Indra agGandhi Park, Rourkela.

Indira Gandhi Park is located in  Rourkela, Orissa. The beautiful Japanese gardens, the mini zoo, light musical fountain and an aquarium in the park are beautiful and enjoyable sight. Spring season is the best time to see the rare flowers. The zoo has a train which goes around from which we can watch the animals and also enjoy boating. The park contains a big tower from which one can get a beautiful view of the city.  Indra Gandhi Park spread to around 42 acres.  The park is opened daily between 7:00 to 21:00 hours except Fridays.

The nearest airport is in Bhubaneswar and Kolkata and the nearest railway station is in Rourkela which is well connected from several major cities in the country. The hotels and resorts in the city are well up to the standards.

Orissa’s shame – the Olive Ridley turtles’ tragedy

Here is the dark side of the growth that humans have achieved…at the cost of nature and wildlife. From industry to fishermen to tourists, they have all wrought havoc on the poor Olive Ridley turtles that come to nest at three sites in Orissa. Gahirmatha’s Nasi Islands and the Rushikulya and Devi riverbeds.

These turtles have been getting slaughtered thanks to illegal trawling. Now, industrial giants like ONGC, Reliance, Tata and L&T also have been cause of possible annihilation of these endangered species. Well-meaning NGOs like Greenpeace have been fighting hard to protect the Olive Ridley turtles by campaigning against the industrial excesses here.

One can only hope that government and corporate decision makers do not continue to be shortsighted and strike a balance for growth and ecology to co-exist in Orissa.

Twin Goddesses of Maa Tara Tarini Temple

The temple of the twin goddesses Tara and Tarini is located on Taratirini hill near Purusottampur at a distance of 40 km from Bramhapur, Orissa. The Twin Goddesses Tara and Tarini are worshiped in this temple. River Rushikulya flows at lower part of the Taratarini hill.

People in Southern Orissa consider the Goddesses Tara-Tarini as the presiding deity. Goddesses Tara and Tarini are shaped as human faces. At the middle them are placed two beautiful brass heads known as their Chalanti Pratima or their Living Image. You can also see the beautiful scenery of the temple from the hilltop down to the bank of river Rushikulya. It provides a huge pleasure and a thrilling experience of nature to each pilgrim.

Sun Temple – Konark

Konark Sun Temple is around 35 km from Puri,  Orissa. The Temple is devoted to the sun God or Surya. It is a masterpiece of Orissa’s medieval architecture and also declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO.

The magnificent Sun Temple at Konark is the best example of Orissan temple architecture, and one of the most stunning monuments of religious architecture in the world. Temple was built by the King Narasimhadeva in the thirteenth century; the entire temple was designed in the shape of a chariot with seven horses and twenty-four wheels, carrying the sun god across the heavens.

The temple entrance are guarded by two lions and also crushing elephants.  A flight of steps lead to the main entrance. Surya(Sun) has been a popular deity in  India since the Vedic period.

Dilip Tirkey, player of Indian hockey team

Dilip Kumar Tirkey was born on 24th November 1977 in Savnamara near Sundargarh, Orissa.

He made his international debut for the Indian national team in 1995 in the Indira Gandhi Gold Cup. He has played in three Olympics and is considered as not only the best penalty corner hitters but also a difficult defender to beat in the world. He plays in the Left Full Back position on the field.

His hard work & consistent performance at international level matches helped him to become the captain of the Indian Hockey team at a very young age.

Other than national team he also plays for Railways, Orissa Steelers, Indian Airlines and HC Klein Zwitserland.

Tirkey has won several honors and awards.  The major awards includes: Ekalavya Puraskar, ONGC-Hockey Year Book Award, Arjuna Award, Padma Shri.

Puri, World Famous Lord Jagannath Temple

Puri is situated at a distance of 62 km from Bhubaneswar. The presence of Jagannath temple makes Puri one of the holiest places of India. The temple of Lord Jagannath attracts people from all over the world.

One of the most famous temples among the worshipers of Krishna and Vishnu, the Jagannath Temple is idolized greatly by all faith of Hindus. The world famous annual Rath Yatra (Car Festival) is held every year in the month of June – July for 10 days.

The deities of Lord Krishna, brother Balram and sister Subhadra are taken in beautifully decorated huge chariots to Gundicha temple located one kilometer away. At the end of the festival, the deities are taken back to the main temple and the chariots are broken. The Rath Yatra is celebrated to mark Krishna’s departure to Mathura from Gokul.

Dolphins in Chilika facing threat

Chilika lake (BERHAMPUR) is the largest lagoon along the east coast of India. Bamboo Sharks and the famous Irrawaddy dolphins inhabit this lagoon. But till now no major study has been made on the species and habitat of sharks found in the lake. Presence of sharks has been evident through sightings by fishermen.

The population of Irrawadi dolphins in the Chilika lagoon in Orissa is considered to be the largest lagoonal population of this species in the world. It is feared that rise in shark population in the lagoon may be a threat to the dolphin population.

About Biju Patnaik

Biju Patnaik born into a princely family on March 5, 1916, Cuttack, Orissa. He was one of modern India’s eminent political leaders.

Biju Patnaik was an aviator in his early days. He studied Aeronautics at the Aeronautical Training Institute of India. He joined the Indian National Airways, where he was involved with the war effort from 1940 to 1942. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, Gopabandhu Das, and Madhusudhan Das, Patnaik dedicated himself to the Indian Freedom Movement.

Patnaik was also the Chief Minister of Orissa from 1961 to 1963, as well as for a 2nd term starting in 1990 until 1995. He was also a prominent member of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Biju Patnaik passed away on April 17, 1997.

Jayadeva, The Great Poet

Jayadeva is one of the great poet who lived in the twelfth century in Orissa. He spent most of his life at Puri and composed the songs of Sri Geeta Govinda as musical offerings to Lord Jagannath. Also, he is well-known author of the musical epic Sree Geeta Govinda, which is treated as the best known composition. Gita Govinda has become the main prop of  Odissi dance.

Two hymns composed by Jayadeva have been incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikh religion.

Bhubaneswar, A Temple City

“Bhubaneswar” literally means Lord of the Universe (Lord Shiva).

Bhubaneswar is the capital of Orissa state in India and is truly the “Temple Metropolis of India“. The capital city is a holy abode for many glorious historical temples that attract many tourists.

It consists of  more than 500 temples, including the world famous temples like Lingaraj Temple , Mukteshwar Temple, Bindu Sagar, Shatrughneswar Temple, Vaital Temple, Parashurameshwar Temple and Rajarani Temple.

Other places of interest in Bhubaneswar’s include: Dhauligiri – 8 km, Udaygiri, Khandagiri Caves – 8 km, Shishupalgarh, Nandan Kanan Zoo – 25 km, Chandipur -16 km, Konark Sun Temple- 65 km, Vaital Deul, etc.