Orissa is less travelled yet a promising state for travelers. Over the years the beauty of this state in terms of nature, beaches and architecture was neglected, but now things are totally opposite to what they were earlier. The long and clear beaches of Odisha with its long sea boundary, surely a point where people heading the most. Heard of a sun temple at Konark? Yeah it is here only and attracts tourist in large numbers. In terms of flora and fauna, Odisha is much ahead in race as compared to the other states in this field. In terms of cuisine and food, this state has range of wide flavors, and dishes like ‘Bhatan’ and ‘kaharu Palau Bhaja’ are among the favorite ones. The Large mangrove trees are symbolic to this state and tigers, elephants are among the famous living being residing in thick forests. Medieval temples are scattered all around the state and mostly are spotted in the capital city ‘Bhubaneswar’. Let’s read about the places that are among the top tourist destinations in Orissa.
Orissa Tourism - Where to visit (A brief data on top places)
Bhubaneswar
In our whole list of tourist places, this is the first from where everyone should start. Being capital of Orissa, Bhubaneswar is having all the facilities in any terms. Recently a new airport terminal was opened and it further escalated the number of people visiting this state. Bhubaneswar has always in the news because of temples and it is said that in the 13th century, this place was home for around 5000 temples, still most of them are there. Lingaraj Mandir, Mukteswar, Siddheswar &Kedargauri Mandirs, Vaital Mandir, Parsurameswar Mandir, Raja Rani Mandir, Udayagiri & Khandagiri caves and State Museum are the star attraction of this city.
Nandankanan zoological park
This beautiful park is located just a few kilometers from the capital city and it's famous for its blue eyed tigers. Although spotting them is little luck work, but if you have taken ride under the guidance of forest officials, then surely you will be able to spot one. Asiatic lions, rhinoceroses, copious reptiles and longsnouted crocodiles, monkeys, deer etc. are among the most commonly found animals in this park. For entertainment, cable car, the boat ride and toy trains are there and it will definitely prove to be a stress buster for all of us.
Puri
Puri is among the holiest place in India and major pilgrim center for Hindus. Puri is famous for its Jagannath Mandir and its famous ‘Rath Yatra’. During Rath Yatra people from all across the country come to attend this most sought after event of the year. Jagannath Mandir is famous as it is dedicated to the Lord Jagannath, who is lord of the universe and another avatar of lord Vishnu. Nobody can give a description of this temple because what you see here, no words to express this magnificent piece of architecture. Puri is also famous for its beaches and people in large numbers flock to this part of the state.
Konark
World Famous temple Sun temple is situated in Konark and it’s a world heritage site listed by UNESCO. Ramchandi Beach is the nearest beach around the Konark and famous among the travelers. This temple is also called as ‘Black Pagoda’. A famous lighthouse is also situated near to this sacred site and a must place to visit when coming to Konark. Archaeological Museum, Chandrabhaga Beach is the star attraction of Konark, which can also be visited by the travelers.
Chilika Lake
Chilika Lake is among the largest brackish lagoon lake in Asia. It is famous not only because it has a size of around 1100 square kilometers in monsoon, but also because there are so many different species of birds flock to this part of the country in different seasons. There are around 1 million different species of birds that come to this lake. There are couples of boat trips arranged by the various tourist lounges that are thriving around this lake. For all those who have bird watching as their hobby will find this lake to very promising.
Gopalpur-On-Sea
This is a famous island of British ruling period and has some very decent beaches to walk around. This place is very famous among the holiday destinations and there are couples of ancient lighthouses that are still standing here.
Rayagada
This is a famous place for buying souvenirs as a memory of visiting Odisha. The local tribes every Wednesday come to this place to sell their products. The ornaments, sculptures that belong to these tribes and made by them only, are available in plenty. The prices of these artifacts etc. are not high and hence lots of people buy various products from these markets.
Jeypore
Similar to Rayagada, Jeypore also has famous markets for shopping. A very sought after market of Jeypore is the colorful Onkadelli market.
Koraput
It is situated a few kilometers away from the Jeypore and all the fellow travelers say that this is more interesting and joyful place to be here. Apart from the big markets for shopping, Koraput is famous for its temples that are present in large numbers. The audacity of this place can be easily felt by realizing the joyful environment at this venue.
Sambalpur
This is a major hub for the textile industries in Odisha and for this very reason; the clothes are very cheap in this part of the state. Lots of people buy various types of clothes from shops and the quality of product you get is impeccable. It is located near to the Hirakud dam and the famous ‘Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary’.
Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary
This wildlife nature has all the things that a person wants from a natural forming. You have large mountains spread across the sanctuary. In terms of greenery, deciduous forest covers this wildlife sanctuary and wildlife here include deer, antelopes, sloth bears, langur monkeys and the ever-elusive tigers and leopards. At just Rs 1700 you can visit this whole wildlife sanctuary including the hotel and meals.
Similipal National Park
It is spread in almost 2750 Square kilometer area and those who visit the Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary also come to see this National Park. The gorgeous valleys, mountains and waterfall add to the beauty of this national park. One thing which is very famous in this national park is the two waterfalls namely: 400m-high Barheipani Waterfall and the 150m-high Joranda Waterfall. In terms of wild animals, this national park has elephants, various species of reptiles, monkeys, different species of birds etc. Accommodation in this national park can be booked on the prior notice basis also and be done especially in the peak seasons like May and June.
Chandipur
After Bhubaneswar, this is the only city where you can spot bars, clubs etc. This is also famous for its beaches that are clean and quiet. There are some cinema halls and it is also the ideal location for people wanting to have fun apart from the natural beauty.
Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary
This wildlife sanctuary is formed by the delta formed by three rivers. Due this reason most of the part of the Sanctuary is in the water and hence roaming around can only be done by the boats. Crocodiles can be spotted in large numbers in these shallow waters and hence visitors’ alertness is always advised.
Tips for Journey
There is no doubt that Orissa is the best place to have your holidays spent and this can be attributed to the fact that this state is rich in culture, biodiversity resources. With summer temperatures near this land shoots up to a great extent, so all the necessary steps that you think will be useful to beat the heat are always welcomed. Now talking about going to tribal areas, there are some places that are not connected or we can say not well connected by the public transport. In some recent times the tension in the state due to Naxalite has grown and this prohibits tourist to go in certain areas that are attacking prone.