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ODISHA

The Soul of Incredible India

Odisha has been rightly regarded as a land of myriad marvels. The dynamic topographical and vegetational strength of Odisha have combined to extract some of the most stunning destinations which not only offers a visual feast for the inquisitive visitors but also highly educative and culturally pleasing insight into one of the oldest civilizations of the world.

Temples and sanctuaries beaches and waterfalls, hot springs and lakes, wildlife that is visually fascinating, crafts that are colourful and vibrant and the numerous festivals that can take on a “ Juggernaut” – like momentum.. – Odisha has them all and much more for intending tourists and visitors. Cradled between the sunlit water of the Bay of Bengal and the heavily forests blu-hued hills of the Eastern Ghats, Odisha’s beauty has a gem-like reflection, dazzling the visitor with her beguiling charms . Spread over 1,55,707 sqkms, her rural tranquility and great forest lands are home to all manner of wildlife whose ancestral homes lie in the deep reaches of this beautiful land 480 kms of gentle coastland undulates across a terrain that is no variegated as the prisms of a kaleidoscope.

Buddhism , Jainism and Hinduism have flourished in this land with equal ease, which pays homage to its ancient deities with extravagant style from the religious architectural wonders in the Golden Triangle of BBSR-PURI-KONARK ,where tourists can get an encapsulated experiences of Odisha in all its infinite charm, to the mysteries of the ancient tantric temples and yogini shrines that intrigue even the most placid visitor . The glorious beaches beckon visitors with their tranquility and turbulent waters while cavorting dolphins trend the channel waters of Chilika lake in playful abandon Healing springs and limpid lakes in breathtaking hues stun the eye with their vivid visuals.

Odisha’s art and crafts offer visitors an indelible experience of its cultural heritage , brilliantly manifested in its itkat silk, pata paintings , silver filigree and stone carving. The artists villages at Pipili and Raghurajpur bring alive old traditions in to a colourful and flamboyantly rich fusion.

FACT FILE

The source of this article

INDIA 2012

A REFERENCE ANNUAL

Compiled by

RESEARCH, REFERENCE AND TRAINING DIVISION

PUBLICATIONS DIVISION

MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

Odisha

Area : 1,55,707 sq km

Population : 36,804,660 as per 2001 census 41,947,358 (prov.) as per 2011 Census

Capital : Bhubaneswar

Principal Language : Oriya

HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY

The history of Odisha dates back to antiquity, its most famous old names being Kalinga, Utkal and Odra. By the time of Mahavir and Buddha, the Kalinga Utkal region on the entire east coast of India acquired recognition and fame. Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka's invasion of Kalinga was an epoch-making event of ancient times of far reaching consequences. Kalinga was conquered but the conquest changed the heart of the conqueror. The change in Ashoka changed the course of religion and cultural history not only of India but also of the whole of Asia.

The next great era of Odisha's history commenced during the reign of Mahameghavahana Kharavela who ruled in the 1st half of the second century B.C. During Kharavela's reign the empire of Kalinga extended upto the river Ganga in the north and the river Godavari in the South. Subsequently the great dynasties such as the Shailodvabas, Bhoumakaras, Somavamsis, Gangas were not only great empire builders, but also promoters of art, literature and culture. The world famous Sun Temple at Konark was built in the thirteenth Century by Narasimha Deva, the famous Jaganath temple at Puri in the twelfth century by Anangabhima Deva and the Lingaraj temple, Bhubaneshwar in the eleventh century by Jajati-II. From mid-16th century Odisha was ruled successively by five Muslim kings till 1592, when Akbar annexed it into the Mughal empire. With the decline of the Mughal empire, Marathas occupied Odisha. They continued to hold it till the British took over in 1803.

Modern Odisha took birth on 1st of April 1936. After Independence, princely States in and around Odisha surrendered their sovereignty to the Government of India. By the States Merger Order 1949 the rest of the princely States of Odisha were completely merged with the State of Odisha in January 1949. Odisha , the land of Lord Jagannath situated on the shores of Bay of Bengal is surrounded by the West Bengal on the north-east, Jharkhand on the north, Chhattisgarh on the west and Andhra Pradesh on the south. Its diverse landscape comprises coastal plains, mountainous terrain, plateaus, verdaut river valleys and slopes dotted with watersheds, springs, lakes and forest cover of varying density.

RICH AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE

Odisha the land of enchanting beauty is well known for its exquisite handicraft, silver filigree, horn work, applique work and stone work which deserve special mention. Pattachitra, a form of traditional painting of Odisha is a unique craft. Silk and cotton handloom products especially sarees are simply bewitching. Besides, the highly lyrical and graceful classical Odissi dance, Chhau, a popular martial dance and Sambalpuri, an enhancing folk dance have earned international acclaim.

The Joyous symphony of fairs and festivals continues round the year. The most colourful festivals in Odisha are the Ashokastami (the chariot journey of Lord Lingaraj at Bhubaneswar), the historic car festival of Lord Jagannath at Puri, the Bali Yatra at Cuttack, the Makar festival at Kalijai island in Chilka and Mayurbhanj, the Magha Saptami at Chandrabha near Konark and at Khandagiri near Bhubaneswar, the Seetal Shasthi at Sambalpur and Dhanu Yatra at Bargarh, Raja, Dola yatra and Dussehra all over the State. Moreover, the State Government sponsors annual dance festival at Konark and the tribal Festival in the State capital Bhgubaneswar. Private entrepreneurs and hoteliers also organise a colourful Beach festival at Puri every year.

AGRICULTURE

Agriculture continues to be the backbone of the State's economy. About 70% of the population of the state is dependant on agriculture. As seed is one of the major inputs for boosting productivity of the crop, Government has taken adequate steps to increase seed replacement rate of various crops. During 2010-11, 43,348 ha. of land has been brought under seed production programme. All efforts are being made to make availability of quality seeds at door steps of farmers through setting up of seed processing plants in each district. The State has ample scope to boost horticultural crop. A number of schemes have been taken up and are in operation to exploit the potential of the state in horticulture development. During 2010-11 about 38,418 hect. of land has been brought under different fruit crops.

IRRIGATION AND POWER

Irrigation is the most important input for agriculture. Private Lift Irrigation Points (PLIP) under Jalanidhi scheme are being promoted by providing 50% subsidy. During 2010-11 till December 2010, 16,785 PLIPs have been set up creating additional irrigation potential of 34,000 hect. To accelerate the irrigation potential of the State, Government has formulated a five year perspective plan in 2009-10 with an objective to bring an additional 9% of cultivable land that is 5.6 lakh hectares under irrigation coverage by 2014.

System improvement work of selected major and medium irrigation projects have been taken up under ADB funding. Besides, 1761 minor irrigation tanks and water bodies to revive 88000 hectares have been sanctioned under PR&R scheme of Government of India. An ambitious scheme for construction of 6000 Deep Borewells to provide irrigation to small and marginal farmers in blocks having less than 35% irrigation coverage has been launched during 2010-11. 1000 check dams are completed by the end of 2010-11. By the end of November, 2010, 1,347 lakh hectares of irrigated command area has been handed over to 18,628 Pani Panchayats for operation and maintenance.

Odisha is the first State in India to undertake reform; restructuring of the power sector and privatisation of distribution system. Biju Gram Yoti Yojana is implemented in districts of the State. The State Government has decided to launch a new programme named 'Biju Saharanchal Vidyutikaran Yajana' (BSVY) to provide access to electricity to the people living in the unelectrified areas of wards/villages/slums and also below poverty line households in the urban local areas. MoUs signed with 27 private independent power producers for generation of 32,420 M.W. power.

INDUSTRY

The Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR) 2007 envisages a robust policy framework for industrial promotion and investment facilities including creation of an enabling environment. As a result, a large number of investment proposals are being received in the state for setting up of mineral based industries such as steel, power, cement, alumina and aluminium. So far 89 companies in different sectors have signed MoUs which cover steel (50) Aluminium (3) Power (30) Cement (3) Auto component (1) Oil refinery (1) and Titanium dioxide (1) Plants with an investment of Rs, 4,61,23600 crore. Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) with an investment of Rs, 2,27,734 crore within an area of 284.15 sqkm is going to be established at Paradeep.

TRANSPORT

Roads : Government has taken up a number of road and bridge projects in the State with a view to providing connectivity in backward regions for overall development of the state to strengthen the infrastructural facilities to boost the rapidly progressing economic growth. Under economic importance scheme 9 road projects at a cost of Rs, 333.69 crore have been taken up, out of which 7 projects have been completed. An alternative road network from Keonjhar to Jaipur Industrial hub and to Pradeep port to cater to the growing needs of mining and industrial activities is also under construction at an estimated cost of Rs, 302 crore.

Under Inter State Connectivity Scheme, 7 projects have been taken up out of which 5 projects have already been completed and balance 2 projects are expected to be completed by March, 2011. 979.70 km of state road under Vijayawada-Ranchi corridor which largely runs through left wing extremism affected tribal areas, are under implementation and targeted to be completed by 2015. Under the World Bank assisted Odisha State Roads project 451 km. of state road network is programmed to be improved to double lane standard with an investment of j1431,19 crore over a period of five years. Construction work of 204 km of roads covering Berhampur- Taptapani Road, Bhawanipatna-Khariar Road, Chandabali-Bhadrak-Anandapur Road has been taken up.

Railways: Odisha is well connected with the national rail network. It has rail lines of 2339 km. including 91 km narrow gauge. The Odisha railway network is a part of the East Coast Railways, which is the largest carrier of commercial load in both freight as well as passenger traffic in the country.

Aviation: The expansion and modernization of Bhubaneswar airport is in progress. Direct link is available from Bhubaneswar to places like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. There are 13 airstrips and 16 helipads at different places in the state for landing of state Government aircrafts and helicopters.

Ports: Pradeep is the only major port of the State. Gopalpur has been developed as an all-weather port. Besides, Government has identified 15 potential sites for development of ports in the State. Establishment of a mega port at Dhamra is in progress.

Tourist Centres:

Considering the tourism potential of Odisha , Government has identified tourism as one of the focused areas of development, 320 places have so far been identified as tourist centers. Steps have been taken to make Odisha a most preferred tourist destination and place it prominently on the national and international tourist map.

GOVERNMENT

Governor : Shri Senayangba Chubatoshi Jamir

Chief Secretary : Shri Jugal Kishore Mohapatra

Chief Minister : Shri Naveen Patnaik

Jurisdiction of High Court

Odisha

AREA, POPULATION AND HEADQUARTERS OF DISTRICTS

S. No. District Area (sq km) Population Headquarters (as per Census-2001)

1. Angul 6,375 1,271,703 Angul

2. Balasore 3,806 2,317,419 Balasore

3. Bolangir 6,575 1,648,574 Bolangir

4. Boudh 3,098 439,917 Boudh

5. Bhadrak 2,505 1,506,522 Bhadrak

6. Bargarh 5,837 1478,833 Bargarh

7. Cuttack 3,932 2,618,708 Cuttack

8. Debagarh 2,940 312,164 Debagarh

9. Dhenkanal 4,452 1,192,948 Dhenkanal

10. Gajapati 4,325 575,880 Paralakhemundi

11. Ganjam 8,206 3,520,151 Chhatrapur

12. Jagatsinghpur 1,668 1,136,604 Jagatsinghpur

13. Jajpur 2,899 1,826,275 Jajapur Town

14. Jharsuguda 2,081 579,499 Jharsuguda

15. Kalahandi 7,920 1,537,054 Bhawanipatna

16. Kandhamal 8,021 731,952 Phulbani

17. Kendrapara 2,644 1,439,891 Kendrapara

18. Kendujhar 8,303 1,802,777 Kendujhar

19. Khurda 2,813 2,246,341 Khurda

20. Koraput 8,807 1,376,934 Koraput

21. Malkangiri 5,791 612,727 Malkangiri

22. Mayurbhanj 10,418 2,513,895 Baripada

23. Nawarangpur 5,291 1,218,762 Nawarangpur

24. Nayagarh 3,890 962,215 Nayagarh

25. Nuapada 3,852 606,490 Nuapada

26. Puri 3,479 1,697,983 Puri

27. Rayagada 7,073 961,959 Rayagada

28. Sambalpur 6,657 1,044,410 Sambalpur

29. Subarnapur 2,337 652,107 Subarnapur

30. Sundargarh 9,712 2,080,664 Sundargarh

PUNJAB Area : 50,362 sq km

Population : 2,77,04,236

Capital : Chandigarh

Principal Language : Punjabi

HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY

Ancient Punjab formed part of the vast Indo-Iranian region. In later years it saw the rise and fall of the Mauryas, Bactrians, Greeks, Sakas, Kushans and Guptas. Medieval Punjab saw a supremacy of the Muslims. Ghaznavi was followed by the Ghoris, the Slaves, the Khiljis, the Tughlaks, the Lodhis and the Mughals. Fifteenth and sixteenth centuries marked a period of watershed in the history of Punjab.

Through teachings of Guru Nanak, Bhakti movement received a great impetus. Sikhism began as a socio-religious movement, which was more interested in fighting evils in religion and society. It was Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, who transformed the Sikhs into the Khalsa. They rose to challenge tyranny and after centuries of servitude, established a humane Punjabi Raj based on secularism and patriotism.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh, in the words of a Persian writer, changed Punjab from Madam Kada to Bagh-Bahist (from the abode of sorrow to the garden of paradise). But soon after his death the entire edifice collapsed due to internal intrigues and British machinations. After two abortive Anglo-Sikh wars, Punjab was finally annexed to the British Empire in 1849. The fight against the British rule had begun long before Mahatma Gandhi’s arrival on the scene. The revolt found expression through the movement of a revivalist or reformist character. First, it was the Namdhari sect, which believed in self-discipline and self-rule. Later, it was Lala Lajpat Rai who played a leading role in the Freedom Movement. Punjab was in the vanguard of India’s freedom struggle on all fronts in India and abroad. Punjab’s hardships did not end with Independence. It had to face the misery of partition with large-scale bloodshed and migration. Besides their rehabilitation, there was the task of reorganisation of the State.

Eight princely States of East Punjab were grouped together to form a single state called PEPSU—Patiala and the East Punjab States Union—with Patiala as its capital. PEPSU State was merged with Punjab in 1956. Later in 1966, Haryana was carved out of Punjab and during the same year the erstwhile capital of Punjab was shifted from Shimla to Chandigarh.

Situated in the north-western corner of the country, Punjab is bounded on the west by Pakistan, on the north by Jammu and Kashmir, on the north-east by Himachal Pradesh and on the south by Haryana and Rajasthan. There are 13 Members of Parliament from Punjab and 117 Members of Legislature are elected to form the State Government.

Agriculture

Punjab has accorded top priority to the development of Agriculture sector and has achieved about 3% growth in the first four years of the 11th Plan. Sustenance of cereal production and productivity is not only important for the State but also for the food security of the nation. The state has been consistently contributing about 45% of wheat and 25% of rice towards the central pool thereby ensuring the national food security. In the year 2010-11, the State produced 162 lakh MT paddy, out of which 129 lakh MT has been procured. Similarly, the State produced 152 lakh MT of wheat, out of which 108 lac MT has been procured. Only 10 districts of the State are covered under National Food Security Mission for wheat and no district of the State has been included under National Food Security Mission for rice even though state is its leading producer.

The State has 83% of its total geographical area (50.36 lakh hectare) under cultivation. The cropping intensity is around 189.69% with over 97% of the cultivable area being under assured irrigation. The State produces 19.50% of the country's wheat, 11% rice, 10.26% cotton and contributes significantly to the Central Pool with about 50% wheat and 40% rice. The paddy and wheat productivity in the State is 4022 kg/ha and 4462kg/ha against the national average of 2178 kg/ha and 2907 kg/ha respectively. Fertilizer consumption at 223.46 kg/ha. The State's farm economy is highly mechanized.

Rural Development

In its earnest endeavor towards rural transformation and rejuvenation. in State, government has adopted a two pronged strategy, empowerment of the Panchayati Raj Institutions through greater functional and financial autonomy and all round improvement of the rural habitats through the provision of basic amenities. Outlay for rural development has been increased by 148% i.e. from Rs. 209 crore in 2010-11 or Rs. 516 crore for 2011-12.

Irrigation

The total geographic area of the State is 50.36 lakh hectare, out of which about 41.74 lakh hectare area is under cultivation. After partition of the country in 1947, Indus Water Treaty of 1960 between India and Pakistan restricted India's right to usage to only three eastern rivers Satluj, Beas and Ravi. The State has three dams namely Bhakra Dam with storage capacity of 5.60 MAF constructed on River Satlaj, Pong Dam with storage capacity of 1.90 MAF and Ranjit Sagar Dam constructed on River Ravi.

At present the area under irrigation is 40.77 lakh hectares, which is 97.68% of the area under cultivation. The canal surface water distribution system consists of 14500 km of Canals/Distributaries covering six major systems in the State namely; Sirhind Canal system, Bhakra Main Line, Bist Doab Canal, Upper Bari Doab Canal, Sirhind Feeder and Eastern canal. Contrary to common perception only 27% of area is irrigated by canal surface water and the remaining 73% is irrigated by tubewells in Punjab. This has resulted in depletion of ground water table. As many as 112 out of 141 blocks have been categorized as over exploited or "dark blocks". The canal water and electricity are being provided free of cost to the farmers in the State.

Power

The present generation capacity of Punjab is 6900 MW including central share of 1940 MW, where as peak unrestricted demand is about 10435 MW. Thus there is shortfall of 34% of peak demand. The power demand is likely to go up to 11000 MW by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan.

Industry

New Industrial Policy, 2009 of Punjab has been implemented, under which special package of concessions has been provided for Information Technology of knowledge based industries, agro based industries and food processing industries. In order to promote the IT units, new schemes relating to reimbursement of stamp duty provision of capital subsidies etc. have been included in the Annual Plan 2011-12 with an outlay of Rs. 19 crore.

Transport

Roads : Public Works Department (Building and Roads) in the State has been responsible for construction of roads, bridges and buildings. The State has big network of 70528 km of roads comprising of 1749 km of national highways, 1462 km State highways, 2112 km major district roads, 4482 km of other district roads, 51059 km of rural link roads, 8130 km urban roads and 1534 km project roads.

The State Transport has a fleet of 6606 Buses consisting of Punjab Roadways (1568), PRTC (1089) and Private Operators (3949) covering 16,44,647 km in the State and 155034 km in other states per day providing services to the cities as well as rural areas and adjoining States-Haryana, Himachal Pradesh Rajasthan, J&K, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand and Union Territories of Chandigarh and Delhi.

Civil Aviation

The Department of Civil Aviation was set up in Punjab in the year 1962 with a view to make people of the State conversant with aviation and flying.

There are four Flying Clubs at Ludhiana, Patiala, Amritsar and Jalandhar. There is a domestic Airport at Chandigarh and Pathankot. An International Airport at Rajajasansi (Amritsar) and two Aerodromes at Patiala and Ludhiana (Sahnewal). Two Flying Clubs are coming up at Faridkot and Talwandi Sabo. To set up a green field International Airport near Macchiwara in Ludhiana at an estimated cost of Rs. 17,500 crore on PPP mode, MoU has already been signed between Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd. (BAPL) and PSIDC.

Tourism

The State has a large number of places of tourist interest some of which include Golden Temple, Durgiana Mandir, Jallianwala Bagh and the Wagah Border in Amritsar, Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib and Khalsa Heritage Complex at Anandpur Sahib, Bhakra Dam, Moti Bagh Palace and Chatibir Zoo at Patiala, Wetland at Harike Pattan, Sanghol (district Fatehgarh Sahib) and Roopnagar Archaeological Museum at Roopnagar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Memorial at Village Khatkar Kalan, SBS Nagar for archaeological importance, Mughal Complex at Aam Khas Bagh Rauza Sharif of Sheikh Ahmed at Graves of Afghan Rulers at Sirhind and Sodal Temple at Jalandhar, commemorative of Maharishi Balmiki Heritage.

FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Besides festivals of Dussehra, Diwali, Holi other important festivals/fairs/melas are Maghi Mela at Mukatsar in January, Rural Sports at Kila Raipur in February, Basant at Patiala in February, Holla Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib in March, Baisakhi at Talwandi Saboo in April, Urs at Rauza Sharif at Sirhind in August, Chappar Mela at Chappar in September, Skeikh Farid Agam Purb at Faridkot in September, Ram Tirath at Village Ram Tirath in November, Shaheedi Jor Mela at Sirhind in December, Harballah Sangeet Sammelan Baba Sodal at Jalandhar in December. In addition to above Fairs and Festivals three heritage festivals at Amritsar, Patiala and Kapurthala are also celebrated every year and are very popular among the tourists.

Nuakhai festival

Mini Dixit, Often compared to Onam, here's all you need to know about the harvest festival of Nuakhai., September 6, 2016: India Today

Nuakhai festival, Odisha; Picture courtesy: Twitter/ @MurliSharmaBJP; Mini Dixit, Often compared to Onam, here's all you need to know about the harvest festival of Nuakhai., September 6, 2016: India Today

Celebrated a day after Ganesh Chaturthi every year, Nuakhai Juhar marks the harvest festival of Odisha

Nuakhai or Nuankhai is one of the most important festivals in Western Odisha, where it is celebrated with great dedication and joy. Also referred to as Nuakhai Parab or Nuakahi Bhetghat the festival's literal translation sums up to new food where nua means new and khai means food.

The festival is often compared to Tamil Nadu's Onam which is also a celebration of fresh harvest and is understandably, of massive significance for the agricultural community.

Here are 5 things you must know about the festival.

1. Nuakhai generally falls during the months of August and September, where it is celebrated just a day after Ganesh Chaturthi.

2. Not just Western Odisha regions like Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Balangir, Bargarh, Sundargarh, the festival is also celebrated across areas of Jharkhand.

3. Where the origins of the festival are said to date all the way back to the Vedic ages, the first records of its existence are believed to be from the 12th century when a certain Raja Ramai Deo saw agriculture as an important entity in maintaining the cohesiveness of a societal arrangement.

4. Nuakhai is said to be associated with nine primary colours which in turn are assigned to nine different rituals.

5. The preparations for the festival begin 15 days in advance.

Government

Governor : Shri Shiva ji Patil

Chief Secretary : Shri Subodh Chandra Agrawal

Chief Minister : Sardar Prakash Singh Badal Jurisdiction of High Court: Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh

AREA, POPULATION AND HEADQUARTERS OF DISTRICTS

S. No. District Area (sq km) Population Headquarters (Provisional 2011)

1. Amritsar 2,647 24,90,891 Amritsar

2. Bhatinda 3,385 13,88,859 Bathinda

3. Barnala 1,410 5,96,294 Barnala

4. Fatehgarh Sahib 1,180 5,99,814 Fatehgarh Sahib

5. Faridkot 1,469 6,18,008 Faridkot

6. Firozpur 5,303 20,26,831 Firozpur

7. Gurdaspur 3,564 22,99,026 Gurdaspur

8. Hoshiarpur 3,365 15,82,793 Hoshiarpur

9. Jalandhar 2,632 21,81,753 Jalandhar

10. Kapurthala 1,632 8,17,668 Kapurthala

11. Ludhiana 3,767 34,87,882 Ludhiana

12. Mansa 2,171 7,68,808 Mansa

13. Moga 2,216 9,92,289 Moga

14. Patiala 3,218 18,92,282 Patiala

15. Roop Nagar 1,369 6,83,349 Roop Nagar

16. S.B.S. Nagar 1,267 6,14,362 S.B.S. Nagar

17. S.A.S. Nagar 1,093 9,86,147 S.A.S Nagar

18. Sri Muktsar Sahib 2,615 9,02,702 Sri Muktsar Sahib

19. Sangrur 3,610 16,54,408 Sangrur

20. Tarn Taran 2,449 11,20,070 TarnTaran

Odisha in 2017

Ajit Kumar Jha , Sun rises over Odisha “India Today” 20/11/2017

Ranking of districts “India Today”

Wildlife parks and sanctuaries: India

BHITTARKANIKA

Bhittarkanika is a well-known mangrove ecosystem and is a large brackish water lagoon with the maximum number of mangrove species. It is the most important nesting site for marine turtles. One of the endangered marine turtle species - the Olive Ridley - visit this area in thousands during breeding season in February - March every year. Estuarine crocodiles can also be seen in these mangrove forests.

Location

Baleshwar, Orissa

Area: 170 sq. kms.

Best time to visit: Mid October to mid April

Access

By Air - Bhubaneshwar (190 km)

By Rail - Bhadrak (77 km)

CHILKA LAKE

Chilka Lake is one of the most important coastal wetlands. It is an ideal refuge for migratory birds from the Northern Hemisphere and is at its best during December - February. Chilka Lake was a part of the Bay of Bengal but got separated due to the formation of sand dunes. In fact, it is a large lagoon with a number of islands. These islands provide nesting sites for many migratory and resident birds. One can see Iravati dolphins and dugongs near the mouth of the lagoon and there are a number of turtle species that are present here as well.

Location

Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts

Best time to visit: December to February

Area: 400 sq. kms.

Access

Nearest Airport - Bhubaneshwar (100 km) Nearest Railway Stations - Balugaon (right on the banks of Chilka), Rambha and Khallikote By Road - National Highway No.5

Contact

Tourist Offices, Bhubaneshwar (Ph.0674-431299) Puri (Ph. 06752-22664) Rambha (Ph.06810-87344)

SIMLIPAL NATIONAL PARK

Simlipal is one of the best forest tracts of the Eastern Ghats and has a good animal population. This has remained so due to two factors. On one hand, the protection given to this area by erstwhile Maharaja of Mayurbhanj to maintain it as a royal hunting preserve and on the other hand, a large number of rivers flowing through this area thus ensuring perennial water source. A number of waterfalls add beauty to the picturesque habitat.

The forest is predominantly rich Sal and sustains a vast diversity of fauna. Elephant, Gaur, Sambar, Spotted deer, Tiger, Leopard, are the major species found here. A report of Black Tiger from this area in recent times gives an added importance.

Bird diversity is very high and the unmistakable call of the hill myna overpowers the other songbirds.

The number of rivers criss-crossing this hilly terrain hampers accessibility into the interior areas. This is considered as a blessing in disguise because the park remains less disturbed. The facilities available are rudimentary compared to the other protected areas, but if you are a keen wildlifer, a visit to this park will always be a rewarding one.

Location

Baripada

Area: 2200 sq. kms

Best time to visit: October to early June

Habitat: Dense tropical forest, semi-evergreen to dry deciduous, hilly terrain, sal and orchids

Access

Nearest Airports - Jamshedpur (140 km), Calcutta (240 kms) and Bhubaneshwar (350 kms) from Baripada Nearest Railway Stations - Balasore and Jamshedpur (195 kms) from Baripada By Road - Bhubaneshwar (250 kms), Calcutta (220 kms) and Jamshedpur (160kms) from Baripada

Accommodation

Forest Rest Houses and Lodges available at Baripada

Contact

Field Director, Simlipal Project Tiger, Baripada Orissa -757002

NANDAN KANAN

Nandan Kanan Biological Park is a huge complex comprising of a sanctuary, a zoological park, botanical garden and the lake. It harbours 67 kinds of mammals, 18 types of reptiles, 81 species of birds. The White tiger population here is the highest in the country. White tiger safari and lion safari is organised by the park. The park is named after the mythological pleasure garden of the Gods, known as the Nandan Van.

Location - Bhubaneshwar, Cuttak

Access

By Air: Bhubaneshwar (25 kms) By Rail: Bhubaneshwar/Cuttack By Road: On the Bhubaneshwar-Cuttack road.

LIVING ADVENTUROUSLY

WIND SURFING AND YACHTING

Gopalpur-on-sea in Orissa is an attractive beach and offers the right conditions for wind surfing, yachting. and other water sports.