Orissa Lowland

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Bhubaneswar

We are near the end of our Indian Subcontinent travel odyssey and decided to spend some time in lovely Orissa as it had been recommended by several people and was on the way to Calcutta anyway.

We arrived in Bhubaneswar off the train from Vijayawada and Hampi and were pretty tired. We had a very nice room in Rohilla Tourist Home and spent a couple of days wandering around the ancient Hindu temples of the Orissan State capital, looking in the crowded markets and staying out of the intense sun. The Orissa State Museum though a little dusty was a great way to get a feel for Orissan culture and history and the displays on the tribal adivasi people of the uplands particularly piqued our interest. While non-Hindus aren't allowed access to the holiest of holies in Bhubaneswar, the Lingaraja Mandir, we were at least allowed to look over the wall at it. Apparently tourists pay upwards of 200R for the privilege, many write incoherent comments in 'comment books' and most have the same hand-writing!! The 'donation book' - solely offered to foreign visitors - was available at all sites, thankfully.

Puri and Konark

After 3 nights in Bhubeneswar we ventured the short one-and-a-half hours to holy city, Puri. It's one of the 4 Dhams of India and attracts thousands of pilgrims. The other sites are Dharka (GUJ), Ramaswaram (TN) and another in the North (the name now eluding me). The Z Hotel was a fantastic place to hang out - an old palace, I believe. The garden is especially lush and colourful although the mosquitos could probably carry off a small child if they were to work together. In Puri we hung out on the beach/toilet and watched the activity of fishermen and pearl-sellers plying their trades. Apparently the pearls aren't real but at 10 roops it's hardly surprising...

One day we hired a scooter and drove with a couple of friends (Hi Jeremy and Nadia!) to Konark, just 60km away along the coast. There are some lovely beaches along the way although the sight of the many dead Ridley turtles (probably killed on fishing nets) dotting the beach detracted from the pristine sands and surf. It was my first time on a scooter and after initial trepidation (mine and probably Sofie's) we made it through to the amazing temple town with it's huge chariot-shaped temple. One of the wonders of India in my opinion though half covered in scaffolding like many Indian sites.

Gopalpur and Chilka

At the end of the trip of our Tribal Uplands trip (see next blog) we spent a night in Gopalpur and the next day on Chilka Lake (largest salt lake in Asia). I had a run-in with some Indian tourists who left about seven or eight plastic bags lying on the beach after making a pooja. Do we have a right to make judgements and ask others to keep places tidy? At Chilka Lake we didn't expect to see much on our 2 hour boat trip. The lake is huge and after monsoon is over 1000km2 and it is a magnet for birds from all over Asia. We managed to see a huge flamingo colony (?) standing in inches deep water. They move so gracefully and seem undisturbed by passing traffic (possibly due to the helpful water depths). This was a lovely surprise and a fitting end to our stay in Orissa. We drove back with the guys for one last masala chai in Puri and then boarded the Howrah train to Calcutta later that same day. It was a bit awkward carrying the huge long-bow and arrows of the Bonda hunters but worth it all the same.

We'll certainly have an image of Orissa ingrained on our memories. It really is India in microcosm.

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Photos

Bhubaneshwar Buddhist Caves
Around 2000 years old.

Comments

[Radeeh]

Great observations
Your observation on Orissa was intersting. The fotos are of excellent documentary value. Why dont you post it in www.trekearth.com Regards Radeeh

[Nicole]

I do like the "Tribal Tour - Bonda Mother and Child" very much! Amazing colors and all the details tell us wonderful stories. I like your photographic style. Matt said he could see the evolution and improvement of your photos. Thumbs up, Chief!