Aug 13, 2001 08:05 PM
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Orissa is an amazing state of India. The state has many contradictions, there is abject poverty and the state has been devastated by natural calamities but this state has a rich heritage and varieties of destinations, which one can enjoy and cherish.
The history of Orissa is very rich and as a matter of fact has changed the course of Indian History. This is the state of Kalinga where after the great war Emperor Ashoka understood the futility of war he has waged , and became ardent Buddhist and made peace and love the mission of his life and due his efforts this message spread in whole of South Asia.
As a travel destination Orissa has many, you may find Old temples, great sculptures, excellent beaches, unspoiled nature and wild life.
Bhubaneshwar is capital city of Orissa and very well connected with rest of India. This city itself is City Of Temples (more than 300), most famous is Lingaraj temple. Many very good travel destinations are near Bhubaneshwar and can be visited based from here, few worth mentioning are Puri (Famous for ancient Jaggannath temple and sea beach), Udaygiri & Khandagiri ( here you can find the stone inscription of Ashoka the great), Nandan Kanan (Lion safari and white tigers), Chilka Lake & the beautiful Sun Temple of Konarak. Bhubaneshwar has hotels and lodges to suit every ones pocket, road connections are very good and reasonably good public transport system.
Orissa has a huge coast line and you can find all kind of beaches which you can enjoy, busy and bustling like Puri, tranquil like Chandipur, lonely and beautiful like Gopalpur on sea. All the places are well connected and have very good lodging to suit every ones need.
If you want to do nothing and spend your time in tranquility and just looking at nature, the forests of Maurbhanj district is my favorite. One of the very few places where you can find unspoiled nature and people.
For a culture trip and souvenir shopping amazing Varity are available at Orissa. This is the home of Oddisi dance and regular performances can be enjoyed at various cities of Orissa. The Bichitrapuri and Cuttki Saris are piece of art. Fabric painting at Pipili near Puri and excellent sculptures are specialty of Orissa and definitely are collector items at affordable cost.
You can visit Orissa any time but I recommend from October to March. The Orissa government travel desk OTDC is I found very helpful and offer Varity of services. This is a state which I will like to recommend as must visit.
