As required by a modern museum, the Odisha State Maritime Museum, housed at this Jobra Workshop, comprises ten galleries in addition to its auxiliary elements. Established about 1869, this site holds the unique distinction of being the only workshop serving the needs of three provinces under the British Indian Bengal Presidency: Bihar, Bengal, and Odisha. Following the great famine in Odisha in 1866, which was known as “Naa Anka Durviksha,” it was established by the British administration’s PWD department at the time with the help of a Scottish engineer named Mr. G.H. Faulkner.

In an effort to mitigate the impacts of the drought, the British government began work on the Coast Canal, Taladanda Canal, and other irrigation projects. The primary needs of this workshop were for canals, dams, inland water transport systems, and anicuts. During that period, the only ways to get from Cuttack to Calcutta were via boat from Chandabali to Calcutta or by traveling down the Mahanadi River to the False Point, which is close to Paradeep.