Travel to Orissa

Orissa, on the Eastern coast of India is one of the scenically and culturally richest states in India.

Like many other Indian states it has something for every traveler –the history and culture lover, the lover of the wild, the beach enthusiast and the spiritual seeker alike.

Travel to Orissa
How to reach Orissa
Temples in Orissa
Top Cities in Orissa
What to see in Orissa
Where to stay in Orissa

The chief towns of Orissa are Bhuwaneswar and Cuttack is well connected to the rest of the country, falling as they do on the East Coast Highway and the EC railway line. Bhuwaneswar has a domestic airport too.

However, transport to the less visited parts of Orissa –the hilly and forested regions can be a problem. Travelers to these places are advised to allow margins for possible delays in their plans. They would also do well to make hotel/guest house bookings in advance as far as possible.

Orissa enjoys pleasant weather except between April and October. October and November are good months for the lover of festivity since the major festivals; Dusshera and Deepabali fall in these months.

• Bhuwaneswar, the capital of Orissa has the famous Lingraj and Raj Rani temples that best exemplify the Eastern school of Hindu temple architecture wherein the main edifice of the temple is in the Nagara style, with its distinctive inverted beehive shape.

• The Nandan Kanan zoological gardens on the outskirts of Bhuwaneswar are among the best in Asia.

• Udaygiri and Khandagiri, two hills with cells for meditating monks hewn out of them, are important for the traveler interested in Buddhist history.

• Konarak, a couple of hours from Bhuwaneswar has the ruins of what must have been a magnificent Sun Temple. The walls of the temple feature the 8 wheels of the Sun God’s chariot and also some of the finest erotic sculpture in the world.

• The village of Pipli on the road to Konarak is a center for exquisite appliqué work.

• A couple of hours from Konarak are the famous pilgrim center of Puri with its famous Jagannath temple. This temple is famous for its Rath Jatra (June-July), a spectacle dating back to the 11th century. The deities of the temple are towed in towering, ornately decorated chariots to another temple nearby, and brought back a week later. The towing is done by thousands of enthusiastic devotees. Puri is also famous for its long beach.

• For the wildlife lover Orissa has Chilika, the largest saltwater lake in Asia, which in winter plays host to a variety of migratory birds including the brilliantly colored Flamingo.

• Another hotspot is the Bhitarkanika sanctuary in Northern Orissa, which was mandated to protect the mangrove habitat of the endangered Olive Ridley Turtle and Estuarine Crocodile.

Orissa is also the homeland of Odissi, the most sensuous of the Indian classical dances. There are plenty of Orissa travel guides available these days and travel to Orissa gives you a chance to explore one of the best handloom saris, which is every lady’s dream, to wear an authentic Odissi handloom sari. Travel to Orissa is worth it, even if you just make a visit to the famous Jagannath temple. Orissa travel is made more comfortable due to the enormous amount of 5-star accommodations available in Orissa and the facilities offered out there is one of the best.