Traveling is good
Along the long coastline of Orissa are pristine and quiet beaches at Puri, Chandipur and Gopalpur where the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal laps the edges. The state has low mountain ranges, waterfalls, hot sulphur springs and thick forests. Chilka Lake is a birdwatchers delight with migratory birds stopping over for the duration of winter and Bhubaneshwar, Konark and Puri are the three temple towns in the state.
Of all the places to see, Konark is famed for the magnificent stone chariot that is in the temple dedicated to the Sun God.
One can go on a tribal sightseeing tour or explore rock caves or soak away aches and pains in sulphur spring spas at Atri, Taptapani, Deulajhari and Tarabalo. Animal lovers have a wonderful opportunity to see the rare white tiger at Nandankanan Zoo and other wildlife at the Simlipal National Park and Bhitarkanika National Park. November to May is the best time to visit Orissa as the weather is pleasant and also the time when many festival celebrations take place. For those interested in outdoor activities and adventure tourism, Orissa has on offer angling at Chilka Lake, Kayaking and Canoeing at Dhabaleshwar and Barkul, Surfing and Sailing at Gopalpur Beach and Chandipur Beach and exotic treks like the Mahendragiri Trek, Gandhamardan Trek, and Nilagiri Trek in areas endowed with sparkling streams and lush undergrowth.
Bhubaneswar, the capital has a domestic airport and the city along with Behrampore is the railhead connected to major cities in the country. The city is also connected by road to Calcutta and Visakhapatnam in the neighbouring states.
On the three sides of Temple three forms of Sun god idols are placed. The southern side GOD called “Mitra” described as the rising Sun. It is 8’3” in height. The western side GOD is called “PUNSAN” and described as mid day Sun, it is 9’6” in height. The northern side GOD is called “ Haritasva” described as setting sun, it 3.58 meters in height which is approximately above 10’.
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We first reached at Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves. It is a typical tourist destination with numbers of tea and snacks shop and a big parking area for Buses and car parking. The monument remains open from sunrise to sunset. Entry fee for Citizens of India and visitors of SAARC (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan) and BIMSTEC Countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar) – Rs. 5 per head and for each foreigner is Rs. 100.00 or US $2.00 and free entry for children below 15 years.
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In the evening we came out of the Hotel to explore Puri Market and Swargdwar. As regards to Puri Beach I have always seen in television that sand art is generally performed at Puri Beach so I was looking at the beach if I can found any sand art. Unfortunately we did not get to see any sand art on Puri beach. We were walking on the beach and there I saw a board “National Sand Art Festival”. We were so excited and quickly took tickets (Rs 20/- for each person and Rs 15/- for camera).We entered inside and got to see some beautiful art works.
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We decided to relax for couple of hours before we pay our visit to Puri temple. Finally we went for Darshan at 7 pm and it took us hardly 10 minutes get inside the Garbha Grih. Now here is the word of caution, the religious place is a house notorious panda’s and one has to be careful dealing with them. One of them took us to small room within the temple premise and forced us to pay him huge in order to get the blessings. Since we were well aware, we avoided that well within time and moved ahead. Such panda’s were there every meter, and they kept asking for donation in the name of god. Note: I am not calling them as priest as they don’t behave like.
The temple complex is beautiful from inside, having many small temples, very similar to any other temple in India. The structure is inspired by Kalinga art, and it is the highest temple in Orissa from the sea level. Details of origin and legend can be obtained from shrine’s official website.
In the evening we had an early dinner and went to sleep as the day ahead was packed with action.
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Durga Puja is also known as Sarodautsav. It’s also time to buy and read Sarodia Magazines. All the major publication houses in Kolkata publish a special magazine before Durga Puja, which contains novels, stories, fictions, travelogues from all the famous writers. These magazines are also being used as a launchpad for the new writers. Magazines hit the stand before Mahalaya and find a home almost immediately.
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I wrote in the previous article, we hired a private boat to go to Barkul. As we settled in the boat, the boat started…
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After spending the evening at Chandrabhaga Beach we went to the Konark Sun Temple. It was not far from the beach, almost at a…
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We passed through an old toll booth. Papa held a competition that who will spot the Konark Temple first? We all eagerly started to look outside. Papa was looking straight with confidence that only he will win. I thought that probably he knew where the Sun Temple would come. I was proved right as after sometime papa was the first person to spot the Sun Temple’s mastaka. It was brightly shining, rising above the tree canopy.
By then it was evening so we decided to go to the Konark beach first and get a glance of the temple in the night. It was a nice warm day and towards the evening it turned a little cool. I wore my swimming costume and had fun on the beach. Nikki Mama and I played with a disk. When Mama went to play with his friends who had also come from Delhi, I strolled on the beach going near to the ocean so that I could get my feet wet. The water was chillingly cold. I wanted to go further deep but papa had cautioned me not to do so as Konark Beaches are unsafe and dangerous. It was a beautiful evening with finally the sun diving and disappearing in the ocean.
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While transiting through southern Odisha on our way to Chhattisgarh last year, my wife expressed a desire to visit the famous Maa Majhighariani Mandir in Rayagada. I told her that it meant a detour of over 200 kms over bad roads and promised to take her there some other time. She wasn’t happy but had no choice in the matter. A few days later, there was a minor collision with a truck which my wife viewed as a divine warning. Recently, I changed my car and my wife was insistent that we go and seek the forgiveness and blessings of the Goddess.
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आज की इस कड़ी में आपकी मुलाकात कराएँगे गौरी और उसके एकाकी जीवन से। साथ ही ले चलेंगे आपको इकाकुला के खूबसूरत समुद्र तट पर। साथ ही होगी भितरकनिका से जुड़ी यात्रा संबंधित कुछ महत्त्वपूर्ण जानकारी।
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मैनग्रोव के जंगल दलदली और नमकीन पानी वाले दुष्कर इलाके में अपने आपको किस तरह पोषित पल्लवित करते हैं ये तथ्य भी बेहद दिलचस्प है। अपना भोजन बनाने के लिए मैनग्रोव को भी फ्री आक्सीजन एवम् खनिज लवणों की आवश्यकता होती है। चूंकि ये पानी में हमेशा डूबी दलदली जमीन में पलते हैं इसलिए इन्हें भूमि से ना तो आक्सीजन मिल पाती है और ना ही खनिज लवण। पर प्रकृति की लीला देखिए जो जड़े अन्य पौधों में जमीन की गहराइयों में भोजन बनाने के लिए फैल जाती हैं वही मैनग्रोव में ऊपर की ओर बरछी के आकार में बढ़ती हैं। इनकी ऊंचाई 30 सेमी से लेकर 3 मीटर तक हो सकती है। जड़ की बाहरी सतह में अनेक छिद्र बने होते हैं जो हवा से आक्सीजन लेते हैं और नमकीन जल में घुले सोडियम लवणों से मैनग्रोव को छुटकारा दिलाते हैं। मैनग्रोव की पत्तियों की संरचना भी ऍसी होती है जो सोडियम लवण रहित जल को जल्द ही वाष्पीकृत नहीं होने देती।
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पेड़ की हर ऊँची शाख पर पक्षी यूँ बैठे थे मानों बाहरी आंगुतकों से जंगलवासियों को सचेत कर रहे हों। जंगलों के बीच ऐसी यात्रा करने में आपके पास अगर अच्छी जूम लेंस का कैमरा और उससे बेहतर SLR ना हो तो पक्षियों को पहचानने और कैमरे में क़ैद करना मुश्किल होता है क्यूँकि पास जाते वक़्त हलका सा खटका हुआ तो चिड़िया फुर्र।
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