Bhubaneswar: Culture minister Ashok Chandra Panda inaugurated an exhibition of photographs, sketches and newspaper reports on the great Orissa famine of 1866 on the premises of Odisha State Archives on Monday.

The 1866 famine is a landmark in the history of the state. It is said that nearly one-third of the population of coastal areas perished in the natural calamity.

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has organised the exhibition. Speaking on the occasion, Panda said: "The famine was a dark forgotten chapter of the state history. The tragedy has been a part of Odia consciousness even though it has been pushed to one corner of history."

Some of the rare displays included newspaper reports published overseas during 1866-68 along with sketches, cartoons, drawings and photographs have been put up at the exhibition. They shed new light of the conditions and the suffering of the people.

Convener of INTACH S.K.B. Narayan said: "Even after 150 years of the great famine, Odisha faces regular threats of calamities like droughts, floods and cyclones, and crop failure."

Convener of the Pipili Sanskrutika Parishad Ramesh Mohapatro said a suitable memorial would be set up in Pipili in memory of the people who perished in the famine.

The exhibition would also be held in Bhadrak, Balasore and Baripada.

The state government will release a publication, documenting the archival records of the Odisha famine of 1866. The compilation prepared by the Odisha State Archives will contain important records related to the cause and effects of the devastation.