Hirakud Dam is built across the Mahanadi River, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Sambalpur in the state of Odisha in India.

[3] On 15 March 1946, Sir Hawthorne Lewis, the Governor of Odisha, laid the foundation stone of the Hirakud Dam.

In 1952, Mazumdar Committee was appointed by the government to oversee the soundness and technical feasibility of the project.

The committee envisaged that the project would cost ₹ 92.80 crore and the construction of the main dam would be complete by June 1955.

It also said that by 1954–55 a total of 1,347,000 acres (545,000 ha) of land would be irrigated and 48,000 kW of electric power would be generated.

[4] However, the dam was completed in 1953 and formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 13 January 1957.

The main dam has an overall length of 4.8 km (3.0 mi)[5] spanning between two hills; the Laxmidungri on the left and the Chandili Dunguri on the right.

The dam is flanked by 21 km (13 mi) of earthen dykes on both the left and right sides, closing the low saddles beyond the adjoining hills.

[1] In the upper drainage basin of the Mahanadi River, centered on the Chhattisgarh Plain, periodic droughts contrast with the situation in the lower delta region where floods may damage crops.

The dam was constructed to help alleviate these problems by creating a reservoir and controlling river flow through the drainage system.

In addition, the project provides flood protection to 9,500 km2 (2.3×10^6 acres) of delta area in district of Cuttack and Puri.

Water from Hirakud Dam at a later stage was allocated to various industries, primarily for mineral processing and coal fired thermal power plants in Jharsuguda and Sambalpur districts.

The hidden treasures have finally caught the attention of historians, and steps are being taken to understand the historical significance of these temples, which periodically go under water, only to resurface again.

[12] The temples located inside the reservoir area were part of the then Padmapur, one of the oldest and most populous in the region prior to the dam construction.

The lost temples present excellent opportunities for scuba diving enthusiasts to explore the underbelly of Hirakud Dam.

With the passage of time the nearby area filled up with the reservoir water, turning the hilltop into an island.

[15] The main purpose of the Hirakud Dam was to check the massive floods that were affecting a large part of coastal Odisha.

On the back side of this note there are thirteen regional languages along with an image of the Hirakud Dam and Hydro-Electric station.