100-year-old Utkal Ashram awaits heritage status

Berhampur: As Utkal Ashram in Berhampur stands on the threshold of its glorious centenary on January 22, a wave of concern and pride sweeps across Odisha, with academics, activists and cultural custodians urging the State government to declare the historic edifice a heritage building and preserve it as a living symbol of Odia identity.

Built nearly a century ago, Utkal Ashram today bears the scars of time and neglect, its dilapidated condition sharply contrasting with the towering role it once played in shaping modern Odisha. This hallowed space was not merely a building of bricks and mortar, but a crucible of ideas where Odia stalwarts deliberated, debated and dreamt of a separate province based on language—a dream that finally materialised on April 1, 1936.

Utkal Ashram emerged as a pivotal hub of the Odia language movement after S Gajapati Maharaj of Badakhemundi donated land for the cause in 1920 and died two years later in 1922. What began as a modest thatched shelter for leaders gradually evolved into a permanent structure, hosting historic meetings and conferences attended by luminaries such as Utkal Gourab Madhusudan Das, Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das and other architects of the Oriya Movement.

Over time, it also became home to several cultural organisations, cementing its status as a beacon of Odia language, culture and consciousness.

The foundation stone of the present building was laid on February 26, 1920, by then Ganjam Collector C B Cotterell, with Gayatri Patta Mahadei playing a key role in coordinating its construction after her husband Raja Krupamaya Dev of Badakhemundi donated Rs 5,000 for the purpose. The building was formally inaugurated on January 22, 1925, by then Governor of Madras, Viscount Goschen, an event etched in the cultural history of southern Odisha.

“The 100-year-old building has witnessed the movement much before Odisha became a separate State on April 1, 1936,” said Sagar Ranjan Tripathy, President of Odia Bhasa Andolan, Berhampur. Noting that the State government has been emphasising Odia Asmita, he stressed that protecting Utkal Ashram is integral to that vision. Tripathy also welcomed the appointment of Sidharth Sankar Padhi, Deputy Director of Regional Directorate of Education, Berhampur, and Secretary of Utkal Ashram Trust, as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Odia Language, Literature and Culture department on January 13. He expressed hope that Padhi would urge the government to declare Utkal Ashram a heritage structure.

Adding to its recognition, the Berhampur Municipal Corporation has already named the thoroughfare passing through the premises as Utkal Ashram Road, acknowledging its historical importance. Activists have further proposed the establishment of a museum within the Ashram to house rare documents, photographs and memorabilia related to the formation of Odisha.

As Utkal Ashram prepares to complete 100 years, the call grows louder that this silent witness to history should not be allowed to crumble. Declaring it a heritage building, many argue, would not only safeguard a monument but also honour the collective memory, struggle and pride of the Odia people.