Cuttack is the former capital and the largest city of the state of Odisha, India. It is the headquarters of Cuttack districtand is located about 28 km to the north east of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha. It is the judicial capital of Odisha as the Orissa High Court is located here.The name of the city is an anglicised form of Kataka that literally means The Fort, a reference to the ancient Barabati Fort around which the city developed. The city is spread across an area of 398 km (154 sq mi) and is situated at the beginning of the Mahanadi river delta. The city consists of 54 wards; in south it starts from Phulnakhara to Salipur, and in east it begins from Bidyadharpur to Choudwar.
The name Kataka is derived from Sanskrit, and means a military establishment/ camp/ bunker. The city was known as Bidanasi Katak (meaning Bidanasi Military Base) during the days when Barabati Fort was in existence. Bidanasi is now a ward in Cuttack city.
Established in 989 AD, Cuttack was the seat of government in Odisha for close to a thousand years before its burgeoning size forced the creation of a new capital at Bhubaneswar in 1948. The two cities are collectively referred to as the Twin Cities . Cuttack is famous for its unique silver filigree works (Tarakasi), and woven textiles. It also famous for Dussehra. Dussehra in Cuttack city is famous for its silver and gold Medhas that one cannot get to see anywhere in India. The goddesses look very beautiful in their idols, which are adorned with huge amounts of gold and silver ornaments
