Odisha has been rightly regarded as a land of myriad marvels. The dynamic topographical and vegetational strength of Odisha have combined to extract some of the most stunning destinations which not only offers a visual feast for the inquisitive visitors but also highly educative and culturally pleasing insight into one of the oldest civilizations of the world.

Temples and sanctuaries beaches and waterfalls, hot springs and lakes, wildlife that is visually fascinating, crafts that are colourful and vibrant and the numerous festivals that can take on a "Juggernaut" – like momentum. Odisha has them all and much more for intending tourists and visitors. Cradled between the sunlit water of the Bay of Bengal and the heavily forests blu-hued hills of the Eastern Ghats, Odisha's beauty has a gem-like reflection, dazzling the visitor with her beguiling charms . Spread over 1,55,707 sqkms, her rural tranquility and great forest lands are home to all manner of wildlife whose ancestral homes lie in the deep reaches of this beautiful land 480 kms of gentle coastland undulates across a terrain that is no variegated as the prisms of a kaleidoscope. Buddhism , Jainism and Hinduism have flourished in this land with equal ease, which pays homage to its ancient deities with extravagant style from the religious architectural wonders in the Golden Triangle of BBSR-PURI-KONARK ,where tourists can get an encapsulated experiences of Odisha in all its infinite charm, to the mysteries of the ancient tantric temples and yogini shrines that intrigue even the most placid visitor . The glorious beaches beckon visitors with their tranquility and turbulent waters while cavorting dolphins trend the channel waters of Chilika lake in playful abandon Healing springs and limpid lakes in breathtaking hues stun the eye with their vivid visuals.

Odisha’s art and crafts offer visitors an indelible experience of its cultural heritage , brilliantly manifested in its itkat silk, pata paintings , silver filigree and stone carving. The artists villages at Pipili and Raghurajpur bring alive old traditions in to a colourful and flamboyantly rich fusion.

The people

Ancient Odisha (Orissa) was a confluence of racial streams that kept on invading the state leaving their own imprints thus affecting the life style a lot. Historians believe that Aryans entered Odisha (Orissa) from the northeast, subjugated the primitive people living there and imposed on them their language and culture. But on reflection we conclude that the people then living in the land were not perhaps all of the primitive type, nor were they subjugated culturally. What might have happened probably was a racial and cultural amalgamation.

Geographically Odisha (Orissa) stands as a coastal corridor between the northern and southern India. It is natural therefore that an assimilation of the races and cultures of the Aryans and the Dravidians; must have taken place here in the days of gore. At the same time successive racial and cultural tides might have surged up from the different sides, rolled in and broken over this bound culminating in the indo-cultural synthesis.

How to Reach

By Air :

The Biju Patnaik Airport at Bhubaneswar is the best way to reach Orissa by air. The airport is well-connected to different cities of India like Kolkata, Hyderabad Mumbai, Delhi, Nagpur, Raipur and so on.

By Train :

The major railhead is in the state capital known as Bhubaneswar Railway station and is served by major train networks that connect it to other parts of the state as well as the country. Rajdhani, Coromondal Express, Konarak Express are some of the famous trains that serve this station.

By Road :

The state of Orissa can be easily accessed via National Highway number 5, 6, 23, 42 and 43 run that run through the state.

PLACES TO VISIT

Puri :

Puri is a city and a municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, 60 kilometres south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the 12th-century Jagannath Temple located in the city. It is one of the original Char Dham pilgrimage sites for Hindus. Puri is known by several names since the ancient times, and was locally known as "Shrikhetra" and Lord Jagannath temple is known as "Badadeula". Puri and the Jagannath Temple were invaded 18 times by Hindu and Muslim rulers, from the 4th century AD till the early 19th century with the objective of looting the treasures of the temple. Odisha, including Puri and its temple, were under the British Raj from 1803 till India attained independence in August 1947. Even though princely states do not exist in India today the heirs of the Gajapati Dynasty of Khurda still perform the ritual duties of the temple. The temple town has many Hindu religious maths or monasteries. The economy of Puri town is dependent on the religious importance of the Jagannath Temple to the extent of nearly 80 percent.

Bhubaneswar :

Bhubaneswar is an ancient city in India’s eastern state of Odisha, formerly Orissa. Many temples built from sandstone are dotted around Bindu Sagar Lake in the old city, including the 11th-century Hindu Lingaraja Temple. Outside Rajarani Temple are sculpted figures of the guardians of the 8 cardinal and ordinal directions. Jain antiques, weaponry and indigenous pattachitra paintings fill the Odisha State Museum.

North of Bhubaneswar, Nandankanan Zoological Park on Kanjia Lake is home to lions and elephants, and includes a botanical garden. In the city's west, the Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves are decorated rock-cut shelters and temples created by Jain worshipers. South of the city, the ancient rock-cut edicts at Dhauli Hills were reputedly engraved by Ashoka, a 3rd-century B.C. emperor, after he embraced Buddhism. Pipli village is known for its colorful appliqué work, originally created for the local temples. Near the city, Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary shelters elephants and other animals, with watchtowers to observe the wildlife.

Konark :

Konark is a medium town in the Puri district in the state of Odisha, India. It lies on the coast by the Bay of Bengal, 65 kilometers from the capital of the state, Bhubaneswar. It is the site of the 13th-century Sun Temple, also known as the Black Pagoda, built in black granite during the reign of Narasimhadeva-I. The temple is a World Heritage Site. The temple is now mostly in ruins, and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun Temple Museum, which is run by the Archaeological Survey of India. Konark is also home to an annual dance festival called Konark Dance Festival, held every December, devoted to classical Indian dance forms, including the traditional classical dance of Odisha, Odissi. On 16 February 1980, Konark lay directly on the path of a total solar eclipse.

Chilika Lake :

Chilika lake is a brackish water lagoon, spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha state on the east coast of India, at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal, covering an area of over 1,100 km². It is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest lagoon in the world after The New Caledonian barrier reef in New Caledonia. It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent. The lake is home to a number of threatened species of plants and animals. The lake is an ecosystem with large fishery resources. It sustains more than 150,000 fisher–folk living in 132 villages on the shore and islands. The lagoon hosts over 160 species of birds in the peak migratory season. Birds from as far as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea and other remote parts of Russia, Kirghiz steppes of Mongolia, Central and southeast Asia, Ladakh and Himalayas come here. These birds travel great distances; migratory birds probably follow much longer routes than the straight lines, possibly up to 12,000 km, to reach Chilika Lake.

Cuttack :

Cuttack is the former capital and the second largest city in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. It is also the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Katak which literally means The Fort, a reference to the ancient Barabati Fort around which the city initially developed. Cuttack is also known as the Millennium City as well as the Silver City due to its history of 1000 years and famous silver filigree works. It is also considered as the judicial capital of Odisha as the Odisha High Court is located here. It is also the commercial capital of Odisha which hosts a large number of trading and business houses in and around the city. The old and the most important part of the city is centred on a spit of land between the Kathajodi River and the Mahanadi River, bounded on the southeast by Old Jagannath Road. The city, being a part of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation consisting of 59 wards. Cuttack stretches from Phulnakhara across the Kathajodi in the south to Choudwar in north across the Birupa River, while in the east it begins at Kandarpur and runs west as far as Naraj.

Rourkela :

Rourkela is a planned city located in the northern part of the Indian state of Odisha. It is the third largest city in Odisha. It is situated about 340 kilometres north of state capital Bhubaneswar and is surrounded by a range of hills and encircled by rivers. The city is also popularly known as Ispat Nagar and also as the Steel City of Odisha. It has one of the largest steel plants of the Steel Authority of India Limited known as Rourkela Steel Plant. It also has one of the National Institutes of Technology of the country. The city has been selected as smart city in the third phase of smart city list on 20 September 2016. Among all the 27 city list Rourkela ranked 12th position on merit basic. Rourkela Day is celebrated on 3rd March every year.

Bhitarkanika National Park :

Bhitarkanika National Park is a national park located in Kendrapara district of Odisha in eastern India. Core area of 145 square kilometre of the Bhitarkanika Wild Sanctuary, spread over 672 km½, has been designated as a National Park since 16th Sep 1998. Also a Ramsar Convention 19th Aug 2002. The national park is surrounded by the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary. Gahirmatha Beach and Marine Sanctuary lies to the east, and separates swamp region cover with canopy of mangroves from the Bay of Bengal. Thus it become a vicinity of rich biodiversity The park is home to Saltwater Crocodile, White Crocodile, Indian python, King Cobra, black ibis, darters and many other species of flora and fauna. The national park was created in September 1998 from the core area of the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, which was created in 1975. The sanctuary is the second largest mangrove ecosystem in India. The national park and wildlife sanctuary is inundated by a number of rivers - Brahmani, Baitarni, Dhamra, Pathsala and others.

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