Orissa was part of the larger Bengal Presidency before it attained statehood in 1936. Many Bengali families had settled in Orissa especially Cuttack, the erstwhile capital city. They where engaged in business or were working for the Government.

The first recorded Durga Puja in the state is said to have been in the year 1832 in the Kazibajaar area of Cuttack. The festival found favour among the Oriyas who assisted Bengali families in the organization of the Pujas. Due to differences which cropped up in later years the Oriya people opted to organise and celebrate the Puja independently.

A pandal in Orissa is called "Merrha". The most expensive installation for a long time was the ChaandiMerrha (Chaandi means Silver) of Choudhuri Bajaar area of Cuttack. The reason was the ornamentation which was done entirely in Silver. Substantial increase in funding has led to the gold plating of the ornamentation and hence it is now aptly known as "SunaMerrha" (Suna means Gold). A few other Pujas in Cuttack now have Silver ornaments too.

In size the largest Pujas are held in Bhubaneswar with the trio of Shaheed Nagar, Nayapalli and Rasulgarh spending the most on the idols, decorations, lighting etc.

One reason for the wide acceptance Durga Puja has found in the state, apart from the proximity to Bengal and a common socio-cultural history spanning millennia, is the importance of Maa Tarini who is considered as one of the embodiments of Shakti in Oriya culture. Orissa is home to many important shrines dedicated to the Goddess and great festivities are organised there on the occasion of Durga and Kali Puja.

It is thus one of the prime festivals of Orissa as well. People in Orissa celebrate it on a large scale and the Goddess Durga is among the sacred goddesses of Orissa.The celebrations are quite similar to the neighbouring state of West Bengal.