Cuttack /ˈkʌtək/ is the former capital and the second largest city in the state of Odisha, India. Also known as the 'Millennium City' or the 'Silver City', it is the headquarters of Cuttack district and 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. It is also the commercial capital of Odisha with a very large number of trading and business houses in and around the city. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Katak 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 138 km2 and is situated at the beginning of the Mahanadi river delta. The city consists of 59 wards; in south it starts from Phulnakhara to Choudwar in the north, and in east it begins from Salepur to Naraj in the west.The name Katak is derived from Sanskrit, and means a military establishment/cantonment/camp/bunker.[citation needed] The city was known as Bidanasi Katak during the days when Barabati Fort was in existence. Bidanasi is now a satellite city in Cuttack.Established in 989 CE, 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, and woven textiles. It is also famous for its Dussehra celebrations.
