Orissa, a state of Oriya speakers, was established as a province of British India on 1 April 1936.

The name of Odisha is derived from Sanskrit Odra Vishaya or "Odra Desa. The Ancient Odra desa or Ordesa was limited to the valley of Mahanadi and to the lower course of Subarnarekha River. Historically it was a part of the ancient Kalinga of Mahabharata fame.

Kalinga is most famous for The Kalinga War of the 3rd century BC, which made emperor Ashoka embrace non-violence and adopt the teachings of Buddha, was fought in Odisha. In subsequent centuries, the area was ruled by various monarchs and came under great dynasties such as Harsha’s. Towards the end of the 8th century, Odra Desha united into one empire by Jajati Kesari I.

In the 16th century Odisha came under the rule of the Sultanate of Bengal and then the Mughals Some other parts were ruled by smaller Hindu kingdoms. In the mid-18th century, the Marathas took control of parts of coastal Odisha. With the fall of Marathas in the third Anglo-Maratha war British East India Company got hold of the territory which was merged the southern coast of Odisha with the Madras Presidency.

British misrule brought misfortune to the state of Orissa in the 19th century. At the same time, however, there was a growth in both linguistic consciousness and national sentiment among Oriya-speaking people.

In 1912 the coastal section of Bengal was made into the separate provinces of Bihar and Orissa. Finally, in 1936, Odisha got its current identity when the Oriya-speaking people got their own province. The English name Orissa was changed to Odisha on 4 November 2011.

The stamps shown above depicts the images of Konark Sun temple one of the most popular identity of the state.

Image Courtesy: http://www.istampgallery.com

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