlement in the area. On 7 November 1845, all Danish India was sold to the British, who made it part of British India.

Since the beginning of the 20th century Balasore, as a strategic point, interested revolutionaries. On 9 September 1915, while waiting for a ship-load of arms and ammunition despatched by the German Embassy in Washington, Jatindranath Mukherjee or Bagha Jatin with four associates fought here heroically against a detachment of armed police, up to their last bullet. This became a red-letter day in the history of India's freedom movement.