Puri

The seat of Lord Jagannath, site of renowned Rathyatra Festival and one of the most popular sea side resorts on the Bay of Bengal, Puri is an ideal travel destination all the year round.

Renowned for its magnificent sun temple, which was constructed by Narasimha Deva of Ganga dynasty of Orissa in mid 13th century, Konark is also a lovely beach resort. In Konark, the "Natya Mandir", the dance hall of the Sun Temple probably remains as the last remnant of the glorious temples of Orissa an extant example of the architectural excellence of the times.

Chilika Lake, spreading over an area of 1100 sq. kms is the largest brackish water lake in the country and attracts large number of migratory birds besides resident ones. Barkul and Rambha are two places on the lake which serve as the base. Though the lake can be visited throughout the year, October to March is the best season.

Nestled in the centre of Mayurbhanj, the northernmost district of Orissa is the similipal National Park one of India's better known wild life sanctuaries, covering a large forested area of 2750 sq.kms. The variation in topography, climate and vegetation has supported large varieties of animals, birds and reptiles. Similipal is one of the earliest and finest of India's fifteen Tiger reserves under Project Tiger.

The picturesque Nandankanan, or the Garden of the Gods, is a beautiful biological park, 20 kms from Bhubaneshwar, established in 1960.  Here the flora and fauna flourish in their natural habitat. The park houses the very first captive crocodile breeding centre of the country. The zoo at Nandakanan is world-renowned for its white tigers.

With facilities for boating, white tiger and lion safaris, a nocturnal animal house, reptile park, aerial ropeway and cable car, it is the place for a person with a penchant for the great outdoors.

Located in Bhubaneshwar, this reserve is the ony one of its kind in India. Besides elephants, sambar, bears, wild dogs, pea fowls and pythons can be spotted.

Bhitarnika is an adventurist's paradise and a breeding ground for Olive Ridley turtles. The second largest mangrove forest of the country, it was declared a sanctuary in 1975, in order to protect the estuarine crocodile and the turtles in their rare mangrove habitat.

Puri Beach

Puri is famous for its attractive coastline, that has gifted it with some very fine beaches. The beach front is wide, and ideal for beach sports. There are several resorts, that line the beaches, and range from the modest in comfort, to the more luxurious. Due to the rough sea, water sports are not common.

Another popular beach resort is Gopalpur-on-Sea, 170 km from Bhubaneshwar, and 15 km from Berhampur. This is a perfect beach, fairly isolated, and undisturbed by day-trippers. This place is good for both sailing and surfing.

Chandipur

Another divine beach resort of Orissa, Chandipur is situated 16 kms away from Balasore. It is a unique beach in that that the sea water recedes about 5 kms during low tide and advances to the shore line again during high tide, each day.

The Director,
Department of Tourism,
Govt. of Orissa
Paryatan Bhawan, Near State Museum,
Bhubaneswar.
Tel: 91-674-432177, e-mail:

Accomodation

Very good hotel and lodging facilities are available in Bhubaneswar, Puri, Konark, Chilika Lake and Gopalpur-on-sea.

BHUBANESWAR
Lewis Road, Bhubaneswar
PIN-751 014
Tel. 91-674-432314/432515

PURI
Chakratirtha Rd., Puri
PIN-752 001
Tel. 91-6752-22740/22562

CUTTACK
At/P.O.Buxibazar, Cuttack
PIN-753 001
Tel. 91-671-621876/621916

BARKUL
At-Barkul, P.O.Balugaon, Dist.Khurda
PIN-753 001
Tel. 91-6756-20488

SAMBALPUR
At/P.O.Dist.-Sambalpur
PIN-768 001
Tel. 91-663-521482/402622