{"id":891,"date":"2014-09-18T21:34:19","date_gmt":"2014-09-18T16:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mybhubaneswar.com\/?p=891"},"modified":"2022-09-23T13:03:47","modified_gmt":"2022-09-23T07:33:47","slug":"legends-of-bhubaneswar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/discoverbbsr.com\/legends-of-bhubaneswar\/","title":{"rendered":"How Places in Bhubaneswar Got Their Names"},"content":{"rendered":"
Bhubaneswar, the city named after Lord Tribhubaneswar dates back to 2000 years. Evolving through centuries, from a mere collection of villages to becoming the state capital, the city has innumerable pages inked on its history.<\/p>\n
The modern Bhubaneswar as we see it now has a city plan mapped by Otto K\u00f6nigsberger. Though the backbone structures still remain the same, the city has spread out its branches in different directions.<\/p>\n
What reminds us of the essence of the past amidst the drastically changing scenario is the peculiar (yet beautiful) names of some squares or rather \u201cChhaks\u201d. While some of the areas like Bapuji Nagar, Saheed Nagar, and Ashok Nagar came into existence when the government intervened in the allotment of lands to residential areas and named them systematically, other places like Nayapalli and Laxmisagar still carried the names of the root villages or rather called \u201cmouja\u201d.<\/p>\n
Of them, arousing curiosity are the names of some well-known squares each having a beautiful story to share. Let\u2019s take a stroll down the pages of the history of these locations.<\/p>\n
60 years ago the busiest square of the city and the favorite shopping site of many residents, used to be an isolated and eerie land where no one dared to step just after six in the evening. The only attraction that took the attention of a passerby was a man preparing \u201cBara\u201d, the famous \u201cOdiya\u201d street delicacy.<\/p>\n
This man named Rajkishore Sahu popularly known as \u201cRaju Sahu\u201d suddenly became a live example of a rags-to-riches story among the then city inmates. From a small stall to a roadside dhaba and then one day, the first high-class restaurant and hotel of the city, Raju Sahu made it big within a span of just 10 years materializing a whole new concept. During that period, dining at \u201cRajmahal Restaurant used to be a matter of pride and luxury as only the upper class could afford it.<\/p>\n
And with no other building in the vicinity, not even a single shop, the square was identified as \u201cRajmahal\u201d after the first hotel-cum-restaurant in town and still continues to be.<\/p>\n
If you are staying alone in and around Saheed Nagar, you\u2019re no stranger to \u201cThe Pathik\u201d restaurant.<\/p>\n
The \u201cRupali Square\u201d, a favorite street food hub, especially for students, has also derived its name from a small Dhaba. The hotel was started by a family of three from Balasore passed on to many hands after the owner\u2019s untimely death, and still holds a place on the square now known as \u201cPathik Hotel\u201d.<\/p>\n
With restaurants like \u201cSwapnapuri\u201d coming into existence in the late 1980s, the \u201cRupali\u201d was the only destination for the newly settled Sahid Nagar residents.<\/p>\n
Although sometimes it is known as IPICOL square nowadays, the original nomenclature carries more value and is understood by one and all.<\/p>\n
Kalpana, the first Cinema Hall of Bhubaneswar though demolished, triggers nostalgia in the senior citizens while crossing the \u201cKalpana Square\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Kalpana Talkies which made the first attempt to introduce this media of entertainment into the town no more exist. In its place stands a rickety hall that has been sealed for more than a decade now and is trying to find a way out of litigations.<\/p>\n
The square named after it has been successful in keeping its presence felt.<\/p>\n
The current day station square is also unanimously referred to as \u201cMaster Canteen\u201d. There are several legends attached to its name.<\/p>\n\n\n