Orissa Tours

Orissa also called as Odisha is bounded in the north-east by West Bengal, in the north by Bihar, in the south by Andhra Pradesh and in the west by Madhya Pradesh. This rural riverside land of multi-splendors, is watered by the rivers Mahanadi, Brahmans, and Vaitarani flowing in the south-easternly direction before merging in the Bay of Bengal. These rivers and their tributaries provide the state with rich alluvial tracts.

The name Odisha is derived from the Pali or Sanskrit words Ora (Ura) or Odra Desa or Sumera or Odra Visaya The earliest epigraphic reference to Odras is found in the Soro copper plate grant of Somadatta from which it is clear that Uttara Tosali with its visaya Sarepahara identified with Soro of Balasore (Baleswar) district was part of Odra Visaya. Both Pali and Sanskrit literatures mention the Odra people as Oddaka and Odrah, respectively. Ancient writers like Pliny the Elder and Ptolemy described the Odra people as Oretes. In the Mahabharata the Odras are mentioned along with the Paundras, Utkals, Mekalas, Kalingas and Andhras, while according to Manu the Odras are associated with the Paundrakas, Dravidas, Kambojas, Yavanas, Sakas, Paradas, Pallavas, Chinas, Kiratas and Khasas.

The location of the Odra territory has been given in the Natural History of Pliny in which it is mentioned that the Oretes were inhabiting the country where the mount Maleus stood. The Greek Oretes is probably the Sanskrit Odra and the Mount Maleus has been identified with Malayagiri near Pala Lahara. Pliny associates the mount Maleus with the people called Monedes and Sharis who were probably the same as the Mundas and the Savaras respectively inhabiting the upland regions of Odisha. In Orissa one out of every four persons is an Adivasi or Tribal. These tribals are heavily concentrated in the hilly tracts of Western Orissa. In the coastal regions they constitute a small percentage. They live there in a certain degree of seclusion and prestine form. They must have settled there in obscure past long before the coming of the Aryans.

Orissa has vast mineral, marine and forest resources for setting up large, medium and small scale industries. Today Orissa can boast of a leviathan Steel Plant at Rourkela, Sand Complex at Chhatrapur, Heavy Water Project at Talcher, Aluminium Smelter at Talcher and a fertilizer Plant at Paradeep. In spite of this rapid industrialization, Orissa remains mainly an agricultural state and over 76 percent of its people are dependent on agriculture. Rice, pulses, oil seeds, jute, sugarcane, turmeric and coconut are its main crops. Orissa is also noted for its classical dance Odissi and many folk forms like Chhau, Chaiti Ghoda, Patua Jatra and tribal forms. Orissa is also famous for its traditional handicrafts which include glass beads, stone carvings, silver filigree, horn-work, wood carvings, lacquer and bamboo wares, toys, sea-shell work, banana fibre works, tassar fabrics, lustrous handloom silks and curtains. Bhubaneswar is the capital of Odisha, and home to nearly a thousand temples. Cuttack, the former capital of Odisha, is 22 km from Bhubaneswar. With the rapid expansion of two cities and better road connectivity, the two cities are now almost conjoined and considered as twin cities.

Area: 1,55,707 Sq km
Latitudinal parallel: 20.15 North
Longitudinal meridian: 77.13oE
Longitudinal meridian: 85.50 East
Average Temperature: 49oC (Max) - usually in May - Jun, 5oC (Min) - usually in Dec - Jan
Rainfall: Normal
Monsoon: July to October
Population: 31,512,070 (Census 2011)
Best time to visit: November to March
STD Code: 0674
Languages: Oriya, Hindi
Religions: Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism. Jainism...

Places to visit

Bhubaneshwar, Puri, Konark, Cuttak, Jaipur, Paradeep, Berhampur, Chilka Lake, Chandipur
Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Phulbani, Balangir, Jeypore, Similipal, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Rayagada
Bhawanipatna, Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri, Udayagiri, Balasore, Gopalpur, Khandagiri Caves, Nandankanan
Gharial, Kanjia Lake, Chandrabhaga, Baliharachandi, Talasari Beach, Pati, Sonapur, Badaghagra
Duduma, Harishankar, Hathipathar, Mirig Khoj