Baitarani

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This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.

Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts.Many units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.

Baitarani

River of Bengal. Rising among the hills in the north- west of Keonjhar State, Orissa, in 21 28' N. and 85 33' E., it flows first in a south-westerly and then in an easterly direction, forming sue- cessively the boundary between Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj States, be- tween Keonjhar and the District of Cuttack, and between Cuttack and Balasore. In the latter District the Brahmanl joins it in 20 45' N. and 86° 49' E., after the BaitaranI has had a course of 224 miles, and the united stream flows, under the name of the Dhamra, into the Bay of Bengal. The river is navigable as high as Olokh, 15 miles from its mouth ; beyond this point it is not affected by the tide, and is fordable during the hot season. This river is the Styx of Hindu mythology ; and a legend has it that Rama, when marching to Ceylon to rescue his wife Slta from the ten-headed demon Ravana, halted on its banks on the borders of Keonjhar. In commemoration of this event large numbers of people visit the river every January. The chief tributaries are the Salandi and Matai in Balasore District. The principal places on the banks are Anandapur in Keonjhar State, and Olokh and Chandbali in Balasore District. The river is crossed by the Orissa High-level Canal, which derives from it a portion of its water-supply.