Gopalpur-on-Sea
Encyclopedia
Gopalpur is a town and notified area
Notified area
In urban planning, a notified area is any land area earmarked by legal provision for future development. The term is used in the Hindi belt region of North India....

 in Ganjam district
Ganjam District
Ganjam district is a district in the Indian state of Orissa located on the border of Andhra Pradesh. Ganjam's total area is 8,070 km² . Its population is approximately 2,704,056.Ganjam is known for its beaches bordering the Bay of Bengal, the most famous ones being Gopalpur and Dhavaleshwar...

 in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...

 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...

. Gopalpur is located at 19.27°N 84.92°E. It has an average elevation of 1 metres (3 ft).

Gopalpur-on-Sea is a famous sea beach near the coast of Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...

 and a tourist destination
Tourist destination
A tourist destination is a city, town, or other area that is dependent to a significant extent on the revenues accruing from tourism. It may contain one or more tourist attractions and possibly some "tourist traps."...

 near Berhampur
Berhampur
Brahmapur , nicknamed "The Silk City", is a city located in the eastern coastline of Ganjam district of the Indian state of Orissa, about south to state capital, Bhubaneswar.It is also dubbed as "The Dance City" of Orissa after Prince Dance Group and Harihar Das made the state famous in India's...

. It is about 15 km by road from Berhampur.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, Gopalpur had a population of 6660. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Gopalpur has an average literacy rate of 51%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 59%, and female literacy is 42%. In Gopalpur, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

History

Gopalpur also has an ancient, commercial port, now lying in ruins. From an obscure little fishing village, Gopalpur became a prominent trading port during the days of British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...

. The East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...

 built large warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...

s and godowns because the trade with Burma had picked up and it had become a trading point for rice from Rangoon. The British and the wealthy Bengalis, who once made Gopalpur a vibrant, happening place, have left. Gopalpur has reverted to being a quiet, relaxed place but with one major difference — it is one of India's most sought after beaches, with a distinct charm of its own.

Beach

Barely 16 km away from Berhampur
Berhampur
Brahmapur , nicknamed "The Silk City", is a city located in the eastern coastline of Ganjam district of the Indian state of Orissa, about south to state capital, Bhubaneswar.It is also dubbed as "The Dance City" of Orissa after Prince Dance Group and Harihar Das made the state famous in India's...

, the commercial hub of southern Orissa and close to the border of Andhra Pradesh, is the tiny town of Gopalpur on the Bay of Bengal. This languorous beach with coconut groves, casuarinas and gentle sand dunes is deserted for miles.

Development

Renovated in 1970s at the initiative of the 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...

 Government, the jetties were supposed to revive the trading activities of Gopalpur port. It's a wonderful drive-in for the people and from the beach, vast expanse of deep blue sea and the horizon can be seen. Another thrilling sight is the long stretch of cashew nut trees. Cashew nuts are processed here and exported. A major landmark of Gopalpur-on-Sea is its lighthouse. The view from the top is splendid and one can see at a glance the entire town of Gopalpur. Gopalour-on-sea is also famous for its 'beach festival' organized annually. A nearby beach is Dhabaleshwar, which also houses temple of the same name.

Gopalpur on sea has got a lovely beach that is absolutely deserted. The only sign of life that one gets to see is in the afternoon when the fishermen come back to shores with their fishes caught during the morning hour and the women loading them in large "tokris" and carry them away for selling off in local markets. Apart from that you can see a lot many red crabs walking on the beach.

In the evening many people from Brahmapur drive in to Gopalpur on sea to have a peaceful time sitting on sea shore

Beach festival

Gopalpur Beach Fesival:The first Gopalpur beach festival was started in the year 1996 by Ganjam District Hotel Association to promote tourism and culture. The concept of Gopalpur Beach Festival was conceived by Mr V.Santosh Kumar and Mr Sayed Rahim Members of Ganjam district Hotel Association,Berhampur.

http://gopalpurbeachfestival.com

Politics

Current MLA from Gopalpur (SC) Assembly Constituency is Pradeep panigrahi of [BJD], who won the seat in State elections of 2009. Previous MLAs from this seat include Rama Chandra Sethy who won this seat in 2000 as BJD
Biju Janata Dal
The Biju Janata Dal is a state political party of the Indian state of Orissa led by Naveen Patnaik, son of former state chief minister Biju Patnaik. It was founded on 27 December 1997.-History:...

 candidate and as JD
Janata Dal
Janata Dal is an Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Congress, and the Jan Morcha led by V. P...

 candidate in 1995 and 1990, and Ghanashyam Behera who won this seat as INC candidate in 1985 and 1977 and as INC(I) candidate in 1980.

Gopalpur is part of Berhampur (Lok Sabha constituency)
Berhampur (Lok Sabha constituency)
Berhampur is a Lok Sabha parliamentary constituency in Orissa. Assembly constituencies which constitute this parliamentary constituency are: Chatrapur, Gopalpur, Berhampur, Chikati, Mohana, Ramagiri and Parlakhemundi.-Members of Parliament:...

.

External links

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