Orissa Travel Tour Guide

Cities

* Beleswar
* Bhubaneswar - state capital and transportation hub
* Brahmapur (previously Berhampore) - also known as Silk City
* Cuttack - the old capital of Orissa
* Koraput
* Kuruma
* Paradip - the port city
* Puri - famous for Jagganath temple and vibrant beach, and the most popular tourist destination in the state
* Rourkela - known for its steel and fertilizer plants
* Sambalpur - the biggest city in western Orissa
* Sunabeda - the Kasmir of Orissa

Temple towns

* Bhubaneswar
* Konark
* Puri

Sea beaches

* Chandipur
* Gopalpur-on-sea
* Puri
* Talasari
* Balasore

Other places of tourist interest

* Chilka Lake
* Keonjhar
* Simlipal


The State of Orissa is located in the east coast of India, bounded by the States of Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. Broadly the territory of the State can be divided into four distinct regions: The Eastern plateau (the districts Of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh and the Palalahara, the latter being a subdivision of the Dhenkanal district) is an undulating upland frequently intersected by hill ranges.It slopes down from north to south. The Central River Basin (the districts of Balangir, Sambalpur and Dhenkanal) is washed by many major rivers of the state and contains some of the most fertile parts of the state. The Eastern Hill Region to the south and south-west of the Central River Basin (erstwhile districts of Phulbani, Ganjam and Koraput) comprise of wide open upland plateaus fringed by forests. The Coastal Belt (the districts of Balasore, Cuttack, Puri and Konark a portion of Ganjam) has extensive alluvial tracts in between the hills of the west and the salty tracts of the east. Orissa, with her 156,000 sq. kms. of land, 13 percent of which is urbananized, is home to nearly 32 million people. The literacy rate grazes below the national average of 52%.

Through the centuries, Orissa has been a meeting place for various cultural migrations from different parts of the country. The economic life of the people of Orissa centers mainly around agriculture where one out of every four persons in Orissa is a tribal. Any tourist is bound to get amazed by vast lands of varied kinds of agriculture spread out throughout the state. At the same time, the state is on the threshhold of an industrial growth with an emphasis electronics, iron and mine industries and the production of cash crops such as tea, coffee and rubber.

One of the most ancient and well known village in Orissa is Village Kusupur known for village poet Nandakishore Bal. Modern literate Suryamani Jena and Artist Bimbadhar Varma. Village Kusupur is also famous for its live traditional sword fighting by the warrier class (kshetriyas) during Dussera Festival in the month of October every year organised by Kusupur Dussera Sabha.

Dussera or Vijayadashami, the tenth day of the bright half of Aswin is celebrated as the day of victory to rejoice about Durga's triumph over the demon Mahishasura.

In the Indian states including the state of Orissa, Dussera celebrates the homecoming of Rama the hero of the epic Ramayana, after his victory over Ravana, the king of Lanka. In vast open spaces, Ramleela, the folk play with music and spontaneous dialogues, retelling the story of the life of Rama, are enacted till the wee hours. Songs are sung in praise of Rama and people in thousands witness this traditional theatre with its exaggerated costumes, jewellery, makeup and drama. Larger than life figures of Ravana and other demons are burnt on cold dark nights with fireworks lighting up the sky. In the traditional villages in the state of Orissa has their own way of celebrating the Dussera. Traditional sword fighting were organised by the village associations (Akharas) mostly from the warrior class (Kshetriyas). One of the oldest tradition in the Orissa’s Village Kusupur is being kept alive for last more than hundred years by Kusupur Dussera Sabha, which has the history of its uniqueness in itself.



Getting There:
By Air : Bhubaneswar is the only civil airport in the state. It is well connected by regular flights to different parts of the country.
By Rail : Bhubaneswar and Puri are the major railway junctions for Orissa. There is an extensive railway network connecting Orissa to the other parts of the country.
By Road : The National Highways 5, 6, 23, 42, and 43 pass through Orissa. The good road network connects well with the other parts of the country as well as different places within the state.

Facts File
Area: 155,707 sq km
Population: 34.2 million
Capital: Bhubaneswar
Languages spoken: Oriya, Bengali, Hindi, English etc.
Best Time to visit: November to March
Major Cities: Bhubhneshwar, Puri, Konark

Tourist Attractions:
Bhubaneshwar:
Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa, is also popularly known as the "Temple City of India". Being the seat of Tribhubaneswar or 'Lord Lingaraj', Bhubaneswar is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre. Hundreds of temples dot the landscape of the Old Town, which once boasted of more than 2000 temples. Bhubaneswar is the place where temple building activities of Orissan style flowered from its very inception to its fullest culmination extending over a period of over one thousand years.

Jagannath Temple
The temple has contributed the word ‘Juggernaut’ to the English language. The fame of Puri is mainly due to this 12th century temple. The annual Rath Yatra is a considerable tourist attraction. Within its precincts are the smaller temples of Vimala, Lakshmi, Vishnu and of innumerable gods and godde

Rajarani Temple
The Rajarani temple, dating back to the eleventh century, is set in open paddy fields, and the entire structure exudes grace and elegance. The name of the temple has been the subject of much debate. The most likely explanation is that the name is related to the lovely red-and- gold sandstone used in its construction, a stone which is known locally as rajarani.

Puri
Other than the attraction of its glorious beach, this city by the sea is a major pilgrim centre in India. Adi Shankara founded one of the Peethas here. Puri’s beach, a major draw, is ideal for swimming and surfing.

Konark Temple:
The Sun Temple is an extant example of Indian devotion to the Sun-the God of all Gods, the very source of life itself. Built as an architectural morvel in the 13th century, here a colossal image of the chariot of the sun, drawn by seven horses and 24 wheels symbolizes the divisions of time.The Sun Temple of Narasimhadeva is a depiction in stone of the life of those times – Royal, Social, Religious and Military. The sun temple according to the world famous poet Rabindranath Tagore, “The language of stone, defeats the language of Man.