Hello All,

It has been quite a time I got to jot down my travel experience and today while I am writing I would like to bring forth the story of my travel to Odisha one of an amazing states in India. Although not considered among one of a very famous tourist place, Odisha definitely is a gem which is underrated and has extremely amazing places to visit and enjoy. Every corner of the state is full of greenery, coconut and palm trees cover almost any and every road you cover, its is just beautiful.

I visited Puri which is famous for its Historical background, beautiful beaches and the Holy temple of Jagannath. The city is quite beautiful and my hotel had a clear view of the Puri Beach from its window which made the stay worth wile. I visited places like the Holy Temple of Jagannath, The Puri beach, The beach market and some other small places within the city. The Puri beach is quite a crowded one full of people enjoying the waves. There are few waters ports also available for kids as well as adults. Besides the Jagannath Temple is one of the four abodes in India and is always full of Devotees. Also the temple is surrounded with so many mysteries which are quite interesting, I have written a few for my readers :

• It is said that the flag above the temple dome always waves in a direction opposite to that of the air flow.

• Nothing flies above the temple. Absolutely nothing!

• There’s one saying about the prasadam served in the temple. The count of devotees visiting the temple varies from 2000 to 20,00000 depending on the day but the quantity of Prasadam cooked in the temple remains exactly the same throughout the year any given day yet none of it goes insufficient or wasted

• The prasadam is cooked in pots using firewood. Exactly 7 pots are put one on top of another. Surprisingly, the top most pot is cooked first followed by the bottom pots in order.

• Take any place on earth, on daytime the breeze from sea comes to land and the opposite occurs in the evening but In Puri it is observed to be just the reverse.

There are many more facts that are too interesting as well as amazing, while I experienced the last one myself I could not experience the others since I read about these interesting facts after my trip.

After my day ended with the city tour I decided to visit the outskirts of the city which has always excited me more…

The suburb of the city was beautiful, People were quite friendly. Although the major problem was communication for me but somehow I managed to find people who could use my language. The houses were colourful, full of banana and coconut plantation. Each house as I could see had a mini pound within its vicinity and was surrounded with lots of trees and plantations. If I say in one word Odisha actually is full of greenery. Standing on the top of any house all you could see was green hue, I actually had that urge to stay there leaving my hotel room which obviously was not possible so we drove to Konark as planned. The road to Konark is full of Jungle’s and I could actually see deer and peacock around while driving all the way.

The suburb of the city was beautiful, People were quite friendly. Although the major problem was communication for me but somehow I managed to find people who could use my language. The houses were colourful, full of banana and coconut plantation. Each house as I could see had a mini pound within its vicinity and was surrounded with lots of trees and plantations. If I say in one word Odisha actually is full of greenery. Standing on the top of any house all you could see was green hue, I actually had that urge to stay there leaving my hotel room which obviously was not possible so we drove to Konark as planned. The road to Konark is full of Jungle’s and I could actually see deer and peacock around while driving all the way.

The city of Konark is famous for its sun temple which is one hell of an architecture and will definitely put you to awe. It has twelve pairs of stone wheels which are beautifully carved and are 3m wide, pulled by set of seven horses it is an amazing sculpture. It is said that the temple was built by king Narsimha Deva near Chandrabhaga.

The temple has a colourful market around it full of some local sculptures and architectures. Also you can find several vendors with coconut water, cucumber and other hydrated fruits. Since Odisha is a costal area you definitely need to keep your water level upto mark.

The best part of the city is the Chandrabhaga beach, away from the rush of the Puri City and its visitors is the Chandrabhaga which is very near to the temple and definitely a place to enjoy. Infact I would not be lying if I said this was the best part of my trip. The sand and the white beach water till the horizon was amazing. It was calm and one could have their own time as the crowd was almost minimal.

The day for me was quite relaxing as it ended with lots of fun and enjoyment. Besides I had to further build up my energy for the next day and visit to Chilka. The new morning was another exciting day and I left for the chilka lake in all enthusiasm. Chilka lake is a brakish water lagoon situated in the outskirt of Puri. Famous for its wildlife specially birds and dolphins, it is an amazing boat ride or you can call it a ferry ride as the localites call it. The place has wide variety of Flaura and fauna with amazing sunrise and sunset views. So if you are not a very morning person make sure to take your trip a little late  so that by the time your Ferry ride ends you can witness the sunset.

Chilka is a real paradise for bird lovers, it has both native as well as migrant variety of birds. Chilka is also famous for its variety of fish and prawn pickles from the local shops around. The ferry ride has several stops on small islands, where you can get down for your photo shoot as well as enjoyment. The Visit to the lake will make your complete day worth wile.

And finally before I end how can I forget to mention the delicacies of the city, The city of Puri has a rich variety of sea food available for the visitors to taste. I also remember my 1st morning in the city and the breakfast from my hotel buffet, It has a variety of delicacies cooked in their own special way. Poha, Idli and Samabr, Parathe and what not, the city definitely is a boon for foodies. Special dishes like, Alu Potala Rasa , Chundgi Malai, Crab Kalia, Maccha Ghanta, Bhendi Bhaja, and many more. If you have a sweet tooth you will definitely die to have the Pithas and Malpuas from Odisha. Although many of the dishes are similar to that from other cities, the change in the taste is what make them stand out.

I undoubtedly enjoyed my trip to odisha and to all those who still are wandering if it is a place worth visit. So finally all I want to say is pack your bags and book your tickets, you will not regret it.