India Travel

Travel details of Southern Orissa

Related Properties from Gurgaon

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.

State tourist offices in Calcutta

The most useful of the many tourist offices representing other states in Calcutta are those that cover trie northeastern states, and issue whichever permits may be necessary (details of permit requirements can be found on p.1043), and that of the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Andaman and Nicobar, 3A Auckland Place; Arunachal Pradesh, 41B Chowringhee Place; Assam, 8 Russell St; Manipur, 26 Rowland Rd; Meghalaya, 9 Russell St; Mizoram, 24 Old Ballygunge Rd; Nagaland, 11 Shakespeare Sarani; Orissa, 41 Lenin Sarani; Sikkim, 5/2 Russell St;

Moving on from Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh

Indian Airlines fly thrice weekly to Delhi (Mon, Wed, Fri 3pm). HRTC run numerous buses to destinations in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh. Most travellers prefer to book "deluxe" buses through operators in McLeod Ganj near the bus stand. Try Himachal Travels (01892/21428) or Potala Tours & Travels, Bhagsu Road, opposite Hotel Tibet (01892/21378). Buses to Pathankot, handy for train connections and road access to Dalhousie and Chamba leave every 30min from the rains bus stand in the lower town. As well as the services listed in the Travel Details on p.589, there are two or three buses a week

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

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

By air in Delhi

Indian Airlines, whose main office is in the Malhotra Building on F-Block, Connaught Place, near Wimpy, operate the largest network of internal flights, though private carriers serve more destinations; tickets can be bought through travel agents or the main offices. All flights leave from the domestic terminal, 15km southwest of town, easily reached by the convenient EATS bus service (Rs50 plus Rs5 for luggage; 30min) that departs from Pahka Bazaar, just opposite Wimpy. Rickshaws and taxis are more expensive, but slightly quicker. Passengers on domestic flights must check in two hours prior to departure. A simple food counter sells tea,

Details of Orissa

Despite being one of India's poorest regions, ORISSA boasts a distinctive and rich cultural heritage. From a backdrop of thickly forested mountains, where adivasi communities continue a very traditional way of life, the mighty Mahanandi and Brahmani rivers meander down to the fertile alluvial plains that run along the coast of the Bay of Bengal. Any visitor to Orissa cannot fail to notice the glaring contrast throughout the region, between the overwhelming vibrancy of the temples and monuments of powerful former dynasties and the desperately impoverished, drought-prone, paddy-field economy of Orissa today. Despite the seemingly idyllic existence of villages with their

Arrival, information and city transport of Puri in Orissa

Trains arriving at Puri's end-of-line station, in the north of town, are greeted by fired-up cycle rickshaw-wallahs sprinting alongside in the race to catch a foreigner. You'll encounter similar "rickshaw rage" at the main bus station I and the Jagannath temple, caused by competition for the commission offered by the aggressively touting hotels. The bus stand is further in the north of the city, a ten-minute rickshaw ride from the centre through the bumpy back- I streets. The OTDC tourist office on Station Road (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, closed 2nd Sat of the month; 06752/22664) is friendly and helpful; the 24-hour counter at

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

Details of Southern UP: Bundelkhand

BUNDELKHAND - the area defined by the craggy Vindhya Mountains, which stretch across southern UP - was carved by the ninth-century Chandella Rajputs into a mighty kingdom that included Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh (see p.468).Today, it abounds in relics of the past - the colossal astrologically aligned fortress at Kalinjar that was the Chandella capital of Mahoba, the Vaishnavite pilgrimage centre of Chitrakut, and the fortified town of Jhansi, scene of epic nineteenth-century resistance to the British. However, the sheer harshness of the terrain, and the all but unbearable heat in the summer, make this the most difficult, if intriguing,

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

Beyond Taptapani in Southern Orissa

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

Moving on from Kochi/ErakuEam in Kerala

For an overview of travel services to and from Kochi/Ernakulam, see Travel Details on p.1378. By air The new international airport (0484/610050, 610115. or 610116) at Nedumbassery near Alwaye (aka Alua), 26km to the north of Ernakulam, has been designed to attract international flights especially from the Gulf. Jet Airways has two flights a day to Mumbai, and Indian Airlines operates daily flights to Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, and Thiruvananthapuram. Indian Airlines flies six days a week to Chennai, and twice weekly to Goa, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Calicut. If you want to fly to the Lakshadweep Islands, contact Casino Hotel, Willingdon Island f-

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

Moving on from Aurangabad in Maharashtra

Daily flights from Aurangabad to Mumbai (40min; $75) are operated by Jet Airways (8.45pm) and Indian Airlines (5.30pm). The Indian Airlines flight also carries on to Delhi ($175). Their office is on Jalna Road (3 0240/485421). Ail the state transport corporation (MSRTC) buses leave from the Central bus stand and the MTDC buses depart from the MTDC Holiday Resort. The MSRTC run good-value "luxury" daily night-buses to Mumbai. If you feel like a little more comfort, there are a couple of companies running more expensive a/c buses to most of the larger destinations; tickets can be booked through travel agents. Getting

Details of Jhansi in Southern UP

Unless you harbour a passion for seventeenth-century forts, you'll find the rail-and road-junction town of JHANSI. located in an anomalous promontory of UP that thrusts south into Madhya Pradesh, unremittingly dull. Most visitors only stop long enough to catch a connecting bus to Khajuraho, 175km further southeast in Madhya Pradesh. Until 1742, Jhansi was a sleepy satellite village of the Bundela capital at nearby Orchha, 18km southeast. When the local raja died without a male heir in 1853, the British enacted the controversial Principle of Lapse to wrest control of the town from his widow. Four years later, resentment at this

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

Orissan festivals

Chances of coinciding with a festival while in Orissa are good, since the region celebrates many of its own as well as all the usual Hindu festivals for additional details of Mayurbhunj festivals. Makar Mela (mid-Jan). Pilgrims descend on a tiny island in Chilika Lake to leave votive offerings in a cave for the goddess Kali. Adivasis Mela (Jan 26-Feb 1). Bhubaneswar's "tribal" fair is a disappointing cross between Coney Island and an agricultural show, though it does feature good live music and dance. Magha Saptami (Jan & Feb). During the full moon phase of Magha, a small pool at Chandrabhaga beach, near

Travel details in Ladakh

The bus details here apply during the tourist season between July 1 and September 15 only, after which date the Manali-Leh highway is officially closed. Most other roads, including the highway from Leh to Srinagar Kargil, remain open till the end of October. Despite heavy snow falls, the road from Leh to the Nubra Valley over the open all year. Buses Leh to: Alchi (1 daily; 3hr); Chemrey (3 daily; 2hr); Dishit (Nubra) (1 weekly; 6hr); Hemis (1-2 daily; 1hr 45minl; Kargil (2-3 daily; 6hr 30min); Lamayuru (2-3 daily; 6hr 30min); Likkir (1 daily; 3hr); Manali (6-8 daily; 28hr); Matho (2 daily;

Hospital in Goa

Panjim's largest hospital, the Goa Medical College (aka the GMC), in the west of town at the far end of Avda Dom Joao Castro, is grim and overstretched; if you're able to travel, ™ head for the more modern and better-equipped -Salgaonkar Hospital. Ambulances are likely to get you there a lot less quickly than a standard taxi. Music and dance Regular recitals of classical rri Indian music