Bhubaneswar: Ahead of Rath Yatra 2026, the Housing and Urban Development Department, Government of Odisha has prohibited the distribution of cooked food along Bada Danda, permitting only dry and packaged food items to be served to devotees during the festival. The decision has been taken to maintain strict sanitation, hygiene, and public health standards as…
Bhubaneswar: In a time when grand temples and elaborate Rath Yatra celebrations draw thousands of devotees, a small village in Mayurbhanj district offers a powerful reminder that true devotion transcends grandeur. For the past 38 years, the deities of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra have been worshipped under a simple shelter made of…
Bhubaneswar: Spectacular underwater visuals captured by divers beneath the Mahanadi River near Nandikeswari Path on the Cuttack–Choudwar stretch have revealed massive rocky formations resting quietly on the riverbed. Resembling submerged hills or cliffs, the formations have sparked curiosity about the geological history hidden beneath one of Odisha’s most important rivers. At first glance, the enormous…
Bhubaneswar: Residents across Bhubaneswar have begun noticing a new addition along several city roads—pole-mounted dust and smoke collector machines installed by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) as part of its efforts to combat air pollution and improve urban environmental quality. The innovative devices have been deployed to capture dust and smoke particles generated primarily by…
Bhubaneswar: Residents of Puri will soon be able to avail a special darshan facility at the revered Jagannath Temple (Srimandir) through a new Aadhaar-based entry system designed to provide a more convenient and streamlined temple visit experience. The initiative is being developed in collaboration with the Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) and aims to enable…
Bhubaneswar: Customs officials at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad have seized smuggled gold worth more than Rs 4.26 crore that was cleverly concealed inside a speaker box in an aircraft lavatory. The seizure was made on Friday aboard IndiGo flight 6E-1478, which had arrived from Dubai. Acting on specific intelligence, customs officers carried…
Bhubaneswar: After days of intense heat and oppressive humidity, the southwest monsoon has finally advanced into parts of northern and coastal Odisha, bringing welcome relief to residents, farmers and livestock across the state. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the monsoon has entered several districts, including Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur. Meteorologists noted that…
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police has put in place an extensive security and crowd-management plan for the upcoming Debasnana Purnima celebrations in Puri, with 72 platoons of police personnel set to be deployed to ensure the smooth conduct of the annual ritual on June 29. Director General of Police Yogesh Bahadur Khurania recently reviewed the security, traffic,…
Bhubaneswar: In a major boost to Odisha’s cultural and artistic landscape, the Centre has approved the establishment of a branch of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in Bhubaneswar with a proposed investment of ₹630 crore. The Ministry of Culture formally communicated its intention to set up the prestigious institution in the Odisha capital…
Bhubaneswar: A fire broke out in the Talabania region of the Balukhand Wildlife Sanctuary near Puri on Friday night, scorching a section of dry forest and prompting an immediate response from fire and forest officials concerned about the safety of wildlife in the area. The blaze spread through dry vegetation within the sanctuary, an ecologically…