Odisha for ages has been known for its traditions. Believed to be blessed by Lord Jagarnnath, this place has been successful in fighting and defeating several cyclones and wrath of nature.
The place in Odisha that witnesses maximum footfall every year is the Lord Jagarnnath temple, which is also one of the Char Dham of India. Odisha is not just about a temples but also about its amazing beaches.
The coastline of Odisha blesses it with some surreal beaches and amazing seafood.
Puri continues to remain the most visited beach of Odisha. Being a native of Bengal I had the privilege of visiting the Puri beach almost every year. But every visit was special in a different way.
In November I visited Odisha and spent a weekend there.
Day 1 : Puri
I checked in a hotel in Puri. We stayed in Hotel Shakuntala which has amazing sea facing rooms and one can enjoy gazing at the beach from their room.
We visited Jagarnnath temple in the afternoon and spent rest of the day chilling by the beach.
Day 2 :
1) Chilika Lake :
Second day of the trip was a special one since we decided to visit Chilika Lake, which I had never visited before. Chilika lake is India’s largest brackish water lake and is famous for its dolphins and crabs.
If you plan to visit Chilika then it is advisable to reach early because once it gets crowded, the chances of spotting dolphins drops significantly. The package at Chilika Lake includes 2 hours of boating, where they show you migratory birds and you get a chance to feed them too, they show you some crabs and some very precious stones like the moti and navratan. If you get really lucky you can get to see the famous dolphins of Chilika Lake, but that requires a lot of patience and an eagle’s vision as the dolphins- the star of Chilika, only show up for few seconds.
Since I was visiting Chilika after the recent Fani and Bulbul cyclone, my experience was totally different, the roads leading to Chilika had several trees that got uprooted, electric poles that got titled. Clearly showing that not just man even nature has powers to destroy, which are much more than man’s ability to destroy.
2) Konark Temple : Everyone recognizes Sun Temple as the temple behind the Ten rupees Indian currency note. This is one of the oldest marvels of Odishan art. The entire temple is designed in the form of a huge chariot with has seven horses and twelve pairs of beautifully carved wheels. The entire wall of the temple consists of carvings, all of them are so meticulously detailed that it will surprise you.
3) Chandrabhaga Beach : This beach is gradually gaining popularity because of the events that keep happening here. Recently it hosted the Konark Sand Art Festival.
I visited this beach during sunset and it was absolutely mesmerizing. I even tried ATV ride here and it was a crazy experience here. If you visit Chandrabhaga beach then you should definitely try your hands on ATV.
That brings an end to the short yet sweet weekend trip to Odisha. The highlight of the entire trip was watching Dolphins in Chilika Lake. Odisha is the perfect place for people looking for a weekend getaway.
When in Odisha one should definitely try some amazing sea food, sweet corn by the beach and obviously some coconut water to stay hydrated.
Recently Orissa Government is doing a lot to promote Eco tourism and tourism in Orissa. They have started a campaign called “Explore the unexplored paradise”, Odisha is indeed a paradise and there is a lot to explore until you fall in love with Odisha, just like I did.
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