Utkal Divas Also known as Orissa Day is celebrated in Odhisha on April 1 in the memory of the formation of the state as a separate province on 1st April, 1936.
After losing it’s complete political identity for more than 350 years (from 1568 after the defeat and demise of the last Hindu king Mukunda Dev), the undying efforts of the sons of the land from that very day, resulted into the formation of a politically separate state on linguistic basis on 1st April, 1936 under British rule.
The main revolution for the separate state was continued for three decades from the very day of formation of Utkal Sammilani that lead the foundation of a separate Orissa Province. The movement was more intensed with the leadership of Utkal Gourab Madhusudan Das, Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati, Pandit Nilakantha Das, Bhubanananda Das and many others with the support of the public. The newly formed Orissa consisted of six districts namely Cuttack, Puri, Balasore, Sambalpur, Koraput and Ganjam having its capital at Cuttack. Sir John Austin Hubbak took oath of office and became the first Governor of Orissa Province.
