Situated on the
eastern coast along the Bay of Bengal, Orissa, not only
stands for its ancient glory and modern endeavour but
is also endowed with nature's bounty including a 482
km stretch of coastline with virgin beaches, serpentine
rivers & waterfalls and forest-clad blue hills of Eastern
Ghats with rich wild life. Orissa is known for exquisite
temples, historic monuments as well as art and architecture.
Tourism
Orissa
will charm you with its gorgeous beaches, glorious temples
and grand architecture. The age-old heritage of the
tradition and the sleekness of the modern, Orissa is
just awesome. Discover nature at its best with Orissa's
captivating coastlines, vivid valleys of the Mahanadi,
lush greenery, wonderful waterfalls, fabulous forestlands
and more.
Weather
Orissa's climate is
warm, with average December temperatures ranging from
16° to 28° C (61° to 82° F). In May the average temperatures
range from 27° to 38° C (81° to 100° F). The state's
average annual rainfall is about 1800 mm (about 70 in),
with most rain falling in the north and over the Eastern
Ghats.
Places
of Tourist Interest
Konark
: The magnificent Sun Temple at Konark is the
culmination of Orissan temple architecture, and one
of the most stunning monuments of religious architecture
in the world. The poet Rabindranath Tagore said of Konark
that 'here the language of stone surpasses the language
of man', and it is true that the experience of Konark
is impossible to translate into words.
Puri : Hilgiri, Niladri, Hilachal
Purushottam, Sankhakshetra, Srikehetra, Jagannath
Dham, Jagannath Puri, Puri is a place with many names
over the centuries. Two great forces dominate puri:
the sea (Bay of Bengal) and the great temple of Lord
Jagannath. One of the four celebrated religious centers
(Char Dhams) of India, Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath
needs no introduction.
Sambalpur : is gateway to the exotic
charms of the western region of Orissa was the cradle
of an ancient civilization and is an important landmark
in India's cultural history. Lying 321 km from Bhubaneswar,
this ancient centre for the diamond trade is famous
for its internationally renowned textiles (ikat),
rich tribal heritage and fabulous forestlands. Samaleswari,
the presiding deity of this region is enshrined at
`Samalai Gudi' on the bank of Mahanadi river. The
other temple of importance is the Budharaja Temple,
dedicated to Lord Shiva and is perched atop the Budharaja
hill.
Bhubaneswar : Bhubaneswar "The
Lord of the Universe" is also popularly known
as the "Temple City of India" on account
of its many temples in the extravagant Orissan style.
Being the seat of Shiva or Tribhubaneswar "Lord
of the Three worlds", from which the city derives
its name, Bhubaneswar is an important Hindu pilgrimage
centre. Hundreds of temples dot the
landscape of the Old Town, which once boasted of more
than 2000 temples. Bhubaneswar is the place where
temple building activities of Orissan style flowered
from its very inception to its fullest culmination
extending over a thousand years.
Jeypore : The district of Koraput
abounds in meadows, forests, waterfalls, terraced
valleys and darting springs. This land of abundance
is home to Orissa's vast tribal population. A real
paradise for the nature-lover, Koraput offers an additional
benefit to the visitor of first hand meeting with
its ancient civilization.
Dhenkanal : It is the gateway to
one of the most ancient forest covers of Orissa, which
shelters the elephants, tigers and numerous species
of birds and beasts. The broad plains of the river
Bramhani were the dwelling place of early homo-sapiens
who lived on the berries and wild fruits before the
advent of rice on these heavily watered expanses.
The surrounding Sal forests come ablaze with the changing
seasons making this district headquarters town focal
point of trips to beautiful interiors.
When to
Go
The best period to
visit Orissa is between October to March.
Interesting
Fact
The world's oldest coins were discovered in Sonepur,
in western Orissa. These priceless silver punch marked
coins, now preserved in the Orissa State Museum, could
be as old as 1000 BC.
Rasgolla, the sweet delicacy enjoyed all over India,
originated from Puri, Orissa. It became popular in
Kolkata in the nineteenth century and later became
popular in the rest of the country.
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