Page 322 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

320  EASTERN INDIA

5 Gopalpur-on-Sea
Ganjam district. 172 km (107 miles)
SW of Bhubaneswar. £ Berhampur
18 km (11 miles) E of town centre,
then taxi or bus. @ n Odisha
Tourism, Berhampur Pantha nivas,
(0680) 234 3931.
This quiet seaside town was,
in ancient times, a great seaport
for Odisha’s maritime trade with
Indonesia (see p322). The British
later deve loped it as a beach
resort and it now has a sleepy
charm, except during the Floral offering to a goddess of fertility at
Durga Puja holidays (see p285) Taptapani’s hot springs
Chilika Lake, a haven for water birds in October, when it swarms
and dolphins with tourists from Bengal. of heart. The edict is similar to
Swimming in the sea is not the one at Dhauli (see p313), in
4 Chilika Lake safe because of treacherous which Ashoka declares “All
undercurrents. However, the men are my children” and spells
Puri, Ganjam & Khordha districts.
50 km (31 miles) SW of Puri. beach, lined with bungalows out his ethical code. A short
£ Balugaon, then taxi or bus. and dotted with casuarina distance away, at Buguda, is
@ Balugaon & Satpada. n Odisha groves, is a good place to spend the Biramchinarayan Temple,
Tourism, Barkul, (06756) 211 078. the day, watching the fishing built in the 17th century, with
_ Makar Mela (Jan). Satpada and boats and the sunset. beautiful murals depicting
Nalabana islands: 4 hired from scenes from the Ramayana.
Barkul, Balugaon, Satpada & Rambha.
6 Berhampur
A great, shallow lagoon covering Ganjam district. 170 km (106 miles) 7 Taptapani
1,100 sq km (425 sq miles), SW of Bhubaneswar. £ @ Ganjam district. 51 km (32 miles)
Chilika is separated from the n Odisha Tourism, Railway Station, SW of Berhampur. @ n Odisha
Bay of Bengal by a sandy ridge, (0680) 228 0226. Tourism, Taptapani, (06814) 211 631.
with just a narrow channel
connecting it to the sea. Believed The main commercial centre Picturesquely located on a
to be the largest brackish water in southern Odisha, Berhampur forested hill in the Eastern Ghats,
lake in Asia, Chilika is recognized is famous for its beautiful this spa is renowned for its hot
as one of the most important handwoven ikat silk, avail able springs. The boiling, sulphurous
wetlands in the world because in its bustling bazaar, where water bubbles out of a crevice in
of the phenomenal variety of weavers sit at their looms. The the hillside and is piped to a pool
aquatic and birdlife it supports. railhead for the seaside town in a clearing. Near the pool is a
From November to February, of Gopalpur-on-Sea, Berhampur small shrine to a tribal goddess
the lake and its reed islands teem is also a convenient base for of fertility as, apart from being
with nesting birds, including visiting Jaugarh, 35 km (22 miles) beneficial for various chronic
several winter migrants, such north of the city. Jaugarh has ailments, the hot springs are also
as the golden plover, flamingo, a 3rd-century BC rock edict believed to cure infertility. A tree
purple moorhen and osprey. erected by the Emperor Ashoka with seed pods overhangs the
A major attraction at Chilika following the Battle of Kalinga, pool, and women seeking
are dolphins, which are often after which he had a change the infertility cure are supposed
spotted off Satpada Island, to pick up seeds from the tree
located at the confluence of that have fallen to the muddy
the lake and the sea. bottom of the pool – a difficult
Nalabana Island, at the core feat, especially since the water
of the lake, is the best place for is too hot for more than a quick
bird-watching. Odisha Tourism dip. The Saora tribal women
arranges boat trips to both the (see p325), whose villages are
islands. Kalijai Temple, built nearby, can often be seen taking
on a small rocky island, is a the cure. The most comfortable
pilgrimage spot that attracts way to enjoy the hot springs is
festive crowds during the Makar by renting a room in the Odisha
Mela in January. The lake also Tourism rest house just below
supports the local people who the pool, as it has hot water from
earn their living from Chilika’s Painted panel from the 17th-century the springs piped directly into its
prawns, crabs and fish. temple at Buguda bathtubs.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p698 and pp711–12

320-321_EW_India.indd 320 26/04/17 11:45 am
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