Ancient and medieval period Berhampur, along with regions of southern Odisha, have been a core part of ancient
Kalinga empire.
Jaugada also known as
Samapa, 35 km away from Berhampur on the banks of the
Rushikulya, was an ancient fort and city existing from 3rd century BC to 7th century AD. Its existence before and after this time period cannot be ruled out. After the
Kalinga War, Samapa turned into a provincial headquarter of the
Maurya Empire along with
Dhauli as evident from the edicts found at both places. Specific history about the place and civilisation does not exist after the Maurya rule and the fort is now buried. As per
Ain-i-Akbari, this region used to be called
Kalinga Dandapat which was an administrative division of the Odishan empire under the
Eastern Ganga dynasty and later the
Gajapati dynasty. Berhampur is also known as the Silk city for its famous
Berhampur Patta (silk) Sarees. The chief of the Dera community, Kota Chandramani Kubera Senapati, led his community people to migrate to Mohuri (Berhampur) who settle down into their hereditary profession of weaving tussar silken products or
Patta Matha. They migrated to the city from
Rajahmundry (they were known as
Devangas there) sometime during 1662-1672 on the request of the then Raja Harihar Narayan Deo of Mohuri zamindari. The festival of
Buddhi Thakurani Yatra also originated along with the emergence of weaver community in here. They started the
Ghata Yatra (Pot Festival) for the purpose of highlighting the tradition of worshiping the Goddesses as well as to use it as a platform for sales promotion of their silken products.
Period of British Rule The Ganjam Garhjat area was consisted of 22 zamindaris of various royal lineages. The French invaded Ganjam in 1759 (in the battle of Deccan) and quit in 1763. The British imposed their authority over southern Odisha in 1766 and placed the whole region under the
Madras Presidency. The district headquarters of
Ganjam district started functioning in 1768 from
Potagarh. An epidemic broke out in 1815 and that forced the authorities to shift the headquarters to Berhampur including the civil and military personnels. Berhampur was the capital and residence of the Mohuri (Mahuri) zamindar. But the Ganjam collectorate could not continue for a long time and shifted to
Chhatrapur in 1831 due to stiff resistance here. After the auction and abolishing the
Ghumusar and
Sorada zamindari in 1836, Britishers auctioned Mohuri zamindari in 1850 over non payment of tax dues and introduced
Ryotwari system of tax collection which led to Raja Krushna Chandra Narendra Deo out of power. The then value of Mohuri, which was a leading zamindari, was valued at 50 lakh rupees but no Indian dared to come forward to bid for it. So, it was auctioned for only 100 rupees. Britishers were stationed at Bhapur area, at the centre of Berhampur. They built military lines, a military hospital, a magazine house and a parade ground for sepoys there. Subsequently, Berhampur was formed into a
Taluk and was kept under a senior assistant collector. The present
Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) residence was his residence. In 1867, Berhampur was declared as a
Municipality area and this being a part of Madras Presidency, it attracted further influx of settlers from south because of better engagement in business sectors. The bi-lingualism (
Odia and
Telugu) prevails since that time. The
Brahmapur railway station started functioning by 1900. This had profound effects in the transport system and mobility of passengers. The population in 1901 was 25729 which increased to 62343 by 1951 as per census report. The colonial town generated a considerable amount of interest among Indian scholars who linked the important issues of modernity, national aspirations, notions of citizenship and the creation of new artistic sensibilities. The city is also known for its love for the theatre and cinema. The
Ganjam Kala Parishad and
Prakasam Hall are one of the oldest theatre halls in the country. The
Sri Sitaram Vilas Talkies is the oldest movie hall in Odisha which was established in 1927 but closed down after the devastating
1999 Odisha cyclone.
Role in Orissa Province formation Berhampur was where
Odias assembled and started their agitations more than three decades prior to demanding introduction of Odia as a subject in the
Madras University and recognition of
Odia language in courts and government offices of Ganjam. This paved the path for the public grievances. In 1903 at the First
Utkal Union Conference at
Cuttack, Raghava Rao from Berhampur moved a resolution which called separation of the district of Ganjam,
Ganjam Hill Tracts Agency and
Vizagapatam Hill Tracts Agency from
Madras Presidency. Subsequently, an annual conference of the Ganjam Jatiya Samiti (Ganjam National Conference) was held in 11 & 12 April 1903 at Berhampur. It saw the participation of some leaders from Odisha like
Madhusudan Das,
Gopabandhu Das,
Radhanath Ray,
Nanda Kishore Bal and
Fakir Mohan Senapati. After continuous efforts the undivided
Sambalpur district was transferred to
Orissa division from
Central Provinces and Berar on 1 September 1905. Although the long standing claims of Odias of Ganjam was ignored. On 1912,
Bihar and Orissa Province formed without Ganjam district and Vizagapatnam Agency. Although Telugus opposed the amalgamation of Berhampur, the leaders of the Andhra Movement advocated that, provinces were to be created on a linguistic basis. Some Telugus like Dr. B.Pattabhisitarameya, a nationalist, proposed to include Odia regions of Ganjam and Vizagapatnam to merge with Orissa. N. Subha Rao, a Telugu member of the
Imperial Legislative Council pleaded for the same with some compensatory gain. Sri Rama Rayanger, a member of Council of
Governor-General of India strongly supported the amalgamation. He presided over a meeting at Berhampur where both Odias and Telugus attended and he said that both groups suffered under the Madras government. From 1920 to 1936, the Odia Movement became more active and vigorous after British administration ignored the demands of the Odias in their
Government of India Act 1919. Prominent leaders of Odisha repeatedly put the amalgamation question in the Provincial Legislative Councils, the Imperial Legislative Council and even in the
British Parliament.
Mahatma Gandhi when he visited Berhampur on 29 March 1921 appealed to the non-Odias to yield to the demand of Odisha amalgamation. When he returned he wrote an article supporting the demands of Odias in
Young India. In 1928 when the
Simon Commission visited India,
Krushna Chandra Gajapati, the Maharaja of
Paralakhemundi Estate and Bhubaneswar Rath of Berhampur appeared before the commission at
Madras and presented memorandum claiming merger. The commission recommended the merger on the basis of linguistic pattern and appoint a sub-committee, to conduct detailed investigation. The report of the Simon Commission led to the summoning of the
Round Table Conference in
London in 1930. The Maharaja of Paralakhemundi, leading an Odia delegate to the conference circulated a pamphlet,
The Oriyas, their need and reasons for separate state. The Government of India appointed a boundary commission for Orissa with S.P. O'Oonell as Chairman whose report was opposed by Odias as it only recommended the inclusion of the plains and the agency of Ganjam and excluded areas like
Paralakhemundi, Manjusa, Tekkali, Tarla etc. Odia speaking people in and around Berhampur town tried their best to justify the linguistic affinity and socio-cultural attachment with the Odias of Odisha and Odia speaking people outside Odisha. They argued how under non-Odia census officers, the population of Odias decreased from census to census. People realised Berhampur could become a noble point in the growth of socio-political consciousness and that territorial dismemberment of Odia speaking areas was the reason for backwardness under British rule. On 25 March 1933,
Sashibhusan Rath led an Odia delegation to the Collector of Ganjam. Similarly at many places in and around Berhampur protest meetings were organized demanding the merger of Paralakhemundi in Orissa. The Maharaja of Paralakhemundi again went to London to give evidence before the Joint Select Committee and after strenuous efforts he was able to include the Odia majority portion of Paralakhemundi Estate along with its town and
Jeypore Estate in the new province of Orissa. In line with the recommendation of the Joint Select Committee, the
Government of India Act of 1935 was passed by the British Parliament and the
Orissa Province was formed in 1 April 1936. == Geography ==