Puri- The Final Destination of every Oriya

Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri

I have always been fascinated by drive to Puri right from my college days at KITS. Every place on the 60 km drive from Bhubaneswar has some significance. Still remember those days when me, Mota and Asit would ride on one of my fellow roommate, Bikash’s Scooter and would set off to Puri. The drive itself is an experience and of course the final destination Puri is altogether a very different one. Every place on the way has it’s own significance. Be it Uttara, Pipili, Sakhigopal, Chandanpur, Satsankha and Bata Mangala.

On a cool and pleasant morning

This time also, when I took Siddhu, my fellow IMDR Batchmate to Puri, the experience of drive was no different from the previous ones. Same cool breeze tingling your skin, sun rays piercing the coconut tree’s leaves and hitting the road as if creating a natural kaleidoscope, Swans swimming on the roadside ponds and paddy fields overloaded with harvest.

We started early for Puri and Konark(Travelogues on Konark & Balukhand have been covered in other sections).As we were neared Uttara Chowk ,talk on King Ashok and Kalinga war started. I told him stories of bravery shown by Kalinga warriors on the banks of Daya river. Daya river did change to a river of Blood during the Kalinga war. The killings of the war moved Ashok so much that he became “Dharma” Ashok from “Chandal” Ashok.

Then we crossed Pipili, a place famous for “Chanduas(decorative wall hangings made out of colourful clothes and small mirror pieces”).Since, we didn’t have that much time,so didn’t halt at Pipili.

After fueling the Car’s tank near Sakhigopal,we headed straight to the Coconut water sellers sitting near the Railway crossing. This is somewhat like a ritual that I had followed over on each of my previous trips.

Near Sakhigopal Railway Crossing

By that time had increased and what a timing. We were crossing Chandanpur. There is no better place than having “Poori” and “Dalma(traditional Oriya dish made out of boiled vegetables and Pulses)”.And that too served on plates made out of dried leaves(khali patra).As I have told earlier that every place on the way to Puri has it’s own significance and there is some thing new for oustsiders. Chandanpur was also no different. After one eats his/her breakfast, one has to carry the plate and throw in the dustbin. Generally, this breakfast sellers are Brahmins and being at the highest level of Caste system in India, they don’t carry other’s leftovers.

Can you smell the steam of Dalma ??


Another View

As we were driving down, we crossed a group of bi cycle riders overloaded with small baskets made out of palm leaves.These are basically for packing prasad at Jagannath temple,Puri.These artifacts are trademark Puri type.

Famous "Bada Danda"

Cycle loaded with Palm Baskets

Before entering Puri, we took blessings from Bata Mangala. This is the traditional way of entering to Puri.

Finally reached Puri after a drive of one and half hour. As usual temple of Puri brings in new hopes and new enthusiasm . Temple itself is a small township with its own kitchen,small market called Ananda Bazar.After seeing Ananda Bazar ,one gets a feeling of going back to ages when there were small haats (market) . Small shops with narrow passages selling all sort of prasad like Abhada(rice),Saag,Kheer etc with small umbrellas on top. Another speciality is that they are cooked as well as sold in earthen pots. There is so much things to be told about Jagannath Temple that I need a different article all together which I will be covering some other day.
As we came out after darshan, we again saw those bicycle riders with baskets made out of palm leaves. I was correct that they all were heading towards the final destination of Puri.

We headed towards Konark Temple through the Marine Drive. This has been covered in other sections.

Category › Puri

Sun Temple of Konark

There are certain things without which Orissa can’t be thought off. One of them is the Konark Wheel or Chaka.

Konark Wheel---Symbol of Orissa

The Sun Temple of Konark or the Black Pagoda was constructed in mid thirteenth century by Raja Narasinghs Deva-I of the Ganga Dynasty.Konark was coined as Black Pagoda by European sailors who used it as a landmark. During earlier days Konark Temple used to be nearer the sea shore but as time ticked over the centuries ,Bay of Bengal had receded from the temple premises to almost 2 kms.Just ignite your Grey matter which helps in imagination and view the scene that Sailors must be seeing-A mammoth Black temple or the Konark Temple and at a distance ,the White Pagoda or the Jagganath Temple of Puri.

The Chariot Temple--Complete picture

King Narasimha Deva-I of the Ganga Dynasty started the construction of the Konark Temple as a matter of pride and symbol of supremacy.It was conceptualised as a huge chariot of Sun God on twelve pairs of extremely beautiful and artistic wheels drawn by seven horses.

From the Nata Mandapa

Every figure is different from the other...so many ideas

Carvings on the walls of the main temple is worth clicking. Though honestly speaking ,I don't have that much interest in this kind of sculpture but what I saw made me wonder about the creativity of the artisans who worked on these walls. Its there sweat and blood that has gone onto make what it is.

Lions at the entrance roaring about the past glory of Kalinga...

King employed around Twelve Hundred artisans in the work which continued for over a period of 12 years.But still work was not getting completed as per the time schedule set by the king. Frustrated with the progress and expenses ,king gave an ultimatum to the artisans.Either work would get completed in the stipulated time or everyone of the artisans will meet with dire consequences. The whole team under Bisu Maharana ,the chief architect was able to solve every problem but for one. Only unsolved problem was fixing the last stone at the top of the temple. Dharmapada, the young son of the chief architect Bisu Maharana came to know about the problem and made an attempt. With his limited prior experience he was able to solve the final problem. But he had to pay a price and what a costly one.Dead body of Dharmapada was found on the sea beach as he had jumped from the top of the temple. It is said that Dharmapada laid down his life to save his father’s pride.This incident also proves the fact that Konark Temple was actually on the beach.

Wonderful Front View

Magnanimous Konark Wheel

This picture above proves that modern day architects are no where near in terms of skills to that of Bisu Maharana's team.Look at the bottom half of the rim and the top half which has been repaired in recent times.

Depicting the brave Oriya spirit

There is one anecdote that there was a huge Magnetic Load Stone on the top of the temple to keep the walls of the temple in place. But due to its extreme magnetic effects it was drawing shipping vessels passing through the Konark sea as a result of which there were stories of huge ships sinking. No body knows how that load stone did vanish. But legends tell that perhaps Britishers or may be Muslim Voyagers were responsible for sudden vanishing of the stone from the top. This is also one of the reasons being given for the downfall of the temple of walls.

Autumn Flowers of Palash in the nearby garden

With shades of red...

Now with Yellow...which one is better???

But ,still my trip to Konark was incomplete and must be same for others also. No one knows what it must be inside as its filled with sand.There is an inscription which says that British Government did fill the interior with sand to protect the marvelous carvings inside.Can you smell some thing fishy?
It was time for me and Siddhu to end the trip. But ,how can the trip be complete without some sweets ,integral part of the traditional Oriya Culture.So, we had plate full of Chena Jhillis at Nimapara(Nimapada) on the way back to Bhubaneswar.
And ,what a co incidence that Siddhu was returning to Pune by Bhubaneswar-Mumbai Konark Express.

Niali,Pipili,Astaranga,Gop,Puri,Nimapada,Delanga,Chandanpur,Sakhigopal,Satsankha,Chandrabhaga

Category › Puri

Balukhand Konark Wildlife Sanctuary

We came across Balukhand-Konark Wildlife Sanctuary while driving down from Puri towards Konark. This road is known as Marine Drive and runs along the length of the Sanctuary. This is one of the few sanctuaries that is situated on a sea coast and is also one of the nesting grounds of endangered Olive Ridleys.

Signs of Autumn

Since, it was autumn, trees along the road gave a look of Mediterranean garden. There were hardly any leaves on the trees. I was little surprised that on one hand this place has been given a Sanctuary status and on the other hand there is so much of free movement of vehicles near the area. But then I was told that Sanctuary is on the right hand side of the road and there is no inhabitation inside the Sanctuary area. Everywhere you can see a lot of boards saying “ Drive Slow- Deer may cross road”. Every passing vehicle was speeding at around 100kms/hour. Thanks to the wonderful Marine Drive. The road is absolute beauty and running along the seacoast adds to the magical experience. One can see the Bay of Berngal all along the length of the road till Chandrabhaga, a place where people come to have holy dip. One also comes across the famous temple of Ramachandi(Ramchandi). There is a wonderful beach here where lot of people come for Picnics. We didn’t have enough time to go to the temple and skipped.

Bullock cart on the Marine Drive

At one place ,me and Siddhu crossed the Casuarina bushes and what we saw at a far off point on the beach was amazing. There was a huge Olive Ridley lying motionless. We ran near it but it was a dead one. Poor one. One side was completely smashed, perhaps by a moving trailer. But at least we saw for the first time this wonderful creature. Another learning also in terms of Photography. Put your Camera’s brightness level at the lowest possible count.Reason is that there is so much reflection of sunlight from white sands that finally picture comes very bright even after digital adjustment.

Casuarina Forest



Dead Olive Ridley

After driving for another two hundred metre we came to a point where sea was at stones throw distance. Me and Siddhu could not resist the idea of taking photographs. We jumped down to the Casuarinas bushes and took snaps. Water here was surprisingly greenish blue and had Casuarina trees coming out from inside the water. It was because of small lagoon that had formed by sand line.

 

Washed away coast due to high tide

  Green Waters...delight for eyes

Finally, reached Chandrabhaga after 1 hour drive and recharged ourselves for the other destination- Konark Temple which has been covered in another part of my blog.

Some important facts about Balukhand–Konark Wildlife Sanctuary (collected from net).
This sanctuary is situated at convenient location along sea coast between Puri and Konark. The flora of the area includes casuarina, anacardium, neem, tamarind, karanja, etc. The prominent fauna include blackbuck, spotted deer, monkey, squirrel, jungle cat, hyena, jackal, mangoose and variety of birds and reptiles.
Covering an area of 72 square kilometres, this sanctuary was established in 1984 to protect the shoreline nesting sites of olive ridley and green sea turtles. There are various groups of black buck existing on land.
Accomodation-There is no accommodation within the Sanctuary. Tourist can stay at Puri or Konark where a good number of hotels of different categories are available.

Balukhand,Balukhanda,Orissa Marine,Sea,Mangroves,Turtles,Poaching,Sanctuary,Puri

Category › Balukhand Konark Wildlife Sanctuary

IS SUGARCANE GREENER ON BOTH SIDES?????

This is the question that I asked my self while driving through the sugarcane belt of Kolhapur . One thing for sure that my writing skills will be definitely under scrutiny while writing this article. Reason being that I wont be able to express through photographs, as my digicam vanished from the car at Goa on New Year’s Eve. And whether I can make readers smell the evening smoke of Cow dung cakes,feel the warmth of reflected sunlight from the black soil of Deccan Plateau ,drown in the glory of setting purple Sun behind the Sahyadris or smell the pungent sweetish aroma flying out of the green Sugarcane fields is what I am not sure off.

I could not resist putting all these on paper,so bought one pen and note book at Daund Station and started writing on 2129 Azad Hind Express.

Driving towards Goa we halted at Belgaum and had a good night sleep.Next morning our driver,fellow batch mate at I.M.D.R,Pune, Siddhu aka Chacha drove through one of the Ghats on NH4A and could not resist using slangs seeing the condition of the road which is too bad for around 50 km. Finally, reached Goa for the new year which everyone is going to remember for different reasons… ;-)

Because of the bad condition of road that we had faced while coming to Goa,we took a different road while returning back to Pune.That was directly to Kolhapur and then to Pune.And now I feel that was a well made decision or else I would not have got this article to write.We had a good night sleep at Sawantbadi having paid rupees 125 for a nice cozy bed in the basement of an Inn. Next morning we started for Goa through a well metaled road which criss crosses through one of the richest agricultural belt of Maharashtra.It’s not a surprise that Kolhapur has a Mercedes Showroom-thanks to cash churned out of sugar mills.Driving through Phonda Ghat was a pleasure with greenery all around and full of hairpin turns. We stopped at the highest point on the Ghat to admire the beauty from the top and gazing blank at the serpentine roads.This ascent in altitude is actually climb on the Western Ghats towards the Deccan Plateau. There were “Angire” trees all around on the Ghat .I could not stop my hand from plucking a bunch. I was surprised that the Ghat ended around 200 meters from this highest point .But this was because we had climbed up to the Deccan Plateau. Driving all along the Radhanagari lake ,I was just wondering about my lost camera.The road also passes through Radhanagari Sanctuary.

Another thing of Maharashtra that always attracts me is the state run Road Transport Corporation.No doubt that it is one of the rare state run transport corporations that is running on profit.But this is the result of lot of planning and application.Every village or small “kasba” has a good bus station where you see Marathis sitting with their “Bhakris” and “Red Chatni”,waiting for the buses to come.

There is no specific plan that I follow before any of my trips which perhaps get reflected in my writing….

Finally, coming to the point on Sugarcane farming- There is a saying that “Grass is greener on one side” but for me this does not hold true for Sugarcane.As we neared Kolhapur ,we all were amazed by the prosperity of farmers of Kolhapur and Satara region. Vegetables that you see in the Gultekdi Market yard in Pune comes from Satara and this is the reason once Bhupi( we fondly used to call our Director, Ashutosh P. Bhupatkar at IMDR,Pune)did send us on an assignment to understand the subject of “Systems Thinking”. Now question is “What is the relationship between Systems Thinking and Gultekdi ?”. Vegetables coming from Satara region and distributed at Gultekdi is a perfect example of one Cooeprative macro system working towards the prosperity of farmers. We in Orissa have a familiar kind of setup for Egg distribution through OPOLFED and milk distribution through OMFED,but can we look at the vegetable distribution through a similar kind of setup?

Everywhere you look around on the road to Kolhapur ,you see Sugarcane plantations.You can literally smell the aroma of Sugar as the Sugarcane laden tractors passed by.Signs of prosperity and happiness every where.As I look back at my village in Orissa,I just wonder that how every one is completely dependent on single yield of Paddy ?For rest of the year, fields remain as they are- waiting to be farmed. But who cares? That much money is enough....Another striking feature in these farmlands of Kolhapur region is that there may not be sufficient water but pumps work over time to quench the thirst of the fields.

A feeling of completeness and colourful canvas one gets after seeing all these. Adding up to all these are farmers smoking beedi,sitting along with Oxes having colourful red..blue…yellow..horns.All these yield collected are then carried to local Mandis which are run by Co-operative societies.One such Mandi ,I came across and saw hundreds of bullock carts fully loaded with sugarcane.

To end the travel on a high note was the famous Kolhapuri Mutton Curry and and Bhakri on a roadside dhaba on Kohapur Pune highway.Red Chilly gravy ready to scintillate your test buds.In all one of the journeys worth remembering for good and not so good reasons………

IMDR,Pune,I.M.D.R,Pune,Institute of Management Development & Research,Pune,I M D R Pune,I M D R

Category › IMDR , Pune

Kansbahal Dam near Rourkela

Contrasting...vibrant colours of Kansbahal Dam

Hardly,4 kms from Kansbahal and 30 kms from Rourkela is Kansbahal Dam. This dam has been constructed by Irrigation Department of Orissa and is only for Irrigation purpose. This Sunday ,my department people at Larsen & Toubro went to have an outing at the place. Having got bored with Chicken and Mutton dishes,we planned to have only fish gourmet . But to my surprise I didn’t find a single fisher man boating in the area.So, it was good that we did carry full ration of Prawns,Rohu and Kerandi(Karandi) fish from Rourkela.

Where is the Boatman???....I want to sail free

I wish.... its Green and Blue every where....

There is a huge patch of forest which touches dam waters and sprawls over,covering places like Kuchinda and Bonai. Its full of wild elephants and at times cases of Elephants feasting on nearby paddy fields have been heard off.

Time captured in Lens...

Ripples......Don't exist here

Being winters,there was huge rush of picnickers all around the place.But ,we did manage to find a secluded place covered with greenery all around. Just a small descend will take you to the Dam waters and all the photographs that you are seeing have been captured in that place only. There are small small islands every where and I wish I could have gone to those ones. Since,we didn’t find any boat man ,we could not do that. But,if you are lucky enough,then one of the boats of near by villagers can be hired for a pleasant boat ride.

Did, I notice ripples???.....perhaps imagination

Collected firewood over there and we prepared a good fish curry and steamed rice. And not to forget the wild dance of Mothi alias ANNA,Jayram Das aka JRD,R K Mishra alias Sir(we call him Saaaaaaaare),never ending sarcastic comments of Murali Pattnayak aka Pattu Bhai to add to the flavour.Oooooooooh I forgot our other gang members ….fellow Ex-PGTs (now extinct species in L & T)both Amits,the cook-Raj and ever smiling Nanda Babu aka Nands….Though, we missed our big boss RSS.

Marooned Island....Waiting to be explored

But ,terrible thing ………and I go on repeating that we need to respect nature and some how people in this part of the region lack civic sense. You will find all around plastic bags and bottles……just disgusting.We are lucky that living freely in a country like India is taken for granted and we go on harming mother nature. I wish,I can go on visiting schools and colleges and tell students the ways of protecting nature as it is. That’s where basic love for nature and its gifts can be understood.This thoughts have been the gift of studying at IMDR,Pune. Though,I did my post graduation in Management,but beautifully designed courses on Science &Technology and Ecology has created a sense of indebtedness towards mother nature. But why this subject in Human Resource Management at IMDR??????.........EXPERIENTIAL Learning Man…. EXPERIENTIAL Learning…………………….Hats off IMDR.

How to Reach Kansbahal Dam:

Reach Kansbahal which is about 20 kms from Rourkela on State Highway 10 (Rourkela to Sambalpur …popularly known as L&T road).Take a left turn and road will lead to L & T Residential Colony and then reach Kansbahal Railway Station. A right turn (near the Railway Cabin)before the station will lead straight to the Dam.Its hardly 5 kms from the SH-10.

Best Time to Visit: November- February

Category › Sundergarh

Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary

Entrance of Debrigarh Sanctuary at Dhadrokusum

Tandoori Chicken….Fish Fry…..Bon Fire…Clear Moonlit Sky with Twinkling Stars…distinctive tremulous eerie call of Mottled Wood Owl amidst dark silent night…Roar of Leopard from a far off place indicating that a night game going on….and a cool breeze from Mahanadi……life is beautiful isn’t it???????Yes, this was what we did at Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary. One of the less heard sanctuaries in Orissa but the best in terms of wildlife. Forests are quite virgin and unexplored. We started our journey from Kansbahal at 3’o clock in the evening and reached Burla at 7:00 in the evening. On the way did pick up the entire ration which included all vegetables and chicken. Remember that meat is not allowed inside the sanctuary. As we were supposed to stay at Dhudrukusum Forest Cottage which is the entry point of the Sanctuary,we were allowed to carry Chicken. Since people know little about Debrigarh ,no one at Burla was able to give information about the road to Dhodrukusum. Luckily we were able to get in touch with the Forest range officer stationed at Dhudrokusum who had booked the cottage for us. Driving on the dykes of Hirakud reservoir we reached Dhudrokusum. Never expected the Forest Cottage to be so cozy and comfortable.

Preparing Tandoori Chicken at Dhadrokusum Forest cottage

There were also two local guys that our Range officer had arranged for us. They started preparing Chicken Curry for us as we prepared fire for Tandoori Chicken. Night was chilly and sky was clear and a paradise for Star Watchers. As it turned out to be, Tandoori Chicken that we prepared was fabulous. Talk about the forest and wildlife started with our nice Range officer. Typical animals found are Wild Bisons ( flagship animal of Debrigarh),Leopards, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Sloth bear, Wild boar, Langur, Percupine. Also lots of Peacocks are spotted in the sanctuary. Incidents about Leopards moving inside the cottage premises created a chill in our spines. There is also fear that Maoists may infest the Sanctuary in coming 2-3 years as there is continuity in forest over Orissa and Chattisgarh. Last count of Royal Bengal Tigers based on pugmarks inside the forest was 2, which is also quite alarming. As we started our dinner, a dog started barking standing near us….Signs of a big carnivore moving near by. Our ranger Mr Dilip Dash took us near the forest with his spot light. Pugmarks of Leopard were all around. But we could not see it. Retired early for sleep only to wake up at 5 in the morning.


Pugmarks of Leopard in front of our Cottage

In our jeep we were supposed to travel to Chaurasimaal Cottage about 21 kms from the entry point. One of the local forest official accompanied us since inside the sanctuary its only forests…forests…and nothing else. First animal spotted was a Wild Bison. Since Camera flashes distract animals, so as a true wildlife fan one needs to click pictures carefully and without flash.But I always think of my dream machine a Conon 1000D and good SLR lens. Had that been there with me I would have got some ggod shots. We could see some peacocks and Bisons in plenty. But contrary to our expectations we could not see Deers..unlucky. There are also some artificial salt licks inside the sanctuary.


Wild Bison/Gaur ...early in the morning

Driving all along backwaters of Hirakud, I saw the most amazing Sunrise till date. No words to describe it…only to be experienced. But be careful while taking these pics as you may suddenly meet a leopard standing and gazing at you.




Another pic of Sunrise inside Debrigarh Sanctuary...qualifies for my desktop


Peacocks on our forest road


Inside the Debrigarh Sanctuary

Driving through thick forests we reached Chourasimaal Forest Cottage. Then we trekked up to another point where we met a couple of Fisher men who have built small cottages inside the Sanctuary. Our wait there was not in vain as a huge 5 kg fish was caught for our Lunch. We returned back to Dhodrukusum and had some more fried Fish.



What a Catch?...our lunch

Infront of the cottage is the beautiful lake. Hirakud reservoir looks like a sea. Had some good time boating in the reservoir and clicked pictures that would remain in heart forever.


Can a place be more scenic?????


Come and fall in love with Debrigarh....


Crystal Clear Blue Waters of Hirakud Dam


Dhadrokusum Forest Cottage



In the evening said good-bye to all the forest staffs and drove back to Kansbahal.

The Sanctuary comprises two wildlife ranges namelyKamgaon and Lakhanpur.


A wireless communication system covering all important points within and around the sanctuary has been established. During emergency this communication network will usually be available to multi-day trekkers through the established base stations. At present the VHF Base Stations of the communication network in Debrigarh are located at places like Sambardhara, Lakhanpur,Chourishimal.
The Sanctuary entry point at Dhudurkusum adjoining Hirakud Reservoir is approximately 35 km from Burla town and about 50 km from Sambalpur.

CONTACTS
Divisional Forest Officer,Hirakud Wildlife Division, Motijharan Po- & District: Sambalpur-768001 (Orissa)Ph. (0663) 2548743 (O/Fax)

Forest Range Officer
Lakhanpur Wildlife Range at Lakhanpur
Ph. (06646) 264241

Forest Range Officer :
Kamgaon Wildlife Range at Dhodrokusum.


Debrigarh during Freedom Struggle: A peak in the Barapahar hills in Bargarh sub-division having a height of 2267 feet. It was a noted rebel stronghold during the revolt of Balabhadra Deo, the Gond Zamindar of Lakhanpur, who was killed here. Mahapatra Ray and Baldia Ray also sought shelter here during 1840 AD after murdering Baluki Dash, the Maufidar of Bargarh. Veer Surendra Sai the freedom fighter was captured here in 1864 by British solders.

Source: Wiki

Category › Bargarh

Leaning Temple of Huma

Leaning Temple of Huma

30 kms from Sambalpur is the Leaning Temple of Huma. On State Highway to Subarnapur ( Sonepur/Sonpur) is the Leaning Temple. Anecdote is that whenever people have tried to straighten it, but it tilts at an angle. Lord Vishwakarma constructed the temple in one night. Situated on the banks of river Mahanadi in the district of Sambalpur, people draw parallel between this temple and Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.

Mysterious Fishes in Mahanadi river in Huma

Near the temple there are lots of fresh water fish in the river, which come to the surface to eat bread crump and biscuits. Anecdote is that all these are forms of various Gods who have decided to reside near the river. Never before I had seen such a scene though heard off.

Women selling Biscuits forMysterious fishes

And what happens if you try to catch them….one of the snaps will tell everything…Again anecdote is that you will become rock..that’s what happened to one of the village girls who became rock after catching one of the fishes. Over the period of centuries the rock has flown away. But people worship that Lady in form of a rock idol in one of the nearby islands formed in the river. Every year in Kali Puja, a small fare takes place on that island where one temple is also there.

Lady God who tried to catch the Fish




Island on which there is another Temple


Rocky Beds of River Mahanadi

 Tilt is quite distinctly visible

We sailed to that island and sat down under one of the shady trees just gazing at the Huma Temple on the other side of Mahanadi and gazing at the natural wonder….the angle at which temple is bent…

Category › Sambalpur