Happy TravellerWelcome to Jatani, a bustling town and major suburban area of Bhubaneswar, the state capital of Odisha, India. Jatani, also known as Khurda Road Junction, is an important railway junction connecting Kolkata and Chennai, with diversions to the Hindu pilgrimage city of Puri, and to Balangir, passing through the districts of Nayagad, Daspalla, Phulbani, Boudh and Sonepur, the vast tribal hinterland of Odisha. With its emergence as a commercial hub, Jatani has become home to a number of educational and other institutions, including Premier Public Institutes like NISER and IIT-Bhubaneswar and ICAR- International Centre for Foot and Mouth Disease (ICFMD). Jatani is also famous for its celebration of the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Geographically, Jatani is located at 20.09°N 85.42°E / 20.09; 85.42, with an average elevation of 36 metres (118 feet). As of 2011 India census, Jatani had a population of 63,697, with males constituting 52% of the population and females 48%. Jatani has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%, with male literacy at 83% and female literacy at 72%. In Jatani, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Jatani is a melting pot of cultures, with the majority of the population being Odia, but with significant numbers of Malayali, Telugu, Marwari, Gujarati, Bengali, and Bihari people as well. It is also home to the highest number of Anglo-Indian people in Odisha. The town’s railway station has been an important hub since the British rule, and a major chunk of people living here are railway employees. Despite the diversity, people of Jatani maintain communal harmony, celebrating festivals like Eid ul-Fitr, Christmas Day, Diwali, and Holi with religious fervor. The firework shops in Jatani draw a large number of buyers from nearby places like Bhubaneswar, Khurda, and Puri, and these fireworks are also sold throughout the year in wholesale shops, mainly supplementing to the fanfare of marriage processions. Several communities residing in Jatani keep alive their own traditions, be it the Anglo-Indians celebrating Christmas in the open or the Marwaris Garba in closely guarded community atmosphere or the Muslims carrying out Mourning of Muharram and Julus during Miladun Nabi. Several week-long festivals for the goddess Bhagabati Devi are also celebrated mostly in Railway settlement areas esp. Loco Colony and Retang colony.
Jatani is also home to some good and old temples, including the Budhapada Somanath Temple (dedicated to Lord Shiva), Chotta Somnath Temple situated at Kudiary, Venkateswara Temple, Maa Damunei Temple (Uttarayani Temple), Maa Mangala Temple, Vishnu Temple (Shreehari Vihar), Taleshwar Temple (Lord Shiva) situated at Barapada, and Jatiani temple (the deity from whom Jatni gets its name). Dola Jatra is celebrated in Harirajpur (4 km away from Jatni town), which takes place on the 5th day following Dolo Purnima. It is a very big local gathering where idols of gods from different parts of the district are brought in dolo (palanquin) and placed in jatra (fair). People visit and offer their prayers to Gods by applying different colours of Holi. Ganesh Puja is the biggest festival of Jatni in which more than 300,000 people come during the festival to watch the pandals and enjoy the evening in Meena Bazaar with games and end their day with watching Odia operas known as Jatra party. The most important historical place near Jatani is Barunei Hills. During the British times, the Khurdha paikas started the freedom movement from here.
Jatani has excellent railway connectivity with most major cities in the country, with Khurda Road Junction railway station being the biggest Railway Junction of the East Coast for the Indian Railways in the state. It is also well connected to all other cities in the state, with the NH-16 National Highway (connecting Chennai & Kolkata) running close to Jatani (around 7 km). The state capital, Bhubaneswar, is located at a distance of 22 km. The nearest Airport is Biju Patnaik International Airport, at Bhubaneswar, which is 25 km away. Jatani Municipal Hospital and Railway Hospital provide necessary healthcare services to the populace of local and neighboring areas, while several educational institutions, including Premier Public Higher Education Institutes like NISER and IIT-Bhubaneswar, Private Engineering Colleges like Centurion University of Technology & Management and Konark Institute of Science and Technology, and General Colleges like Baba Residential College and Jatni College, offer quality education to students. With its rich history, diverse culture, and excellent connectivity, Jatani is a must-visit destination for travelers looking to explore the hidden gems of Odisha.
