Chandabali
Encyclopedia
Chandabali is a community in the Bhadrak district of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

 on the bank of the River Baitarani, and a tourist destination for visitors to the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary.

History

Before the 19th century AD, Chandabali was a small fishing village, and a natural river port. In 1866 trading began from this port to Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...

 and in 1881 it was declared a government port by the British government. This led to growth and development of a market for agricultural produce.

In the 1910s, the United States Hydrographic Office
United States Hydrographic Office
The United States Hydrographic Office prepared and published maps, charts, and nautical books required in navigation.The office was established by an act of 21 June 1866 as part of the Bureau of Navigation, Department of the Navy....

 noted that the opening of the Bengal-Nagpur Railway had drawn trade away from the port, and that the port was now considered to be simply part of the port of Dhamra. At the time, the port had between 22 and 30 feet of anchorage, in front of the town, with three landing piers, the water 10 feet deep at their ends. A steamer service ran four times per week between there and Calcutta. The town itself had a single police station, a customhouse and warehouse, and a traveler's bungalow. The 1901 Census of India had recorded the population as 1,826.

Attractions

The 650 km2 Bhitarkanika National Park is about 35 km away, accessible via ferry.
The park, one of the few marine parks in India, was established to protect saltwater crocodile
Saltwater Crocodile
The saltwater crocodile, also known as estuarine or Indo-Pacific crocodile, is the largest of all living reptiles...

s, with the special status of "Crocodile Sanctuary. The Orissa government has established a saltwater crocodile-breeding center in the park.
Other attractions are the remains of two 9th century monuments and a temple dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva.
Chandabali is home to the Sri Aurobindo Dibyadham Ashram, its Relics Temple and Integral Education centre.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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