• Mrs. Sunita Panigrahy

Odisha being situated on the coast of Bay of Bengal, through the ages has played a significant role in the maritime history of India. During the ancient period, it had extensive maritime trade contacts with many foreign countries such as Africa, Sri Lanka, China, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Java, Sumatra, Bali, Borneo etc. Kalidas in his work Raghuvamsha has described the king of Odisha as Mahodadhipati (the Lord of the Sea). The rituals and festivals like Khudurukuni Osha, Kartika Purnima Boita Bandana Utsava, etc., which are being celebrated in modern Odisha are the reminiscent of its past maritime glory. The representation of a giraffe on the Sun temple at Konarka (c.13th century CE) refers to the trade contact of early medieval Odisha with Africa. Like ancient period, maritime activities also constitute a significant chapter of colonial Odisha. The conducive geographical location of Odihsa and its opulence, which had plentiful raw materials deeply attracted the Europeans like the Portuguese, the Dutch, the English and the French to establish their settlements along the coast of Odisha. In the present paper, an endeavour has been made to trace out and analyze the maritime activities, ports and port towns of Odisha during the nineteenth century.

Odisha, Europeans, English East India Company, Ports, routes and commodities.

"Ports, Port-Towns and Maritime Trade of Odisha during the Nineteenth Century", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.7, Issue 4, page no.1811-1815, April-2020, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2004447.pdf

"Ports, Port-Towns and Maritime Trade of Odisha during the Nineteenth Century", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.7, Issue 4, page no. pp1811-1815, April-2020, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2004447.pdf