CUTTACK (Kataka, the fort), a British district in Orissa, lying between lat. 20° l' 50" and 21° 10' 10" N., and long. 85° 35' 45" and 87° 3' 30" E., with an area of 3858 square miles, and a popula tion in 1872 of 1,494,784. The Mahanadi river, aided by some of the large streams from the north, has formed a rich delta. From the town of Puri, containing the great temple of Jag,anath, to the Dhammh mouth, there is a deltaic tract fully 50 miles broad, and which comprises nearly the whole of the Cuttaek district, great part of that of Puri, and a portion of that of Balasore. In addition to the low districts, Orissa. has an enor mous tract of hilly country of the interior, the population of which is partly Ootya and partly aboriginal. The people of Orissa have a language with a character peculiar to themselves. There are 18 estates known as the Cuttack Tributary Mahals, with an area of 15,000 square miles, viz. Angool, Autgarh, Autmalik, Banki, Barumba, Boad, Dhenkanal, Duspulla, Hindole, Keonjhur, Kundia parra, Mohurbliunj, Nilghur, Nyagarh, Narsinh Ranpur, Talchir, Tigeria. Angool and Banki were annexed for the misconduct of the rajas.
The other sixteen tributary rajas administ,er civil and criminal justice, controlled by the Super intendent. The most powerful are the rajas of Mohurbhunj and Keonjhur, both of whom rendered good service during the mutinies. Cuttack has been subjected to great vicissitudes. Frightful inundations occurred in 1823 and 1831 ; on one occasion causing a destruction of livea estimated at 10,000, and the entire population of 300 villages is said to have been destroyed. In 1867-68, in Cuttack, Puri, and Balasore, famine raged with great intensity, and continued longest. Manbhum, Singbhum, Midnapur, Bankura, Rauiganj, Bard wan, Iloogly, Ilowrah, Nuddea, also suffered. Mr. Ravenshaw estimated the loss in Orissa at not less than ono-fourth of the population. The aboriginal tribes are liana, Bhutnij, Kol, and Savara, the last numbering 16,589, all of them very poor. Of the Hindus, tho Khasa cultivators are 156,308, the Khandait 234,762, the Mastane 15,526, the Goala 11,728, and Rajputs 10,728.