Pattamundai

Pattamundai is a town and a municipality in Kendrapara district in the Indian state of Odisha, located on the centre of SH 9A from Cuttack to Chandbali along the south end of Brahmani River. It is also the headquarter of Pattamundai Block.

Pattamundai derives its name from being the last town(head=munda) on the gate(patak) on the Pattamundai Canal and Gobari Canal junction at Alva. and the Gobari canal ends at Gandakia, the present end point of the Gobari river. The Gobari river is still active in some portion. nd there are many theories prevailing on the sources of derivations and we may place those derivations as follows:

01. The earlier name was "PATUMUNDA" (ପଟୁମୁଣ୍ଡା) (Patu+Munda) and it has been converted to current name through colloquial processes. And the word PATU is an Odia word which means the "Alluvial soil or silt" which is normally flows with the floods in the rivers (as per Page 4526, Purna chandra Bhasakosha by Late Gopal Praharaj). And the word "Munda" is head or side in Odia. The Brahmani river was earlier flowing through this village long back. You can find now the marks of the river beds between present village "Bangali Diha and Mandapada" (ବଂଗାଲିଦିଆ ଓ ମଣ୍ଡପଡ଼ା) and " Kasananta and Balipada". (The Brahmani had a branch linking "the Gobari" river which is now called "the Pota Nai" and the branching happened at the place where the building of Sub Registrar Office, Pattamundai is now standing and it was called "Chatara"(ଚତର), which I have heard during my school days. The word "Chatara" also means "A wide expansion of plot of the surface of a tank not overgrown or covered with aquatic grass or reeds" (Page 2518 Purnachandra Bhashakosha By Late Praharaj). The branch was called the Gobari and as the river was dead after the track of the Brahmani changed to a straight link after the village "Balipatana" towards village "Patrapur". When the river Gobari was live, during floods heavy deposits of the alluvial soil was deposited at "chatar" location. Hence the village was called "Patu Munda"

02. The second derivation is from the name "PATAMUNDA" (ପାଟମୁଣ୍ଡା) (Pata+Munda). The theory goes like this. The Rivers do have some unique features like "PATA"(ପାଟ) and "PALA"(ପାଳ) on them. The word "PATA" (ପାଟ) which denotes "Fen; Low and unproductive land; Bog; Marsh; Swamp" (page 4722 of Purna Chandra Bhashakosha) and the word "PALA"(ପାଳ) means "the silted land on the bed or bank of a river". Among many Patas of the area, the biggest was the "BOITALA PATA", which was few kilometres towards eastern direction of the Brahmani and the Gobari river system. And many villages now exists like Taradipala, PenthaPala, Belapala in these river systems. As the village was situated on a side of a larger Pata, the naming also might be justified with the name "PATA MUNDA". And with passage of time it is now Pattamundai. 03 The weaker derivation might be, the name of the town is derived from the word "Pata" which means Canal Gate a reference to the ancient lock on Pattamundai Canal at Alva and "Munda" means head. It is the biggest market hub in the whole of Kendrapara District due to its position and connectivity to Rajnagar, Aali, Rajkanika & Cuttack. Pattamundai is famous for Durga Puja. It is also referred to as "The Plumbing Capital Of India" as every household as got or knows someone who works as a plumber in some part of India., and now spread over to Dubai and the Arabian countries.

Pattamundai is an ancient trading river port. The town came into historical limelight during the Mughal's. No archaeological remains are found although. Scanning the area is almost impossible as for the high density of population that resides over it. Akbar established the land revenue system here in 1515 AD. Mentions can be found when Emperor Aurangzeb imparted financial and manpower patronage to the Madrasa at Pattamundai port to impart education to their children, which even flourishes today. Muslim ruled from 1576 1751 AD. Pattamundai was under the Utikan Pargana and they placed an Amil here for land revenue collection. British forces under Colonel Harcourt marched from Cuttack to Kujang sometime during late October early November 1803 and Pattamundai fell from the hands of the Marathas unopposed. The Paika Bidroha broke out in the neighboring kingdom of Khurda in 1817 and had spread to Pattamundai in July, where 200 paikas attacked the Thana and killed many. The Pattamundai Thana included 3 influential Zamindar lords Bhatikona, Ali & Kanika. Mention can be found during Damage Assessment after the floods in October 1848 when it used to be a Taluka under the Utikan Estate (pargana), Madanpur. The Cuttack Chandbali road had to be lowered a number of timer to allow the flood water to pass by so as to prevent abnormal flooding. In the Kendrapara sub division the great cyclone of September 1885 destroyed 46 villages in thana Patamundai, most of the inhabitants of which were either drowned or succumbed to the fever and cholera which usually form the sequel of such calamities, while those that survived
emigrated to tracts less exposed to the destructive action of storm waves. In the census of 1901, it was noted that the population of pattamundai was steadily growing after the construction of protective embankments and the offer of easy terms of settlement by the British led to considerable reclamation of land which had been thrown out of cultivation by the salt water floods of 1885. The Sub Registrar's office was opened in Pattamundai in 1908. Pattamundai was a part of the Cuttack District until 1994. During the British period it was an important point between the capital city of Cuttack and the estates of Aali & Kanika and the ports of Chandabali and Dhamara. Being a major center of business, markets flourished here along with other places like Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara. Agricultural and hand crafted products were exported to other parts of India like Madras, Bombay, Ceylon, the Maldive islands and European countries.

Pattamundai is located at 20.57°N 86.57°E. Pattamundai is located 22 km from the Bay of Bengal in the Utkal Plains, at an elevation of 6 m from sea level. Pattamundai is a flat, low lying delta region in the Lower Mahanadi River basin. The Brahmani river divides it from the Aali Block. The Pattamundai Canal running from Cuttack to Alva Lock (80.5 km) constructed by the East India Company during the mid 19th century, is a major irrigation canal passing through the city. The river Brahmani is passing by the side of this municipality and flood water of this river has been inundating over 50% geographical area of this municipality every year. This municipality also comes under the purview of cyclonic zone. So the residence of this municipality suffers a lot due to natural calamity every year.

Pattamundai experiences a tropical wet and dry climate. The summers are much rainier than the winters in Pattamundai. This location is classified as Aw by Köppen and Geiger. The average annual temperature in Pattamundai is 27.0 °C. Precipitation here averages 1502 mm The summer season is from March to June when the climate is hot and humid. The temperature around this season is 35 °C to 40 °C Thunderstorms are common at the height of the summer. Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of the south west summer monsoon lash Pattamundai between June and September, supplying it with most of its annual rainfall of The highest monthly rainfall total, , occurs in August. from the South West Monsoon. Temperatures are considerably lower during the rainy season, averaging around 30 °C. The winter season from November to February is characterised by mild temperatures and occasional showers. The winter months feature chilly northerly winds which bring down the temperature to around 15 °C, though the bright sunshine helps maintain the pleasant weather. Temperatures may exceed 45 °C at the height of summer and may fall below 10 °C in winter.

Due to the proximity to coast and being located near the delta of some great river systems, cyclones and floods are a permanent feature of this region from the Bay of Bengal. The rivers that flood Pattamundai are Brahmani, Kani and Gobari. Some great floods recorded after the advent of the British Raj are in 1855,1866,1892,1896, August 1907, August 1920, August–September 1926, August–September–October 1955, Aug Oct 1971, 1977,1979,1982, 1991,1992,1994,1995,1997,1999,2001,2003,2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013. Besides. Tsunami, drought, crop loss, cyclone, sun stroke, lightning
etc. are the natural calamities faced by the district which has impact on the economy of the district.

Some great recorded cyclones occurred in 1445(during reign of Kapilendra Dev), 1823(Balesore Cyclone), 1831,1832,1835,14 to 16 October 1842,1865(25% people perished in famine, followed by diarrhoea in 1886),22nd Sept 1885, June 1890(9/10th people neither had grain nor any means of purchasing it),22nd Sept 1892(cyclone washed away 300 villages and changed the geological map of Kendrapara District), storm of 1893 & 1908,1936, 09th September1967(all water bodies contaminated & food grains washed away in tsunami and rain),29 October 1971(10,000 deaths in the state), 3 June 1982(Summer Cyclone), Super Cyclone of 1999 (1,45,000 houses completely washed away, 375 human casualties and the value of loss of property was estimated to be Rs.6,18,43,23,000), October 2013 (Phailin, Rs. 1,37,17,11,900 agricultural loss & loss of property Rs. 1,03,71,71,190), 2014 (Hud Hud). The United Nations Development Programme reports that there is "very high damage risk" from winds and cyclones. Crocodiles escape from the Bhitarkanika National park during flood times and roam free around the region.

In May 1998, the heat waves caused sun stroke which blew over coastal Odisha including Pattamundai. During this period, the temperature of Pattamundai was between 45 48 degree Celsius. 15 people died of sunstroke in Kendrapara district in 1998. Flood and Cyclone are a perennial phenomenon of Pattamundai. The main cause of concern is the geographical location of the town and the rivers system netting in the region. The Bureau of Indian Standards places the city inside seismic zone III on a scale ranging from I to V in order of increasing susceptibility to earthquakes.

Pattamundai has a religious brotherhood and people from all religions celebrate festivals together. It was in March, 2017 when a Muslim girl named Firadus from the neighboring village of Damarpur won the Bhagwad Gita recitation contest. The place has some minor population of Muslims. There was some misunderstanding with Hindu community with a stray incident of a Kartikesar Puja. But later it was resolved amicably. The Christianity is almost nil. (0.04% in 2011 census).

Durga Puja: Pattamundai is famous throughout the area for its Durga puja celebrations. Nearly 20 earthen idols of Goddess Durga and other idols are prepared by the different Puja Committees of the city to celebrate Durga Puja. Pattamundai celebrates Durga Puja with full energy on Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and on Vijaya Dashami or Dussehra by burning an effigy of the demon Ravana. People from Kendrapara district visit Pattamundai during this period to observe the famous festival. Boita Bandana: This festival is celebrated on the last day of the holy Hindu month of Kartik. On this auspicious day people flow miniature boitas or model boats in the Baitarani river to pay homage to the ancient merchants of Kalinga Kingdom. This day also marks the beginning of Bali Jatra. The celebration is to commemorate the old memory of the business with South eastern countries of Asia by Sadhaba community with ritualistic floating of model boats around the same time of year. Kartikeshwar Puja: The puja in Pattamundai is organised since last few years by the puja committees of Pattamundai. This festival is observed to worship Kartikeya, the eldest son of Lord Shiva. All the other regular Indian festivals like Ratha Yatra, Raja, Ganesh Chaturthi, Vasant Panchami, Holi, Diwali, Id, are celebrated here.

The place has complete Odia culture, hence the cuisine is no different. Pattamundai is an agricultural center and is famous for Dalma Bhaata, Bara Aludam and Dahibara, of which all the ingredients are home grown. Apart from this, Chaat, Gupchup(Hindi: Panipuri) and Singoda(Samosa), Aloochop rule the streets. The people eat rice as their main staple food. Chakuli Pitha is eaten during the breakfast. It is made from rice batter using a tawa. Traditional Odiaa food such as Dahi Pakhala (Rice soaked in water with yogurt & seasonings) is widely consumed, accompanied by Badi Chura or Saaga. considered as a body coolant, it is consumed during months of April–June.

as of 2011 census of India Pattamundai NAC has a population of 36,528 of which 18,549 are males while 17,979 are females. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Population of Children with age of 0 6 is 4024 which is 11.02% of total population of Pattamundai. In Pattamundai Female Sex Ratio is of 969 against state average of 979. Moreover, Child Sex Ratio in Pattamundai is around 910 compared to Odisha state average of 941. In population of Pattamundai in 1991 & 2001 were 28,220 & 32730 respectively. Literacy rate of Pattamundai city is 86.93% higher than state average of 72.87%. In Pattamundai, Male literacy is around 92.64% while female literacy rate is 81.09%. Pattamundai Municipality has total administration over 7,174 houses to which it supplies basic amenities like water and sewerage. It is also authorize to build roads within Municipal limits and impose taxes on properties coming under its jurisdiction. Pattamundai is a Revenue Tehsil & a Block and consists of 30 Gram panchayat's and 153 village's with a combined population of over 1.82 lakhs. Around 94% of the city's population are Hindus while Muslims account for 5.40% and the rest constitute less than 1% of the total population.

Odia is the primary language used in the city, besides which Hindi is also spoken and understood. There are people who also speak Bengali, Urdu. Most of the banners are written in Odia and English. There also exists a significant populace of Bengalis here, who work in the construction field as labourers. Sometimes, few groups of the tribal people of Keonjhar District are also seen who work as migrant laborers, during the non agricultural season. As the refugees of erstwhile East Pakistan were settled near Gunthi village (unfortunately the settlement was washed away in 1971 high tide completely) and later many refugees from Bangladesh have managed to be residents at coastal area of the District. Those population are gradually come to the town to settle.

The economy is mainly agrarian. Most of the people are still dependent on agriculture as their primary source of income. There is a complete absence of Secondary and Tertiary Sectors, except a few rice mills, banks and schools. One has to become a migrant in some distant part to get a job. A large number of people from Pattamundai, Aali and Rajnagar blocks of the district attribute their prosperity to their expertise in plumbing. Around one lakh people of these areas work as plumbers in different States of the country and other parts of the world, especially the Middle East countries. They pump in money through remittance's which has increased the purchasing power of the people. Pattamundai Bazar (ପଟ୍ଟାମୁଣ୍ଡାଇ ବଜାର), which used to be a weekly market for selling agricultural products, is now a very big market where one can find everything for day to day usage. Pattamundai is mainly a market around which people live. More than 0.5 million people of Pattamundai, Rajnagar, Aali, Rajkanika blocks directly or indirectly depend on the Pattamundai Market for their daily needs, making it a first choice of investment (ignoring the extortion by local Mafia). There are a lot of wholesalers in the market who also sell in small or single quantity. Only the end retailer sells at MRP.

The roads here are not enough & broad according to the demand. The dense population of the area and rampant temporary and some permanent encroachments of Government land had made the expansion of roads difficult. Pattamundai Canal Bridge (ପଟ୍ଟାମୁଣ୍ଡାଇ ବଜାର ପୋଲୋ) [20°34'58.7"N 86°33'42.6"E] is the oldest bridge connecting Pattamundai with Aali & Rajnagar. The concrete bridge was constructed after the wooden bridge was washed away during the heavy floods of 1961. There is a bridge on the Brahmani River at Patrapur (ପତ୍ରପୁର ପୋଲୋ) [20°35'53.3"N 86°35'23.6"E] which connects Pattamundai with Aali & Rajkanika. The bridge was completed during the 1970s. S. H 9A which runs from Jagatpur(Cuttack) to Chandabali(Bhadrak) is the lifeline of Pattamundai. One can find buses to traverse either sides along SH 9A every 30 minutes and 15 minutes during peak hours from Pattamundai. Direct buses run to Rourkela, Sambalpur, Raipur and Kolkata from here. Pattamundai is connected to Jajpur via Aali, Singhpur & Binjharpur along the Brahmani River. Pattamundai and Rajnagar are 20 km apart and are connected by the MDR 16. Pattamundai Rajnagar Road is the main road route to and in the Bhitarkanika National Park Gupti Gate. Pattamundai is the only center where tourists stop by to collect food & drinks and have meals during their onward visit to Bhitarkanika National Park.

The nearest airport is Bhubaneswar 104 km.

The Dispensary in Pattamundai was established in the late 19th century. Currently there is a Community Health Center for all the medical problems of the people of Pattamundai. There is a District Medical at Kendrapara for advanced treatment. Casualties are generally referred to Cuttack Medical. There is also a Veterinary Dispensary.

There is an old cinema hall in Pattamundai. Besides, patrapur Bridge over the Brahmani River is also a favorite place for recreation during dusk.

BSNL is the only Landline telecom operator in Pattamundai. Pattamundai comes under Cuttack Telephone Exchange. It is the only broadband Internet Service Provider (ISP). All major mobile telecom operators are present in Pattamundai. Television Services are completely digitized in Pattamundai by Ortel.