India Travel

Trains

Bhubaneswar to: Agra (1-2 daily; 29-37hr 30min); Balasore (10 daily; 4hr); Bangalore (2 weekly; 31lir); Berliampur (7 daily; 2hr 30min-3hr); Calcutta (6-3 daily; 8-13hr); Chennai (2-4 daily; 20hr 45min-26hr); Cochin (4 weekly: 36-38hr); Cuttack (11 daily; 30-55min); Delhi (3-4 daily; 25-43hr); Hyderabad (3 daily; 20-24hr): Mumbai (1 daily; 38hr); Puri (7 daily; 2-3hr); Varartasi (3 weekly; 23hr).

Puri to: Agra (1 daily; 38hr 40min}; Balasore (5-6 daily; 4hr 30min-6rir); Bhubaneswar (5-6 daily; 1 hr 3Qmin-2hr); Calcutta (2 daily: 11hr 30min); Delhi (3 daily; 32-44hr); Varanasi (3 weekly; 22hr).

Balasore to: Bhubaneswar (7-9 daily; 3hr 45min-6hr); Calcutta (6-8 daily; 4-Shr); Puri (5-6 daily; 6-7hr).

Buses

Bhubaneswar to: Balasore (every 30min; 3hr 30min-5hr|; Berhampur (6-8 daily; 3hr): Calcutta (4 nightly; 10hr); Cuttack (every 15min; 45min-1hr): Konarak (1 daily; 1hr 30min-2hr); Pipli (every 15min; 30min); Puri (every 15min: 2hr). Puri to: Bhubaneswar (every 20min; 2hr); Calcutta (2 daily; 12hr); Chilika Lake (1 daily; 2-3hr); Konarak (every 30min; 40min-1 hr).

Balasore to: Baripada (every 20min; 1hr); Bhubaneswar (6-8 daily; 3hr 30min-5hr); Calcutta (5 daily; 5-7hr|; Chandipur (5 daily; 30min); Puri (4-6 daily; 5-71).

Berhampur to: Bhubaneswar (6-10 daily; 3hr); Gopalpur-on-Sea (every 15min; 30min); Koraput (1 daily; 13hr); Rayagada(1 daily: 3hr); Taptapani (hourly; 1 hr 15min).

Flights
Bhubaneswar to: Calcutta (1 daily; 55min); Chennai (4 weekly; 2hr 30min); Delhi (daily; 2hr 10min); Hyderabad (3 weekly; 1hr 45min); Mumbai (3 weekly; 2hr); Visakhapatnam (4 weekly; 55min).

Beyond Taptapani, you’re soon worlds away from the congested roads and towns of Orissa’s coastal plains. Traffic dries up, villages become even poorer and less frequent and rice cultivation is squeezed out by thick forest. The appearance of pots attached to sago palms and windowless mud huts with low thatched roofs indicate that you’ve arrived in Orissa’s adivasi heartland. The pass above Taptapani is the start of the Saora’s traditional land. Further west around the Koraput and Jeypore area live the Dongria Kondh, the Koya and the Bondas. Officially, you’re not allowed into the district without first obtaining a permit from the stare government. Paranoia about Naxalites hiding out in the forests along the Andhra Pradesh border, coupled with a marked reluctance to allow foreigners into tribal zones, make these notoriously difficult to obtain. It’s still possible to move freely around die various towns and villages in Orissa’s wild west, though it’s hard to know which, if any, are worth the hassle of minimal infrastructure, rudimentary accommodation and infrequent transport. If you’re really keen to visit adivasi villages, the best, though far from the cheapest, way is to arrange a trip through a specialist travel agent in Bhubaneswar or Puri. They’ll take care of the permits, sort out food and rooms and, if they’re any good, have local contacts to make sure you behave appropriately in the villages and markets. Heritage Tours (06752/27800 or 278001) in Puri arrange six-to ten-day trips for roughly Rsl200 (or the dollar equivalent) per person per day and make every effort not to intrude where outsiders are not welcome. However, adivasi villages see no share of the spoils, a situation they feel justifiably angry about, and you may well receive a very frosty reception. Whichever way you look at it though, turning up in an isolated and culturally sensitive place with an Ambassador car and a camera has got to be a pretty unsound way of “meeting” the locals.

One possible foray from Berhampur, if you’re tempted by the lure of the nearby hills and scenes of Orissan countryside at its most rural, is the trip up to TAPTAPANI, a spa village nestled in the ghats 51km to the west. The road leads out through Berhampurs hectic commercial district to a broad, flat-bottomed river valley strewn with huge black granite boulders and poor-looking villages. Along the way, patches of rice paddy and red-brown soil are enlivened by glimpses of local women hard at work in their blue and green cotton saris. Paddy workers and cowherders are noticeable by the conical woven hats with extremely wide brims that they carefully balance on their heads. An hour or so out, the increasingly bumpy road gradually narrows and loses most of its traffic, the hills and sal forest begin to close in and the bus, stuffed full with villagers heading upcountry, starts to crawl around the hairpins towards the pass. Among die passengers you’re likely to sec a number of Tibetans from the Chandragiri refugee camp, 45km off the main road beyond Taptapani. Following the Chinese invasion in 1957 the refugees were given land by the Orissan government on which to settle and have lived there ever since, weaving carpets and breeding ferocious guard dogs for a living.

After the journey up the valley, Taptapani itself is little more than a line of dingy snack stalls and mildewed bungalows deep within dense forest - the kind of place to which government servants pray not to be posted. Pilgrims come here for the legendary hot springs, believed to cure infertility. The boiling sulphurous water bubbles out of a cleft in the mountainside and is piped into a small pool, where jutting little rocks smeared with vermilion and hibiscus petals mark the presence of the living deities believed to reside in the water. It is prohibited to dip any part of the body in the pool. Behind, a plain tank contains the spring water for people to paddle in; it’s not so clean but the temperature is soothing. Women seeking to avail themselves of its curative effects are supposed to grope under the surface for seeds that fall off the tree overhanging the pond - an act of endurance that can take days to accomplish.

If you choose to stay in Taptapani, you can enjoy the water in the privacy of your own hotel; it’s pumped into capacious sunken bathtubs in some of the more expensive rooms at the atmospheric and peaceful OTDC Panthaniwas (06814/49531). It is a short way down the hill from the springs, and commands fine views over the trees and valley to the hills in the distance. Although the Panthatiiwas is rarely full, there’s absolutely nowhere else to stay for miles around, so it’s safest to reserve a room through an OTDC office or hotel m advance. The decent restaurant at the Panthaniwas serves inexpens and delicious Indian food.

BERHAMPUR is the last major Orissan town before Andhra Pradesh. There is little of tourist interest except perhaps the weavers’ quarter around thetemple where the town’s famous silk sans are still produced using traditional hand looms. Moving on is most people’s priority.

The mam bus routes from Berhampur are north to Bhubaneswar (4hr; the OTDC luxury bus leaves at 2.30pm); west past Taptapani (every 15min: Rsl5) towards Rayagada and Koraput; and east to Gopalpur-on-Sea. Private buses leave from the new bus stand, some way across town, while the state transport company works out of the more central bus stand in the square. The main-line railway station is a ten-minute rickshaw ride to the south.

There are a few decent places to stay should you get stuck here; if it’s not too late, it’s far better to head down the road to Gopalpur-on-Sea for the night.The rambling old Government Rest House (0680/200466) opposite the cricket ground is the best value - basic but cheap and central, just around the corner Hotel Moti (0680/203641) is overpriced and dingy, with some a/c rooms and a restaurant. If all else fails the railway retiring rooms at the station will do for a night. For food, the Mali has a decent, if very dark, restaurant.

Gopalpur’s many rooms tend to cost considerably more than elsewhere, and you may well feel inclined to haggle. Only during holiday times, however, are they liable to be booked up in advance. The rates below all refer to the off-season between March and October. As for eating, there’s a surprising dearth of seafood in Gopalpur, though some restaurateurs can be cajoled into cooking die odd pomfret, given sufficient warning.

Holiday Home, on corner of promenade and main road 0680/242049. A relaxed establishment in an old colonial building. The rooms are all large and colourful, each with access to the communal veranda. Food is prepared on request.

Holiday Inn, near the lighthouse. Couldn’t be less like its North American namesake - a handful of very basic rooms around a yard with bucket baths and no running water. The friendly family allow guests to use their kitchen.

Mermaid, on the north side of the beach 0680/242050 Friendly place pitched at wealthy Calcuttans, with plain rooms and private sea-facing balconies. With advance notice, nonresidents can enjoy the delicious Bengali thalis prepared here for the discerning palate.

Oberoi Palm Beach, 0680/242021. Cosy, characterful five-star, with chalets around a central lawn, a jogging track, a tennis court, lots of palm trees and easy access to the beach. The congenial restaurant serves plush, expensive buffet spreads and delicious seafood: the bar has a good wine selection and is reasonably priced.

Panthaniwas, to the right, along the seafront 0680/242088. Unfortunately there are no sea-facing rooms, but this new hotel has clean rooms, each with attached bath, and a dorm (Rs70); the excellent chef will whip up tasty Indian dishes and breakfast on demand.

Rosalin, on the seafront 0680/242071. Chaotic family-run establishment with basic small rooms around a small garden-courtyard and a very informal restaurant for standard omelette, tea and toast breakfasts or dhal, veg and rice dinners. Cheap and cheerful.

Sea Side Breeze, north side of the beach 0680/82075. Simple, but pleasant enough, with spacious neat rooms.

Two thousand or more years ago, when the Kalingas were piling up wealth from the pearl and silk trade with southeast Asia, GOPALPUR-ON-SEA, formerly the ancient port of Paloura, must have been a swinging place. Today, the only time you’re likely to encounter much action is during the monsoon, when the village is temporarily inundated with Bengali holiday-makers. For the rest of the year, its desultory collection of crumbling bungalows and seafront hotels stands idle, left to the odd backpacker blown off-course by the promise of an undiscovered beach paradise, and the armies of industrious fishermen hauling in hand nets on Gopalpur’s endless empty shoreline. Paradise it certainly isn’t, but if you’re looking for a spot along the coast to unwind and enjoy the warm sea breezes, this could be just the place.

The village has plenty of accommodation, much of it heavily discounted in the off-season, and there’s a reasonable choice of places to eat. Despite appearances to the contrary, Gopalpur’s long white sandy beach is far from an ideal place to swim and sunbathe. For the local fishing community (katias), the rare spectacle of a white (read “rich and apparently insane") person strolling half-naked through their workplace is a major distraction; a swim in the sea, let alone a discreet doze in the sun, is a veritable crowd-puller. Still, if you don’t mind being the centre of attention and are content to watch the locals fish, dressed in their traditional pointed straw bonnets and bright saris, the beach is an enjoyable place to while away a few hours.

Getting there is easiest via Berhampur, from where frequent minibuses and Jeeps depart from the central bus stand for the sixteen-kilometre trip. You’ll be dumped at the top of Gopalpur’s “main street", ten minutes’ walk from the seafront and most of the hotels.

The best place to stay on the lake is the excellent value Yatri Micas at Satapada on the coastal side, just 45km from Pun and linked by several daily buses. Some rooms have private balconies and the well-tended gardens run down to the lake; the restaurant prepares delicious thalis and fresh seafood if given advance notice. Rooms can be booked from Pun’s tourist office. There’s a cheap and accessible OTDC Panthaniwas (06810/57346), near the railway station at Rambha, 135km from Bhubaneswar, but it’s lacklustre and best avoided. The only plus is that it’s well placed for walks around the more scenic southern corner of the lake. The OTDC Panthaniwas (06756/20488) at Barkul, 34km north of Rambha, is a collection of shabby pink chalets, but rooms come with bath and mosquito nets (you won’t get a wink of sleep without one) and the food is reasonable. If you plan to visit between September and March, it is best to book ahead in the Bubaneswar OTDC tourist office. To get there, take a bus from Puri or Bhubaneswar cowards Berhampur and get off at Balugaon, where you can get an auto-rickshaw for the remaining 7km to Barkul.Alternatively, Gandhara Travels in Puri runs day-trips to Chilika on Mondays and Fridays for Rs100 per head.

OTDC motor launches, and rowing boats manned by local villagers, operate boat trips from Barkul and Satapada; prices are about Rs450 per hour for a seven-seater motor launch, or Rs650 ‘for a place in a twenty-seater boat if you don’t mind noisy crowds. The round trip to Kalijai island, the most popular option with domestic tourists, takes around two hours, while the bird sanctuary of Nalabana island takes four.The manager at the Barkul Panthaniwas can arrange scats. Rowing boats also depart from Rambha, though the fishermen who run them seem to be more intent on attending to their nets than ferrying passengers to the islands.

Were it not for its glass-like surface, CHILIKA LAKE, Asia’s largest lagoon, could easily be mistaken for the sea. From its mud-fringed foreshore you can barely make out the narrow strip of marshy islands and sand-flats that separate the 1100-square-kilometre expanse of brackish water from the Bay of Bengal. Come here between December and February, though, and you’ll see dozens of migratory bird species from as far afield as Siberia and Iran, including avocets, ruffs, pelicans, ospreys, flamingoes and rare cranes. Chital and black buck can also sometimes be spotted on the shore, and schools of Hide dolphins surround the boats. Elsewhere around the lake, several islands (some inhabited by small subsistence fishing communities, others deserted) are popular destinations for daily boat trips. By and large, the fishing villages and fabled island “kingdom” of Parikud on the eastern side of die lake, home to one of India’s wackier maharajas, are passed up in favour of the devi shrine on Kalijai island. Legend has it that a local girl once drowned here on the way to her wedding across the lake. Since no suitable male member of the family could be found to accompany the girl on the journey, her father stepped in at the last minute - a serious breach of Hindu custom. En route, a retributory storm blew in from the sea and overturned the boat. “When they had all but given up the search for survivors, some fishermen claimed to have heard the girl’s voice calling from under the water that she had become a goddess and that a shrine should be inaugurated in her name. Over the years the miracle has become associated with Kali (Shiva’s consort Durga in her terrifying aspect) and the place it occurred something of a sacred site. Each year at makar sankrati, after the harvest, pilgrims flock to the tiny island from all over Orissa and “West Bengal to leave votive offerings in die cave where the deity was enshrined.

Long stretches of dishevelled roadside settlements and rural stations along the National Highway do not inspire much excitement about the stretch of coast between Puri and Andhara Pradesh. However, there are a couple of scenic detours that may tempt you to break a long journey. Three hours south of the capital, at the foot of a barren, sea-facing spur of the Eastern Ghats - which creep up to the coast here - is India’s largest salt-water lake. Chilika’s main attractions are the one million or so migratory birds that nest here in winter, and leisurely boat trips to its islands. Seventy kilometres further on, Gopalpur-on-Sea is sufficiently remote to have remained a decidedly low-key beach town. Out of season, the only people are families from the local fishing community. Berhampur, 16km inland, is southern Orissa’s biggest market town, and the mam transport hub for the sinuous route west through the hills to the tribal districts of Koraput andjeypore.

Advance booking is officially required for all but one lodge, the Aranya Niwas, through the Field Director of Project Tiger, Banpada 757002, Mayurbhunj district, Orissa 06792/52593. It is not possible to pay for any accommodation using foreign currency or traveller’s cheques.

Where to go in Simlipal is largely dictated by the location of the lodges. There are six dotted around the park, but the best from the point of view of spotting wildlife is Chahala (83km from Banpada) - one of the maharaja’s former hunting lodges, just inside the core zone near a salt-lick where animals congregate in the evemngs. As with all accommodation in the park, facilities are very basic. You have to take in your own food and all utensils are provided, although the clwwki-Aax will cook for you. The other lodges are Barheipani (73km), a small wooden lodge on stiles with wide verandas, near a waterfall with impressive views; Newana (60km). which is in a “trost-prone valley": Gudugudia (25km from Joshipur). said to be particularly good for bird-watching; and Joranda (64km from Baripada), which has a bit of everything and a waterfall. The only lodge not requiring advance permission is the Aranya Niwas at Lulung. on the Baripada side (Rsl50 by Jeep from Baripada). You’re unlikely to see much wildlife here, but the rooms are pleasant; there’s a cheap dorm and a restaurant, and the compound, surrounded by an elephant-proof ditch, is right in the heart of the forest.