Orissa ....unexplored!!

Orissa ,now also called as Odisha lie in the east coast of India along the Bay Of Bengal. Orissa is the eleventh largest state in population and ninth in area. It has unindented coastline. The interior is mountaineous and sparsely populated. Its truly the land of nature,forests and temples.

In the ancient period it was also called as Kalinga,which was invades by the great Emperor Ashoka in 261 B.C. The great Kalinga war was fought here ,which led emperor Ashoka to embrace Buddhism. Then he preached Buddhism all over Asia. Kalinga flourished as a powerful kingdom under the Jaina king, Kharavela in the third century B.C. The modern state of orissa was established in April 1,1936 and therefore celebrated as Utkal Divas(Orissa’s Day). Predominantly it consists of Oriya speakers. The name Oriya originated from Odra or Udra tribes that inhabited the central belt of modern Orissa.

Orissa has rightly been called as “land of temples”. You can find the artistic work and the beautiful paintings incarved in its temple. The majority of people are Hindus and their Supreme lord is Jagannath (a form of Krishna). It’s the home of Hirakud Dam. One of the largest dam in the world. More over it has various popular tourist destination,which has been successful in attracting Indians and foreigners as well. The very popular among are the capital city Bhubaneswar, Jagannath Dham puri, Sun Temple Konark. The Lingaraja Temple of Bhubaneswar and the Barabati Fort of Cuttack are important in the archaeological history of India. These attract tourists all the year. Orissa is filled with interesting destinations and it might be a bit confusion to choose where to go and what to do?

Starting with the capital city Bhubaneshwar called as the “city of temples”. Being the seat of Tribhubaneswar or 'Lord Lingaraj', Bhubaneswar is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre. It’s the place where orissan style of temple architecture originated .This city boasts of having more than 2000 temples. It’s the perfect blend of ancient and modern culture. With all its facilities,modern buildings and ancient sculptures it has been able to capture people from all over the world. It is dotted with ancient temples and monuments like Khandagiri & Udaygiricaves, Mukteswar temple, Rajarani Temple, Baya Baba Matha, Ram Mandir, Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir, ISKCON Temple, State Museum, Tribal Museum.While at Bhubaneswar, you could also visitDhauli, Sisupalgarh, Hirapur, Atri, Nandankanan.

The Abode of Lord Jagannath, Puri. Sited in the heart of Puri, it is a monument from the12th century A.D with all the opulence and gracefulness of the Kalinga style of architecture. It is the talisman of Orissa. It is said and believed that lord Vishnu takes His bath at Rameswaram, meditates at Badrinath, dines at Puri and retires at Dwarika. Therefore a lot of importance is given to the “Mahaprasad”. First the steamed food is offered to Lord Jagannath and then to Goddess Bimala after which it becomes “Mahaprasad”. The Mahaprasad is taken by all people without any differentiation of caste and creed. It is also famous for the Rath Yatra, the car festival of lord Jagannath. Chandan Yatra, the Chalanti Pratimas (moving statues) of the deities after a refreshing bath in fragrant sandal wood scented water ,takes a ceremonial ride in a boat for 21 consecutive days,.It is also famous for its beautiful and long beach.It attracts both piligrims and pleasure seekers..

Konark, popularly called the Sun Temple, is the chariot temple. It’s the place where the language of stone defeats the language of man. The entire temple is designed in the form of a chariot with seven horses and twenty-four wheels, carrying the Sun-God ”Surya”. Its built by the Ganga Dynasty and also called as Black pagoda. Konark, Puri and Bhubaneshwar are called as Golden triangle of Orissa. The huge size of the temple and the erotic sculptures carved on the temple keep numerous visitors spell bound. Though many of its structure are in broken condition now, its magnificent glory is still able to attract a huge crowd.


Asia’s largets Brackish water is found in Orissa, the Chilika. It is one of the hotspot of biodiversity in the country of some rare, vulnerable and endangered species. It’s a haven for many migratory birds such as Flamingos, Cranes. Winter is the loveliest time to visit Chilika as thousands of migratory bird fly in from Russia, Caspian Sea, Iran and Siberia. It is also declared as a sanctuary. It is also home for Dolphins.It’s a great spot for fishing,boating and bird watching. Its also dotted with host of islands with romantic names as Honeymoon island and Break fast island. The lake was declared an international Ramsar Site in 1981, this makes it a wetland of international value. The Satapada is situated at 50kms from Puri . Its on the chilka, famous for Dolphins.

Cuttack is the ancient capital of Orissa popularly called as “The Millenium City” . The word “Katak” etymologically means army cantonment and also the capital city. The word very well justifies its name. The famous place to visit in Cuttack includes Barabati Fort, Quadam-I- Rasool, The cuttack Chandi. It’s the best place for shopping. Its popular for its Silver work.


Rourkela is called the “Steel City”, Berhampur is well known as “The Silk City”, ”Home Of Famous Chau Dance “ is Baripada, and the “Base For Exploring Tribal Orissa” is Jeypore. Worth mentioning is Daringbadi which is “Kashmir of Orissa”. Huma is the abode of Lord Shiva called as “The Leaning Temple Of Orissa”.

Apart from temples it has beautiful waterfalls which includes Duduma, Harishankar, Hathipathar, Joranda. The famous Bali Jatra, Taratarini mela, Magha mela, Makar mela add to its beauty. The wild life sanctuaries at Badarama, Ambapani, Balukhand, Baisipalli are worth visiting to capture the wild life.Not to forget the calm and charming beaches where the waves speak the volume. The famous beaches are Aryapalli, Ramachandi, Balaramgadi, Balighai, Astaranga.

Paintings is also as old as its sculpture. The colours in the painting are vivid and contrasting. Artists use vegetable and mineral colours. Patachitras are very admired which are paintings on clothes. The Talapatachitras or the Palm leaves engravings are also very popular. These Talapatachitras have an resemblance with the Rajasthani miniatures both in the dealing, symphony and the colour scheme. Applique work is also very much in demand. One most see the most famous Odisi dance which is performed in praise of lord Jagannath and Odisi music, which has hymns of lord Jagannath. So ,what are you waiting for book a ticket now and explore the unexplored!.