Shodasa Puja commences at Tara Tarini Shakti Peeth

The famous Sodasha Puja at Tara Tarini Shakti Peeth near Berhampur in Odisha started from Mulastami i.e. on 04 October, 2015. This Puja will continue till Mahastami i.e. on 20th October, 2015. In major Shakti Peethas like Kamakshya, Daksinakali, Tara Tarini, Bimala, Chamundeswari and Maha Kali the Durga Puja is observed for 16 days, starting from Bhadrapada Krushna Paksha Ashtami to Ashvina Shukla Paksha Navami of the Hindu Calendar, also known as Shodasa Puja or  Shodasa Dinatmaka Upachara.

Noteworthy Tara Tarini is worshiped as the Breast Shrine (Sthana Peetha) and manifestations of Adi Shakti. The Tara Tarini Shakti Peetha is one of the oldest pilgrimage centers of the Mother Goddess and is one of four major ancient Tantra Peethas and Shakti Peethas in India.

Amidst chanting of hymns the Sodasha Puja also known as Devi Utthapana began at Tara Tarini shrine after 3.00 pm on Mulastami. 108 Sevakas of Tara Tarini Shakti Peeth brought 108 pots of water from the holy Rushikulya River flowing at the foothill of the shrine.  After rituals of Snana, Majana, Mangala Arati, Maha Arati, Chhandi Path and commencement of Chandi Yagna in the established tradition, the goddess gave darshan to her devotees in the Rajarajeswari Besha and the entire process continued till 12.30 pm next day.

As per the information from the shrine, the Chandi Patha and Chandi Yagna started on the first day of Sodasha Puja will continue till last day of Vijayadashami / Dussehra. Out of the 16 days, the Navratri Puja will start from October 13 and will culminate on October 21. Navaratri is the last nine days of Shodasa Puja and the Shakti is also worshiped by devotees in different pandals for a period of nine days.

According to the Vedic scriptures, Adi Shakti or Goddess Durgā is a symbol of power. She is worshipped in nine different forms and is therefore termed Nava-durgā. Each of the nine manifestation of Durgā are  worshipped with full devotion during Navarātri at Tara Tarini Adi Shakti Peeth. These nine forms of manifestation are Śhailaputrī, Brahmachāriṇī, Chandrakaṇṭā, Kuṣhmāṇḍā, Skandamātā, Kātyāyanī, Kālarātrī, Mahāgaurī and Siddhidātrī. It is believed that if worshipped ‘Nava Durgā’ with religious fervor during Navaratri, it bestows all spiritual fulfillment to a devotee.

The Sodasha Puja, Navratri and Vijayadashami are very important and major festivals in the religious calendar of this Shakti Peeth. During this entire 16 days period, the sanctum of Maa Tara Tarini remains open round the clock for Darshan of the devotees. Lakhs of devotees gathering to obtain darshan of Maa during Sodasha Puja.

Ram Prasad Tripathy

PRO, Tara Tarini Development Board, 

Berhampur, Odisha

Shifting of NHAI office in Berhampur to Balasore

IIS-ER Odisha to come up at Berhampur

IISERs are a group of premier science education and research institutes in the country

The Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) would come up in the southern city of Berhampur.

"The state government would provide 200 acres of land for IISER. Academic session would commence from 2016-17", said state minister for employment, technical education & training Sanjay Das Burma.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley had announced the establishment of IISER in Odisha in the Budget for 2015-16.

"Today is a h istoric day for the people of Odisha since chief minister Naveen Patnaik today decided to set up IISER at the life line of southern Odisha, Berhampur in Ganjam district", Dasburma told reporters here.

"Berhampur has necessary infrastructure like road, rail and air connectivity, which is in conformity with the central guidelines. This apart, the state government is committed to provide temporary campus facility for this institute of national importance in and around Berhampur", he added.

The IISERs are a group of most premier science education and research institutes in the country. These institutions have been declared by an Act of Parliament as institutions of national importance and are intended to be the IITs of basic sciences. The institutes were created by the Government of India, through the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), under The National Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2010.

Five IISERs have already come up in the country at Kolkata, Pune, Mohali, Bhopal and Thiruvnanthapuram. In the 2015-16 Budget, two new IISERs were announced for Odisha and Nagaland.

- BS Reporter  |  Bhubaneswar I August 1, 2015

Odisha Govt failed to identify required land for the airport in Berhampur

Minister of State for Civil Aviation informed the Rajya Sabha on 12-August-2014 that Government plans to develop 3 new airports in Odisha at Jharsuguda, Berhampur and Jeypore. The Minister stated that, "a team from Airports Authority of India inspected Jharsuguda, Berhampur and Jeypore airports and observed that the Jharsuguda (AAI airport) can be developed for operations of A-320 type of aircraftwhereas Berhampur (State Government airport) can be developed for ATR-72-500 for which additional 267 acres of land is required. Jeypore (State Government airport) can be developed for ATR-72-500 for which additional 253 acres of land is required". But, the Odisha Govt has failed to identify the required land for the airport in Berhampur and has gone in to complete silence on this issue.

For Berhampur people Sidhanta Mahapatra is not a hero ......................

GANJAM FORUM HOLDS DRIVE FOR IIM AT BRAHMAPUR

To strengthen the demand for setting up of the proposed IIM Odisha at Brahmapur and to create public awareness on the apathetic attitude of the State Government towards the silk city, the Forum for Ganjam held a drive here on Tuesday. Forum members distributed pamphlets and leaflets among the public at important places like Khallikote Collage, Girja Square, Ramalingam Tank Road, Gandhinagar, Komapalli. The pamphlets displayed information on how Brahmapur has been neglected.

The forum members alleged that ignoring the demand to set up the proposed IIM at Brahmapur, the State Government is contemplating to have the institute in Sambalpur or in Bhubaneswar. Form coordinator Sidhir Sahoo and members J Suresh, Rajendra Panda and Rabi Kumar, among others, joined the awareness drive.

Orissa CM's nod for university status to Khallikote, RD colleges

The state government on Thursday approved the proposals to upgrade Khallikote Autonomous College, Berhampur and, RD Autonomous Women's College, Bhubaneswar to universities.

Higher education minister Pradeep Panigrahy told the media that the universities would function from 2015-16 academic year. RD will become a women's university. Around 50 women's colleges, which are under Utkal University, will be affiliated to it. The exact shape of the university and its affiliated colleges will be decided soon. Besides the existing 25-acre campus, the government will look for another 25 acre for its second campus, the minister said.

Khallikote will be part of a cluster university, comprising five nearby colleges. The other four are S D Women's College and Binayak Acharya College in Berhampur, besides colleges at Chhatrapur and Gopalpur, the minister said.

The government will spend Rs 55 crore each on infrastructure development of the two universities. The funds will be drawn from Rashtriya Uchhatar Shiksha Abhiyan, a central-sponsored programme for higher education.

-TNN | Apr 24, 2015

Famous Thakurani Yatra extended by 11 days in Berhampur

In view of popular demand, the district administration in Ganjam has extended the famous Thakurani Yatra on April 19, 2015 in Berhampur by 11 days. The biennial festival, which started on March 28, will continue till April 27, officals said today.

Initially, the district administration had allowed the festival committee to hold the yatra for 20 days even though the latter had sought permission for 31 days.

"Several people approached the district administration requesting for extension of the festival", said Sub-Collector (Berhampur) Nikhil Pawan Kalyan.

The festival is attracting huge crowd from different places and hundreds of the people are thronging the Silk City to witness the famous Yatra. Locals dressed like mythological characters are seen moving around the city and so are chariots in different shapes like boita (ship) and doli (swing).

Famous Berhampur Thakurani Jatra to begin from March 28

The famous Budhi Thakurani Jatra of Berhampur will start from March 28 this year and will continue till April 27. Preparations for the biannual festival have started at the Desibehera Street in Berhampur after the Subha Khunti (auspicious post) was laid on March 12.

Devotees in huge numbers expected to visit the temporary temple at the Desibehera Street at the time of Jatra,

Devotees in huge numbers expected to visit the temporary temple at the Desibehera Street at the time of Jatra, 

“The construction of the temporary temple at the Desibehera Street has started, it will take four more days to complete,” informed the craftsman of the temporary Mandap Dasarathi Maharana. The Jatra begins with the arrival of the floral sign of the deity (Aagyamala) to the temporary temple. This will be followed by Ghata Yatra in which the Aagyanmala will be taken on a public procession around the streets of Old Berhampur.

As devotees in huge numbers are expected at the time of Jatra, the Public Health Department has planned to increase drinking water supply in the Bada Bazar area.

As informed by the Executive Engineer of PHD Deba Sundar Mahapatra, around 20 temporary stand points will be placed in Desibehera Street and the nearby places. Water tankers will be positioned on different squares of the city at the time of jatra.

20 March 2015 | Ronalisa Parida | Edited By: Longjam Dineshwori

http://microstatindia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2296&catid=19&Itemid=630

Railway line from Gopalpur to Kandhamal demanded

A group of intellectuals of different social organisations and civil society forums on Wednesday demanded rail connectivity from Gopalpur to Phulbani and extended connection with the Khordha-Balangir railway line.

The intellectuals including Sriya Nayak, Dr Subash Chandra Sahu, Deepak Pattnaik and Sudhansu Panda said the Kandhamal district of south Odisha is yet to get railway connectivity. As communication is one of the vital components of development, people of the district are deprived of it, they added.

They said the rail connectivity would help to develop the economy standard of these areas. Rail connectivity to the Gopalpur port would not only create jobs, but also enhance business in the State. Kandhamal, which is famous for its spices like ginger and turmeric and forest goods, would get easy connectivity to market its products. It would also help to attract investment in the region, said the intellectuals.

Source: The Pioneer 

Tara Tarini Chaitra Yatra/Mela to be polythene-free

The famous Maa Tara Tarini Chaitra Yatra of Ganjam is going to begin from March 10. As per traditions, it will be performed on the four Tuesdays of the month of Chaitra. Keeping in view the flow of lakhs of devotees to the temple, the district administration held a preparatory meeting at Chatrapur on February 10. Revenue Divisional Commissioner (SD) and chairperson of the Tara Tarini Development Council Sailendra Narayan De presided over the meeting.

Old Image of Tara Tarini Shakti Peetha :Braving heat lakhs of

devotees standing in long queue to enter the famous Tara Tarini hill temple

(Breast Shrine of Shakti) near Berhampur city in Ganjam district, Odisha

Ganjam Collector Premchand Choudhury explained the significance and pride of the heritage temple and the famous yatra and sought the cooperation of all the service wings of the district administration and people of all walks of life for smooth and successful conduct of the yatra.

The meeting, among other things, decided to make the entire region of Maa Tara Tarini Temple free from polythene, construct adequate  rest sheds to protect devotees from possible heat wave, provide drinking water, put in place effective traffic system for transportation of devotees, provide temporary healthcare camps and sanitation in the temple premises, deploy fire fighting vehicles and ODRAF team, prohibit sale and consumption of liquor and other drugs in the region, repair and renovate all approaching roads on war footing and construct temporary toilets for devotees, among others.

It was also decided in the meeting that the Chatrapur Sub-Collector will review the progress of the preparatory work once in each week till the yatra begins. A master plan for all-round development of the temple was presented. The committee advised the chief of the Technical Committee Binod Kumar Patra to complete all the pending works on war footing.

Among others, Maa Tara Tarini Temple Development Council secretary Pramod Kumar Panda, Additional Collector Pradeep Kumar Nanda, CDMO Dr PC Sahu, the Ganjam ADMO, the Chatrapur Sub-Collector, the Purushottampur BDO, representatives of Sevayats Tapan Rana and Jagannath Rana attended.

Maa Tara Tarini Sthana Peeth, Ganjam, Odisha

How the state government in Odisha cheated the public on the IIM establishment issue?

This is how the state government in Odisha cheated the public on the IIM establishment issue. Actually the State Govt had decided about the location of IIM beforehand and it was just looking for an alibi to justify its decision. The 'airport' clause was self inflicted by the State government to hoodwink the people of Ganjam who tried every possible civilised method to convince the State Govt on the historic necessity of IIM in Berhampur. However, Odisha being Odisha here civilised methods and passionate appeals just does not work despite valid considerations of equity and distributive justice.  

(The Sambad)

Images of BERHAMPUR BANDH demanding establishment of IIM at Berhampur

Odisha Govt should follow the old Saying, "Dont put all your Eggs in One Basket" and for all round development Education must be evenly spread across the State. 
Images of BERHAMPUR BANDH demanding establishment of IIM at Berhampur

Odisha Govt. Ditched & Deceived the people of South Odisha

Friends If we remain silent today we will have no right to complain in the future

Silence is not the answer to the problems facing South Odisha. If we remain silent today we will have no right to complain in the future. Because remaining silent will mean supporting the present development template being followed by the State Govt. Every citizen in India has right to development and the people of South Odisha cannot be denied this right. The questions raised here are certainly from the perspective of Berhampur city which is agitating for the IIM, but we do know that every single individual in South Odisha and Ganjam is equally concerned about the enigmatic silence of the Statate Govt on development issues after garnering their votes. This is not acceptable and we have to shout at the loudest to be heared by a Govt which is completely deaf and bereft of a sense of equity and justice.

Berhampur erupts in protest against the State Government

Berhampur erupts in protest against the State Government's highly retrograde moves on the establishment of IIM. Students across the district protest against the biased decision even as more aggressive protests have been planned for the coming days.

Handling IIM establishment issue proves lowest point in Naveen Patnaik's career as Chief Minister even as corruption charges flying thick and fast against the State Govt.

People not ready to give up yet on the IIM-Berhampur demand. Massive agitations planned in the coming days. BJD loses its credibility in Ganjam as it is accused of stage-managing the whole episode. Handling IIM establishment issue proves lowest point in Naveen Patnaik's career as Chief Minister even as corruption charges flying thick and fast against the State Govt.

People of Ganjam and Berhampur fought for the establishment of IIM-Berhampur against all odds. But they were fighting against a highly biased State Government, arrogant and drunk with power who have displayed scant respect for distributive justice. Not only Berhmapur city; for 90% of Odisha this decision comes as a big letdown. However this cannot be the end of the story and with greater public awareness we can set bigger goals for Berhampur and Ganjam and aspire for our rightful space in a developed India. Not to be disheartened and time to work with greater vigor and enthusiasm for the cause of Berhampur.

Is Odisha State government forcing the people of Berhampur & South Odisha to demand a separate Kalinga State??????

This is the right time to expose the State Government which has taken the people of Ganjam and South Odisha for granted.These questions follow from the opinions expressed by the readers in the previous post. As responsible citizens you are free to give opinions outsides the choices indicated on the path forward for Berhampur city, Ganjam and the backward southern odisha.

Is Berhampur city (South Odisha, Kalinga) not a part of Odisha State??????

Ganjam produced a former President of India, Former PM PV Narasimha Rao was MP of Berhampur, Krushna Chandra Gajapati, Sadasiva Tripathy, Binayak Acharya, Biju Patnaik and his Son went on to become Chief Ministers of Odisha. Yet 10 lakh people from Ganjam live in the slums of Surat, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Not even a screw and bolt factory has not been built in Ganjam and the last major Institution (the Berhampur University) was established in the district almost 50 years ago. For last 5 decades Ganjam is crying for development but Ganjam people are as passive as ever. If they do not wake up now to question their leaders, then better they should prepare to live like slaves. The question is not only about the IIM; it is about self respect. Some people are saying that Berhampur does not have the infra to host an IIM. But then the question is who is responsible for poor infrastructure in Berhampur and Ganjam. So, time has come when people must speak up and oppose the continuous neglect of the State Govt.

Bhubaneswar Janata Dal= BJD

The decision on IIM site selection, if true, should serve as a lesson for the people of rest of Odisha (Ganjam in particular) that they are second grade citizens and aliens in their own State who are remembered only once in 5 years during elections as they dont enjoy the rights same as the State capital. See how audacious the corrupt BJD Govt in Odisha has been on the IIM issue? The CM has no time to assuage the people of Berhampur who are on hunger strike demanding the establishment of IIM and the decision is being selectively leaked through the media about the decision to establish yet another central Institute in Bhubaneswar, now the IIM.

Does the CM even know about the IIM-Berhampur agitation?

Does the CM even know about the IIM-Berhampur agitation? He is silent as ever and the Berhampur MP goes missing every now and then to appear only during elections. With such representatives who denied even the Smart-city tag to Berhampur; people are bound to be frustrated

Stop Step-motherly treatment to South Odisha (Kalinga)..... Establish IIM @ Berhampur

Shodasha Pooja starts at Maa Tara Tarini Shakti Peeth

Last huddle for the establishment of IIM at Berhampur cleared; LOW-COST AIRPORT WILL COME UP SOON IN BRAHMAPUR

POLICY SOON ON BUILDING LOW-COST AIRPORTS IN 50 NON-METRO CITIES

New Delhi | Having identified 50 non-metro cities and remote locations across the country for building low-cost airports, the Centre is shortly coming up with a policy on the matter in which state governments would have a major role to play.

The Civil Aviation Ministry would soon finalise names of the first five of these 50 no-frill airports to be taken up first, official sources said here on Friday.The policy, which is being given final shape by the Ministry, is likely to put the onus of providing land, water and electricity free of charge to these airports on State Governments, which would also have to grant tax concessions or exemptions for these projects.

It comes in the wake of the BJP-led Government’s announcements that these airports would be built on a private -public partnership (PPP) model to provide air connectivity to non-metro cities and those in remote areas.

Apart from the facilities to be granted by State Governments to these airports, the Government would grant concessions to airlines operating there, such as exemption from paying landing, parking, navigation, night parking and fuel throughput charges, among other things.In June last year, the UPA-II Government, while finalising infrastructure projects for 2013-14, had also decided to build low-cost airports at 51 cities and towns across the country.

Under the decision taken by the Manmohan Singh government, State-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) was to have set up these airports at towns and cities spread across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

There are over 125 functional airports and another 400 airstrips, of which many can be developed as full-fledged airports, the sources said.However, official data shows that of these 125-odd functional airports, 93 were loss-making and only ten profitable. The loss-making airports are mostly located in Tier-II cities, apart from some state capitals. Connectivity by low-cost airlines to the smaller towns and cities could beef up the financial fortunes of these small airports, the sources said.

Observing that growth in traffic was concentrated on certain major routes and not all across the country, they said though air tickets were now available at competitive rates due to fierce competition among airlines and air traffic was growing at a rapid pace, almost 70 per cent of the population does not have air connectivity and many cannot afford to fly.

The policy would aim at making air connectivity available at a cheaper rate, the officials said.On the names of the 50 proposed no-frill airports, they said the list was likely to remain the same as decided by the previous Government, barring a few changes in some states.

As per the UPA-II Government’s decision last year, the 51 low-cost airports were to have come up at Vijayawada, Nellore, Kurnool, Kadapa, Nizamabad, Tirupati, Anantapur and Karimnagar in Andhra Pradesh, Dhanbad, Bokaro and Hazaribagh in Jharkhand, at Muzaffarpur, Chapra and Sasaram in Bihar, at Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Firozpur in Punjab, at Agra, Allahabad, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Meerut, Aligarh, Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.

Tezu, Bomdila and Along in Arunachal Pradesh, at Silchar, Jorhat and Tezpur in Assam, at Gwalior, Singrauli, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Jabalpur, Sidhi and Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh, Brahmapur (Odisha), Rourkela and Kendujhar in Odisha, at Ajmer, Kota, Bhilwada and Alwar in Rajasthan and at Kolhapur, Nasik, Jalgaon, Solapur and Amarawati in Maharashtra were also to have low-cost airports.

Source: The Pioneer| Saturday, 06 September 2014

other links: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-09-05/news/53601736_1_low-cost-airports-small-airports-state-owned-airports-authority

Policy on building low-cost airports expected soon

Airports Authority of India to Develop 50 Low-Cost Airports | Travel | www.indiatimes.com

Lawyers go on stir seeking court bench at Berhampur

Members of Ganjam District Consumer Bar Association started indefinite agitation from Friday demanding immediate commencement of proposed circuit bench of Odisha State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (SCDRC) in Berhampur.

Led by the president of the association, Kailash Chandra Mishra, and secretary Shyamakant Jena, the agitating lawyers sat on dharna on the premises of District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum (DCDRF) in the city. They shouted slogans criticising the State government and the SCDRC for the delay in starting of the proposed circuit bench.

In January this year, the government had proposed to have two circuit benches of the SCDRC in Berhampur and Sambalpur. The decision was taken considering the large number of cases pending before the State Commission from southern and western parts of the State. At present the aggrieved consumers of south Odisha have to travel to Cuttack to file cases before SCDRC.

The director of department of consumer affairs had written to the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), southern division and western division as well as the secretary of SCDRC to initiate necessary measures for functioning of the two proposed circuit benches of the commission.

The RDC had given consent to provide all facilities for holding circuit bench the city. But, according to the members of the Bar association, till date the SCDRC has not held any hearing of its circuit bench in Berhampur. They alleged that similar was the situation in Sambalpur. The lawyers said they had given a notice to the State government on their demand 15 days back but no decision has been taken in this regard. They said they would continue their agitation till their demand was met....

Source-the hindu

Nation celebrates Indian star weightlifter berhampur boy Ravi Kumar’s Silver at Common Wealth Games (CWG) in Glasgow

Ravi Kumar personally thanks all Berhampurians through Future Berhampur for congratulating him on winning the weightlifting Silver in the Common Wealth Games 2014

The Silver winning performance of the star weightlifter from Odisha K Ravikumar has led to celebrations in his home town of Brahmapur with family members distributing sweets after his victory.

“I am happy that he has won the silver, though I would have been happier if he had won the gold. But this was the first time he was contesting in the 77 kg category and also the first time he was competing after the surgery. I am sure he would bring the gold at the forthcoming Asian championship,” said his elated mother.

Ravikumar won the silver medal in the 77 kg category at the ongoing Common Wealth Games (CWG) in Glasgow on Sunday.

Ravikumar lifted 142 kg in snatch and 175 kg in clean & jerk to win the bronze in the event in which compatriot Satish Shivalingam from Tamil Nadu won the gold.

Ravikumar had set a new record in the 69 kg category at the last CWG in New Delhi in 2010. This was the first time he participated in the 77 kg category.

WHY THE GOVERNMENT OF ODISHA ALWAYS SHOWS STEP-MOTHERLY TREATMENT TO BERHAMPUR ?