Orissa is the ninth largest state by area in India, and the eleventh largest by population. Odia is the official and most widely spoken language. Orissa is home to the Hirakud Dam, the longest earthen dam in the world.

Bhubaneshwar is the capital of Orissa. It is famed for its magnificent temples, numbering around a thousand. The world-famous “car festival” (rath yatra) is celebrated every year in the Hindu month of Ashadha (Mid June to Mid July) in Puri. Odissi or Orissi dance and music is classified as a classical music of India.Odissi is the oldest surviving dance form in India on the basis of archaeological evidence.

	www.orissa.gov.in
	www.orissatourism.gov.in