Asika

Asika or Aska is a town and a Notified Area Council in Ganjam district in the state of Odisha, India. Fondly known as the sugar city of India. Asika is the 3rd largest city in district of Ganjam after Berhampur and Bhanjanagar. Asika is a major commercial and transportation hub of Ganjam district. It is situated between river Badanadi and holy river Rushikuliya.

Asika
Town
Nickname(s): 
The Sugar City
Asika
Location in Odisha, India
Asika
Asika (India)
Coordinates: 19.6°N 84.65°E / 19.6; 84.65
Country India
StateOdisha
DistrictGanjam
Government
 • Member of ParliamentSmt.Pramila Bisoyi, (BJD)
 • Member of Legislative AssemblySmt.Manjula swain, (BJD)
Elevation
30 m (100 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total21,428 [1]
Languages
 • OfficialOdia
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
761110
Telephone code06822
Vehicle registrationNearest RTO
OD-07 (Ganjam)
OD-32 (Bhanjanagar)

Asika is located on state highway 7 and national highway 59.It is 40 kilometers away from Berhampur. It has road connectivity to all most all town and cities of Odisha. This city is home to people of various religious beliefs and thus contains several temples, mosques and churches, as well as colleges, schools and other institutions.

Geography

Asika is located at 19.6°N 84.65°E / 19.6; 84.65.[2] It has an average elevation of 30 metres (98 feet). It is situated at a distance of 40 km from Brahmapur on South, 35 km from Bhanjanagar on the North at the confluence of Rivers Rushikulya and Badanadi (Bara River). NH-59 (Gopalpur-Ahmedabad) passes through this city.

Asika Sugar Factory

Asika Sugar Factory is the first sugar factory in Asia, established in 1824. The plant is located in Asika town. Asika Cooperative Sugar Industries is a large scale industry employing more than 35000 families.

It is one of the oldest in India, built by Minchin Saheb in British time. Along with the factory at Nellikuppam near Cuddalore, it was managed by Parry and Co. Due to this factory Asika Town is known as Sugar City.

The jaggery mill was started in 1848 as Asika Sugar Works and Distillery Ltd. by Parry and Co. Madras. It met with huge losses for lack of supervision and other transport bottlenecks. Thereafter, Fredrick Josheph Vivian Minchin, the Book Keeper of Biny & Co. purchased the factory and with the new Sugar Technology obtained from Germany designed and rebuilt the factory in 1856.

Demographics

As of 2011 India census,[3] Asika had a population of 21,428 (third largest city in terms of population Ganjam dist after Brahmapur and Hinjilicut). Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Asika has an average literacy rate of 85.76%, higher than the national average of 72.87%; with 56% of the males and 44% of females literate. 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Religion in Asika[4]
Hinduism
 
 98.54%
Islam
 
 1.25%
Christianity
 
 0.14%
Sikh
 
 0.01%
Buddhist
 
 0.01%
Jain
 
 0.00%
Not Stated
 
 0.05%
Other
 
 0.00%

History


Temples
  • Maa Fulakasuni (Odia sahi)
  • Maa Khambeswari Goddess
  • Jagannath Temple (Sunambo Sahi)
  • Panchamuki Hanuman Mandir
  • Jaganatha Temple (Nuagam)
  • Kali Mandir (Nuagam)
  • Bhagabat Mandir (Nuagam)
  • Radha Krushna Mandir (Nuagam)
  • Ram Mandir (Nuagam)
  • Pudageswar
  • Subarneswar
  • Nilakantheswar
  • Satyanarayan
  • Karanjei Goddess
  • Balunkeswar
  • Tirupati Balaji
  • Ram Mandir
  • Hanuman Mandir
  • Maa Kali
  • Maa Kalimukhi
  • Narshinha
  • Maa Thakurani near Gondopuli
  • Jaganath temple main road Kalasanadh Pur
  • Hunuman temple main road Kalasanadh Pur
  • Radha Krishna Temple (Banibihar, Aska)
  • Sai Mandira
  • Maa Kankana Devi temple, (Bhetanai)
  • Ellama Potturaj (Damodarpalli)
  • Maa Rajjamma Kanekamma (Dhobapalli)
  • Hanuman Temple (Kotibadi)
  • Gopinath Temple (Raipalli)
  • Radhakrishna Mandir

(Chadhiapalli)

Climate and regional setting

Maximum summer temperature is 34 °C; minimum winter temperature is 23 °C. The mean daily temperature varies from 33 °C to 38 °C. May is the hottest month; December is the coldest. The average annual rainfall is 1250 mm and the region receives monsoon and torrential rainfall from July to October.

Climate data for Asika, Odisha
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 27
(81)		 30
(86)		 34
(93)		 36
(97)		 37
(99)		 34
(93)		 32
(90)		 31
(88)		 32
(90)		 32
(90)		 30
(86)		 28
(82)		 32
(90)
Average low °C (°F) 16
(61)		 19
(66)		 23
(73)		 27
(81)		 29
(84)		 28
(82)		 27
(81)		 27
(81)		 26
(79)		 23
(73)		 20
(68)		 16
(61)		 23
(74)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 12.40
(0.49)		 17.40
(0.69)		 18.60
(0.73)		 15.00
(0.59)		 40.30
(1.59)		 150.00
(5.91)		 282.10
(11.11)		 272.80
(10.74)		 180.00
(7.09)		 93.00
(3.66)		 33.00
(1.30)		 18.60
(0.73)		 1,133.2
(44.63)
Source: MSM Weather

Education

Schools
  • Harihar High School
  • A.S.I High School Nuagam
  • Kendriya Vidyalaya
  • Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir
  • NAC High School
  • Mac Mickle Sanskrit Vidyalaya
  • Hari Har High School
  • Govt Tech High School
  • Govt Girls High School
  • Aryan Public School
  • DePaul School
  • Mom School of Excellency
  • SriAurobindo Integral Education Center, R.Damodar Palli
  • Technical High School
  • Utkal Public School, Kishore Chandra Palli
  • Ramakrushna adarsha vidya mandir, Gayatri nagar, aska

College
  • Niranjan Women's College
  • Mac Mickle Sanskrit College
  • Saraswati Vidya (junior) Mandir College

Banks
  • SBI Main Branch
  • Asika Coperative Bank
  • SBI ADB Branch
  • Andhra Bank
  • Axis bank
  • ICICI Bank
  • UGB Bank
  • Bank Of India
  • Rushikulya Gramya Bank
  • Union Bank
  • Indian Overseas Bank
  • Utkal Gramin Bank
  • Karur Vaiysa bank
  • Punjab National Bank
  • HDFC bank
  • Corporation bank of India

Politics

This constituency includes Aska, Aska block and 12 GPs (Subalaya, Kaniari, Barida, Paikajamuna, Sunapalli, Sialia, Nandiagada, Borasingi, Ambapua, Baliasara, Bolasara and Sunarijhola) of Kabisuryanagar block. The current MLA from Asika Assembly Constituency is Smt. Manjula Swain of BJD. Previous MLAs from this seat was Sri. Debaraj Mohanty from 2004-2014Biju Janata Dal, Usharani Panda of the Indian National Congress in 1995, Duti Krushna Panda of CPI in 1990, Raghaba Parida who won representing INC in 1985 and as a candidate of the Indian National Congress in 1980, and Harihar Swain of JNP in 1977.[5]

Asika is part of Aska (Lok Sabha constituency).[6]

References
  1. "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having Census 2011-2020 in Orissa". Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  2. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Asika
  3. "Census of India 2011: Data from the 2011 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  4. "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having Census 2011-2020 in Orissa". Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  5. "State Elections 2004 - Partywise Comparison for 68-Aska Constituency of Odisha". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
  6. "Assembly Constituencies - Corresponding Districts and Parliamentary Constituencies of Odisha" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
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