Social harmony is woven into the fabric of the city of Cuttack, hard as it might be to believe in the context of the recent communal unrest during a Durga Puja immersion procession.

The best example of this is Kadam Rasul, where 20 Brahmin families live alongside a majority of Muslims. They participate in one another’s wedding and birthday celebrations. A mosque stands beside a Durga temple there. This urban space reflects the integration of these two communities into the larger whole of Cuttack.

Cuttack’s modern identity is captured in a popular proverb: Katakanagar dhabala tagar – “Cuttack stands for the tagar flower.” This proverb was incorporated into Barnabodha, an Odia primer by Madhusudan Rao on words without conjugations and vowels. Barnabodha remains the most widely published book in Odia and continues to be used as a textbook for schoolchildren.

Tagar, a common flower that blooms year-round, glistening white in sunlight and under the moon, serves as a metaphor for Cuttack – a city open and accessible to all sections and linguistic groups. Through the years, it has emerged among cities in which discrimination based on caste, community and gender is among the least. 

The city’s largest festival, Baliyatra, is held every November. Here too, there is a story of amity. It commemorates the stories of traders and townspeople who once travelled to distant lands. Cuttack was not only a commercial centre but also a river port, from which traders and boatmen sailed to the southeastern coasts. Odias also migrated to Sri Lanka as traders and religious leaders.

At one time, Cuttack was a flourishing centre of Buddhism, and many monks travelled from here to distant regions to spread their faith. Its traders, artisans and religious teachers were enlightened figures of their times. Although Cuttack lost some of its glory in the late medieval period, the spirit of that era lives on through the celebration of Baliyatra.

Cuttack is a constellation of villages, each building its own sense of community. Yet these identities were never closed. The city welcomed migrants of different castes and languages. The sahi identity was inclusive, accepting newcomers who contributed to the community fund that supported public functions. This openness fostered a culture of flexibility and moral strength, especially in attitudes towards women.

The main business district stretches from Baxi Bazaar to Chandini Chowk. According to the poet Jayanta Mahapatra, Baxi Bazaar had a majority of Muslim artisans engaged in the zari trade around the 1930s. Over time, Marwari and Gujarati traders have largely replaced them but the efforts of some to displace Muslim traders have failed, thanks largely to the city’s enduring brotherhood tradition.

In 1971, a group of criminals set fire to several Muslim-owned shops. As an undergraduate at Ravenshaw College, I had met Jwala, a wealthy Muslim trader who owned a watch company. He told us that the loss of property was not the greatest blow; rather, it was the damage to the reputation of Hindu- brotherhood among Odias. Many shops closed after the incident, and traders struggled to restart their businesses.

Decades later, when the BJP came to power in Odisha in 2024, violence was seen in several towns with mixed populations, including Balasore, Bhadrak and Sambalpur. Yet Cuttack’s bhaichara tradition initially held strong. Hindutva actors waited more than a year to exploit the festive season of Durga Puja, when they finally attempted to provoke unrest.

The tensions were captured in a poem and accompanying cartoon in a popular daily newspaper, reminding residents of Cuttack’s bhaichara tradition. It read: “This city is famous for its brotherhood. For no reason, there was a quarrel between two sahis (neighbourhood)”

Once, while travelling by taxi through the old city, ending at Baxi Bazaar where a temple and mosque stand side by side, a young driver told me: “This is the place that symbolises the bhaichara of Cuttack. People from diverse social, linguistic and religious backgrounds have lived together here and built a social bond.” He added: “These values sustain the city’s plural culture.”

An example of this harmony is the panji, the traditional almanac used in Odia households, which is printed by Kohinoor Press, owned by a Muslim. The panji guides Odias in their daily religious observances.

Cuttack’s main deities include Cuttack Chandi, worshipped by Hindus, and the dargah at Dargha Bazaar, visited by Muslims. Nearby stands the city’s oldest church, regarded as a spiritual space for all communities. In the past, a Muslim pahalwan named Nashar Mian used to lead the Durga medha processions – showcasing the gilded frames – encouraging participation from everyone.

Though the city has declined over time, people of different languages and castes continue to live together without conflict. Cuttack remains proud of its peace and tolerance. The bhaichara tradition is continually renewed through modern institutions such as peace committees and sahi committees. Disputes within or between sahis are often resolved through mediation by these bodies.

Strong cultural institutions such as theatres, cinemas and football clubs, once built through collective community effort without state support, have now declined.

During the festive season, most medhas pass along the road where a mosque stands. For centuries, they have crossed quietly, without drums or loud music, out of respect for the Muslim community. This year, however, one puja medha broke the tradition, playing loud drums as it passed, disturbing the peace. Hundreds of VHP members marched through the area, alleging that stones had been thrown from Muslim localities, which was untrue. They vandalised shops and homes.

The police banned a planned VHP motorcycle rally, but the group defied the order and went ahead, triggering riots again. Yet the city of bhaichara still stands firm, like the Barabati Fort, from which any stone thrown returns to the one who hurled it.

The above is an edited excerpt from a publication by the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library's Occasional Paper series on History and Society (New Series 71).

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