Odisha is a coastal state at the Bay of Bengal. The eastern part, close to the sea is more prosperous, with a lot of tourist locations and religious places. The western part is a hilly and forested area, generally drought prone. It is a predominantly tribal belt. However, the western part of the state contains enormous volumes of iron ore and various minerals.

It is a culturally rich state. The Bhubaneswar-Puri-Konark golden triangle is the pride of the state.

Traditionally, Odisha descended from the historical kingdom of Kalinga. The script for the Odia (Oriya) language derives from the Kalinga script, which is one of the descendants of the Brahmi script.

Culture[edit]

The people of Odisha are known for their hospitality. It is largely peaceful (there has never been any large scale violence on communal grounds), and the society is very tolerant and accepting towards other cultures. However, for reasons historical, economic and political, Odisha has remained isolated from the country's mainstream and hence has not been able to take in its stride the tremendous progress the Indian people have achieved in all spheres, including those the social sphere. The people, especially in the tribal western belt, remain extremely simple in their way of living, and are mostly unaware of the mannerisms of the urban world.