At the beginning of the 17th century, Paradip and its neighboring areas were connected to  Cuttack through the Mahanadi River and its tributaries. In 1819, the British built a port north of the current Paradip site, which was then called False Point. The importance of Paradip increased during the Great Famine in 1866 when it was used as the main entrance for importing food into famine areas. In the early days after independence, with the efforts of the state government, a small port was established in Paradip. The government then decided to build a large port there. After its completion in 1965, the port was taken over by the Indian state government, and it was declared open in 1966. After independence, Port Paradip became the eighth major coast.