Page 325 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

ODISHA  323

Flocks of waders amidst the mangroves at Bhitarkanika Sanctuary
of brick stupas. A colossal mangrove forests in the country country. Bagagahana and
sculpture of the Buddha here after the Sunderbans in West Saribana are the spots to visit for
has an inscription dating it to Bengal (see pp292–3), with 63 birdwatching in Bhitarkanika.
the 8th century. of the 72 known mangrove Accommodation is available at
Lalitgiri (“Hill of Grace”), about species found here. a forest rest house at Chandbali,
10 km (6 miles) south of Udaigiri Encompassing 12 offshore the entry point to the sanctuary,
(and directly connected by bus islands, long sandy beaches as well as deep within the sanc-
to Cuttack), is believed to be the and numerous rivulets and tuary at Dangmal, Habalikhati
oldest of the sites. The ruins, spread creeks, Bhitarkanika is home and Ekakula (all three are
over two adjacent hills, include to an impressive range of fish, accessible by boat). Odisha
a terraced stone platform, a more than 170 species of birds Tourism in Bhubaneswar and
gallery of life-size Bodhisattva such as storks, kingfishers, sea Cuttack organize tours and the
figures and an apsidal temple. eagles, and the largest number necessary Forest Department
Some of the better-preserved of estuar ine crocodiles in the permits for Bhitarkanika.
sculptures and a carved doorway
have been incorporated into a
modern Hindu temple. At the The Olive Ridley Turtle
foot of a hill is a village of stone- Every year, in an awe-inspiring
carvers, who keep alive Odisha’s phenomenon, hundreds of
fine tradition of stone thousands of Olive Ridley turtles arrive
from as far away as South America to
E Ratnagiri nest at Gahirmatha, a 10-km (6-mile)
Archaeological Museum stretch of beach near the mouth of
Open Sat–Thu. & the Brahmani river in Bhitarkanika
Sanctuary. The world’s largest
arribada (Spanish for “the great
0 Bhitarkanika arrival”) occurs between January and An Olive Ridley turtle nesting at
Sanctuary March, when some 200,000 nesting Gahirmatha Beach
females congregate here, each laying
Kendrapara district. 106 km (66 miles) between 50 and 200 eggs in deep
E of Cuttack. Entry points: Chandbali, hollows they excavate in the sand. After a two-month incubation with
Rajnagar. £ Bhadrakh, 50 km the sun’s heat, the hatchlings emerge in millions and scam per out to the
(31 miles) NW of Chandbali, then bus. sea at night. Sadly, less than 0.1 per cent survive to adulthood, as dogs,
@ to Rajnagar. 4 from Rajnagar seagulls, sharks as well as human poachers take an enormous toll on
or Chandbali to Dangmal, Ekakula & their numbers. The absence
Habalikhati. n For permits and of arribadas in 1997 and 1998
bookings contact Bhubaneswar, caused much alarm among
(06786) 220 397 or Rajnagar, (06729) conservationists, until in March
272 460. Open mid-Oct–mid-Apr. & 2000 a record 700,000 Olive
Ridleys arrived at Gahirmatha.
Since the turtles return each year
Famous as the nesting ground to nest at the spot where they
of the Olive Ridley turtle, this were born, the cycle continues.
145-sq km (56-sq mile) sanc tuary Motorboats can be hired from
and national park is situated on Dangamala to visit Gahirmatha
the delta of the Brahmani and and see the world’s largest-known
Baitarani rivers on the Bay of Olive Ridley hatchlings heading for the sea rookery of Olive Ridley turtles.
Bengal. It also has the largest

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