Gopalpur Ganjam
- Note - Please click → Gopalpur for details of similarly named villages at other places.
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Gopalpur (गोपालपुर) is a town in Ganjam district in Orissa, India.
History
Gopalpur also has an ancient, commercial port, now lying in ruins. Under the ownership of the Soraine family the village grew in wealth, from an obscure little fishing village, Gopalpur became a prominent trading port. The family built the port, the lighthouse and the Albert Hotel and established both a local fishing industry and a trade route with Burma.
They also established the bylaw allowing any villagers who could build a house, with a perimeter and light a fire in the fireplace overnight, could then keep the land and house (on the backwaters) as their own.
During the British rule family squabbles and disputes resulted in much being transferred to British missionaries. The Albert Hotel now locked in ownership battles and lying derelict is the last remnant of those squabbles.
During the days of British East India Company The East India Company built large warehouses and godowns because the trade with Burma had picked up and it had become a trading point for rice from Rangoon.
Victor Soraine returned to India from England and built BetVic house where he retired, surrounded by memories of childhood and his family legacy. His final wish was granted when he was buried in his ancestral lands just a few years ago.
Gopalpur has reverted to being a quiet, relaxed place but with one major difference — it is one of India's most sought after beaches, with a distinct charm of its own.
गोपालपुर
विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर[1] ने लेख किया है ... 2. गोपालपुर (AS, p.301): जिला गंजम उड़ीसा में बंगाल की खाड़ी पर एक प्राचीन समुद्रपत्तन है जहां से पूर्व मध्यकाल तक मलय प्राय द्वीप तथा जावा को नियमित रूप से जलयान जाया करते थे.