Orissa Is Waiting For You
A land of both historical monuments and deeply devoted Indian temples make it clear that we are taking of Orissa. It is the south-eastern state of India surrounded by major states in its three sides and one side with vast Bay Of Bengal. Whenever, we think of entering into the world of Oriya language, the very first thought comes in our mind is about beach point-site Puri.
Well known for its exotic beach screwed up with Bay Of Bengal attracts people around the globe. A few days back, I got a golden opportunity to visit Orissa. I went to take the fresh air and have sum fun out there. I have heard about the prominent pilgrims like Jagannath Temple, Lingaraj and Konark Sun Temple but never got the opportunity to explore them out. But this time I got one. Our hotel was booked just abreast the Puri beach from where we could see the sea waves coming to and fro from our veranda.
Puri is also famous for its fisheries. The sea opens up its chest for the fishers with different species of aquatic animals. Big and heavy steamers can easily be seen rowing towards the other land. This type of view of sea turned my eyes blue. The sea horse, Rohu fish which was much enlarged than a normal fish, blood-red crabs with white eyes along with the cat fishes were beautiful to look at.
As decided, we further went to the famous temple of Lord Jagannath. The temple is believed to be one of the most sacred temple which was built in the times of Gods. This temple is a huge source of tourism. It always reverberates with its devoted people. From my calculation, more than 100 pandas(pundits) there must be.
Having prayer we decided to go to Chilika Lake- one of the biggest lake of India which is replete with Dolphins. It is home to a number of species making a balance in Eco-system. With the arrival of winter, the lake opens up its chest to comfort migrating birds. It becomes more beautiful as the the sun sets. Exploring your visit with over 160 species of Lagoons along with migrating birds is a good option. We had fun rowing on the salty water.
It was dawn when we reached home. Next day, our theme of visit became the Konark Sun Temple. It is believed that the temple was built in 13th century, 1250. It is unbelievable that the temple was about 300 feet tall(read somewhere) but its top has fallen off and is now about 128 feet tall(not sure). Fully made up of rocks, gravels and stones, this historical remainder is one of the oldest and high tourists gaining monument of India. The beautiful architecture on its outer wall can easily be seen. Its wall mainly depicts about the animals, idols, statues of Kings and people's way of living in those times.
Moving further, we wanted to have lunch so, we went to the capital city- Bhuneshwar, where we filled our stomach with burger and pizza. After having fruitful lunch, our travel forwarded to the Lingaraj Temple. It is a Hindu temple of Lord Shiva. Architectural images and idols of gods are made step by step under the whole temple. The temple unites most of the people at the time of Shivaratri. The devotees pray all day and night long in this festival. We came across many idols of snakes which are worshiped by the people. The temple is too high and large. There re many small rock- carved temples in which idols are embedded.
Taking from Lingaraj Temple, we went to NandanKanan Zoological Park about 30-50 Km from Lingaraj. Having our tickets, we entered into a world of terrestrial animals. At first, we saw two different types of Deers mainly male one and female one. The female Deers were in about 50-60 in numbers while males were correspondingly less. There were zoo-bushes which used for watching wild beasts like Lion, Hippopotamus and Bears. We moved on foot for watching near animals. Crocodiles of different species were seen. We saw an Alligator with long and hin mouth opened. These Crocodiles were as static as like their statues. When I saw it for the first time, I was little confused whether its real or artificial.
Moving further, the Kanan Park showed me enormous species of snakes and reptiles. Later we sat on the zoo buses and had fun watching bear and Chimpanzees on our way. First, a bear came on our way. It was sitting on the road as like showing its territory. Then, we saw Lion and Lioness sitting together and watching us with roaring dreadful eyes. Then, we saw a hippo bathing in the water. On the way of returning, we saw monkeys and zebras rambling here and there. Also, an exciting look we had, while we were on the bus. What happened was that the bus had came in between the four legs of Giraffe. We stopped suddenly and when we looked up, our eyes were fissured by the time. This was the most exciting scene which I will never forget. It took all day long and we returned to our hotel in the dawn.
Next day was our last day in Orissa. This day, we visited Dhauli Hill. It was built by Buddha Sangha(not sure). The peace pagoda remains at the top of the tourist choices for the delicate structure of the Stupa and the monastery near it. It is a place to feel eternal peace of mind. There are many inscriptions and some of them are believed to be written by Asoka himself. A greater part of Bhubneshwar can be by standing there. It is at higher point. The fresh air with so much peace refreshed my mind.
Finally, with so much enjoyment, we boarded on the bus and began our way to home. From my point of view, Orissa is a great tourism place which needs to developed at wider range to gain more attraction. A great place to spend your vacations. So, go and take pleasure of bathing at the sea shore- Puri and check out famous historical monuments. The state is waiting for you.
Like it on Facebook, Tweet it or share this article on other bookmarking websites.