Orissa-The Rising Star Of The East

Spread across 1.5 lakh sq km, Orissa offers everything to tourists on a platter. Be it temples, sun-kissed beaches, national parks and sanctuaries or a rich history of art, craft, culture and cuisine, the state has it all. Express Travel & Tourism takes you on a guided tour of the state.

Orissa is a paradise for the tourists; be it the temples, historical monuments, sun-kissed beaches or an array of National Parks and sanctuaries, Orissa has it all.

Orissa's water resources are perhaps one of the strongest elements of its tourism potentials. With almost 500 kms of coastline, Orissa can boast of more than half-a-dozen sea beaches with the crowning glory being the gorgeous seaside of Puri. The sprawling Golden beach at Puri is a delightful hideaway for quiet relaxation. Gopalpur-on-sea in Orissa is another beautiful beach near the Berhampur railhead. Chandipur, 10 kms from Balasore, is another beach resort which is easily accessible.

For those who love wild life the state offers an array of national Parks and sanctuaries, where one can watch rare white tigers, migratory birds, magnificent tigers and leopards. Nandan Kanan, meaning 'garden of pleasure', is a combination of zoo, botanical garden and sanctuary near Bhubaneswar, is situated in the splendid environs of the Chandaka Forest, along the rippling waters of the Kanjia Lake.

It also has the distinction of the first captive-breeding center for Gharial crocodiles and houses the rare creature of the world - the white tiger. Simlipal, situated in the northern tip of the state, offers an excellent exposure to the delights not only of its wildlife, but also of its wonderful natural beauty. Its tiger reserve has over 95 Royal Bengal Tigers within its lavish bounds. Leopards, elephants, mugger crocodiles and numerous reptiles abound here. Over 230 species of birds reside in the forest. Bhitarkanika, a forest and a crocodile Sanctuary and the second largest mangrove forest in the country, has protected the estuarine crocodiles and their habitat. Close to the Bhitarkanika sanctuary is another of Orissa's special sanctuaries - the Gahirmatha Turtle Sanctuary, which attracts visitors of a different kind. This stretch of beach is the breeding ground for the giant Olive Ridley Turtles, who travel all the way from the Pacific Ocean to mate and lay their eggs.

Orissa has in addition to offer the brackish water wonder of Chilika and the astounding waterfalls of Khandadhar, Joranda, Sanghagara, Phurli Jharan and many more. Chilika, 80 kms south of Bhubaneswar offers bird watchers a feast for their eyes, with thousands of migratory birds taking up winter residence at the lake flying from as far away from Siberia. Driven by a deep genetic code that sings in the rhythm of the season the birds know that home is where the heart is and rightly they are drawn to this largest salt-water lake.

But what completely bowls the tourist over is its rich cultural history whose landmarks are scattered all over the place. In fact, Orissa is miniature India where history dates back to Emperor Ashoka and much beyond the birth of Christ.

Bhubaneswar, a temple town of Orissa, boasts of myriad temples and shrines built in splendidly ornate style between the 10th and 12th centuries AD. The places of captivating interest are the famous Lingaraj temple, Mukteswar Temple, Rajarani Temple, and the Ashokan rock edicts at Dhauli as well as the Jain caves at Khandagiri and Udayagiri. Puri, the great pilgrim center is one of the Dhams for devout Hindu. Here the reigning deity, Lord Jagannath, is housed in a temple of monumental magnitude. An hour's drive from Puri, emerging out of the sand dunes is the majestic sun temple of Konark. The Sun Temple was designed as the chariot of the Sun God 'Surya'. Built in the 13th Century, only the large audience hall survives the ravages of time. The sun rises over the ocean and casts its first rays on the sanctum sanctorum. Drawn by seven magnificent, straining horses carved in stone, the temple chariot has 24 intricately carved giant wheels. The leaning Shiva temple of Huma, near Sambalpur in Western Orissa, has gained popularity because of its unique structure. The lone leaning temple in the country is situated on the bank of river Mahanadi.

For the tourist who would like to dwell in the pomp and pageantry of the bygone era, this region has a few historical monuments frozen in time. The Barabati Fort in Cuttack built by the Hindu king Marakata Kesari is of 10th century AD. Bolangir Fort at Patnagarh, 38 kms from Bolangir is the biggest fort of the area constructed during the rule of the Chauhan dynasty and is still a popular tourist spot for those visiting Western Orissa.

Hirakud Dam, which is the longest dam in Asia is another popular tourist spot for those visiting the central and Western Orissa.

Orissa being a land of ancient and sacred temples, and a state where three religions of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism flourished, is thronged by pilgrims throughout the year and the special festivals celebrated are, the Gopalpur Beach Festival, the Konark Dance Festival, and the Puri Beach Festival.

For the tourists who have a keen temperament for collection of artifacts and souvenirs there is plenty of opportunity to do so. The filigree work of Cuttack, the Patachitras of Raghurajpur, the appliqué work of Pipli near Bhubaneswar make a wonderful curio collection.

The state government on its part has invested huge amount on building up the infrastructure to promote tourism in the state. The state is well knit by roads, national highways and the railway network. Direct flights operate between Bhubaneswar and most of the Indian cities.

Several luxury hotels like The Oberoi in Bhubaneswar, Swosti Plaza, which boasts of Eastern India's biggest convention center with a seating capacity of 1500 people, Hotel Swosti, The Garden Inn, Hotel Sishmo have come up in Bhubaneswar and numerous other hotels have been opened in other parts of the state, especially Puri. These hotels can take care of all the needs of the 'wanderlust'.