India Travel

Gopalpur-on-Sea in Southern Orissa

Related Properties from Gurgaon

Berhampur in Southern Orissa

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

Southern Orissa

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.

Travel details of Southern Orissa

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

Accommodation and eating in Souhtern Orissa

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.

Chilika Lake in Southern Orissa

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

Balasore in Orissa

The first town of any note along the way, BALASORE (literally "town of the young lord"- Krishna) was one of the earliest British outposts in India. In 1636, it was given by the emperor Shah Jahan to a British surgeon, Gabriel Broughton, after he had successfully cured a Moghul princess of burns (her clothes had caught fire during a sea voyage). If the port hadn't silted up in the eighteenth century, Balasore might well have become Calcutta. As it is, the sea is now 13km away and the town is little more than a collection of market stalls grouped around

The southern area in Madhya Pradesh

The southern area of the enclosure harbours some of Sanchi's most interesting temples. Pieces of burnt wood dug from the foundations of Temple 40 prove that the present apsicial-cnded chaitya was built on top of an earlier structure contemporary with the Mauryan Stupa 1. Temple 17 is a fine example of early Gupta architecture and the precursor of the classical Hindu design developed later in Orissa and Khajuraho. Its small, flat-roofed sanctum is entered via an open-sided porch held up by four finely carved pillars with lion capitals. Nearby, directly opposite the Great Stupa's southern entrance, the talislender pillars of

Parasumaresvara Mandir in Orissa

The best preserved and most beautiful of Bhubaneswar's early temples, the lavishly decorated Parasumaresvara Mandir stands in the shade of a large banyan tree just beyond the square, and was built around 650 AD. Art historians rave about this temple, which, with its plain, rectangular assembly hall (jagamohana), simple stepped roof and squat beehive-shaped tower (deul), typifies the predominant style of late seventh-century Orissa. Tn addition to the sheer quality of its exterior sculpture, Parasumaresvara is significant in marking the then-recent transition from Buddhism to Hinduism. The brahmin may point out panels depicting Lakulisha, the proselytizing Shaivite whose sect was

The beach of Jagannath in Orissa

If a peaceful swim and a He in the sun are your top priorities, you may be disappointed with Puri beach. It's not just the constant stream of hawkers that's the problem - the stretch of beach in front of the fishing village has become a three-kilometre-long open-air toilet and rubbish dump. Although it's a cheaper and perhaps more natural way of dealing with sewage than pumping it into the ocean, it does tend to get between your toes on the beach. If you want to swim and sunbathe, the stretch of beach beyond the Sanskrit University, 3km to the

Around the town in Orissa

Capital Market, situated m a residential area along Janpath, is the place to buy typical Orissan handlooms, handicrafts and jewellery. All the material shops claim to be the official government outlet, so the prices for lengths of beautifully woven cloth and ready-made garments are very competitive. Tucked in a corner of Unit Two East, next to a large fast-food joint, is a treasure-trove of tribal and village crafts and jewellery and materials, all at bargain prices. Ask to look in the dusty cupboards and you may well stumble across an antique mask or two. Hidden away on the northwestern edge of

Vagator in Goa

Barely a couple of kilometres of cliff-tops and parched grassland separate Anjuna from the southern fringes of its nearest neighbour. VAGATOR. A desultory collection of ramshackle farmhouses and picturesque old Portuguese bungalows scattered around a network of leafy lanes, the village is entered at the east via a branch off the Mapusa road, which passes a few small guesthouses and restaurants before running down to the sea. Dominated by the red ramparts of Chapora fort, Vagator's broad white sandy beach - Big Vagator beach - is undeniably beautiful, spoiled only by the daily deluge of whisky-swilling tour parties that spill

Around Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala

Although for virtually its entire 550-kilometre length the Keralan coast is lined with sandy beaches, rocky promontories and coconut palms, Kovalam is one of the only places where swimming in the sea is not considered eccentric by locals, and which offers accommodation to suit all budgets. When it gets too hot at sea level, Ponmudi, a bus ride away in the Cardamom hills through forest, spice and tea plantations, makes a refreshing break. Another easy excursion from Thiruvananthapuram is its predecessor as capital of Travancore, Padrnanabhapuram, site of a magniScent palace.

Accommodation of Kanniyakumari in Central Tamil Nadu

As Kanniyakumari is a "must-see" for Indian tourists and pilgrims, hotels can fill up early. However, recent developments have raised standards, and relieved the pressure on space. Kerala House, seafront, A large colonial-era building, converted into a rest house for Keralan civil servants, whose cavernous doubles (two of them are a/c) have dressing rooms and bathrooms; some rooms have sea views. Book in advance through the Political Department of the State Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram. Lakshmi Tourist Home, E Car Street. The rooms are smart, some are sea-facing and have swish a/c There's an excellent non-veg restaurant. Maadhini, E Car Street. Large,

Practicalities of Southern Orissa

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

Along the Hooghly to the sea In Coastal Bengal

As the Hooghly bends south on its way to the sea, it becomes larger and larger; when it reaches the Bay of Bengal at Diamond Harbour, 50km south of Calcutta, it is very wide indeed. The harbour was used by the East India Company, and a ruined fort is said to date back to Portuguese pirates. The trip down here from the city, by bus or train from Sealdah station, is a popular day's excursion for Calcuttans, though it's also possible to stay the night at the Sagarika Tourist Lodge, which has some a/c rooms. Book through the tourist office

Around Konarak in Orissa

Some way outside the compound, near the Yatri Niwas hotel, the archeological museum (daily 9am-5pm; Rs5) has lost most of its juicy pieces to Delhi, but there is a brave attempt to reconstruct a platform wall and a chariot wheel of the temple using fragments of the original sculpture and lurid pink plaster. The rest of the galleries are a bawdy show of the ancient variety - the sheer number of "celestial beauties", fragments of busts, curvaceous hips and couples locked in Tantric poses, is a real feast. Outside, a small shed in the northeast corner of the enclosure houses

Simlipal National Park Accommodation in Orissa

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

Southern torana in Madhya Pradesh

Opening directly onto the ceremonial staircase, the southern torana was the Great Stupa's principal entrance, as is borne out by the proximity of the stump of Ashoka's original stone pillar. Over the years, some of the panels with the best sculpture have dropped off the gateway (and are now housed in the site museum), but those that remain on the three crossbeams are still in reasonable condition. A carved frieze on the middle architrave shows Ashoka, complete with royal retinue, visiting a stupa in a traditional show of veneration. On the reverse side, the scene switches to one of the

The central group in Orissa

The compact central group, just of Lewis Road, beyond the museum and OTDC Panlhaniwai Hotel, includes some of Bhubaneswar's most celebrated temples. In order to see the oldest first, follow the footpath from the main road past the more recent Muktesvara Mandir and its adjacent water tank, as far as a small square lined with cold-drink stalls and souvenir shops.

Southern Andhra Pradesh

The further south you travel from the fertile lands watered by the great Krishna and Godavari rivers, the less hospitable the terrain becomes, especially in the rocky southwest of the state. For Hindus, the main attraction in southern Andhra Pradesh is the tenth-century Venkateshvara temple, outside Tirupati, the most popular Vishnu shrine in India, where several thousand pilgrims come each day to receive darshan. Puttaparthy, the home town of the spiritual leader Sai Baba, is the only other place in the region to attract significant numbers of visitors. Both Tirupati and Puttaparthy are closer to Bangalore in Karnataka and Chennai