Orissa

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 birdwatcher’s 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.

Experiencing the temple town of Puri, Oddisha

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Then panda took us to Anand Bazar area of temple and went away to collect Mahaprasad for us. It was offered to each of us on pattals i.e banana leaves. A huge variety was there but I think children will not like this as it consists of rice, daal and several other items most of which is not liked by children. At last we were offered Rabri, which was very tasty indeed and satisfied our taste buds.

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The Living Stone

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It is a very small temple which has sixty four Yogini figures placed inside the circular wall. Each Yogini has a name and special characteristic such as one with lion face, one with a monkey face, one standing on a human head or one standing in fire and so on. There are a few Yogini temples all over India and all are circular in shape depicting the ‘Yoni’.

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