Current Time in Brahmapur, India

Brahmapur, commonly written Berhampur, is a city in the Ganjam district of Odisha in eastern India. It lies on the coastal plain a short distance inland from the Bay of Bengal, with the Eastern Ghats rising to the west and the fishing village and beach resort of Gopalpur-on-Sea only fifteen kilometres away. The setting combines paddy fields, coconut groves, low hills and long stretches of open sand.

The population is around four hundred thousand, making Brahmapur one of the largest cities in Odisha. It has been a commercial centre for centuries and is widely known as the Silk City, thanks to a long tradition of weaving that produces the silk saris and the joda for which Ganjam is famous. Trade in agricultural produce, cashew processing, textiles and a large wholesale market sector underpin the local economy.

The name refers to the many Brahmin families historically settled here, and the town grew as a market on the routes linking the Odishan coast with the Telugu-speaking country to the south. It was an important administrative centre under British rule, when it belonged to the Madras Presidency rather than to Bengal or Bihar, a legacy that still shows in its architecture and in the strong Telugu influence on local speech and cooking. When Odisha became a separate province in 1936, Ganjam was transferred to it, and Brahmapur became the principal city of the southern part of the new state.

The best-known landmark is the Thakurani temple in the heart of the old town, dedicated to Budhi Thakurani, the city's guardian goddess. Every two years the Thakurani Jatra brings the entire city to a halt for a festival lasting several weeks, during which the goddess is carried to her father's house in the weavers' quarter and honoured with processions, folk theatre and enormous crowds. Other sites include the Jagannath temple, the colonial-era buildings around the old collectorate, the hill shrine of Tara Tarini above the Rushikulya River, and the beach at Gopalpur with its ruined pier and calm water. The Rushikulya estuary is one of the world's most important nesting grounds for olive ridley sea turtles, which arrive in their hundreds of thousands.

Cultural life reflects the meeting of Odia and Telugu traditions, seen in local theatre, in Ganjami dance forms such as Ranapa stilt dancing, and in a distinctive cuisine that leans towards spice and coastal fish. Handloom weaving, brassware and horn craft are practised in surrounding villages.

Transport is straightforward, since the city lies on the main railway line and national highway between Kolkata and Chennai, with frequent trains and buses. The nearest airport is at Bhubaneswar, about three hours north.

Berhampur University, the MKCG Medical College and several engineering and general degree colleges make the city the educational centre of southern Odisha.

Brahmapur is important as the commercial and cultural capital of southern Odisha, with a great civic festival, a strong weaving tradition and one of the most remarkable turtle beaches in the world close at hand.