The Cultural back ground of Rourkela is based on cultural heritage of Sundergarh District which is situated on north western part of Odisha and surrounded by states Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

In broader sense the culture of Rourkela was actually counted from decade of 1950 to 1960. Though, Rourkela declared as urban area way back in the 1931 after the census, but the development of Rourkela took place after announcement of Public Sector Integrated Steel Plant at Rourkela in the year 1954.

After this announcement sizeable number of population from various parts of the Odisha and India as well coming here. After the establishment of the Steel Plant and formal start of production from Plant in the year 1959 large flow of migrated population from various parts of the country took place till 1970’s. Apart from this sizeable numbers of foreign nationals have also been coming to Rourkela for Steel Plant Maintenance, Production and moderization related work from time to time.

Infact the name Rourkela is derived from two SHADRI words , “ROUR” and “KELA” which means “OUR HOME”.

Viswakarma Puja  is a major festival observed in every industrial towns of Orissa on Kanya Sankranti Day that falls in the month of September. Vivwakarma puja is dedicated to Viswakarma, the divine engineer who is worshipped especially by the engineering community. According to mythology it is said that Lord Viswakarma had created the entire universe, the heaven and the earth. Vishwakarma puja is a divine inspiration for the workers to produce new products and increase productivity for the working class. Viswakarma Puja is followed by a Ganesh Puja. The main industrial towns of Orissa, Hirakud and Rourkela celebrates Viswakarma Puja in a majestic way. A grand fire works connected with modern technology is an added attraction of the festival.

Dussehra  Rourkela has more than 110 Durga puja pandals decorated in various styles. More than 10 lakh revelers and above two lakh vehicles hit the streets during four days of the festival.Dusserha also called as ‘Vijaya Dasami’ (Victorious tenth day) is celebrated in Rourkela for 10 days from in the months of September or October. It is celebrated to commemorate the victory of Rama over Ravana, which symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. Huge effigies of Ravana, his son and brothers are burnt during the festival. On the last day of the festival, a colorful procession is carried out accompanied with caparisoned elephants carrying the statues of God and Goddess. In Orissa, Dusserha is celebrated as a military festival – the day to worship the implements. On these days, people decorate their house and doors with the beautiful flower motifs.

Vedavyas Sangeet Nrutya Utsav  is celebrated in the huge open auditorium at Vedvyas – a place of religious sanctity, located about 14kms from Rourkela. Held annual in the first week of November, Sangeet Nrutya Utsav is a special event of dance and music, showcasing the cultural heritage of the land.