Here are 50 Odisha GK questions with answers, in the multiple-choice format used by OSSC, OSSSC, OPSC and Odisha Police exams. They are grouped into five sets: formation and administration, geography, history, temples and culture, and economy and literature. Each answer has a one-line fact, because the next paper often asks about the fact next to the answer.
Odisha GK is in the prelims syllabus of the OSSC CGL exam and in the general knowledge section of the OUSSSC Constable exam.
Cover the answers and try each set first. Note the ones you get wrong, and revise those the next day.
Set 1: Formation and administration
1. When did Odisha become a separate province?
(a) 26 Jan 1950
(b) 1 April 1936
(c) 15 Aug 1947
(d) 1 Nov 1956
Answer: (b) 1 April 1936. That day is Utkal Divas.
2. Before 1936, most of Odisha was part of which province?
(a) Bengal Presidency
(b) Bihar and Orissa Province
(c) Madras Presidency
(d) Central Provinces
Answer: (b) Bihar and Orissa Province. Bihar and Orissa was one province from 1912 until Odisha was separated in 1936.
3. What was the first capital of the Odisha province?
(a) Puri
(b) Cuttack
(c) Sambalpur
(d) Berhampur
Answer: (b) Cuttack. Bhubaneswar replaced Cuttack as the capital after independence.
4. Who laid the foundation stone of the new capital Bhubaneswar on 13 April 1948?
(a) Rajendra Prasad
(b) Jawaharlal Nehru
(c) Sardar Patel
(d) Harekrushna Mahtab
Answer: (b) Jawaharlal Nehru. The new capital was planned by the German architect Otto Koenigsberger.
5. In which year did the name Orissa officially change to Odisha?
(a) 2009
(b) 2010
(c) 2011
(d) 2012
Answer: (c) 2011. The same law changed the language name from Oriya to Odia.
6. How many districts does Odisha have?
(a) 24
(b) 28
(c) 30
(d) 32
Answer: (c) 30. Odisha has had 30 districts since 1993, grouped into three revenue divisions: Northern (Sambalpur), Central (Cuttack) and Southern (Berhampur).
7. How many seats does the Odisha Legislative Assembly have?
(a) 140
(b) 147
(c) 150
(d) 160
Answer: (b) 147. Remember the set: 147 Assembly seats, 21 Lok Sabha seats, 10 Rajya Sabha seats.
8. How many Lok Sabha seats does Odisha have?
(a) 19
(b) 20
(c) 21
(d) 25
Answer: (c) 21. Odisha also sends 10 members to the Rajya Sabha.
9. Where is the Orissa High Court?
(a) Bhubaneswar
(b) Cuttack
(c) Puri
(d) Sambalpur
Answer: (b) Cuttack. The capital moved to Bhubaneswar, but the High Court stayed in Cuttack.
10. Which is the largest district of Odisha by area?
(a) Kalahandi
(b) Koraput
(c) Mayurbhanj
(d) Sundargarh
Answer: (c) Mayurbhanj. The smallest by area is Jagatsinghpur. By population (Census 2011), Ganjam is the largest and Deogarh the smallest.
Set 2: Rivers, lakes, hills and wildlife
11. Which is the longest river of Odisha?
(a) Brahmani
(b) Mahanadi
(c) Baitarani
(d) Subarnarekha
Answer: (b) Mahanadi. The Mahanadi rises in Chhattisgarh, flows through Sambalpur, Cuttack and many other districts, and meets the Bay of Bengal near Paradip after a journey of more than 850 km.
12. Hirakud Dam is built on which river?
(a) Brahmani
(b) Mahanadi
(c) Indravati
(d) Rushikulya
Answer: (b) Mahanadi. It is near Sambalpur and was completed in 1957.
13. What kind of water body is Chilika?
(a) Largest freshwater lake in India
(b) Largest brackish water lagoon in India
(c) A man-made reservoir
(d) A crater lake
Answer: (b) Largest brackish water lagoon in India. Chilika spreads over Puri, Khordha and Ganjam districts. In 1981 it became one of India's first two Ramsar sites.
14. Which rare dolphin is seen in Chilika?
(a) Ganges river dolphin
(b) Irrawaddy dolphin
(c) Bottlenose dolphin
(d) Humpback dolphin
Answer: (b) Irrawaddy dolphin. Go to Satapada.
15. Nalabana Bird Sanctuary is inside which water body?
(a) Chilika Lake
(b) Ansupa Lake
(c) Hirakud Reservoir
(d) Kanjia Lake
Answer: (a) Chilika Lake. Nalabana is an island in Chilika; migratory birds arrive in winter.
16. Which is the highest peak of Odisha?
(a) Mahendragiri
(b) Deomali
(c) Malayagiri
(d) Gandhamardan
Answer: (b) Deomali. Deomali is in Koraput district, in the Eastern Ghats.
17. Similipal National Park is in which district?
(a) Keonjhar
(b) Mayurbhanj
(c) Sundargarh
(d) Balasore
Answer: (b) Mayurbhanj. Similipal became a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2009.
18. Which is the highest waterfall in Odisha?
(a) Duduma
(b) Khandadhar
(c) Barehipani
(d) Joranda
Answer: (c) Barehipani. Barehipani, about 399 m high, is inside Similipal.
19. Bhitarkanika National Park is known for which animal?
(a) Asiatic lion
(b) Saltwater crocodile
(c) One-horned rhino
(d) Snow leopard
Answer: (b) Saltwater crocodile. Bhitarkanika is in Kendrapara district and has one of India's largest mangrove forests.
20. Gahirmatha beach is famous for the mass nesting of which turtle?
(a) Leatherback
(b) Olive ridley
(c) Green turtle
(d) Hawksbill
Answer: (b) Olive ridley. Gahirmatha is in Kendrapara district. Rushikulya in Ganjam is another olive ridley nesting beach.
Set 3: History
21. In which year was the Kalinga War fought?
(a) 326 BC
(b) 261 BC
(c) 185 BC
(d) 78 AD
Answer: (b) 261 BC. Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya dynasty fought it; afterwards he turned to Buddhism.
22. Ashoka's rock edict near Bhubaneswar is at which place?
(a) Jaugada
(b) Dhauli
(c) Ratnagiri
(d) Lalitgiri
Answer: (b) Dhauli. Dhauli is on the bank of the Daya river. Jaugada in Ganjam district has another set of Ashoka's edicts.
23. The Hathigumpha inscription at Udayagiri is about which king?
(a) Ashoka
(b) Kharavela
(c) Anantavarman Chodaganga
(d) Kapilendra Deva
Answer: (b) Kharavela. Kharavela belonged to the Chedi (Mahameghavahana) dynasty of Kalinga.
24. In which year did the Paika Rebellion take place?
(a) 1803
(b) 1817
(c) 1857
(d) 1866
Answer: (b) 1817. It was led by Bakshi Jagabandhu against British rule in Khurda.
25. By what name is the Odisha famine of 1866 known?
(a) Chhiatara
(b) Na-anka Durbhikshya
(c) Chalisa famine
(d) Doji Bara
Answer: (b) Na-anka Durbhikshya. About a third of Odisha's people are believed to have died in it.
26. Who is known as Utkal Gourab?
(a) Gopabandhu Das
(b) Madhusudan Das
(c) Harekrushna Mahtab
(d) Fakir Mohan Senapati
Answer: (b) Madhusudan Das. Madhusudan Das founded the Utkal Sammilani in 1903 to unite the Odia-speaking areas.
27. Who is known as Utkalmani?
(a) Gopabandhu Das
(b) Madhusudan Das
(c) Biju Patnaik
(d) Nabakrushna Choudhury
Answer: (a) Gopabandhu Das. Gopabandhu Das started the Satyabadi school (Bana Vidyalaya) in 1909.
28. Who is known as Utkal Keshari?
(a) Harekrushna Mahtab
(b) Madhusudan Das
(c) Gopabandhu Das
(d) Biswanath Das
Answer: (a) Harekrushna Mahtab. Remember the three titles: Utkal Gourab (Madhusudan Das), Utkalmani (Gopabandhu Das), Utkal Keshari (Harekrushna Mahtab).
29. Who was the first woman Chief Minister of Odisha?
(a) Nandini Satpathy
(b) Malati Choudhury
(c) Sarala Devi
(d) Rama Devi
Answer: (a) Nandini Satpathy. She took office in 1972.
30. Which university was set up in Odisha in 1943?
(a) Ravenshaw University
(b) Utkal University
(c) Berhampur University
(d) Sambalpur University
Answer: (b) Utkal University. Utkal University is now at Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar. Ravenshaw in Cuttack started as a college in 1868.
Set 4: Temples, art and festivals
31. Who built the Konark Sun Temple?
(a) Anantavarman Chodaganga
(b) Narasimhadeva I
(c) Kapilendra Deva
(d) Kharavela
Answer: (b) Narasimhadeva I. Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty built it in the 13th century.
32. Which temple is called the Black Pagoda?
(a) Jagannath Temple
(b) Konark Sun Temple
(c) Lingaraj Temple
(d) Mukteswar Temple
Answer: (b) Konark Sun Temple. European sailors used the two temples as landmarks: Konark was the Black Pagoda, Jagannath the White Pagoda.
33. In which year was the Konark Sun Temple listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
(a) 1980
(b) 1984
(c) 1993
(d) 2002
Answer: (b) 1984. It is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Odisha.
34. Who built the present Jagannath Temple at Puri?
(a) Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva
(b) Narasimhadeva I
(c) Yayati Keshari
(d) Purushottama Deva
Answer: (a) Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva. Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva of the Eastern Ganga dynasty began it in the 12th century.
35. Which city is called the Temple City of India?
(a) Puri
(b) Bhubaneswar
(c) Varanasi
(d) Madurai
Answer: (b) Bhubaneswar. The Lingaraj Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva as Harihara, is its best-known temple.
36. Which is the classical dance of Odisha?
(a) Kathak
(b) Odissi
(c) Kuchipudi
(d) Manipuri
Answer: (b) Odissi. Gotipua, danced by boys dressed as girls, is the older tradition Odissi grew from.
37. In which Odia month is the Rath Yatra of Puri held?
(a) Kartika
(b) Ashadha
(c) Shravana
(d) Chaitra
Answer: (b) Ashadha. The three chariots are Nandighosa (Jagannath), Taladhwaja (Balabhadra) and Darpadalana (Subhadra).
38. Where is the Bali Jatra held?
(a) Puri
(b) Cuttack
(c) Paradip
(d) Berhampur
Answer: (b) Cuttack. It is held on the bank of the Mahanadi from Kartika Purnima and recalls Kalinga's sea trade with Bali and Southeast Asia.
39. Nuakhai is mainly celebrated in which part of Odisha?
(a) Coastal Odisha
(b) Western Odisha
(c) Southern Odisha
(d) Northern Odisha
Answer: (b) Western Odisha. Nuakhai is the festival of eating the new rice of the season.
40. Raghurajpur village in Puri district is famous for which art?
(a) Silver filigree
(b) Pattachitra painting
(c) Sambalpuri weaving
(d) Dhokra metal casting
Answer: (b) Pattachitra painting. Nearly every house in Raghurajpur has artists who paint Pattachitra on cloth or palm leaf.
Set 5: Economy, symbols and literature
41. Cuttack is famous for which craft?
(a) Applique work
(b) Silver filigree (Tarakasi)
(c) Pattachitra
(d) Stone carving
Answer: (b) Silver filigree (Tarakasi). Applique work is the craft of Pipili in Puri district.
42. What is the state animal of Odisha?
(a) Tiger
(b) Elephant
(c) Sambar
(d) Blackbuck
Answer: (c) Sambar. The other state symbols: bird, Indian roller (Blue Jay); flower, Ashoka; tree, Ashwattha (peepal).
43. Who wrote Bande Utkala Janani?
(a) Gangadhar Meher
(b) Laxmikanta Mohapatra
(c) Radhanath Ray
(d) Fakir Mohan Senapati
Answer: (b) Laxmikanta Mohapatra. Kantakabi Laxmikanta Mohapatra wrote it in 1912. It was adopted as the state anthem in 2020.
44. In which year did Odia get classical language status?
(a) 2008
(b) 2011
(c) 2014
(d) 2016
Answer: (c) 2014. It was the sixth.
45. Who started Utkal Dipika, the first Odia newspaper, in 1866?
(a) Fakir Mohan Senapati
(b) Gourishankar Ray
(c) Madhusudan Rao
(d) Radhanath Ray
Answer: (b) Gourishankar Ray. Utkal Dipika was published from Cuttack.
46. Who wrote the novel Chha Mana Atha Guntha?
(a) Fakir Mohan Senapati
(b) Gopinath Mohanty
(c) Pratibha Ray
(d) Sachidananda Routray
Answer: (a) Fakir Mohan Senapati. Fakir Mohan Senapati is called the father of modern Odia fiction.
47. Who was the first Odia writer to win the Jnanpith Award?
(a) Sachidananda Routray
(b) Gopinath Mohanty
(c) Sitakant Mahapatra
(d) Pratibha Ray
Answer: (b) Gopinath Mohanty. Gopinath Mohanty won it in 1973 for the novel Mati Matala.
48. The Rourkela Steel Plant was built with the help of which country?
(a) USSR
(b) United Kingdom
(c) West Germany
(d) Japan
Answer: (c) West Germany. Rourkela is in Sundargarh district. Bhilai was built with the USSR and Durgapur with the UK.
49. Paradip Port is in which district?
(a) Puri
(b) Kendrapara
(c) Jagatsinghpur
(d) Balasore
Answer: (c) Jagatsinghpur. Paradip is one of India's major ports, built near the mouth of the Mahanadi, and it handles much of the iron ore, coal and fertiliser that moves in and out of Odisha by sea.
50. The Sukinda valley in Jajpur district is known for which mineral?
(a) Bauxite
(b) Chromite
(c) Coal
(d) Manganese
Answer: (b) Chromite. Talcher (Angul) is known for coal, and Damanjodi (Koraput) for NALCO's bauxite mines.
More Odisha GK
For all 30 districts with their headquarters and formation dates, read 30 districts of Odisha: headquarters and key facts. The Explore Odisha map has a page for each district with practice questions.
