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| Area |
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155,707 Sq. km. The Capital city is Bhubaneshwar. |
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| Boundaries |
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To the East of Orissa is Bay of Bengal, to the Northeast
is West Bengal, to the South is Andhra Pradesh,
to the West is Madhya Pradesh and to the North is
Bihar. |
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| Important
Cities and towns |
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Sundar Ghar, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Puri, Cuttack,
Bhubaneshwar, Baleshwar, Baripada |
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| Places
of Tourist Interest |
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Bhubaneshwar, Gopalpur on sea, Puri, Sakshigopal,
Konark, Chilka Lake, Hirakud dam, Nandan Kanan,
Chandipur
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| Best
Time To Visit |
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October to March |
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| Airports |
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Chennai, Thiruchirapalli, Madurai, Coimbatore, Salem |
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| Climate |
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South East India broadly includes the states of
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. This region
experiences north-east monsoon between October
and December and temperatures and humidity are
high all year. Hills of Tamil Nadu can be cold
in winter.
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| Required
Clothing |
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Lightweight cottons and linens. Warmer clothes
in winter particularly in hills.
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| Food
culture |
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Rice
forms the staple food, wheat taking second place.
Meals include lightly spiced side dishes of vegetables
of pulses, chutneys and pickles. Fresh seafood,
especially prawns and the flat pompret fish.
Orissa is particularly noted for its milk sweets-
rasamalai, khiramohan, rajbhoga, rabidi, chhenapodapitha
and kalakanda. Khiri is prepared with milk and
rice, semolina or vermicelli while special pithas
are often filled with sweetened coconut.
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| BHUBNESHWAR |
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Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa, is
often known as the 'temple town' owing
to its over 7000 extravagant, Orissan
architectural style temples that existed
around the Bindusagar tank. About 5 kms
from the city are the Udayagiri and Khandagiri
caves, both dating from the Buddisht period.
Excursion
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Udaygiri Khandagiri
7 kms from Bhubaneshwar are the twin hills
of Udaygiri and Khandagiri. Built by Kharavela
around 1st - 2nd Century BC for Jain monks,
they are excellent examples of Jain Cave
art. The famous caves of Hathigumpha (elephant
cave) in Udaygiri, Rani Gumpha (Queen's
cave) also in Udaygiri, with upper and
lower stories, spacious courtyards and
extremely delicately designed friezes
bear witness to the ophistication the
architectural styles had attained as early
as the first Century BC.
Dhauli
Driving down the Puri-Konark Highway from
Bhubaneshwar one comes across Dhauli hill
on the banks of the River Daya. Surrounded
by the soothing greenery of paddy fields,
lies the 3rd Century BC Ashokan Rock Edict,
a memory of the gruesome war that transformed
Ashoka, the great Warrior into a Buddhist
missionary. The Peace Pagoda built in
collaboration with the Kalinga - Japanese
Buddhist Sangha, on the opposite hill,
is completely modern and is an excellent
foil. >>TOP
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Puri is the hallowed seat of the Hindu
religious deities Lord Jagannath (the
Lord of Universe), Subhadra and Balabhadra.
One of the 4 dhams venerated by most Hindus.
Puri, situated on the shores of the Bay
of Bengal is also a city of outdoors,
of lovely beaches, golden sands and gentle
sunshine, tempting enough to invite visitors,
both Indian and foreign, throughout the
year.
Konark
Konark, the Temple Chariot of the Sun
God (Black Pagoda) washed by the waters
of the Bay of Bengal, can boast of the
most exquisite specimen of Orissan craftsmanship
- The Sun Temple where according to Rabindranath
Tagor, 'the language of stone, defeats
the language of man'. The Konark Sun Temple
built on the Bay of Bengal in the 13th
century A.D., today, lies almost 2 kms
off the shore. The Black Pagoda to the
European sailors, it captivates the spectators
imagination. Constructed by Raja Narasimhadeva
it is an extant example of Indian devotion
to the Sun - the God of all gods, the
very source of life itself. >>TOP
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