Sami Brikshya and Kalo Dam

Samibrukhya (Samibrikshya) and Kalo dam are two beautiful tourist spots separated by a distance of 3 to 5 kilometers. Samibrukhya is not a brukhya or brikshya(tree) and Kalo dam is a dam not very old. Both belongs to Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, India. It is strange that many people living just within 40 kilometers radius from these sites are not aware of these two beautiful places. The truth is that many people living just 50 kilometers from the spots have not visited the spots once in their lifetime.  Of course bad communication is the main reason to be blamed. The other reason is perhaps the apathy of government or administration and local people.

Samibrukhya and Kalo Dam

One can reach these two spots in several ways. All the routes to these places are not in very good condition. Balasore (Baleswar) is the nearest rail head. Kala dam and Samibrukhya are located at about 55 kilometer from Balasore. The tourist have to travel via Udala. From Balasore to Udala there are two routes, both almost equal distance and similar in condition. One can also reach Udala from Baripada. Baripada is another nearby rail head. From Udala Kalo Dam is about 15 kilometers. Those coming from outside Odisha it is covenient to Reach Balasore by train then hire a vehicle for Samibrukhya and Kalo dam. The travel time from Balasore to Udala is around one and half hour. The tourist may also stay at one of the hotels at Balasore and visit the tourist spots chandipur, Panchalingeswar and other places. Ideal season for visit is from Novembr to February. Visit to these two places should be avoided in the rainy season.

Samibrikshya

As the scripture says, the five Pandav brothers were hiding with their wife Draupadi below a tree. That tree has become the stone in Kaliyuga (Kaliyug).  This single stone forms a hill  which is Samibrukshya. The sides are very steep to climb. Every year a fair is held at Samibrukhya towards 14th of January (Makar Sankranti).

Pandav Brothers and Draupadi at Samibrukhya

Kalo Dam

It is the dam on the Suno river. The river Suno is the tributary of River Budhabalanga. The main purpose of the dam is for the control of flood and irrigation. Here electricity is not generated. The locality is rich in scenic beauty. It is a perfect picnic spot.

You can spend hours there. In the photo taken from the dam side also is seen the Samibrukhya in the other side. 

Kalo Dam

While returning Balasore  you can take the route through Nilgiri and visit Bhudhari Chandi and Jagannath temple near Nilgiri on the way.

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Konark

The Sun Temple at Konark

The sun temple alsocalled as Konark temple is located at Konark, Odisha, India. The temple is dedicated to Sun God. Hence it is so named. It is also called as Black Pagoda. Probably it is so named by the Europeans.


The Sun Temple was built at the time of King Narasimhadeva in thirteenth century. The temple was built using sand stone. Perhaps it is one of the few mysterious things in Odisha. Thousands of people visit the temple each day. It is sure that you will appreciate the temple, the architecture, the art form.  But people from different mind set view it from different angles.  As a Odia boy I remember that starting from class-I to Class-12, we studied about Koanrk Sun temple several times, sometimes as a prose and sometimes as a poetry, in Odia language or in english. The stone carving, the architecture, the art, the dance forms has puzzled them. The writer have agreed in some aspects of the temple and disagreed on several other aspects. The writers and poets interpreted it differently.

King Narasimhaveva-I ordered the erection of the temple. For which 1200 carpenters were employed. The 1200 carpenters took 12 years to construct the temple. They left home and family for building konark temple. The construction work was headed by the chief architect Bishu Maharana. But after 12 years labour the carpenters were unable to complete the temple. The problem was that the whole temple along-with its surrounding was complete except the top of the Temple. However they tried to complete the top of the temple, they were unsuccessful. The top portion collapsed several times after completion. The king issued ultimate date of completion. The carpenters were worried and in deep thought.

Superior Stone Sculpture

The carpenters had left home for last 12 years. In the mean time  the son of the head architect Bishu Maharana has become 12 years old. His name is Dharmapada.  He asked his mother to pay a visit to his father at Konark. His mother agreed and Dharmapada left home to see his father. When he reached Konark he gave identity to his father. Soon he came to know the reason of sorrow and unhappiness in the face of the carpenters. He then decided to finish the top portion of the temple which collapsed several times. Helplessly everybody agreed and left it on the hands of Dharmapada. Dharmapada did not have any practical experience in temple building but he was thorough in the theory of temple building and architecture. He was successful in completing the top of the temple. All the carpenters were surprised. But everybody was afraid that, when the king will come to know that the temple was finally completed by the 12 year old boy then the king will be angry and punish the carpenters. Irrespective of his father's request Dharmapada decided to sacrifice his life to save the life of twelve hundred carpenters of his community. He jumped from the top of the Konark to the Sea and died. The sea now has receded to about three kilometers from the Konark temple.


The Konark temple is in the form of a chariot. It is the chariot of Surya (Surjya) the Sun god. The chariot has 24 wheels. The chariot is pulled by seven horses. The  seven horses represent the seven composition colors of the sun rays. The 24 wheels of the Konark is some way associated with the life of a human being in a day in 24 hours.

One of 24 wheels of Chariot Konark

It is also said that once there was a large magnet on the top of the temple. It is believed that the magnet was able to attract ships made of steel. Hence the magnet was removed by the British. But I feel that it is a wrong concept. Actually the magnetic field due to this magnet was disturbing the magnet piece used in the ship for finding noth-south direction. So the magnet at ship showed wrong direction. Hence the magnet at the top of the temple was removed. But the reason of placing the magnet at the top of the temple is still a puzzle.

Part of konark is in ruin. The government of Odisha has been able to restore part of the temple. Many great people described Konark in their own languages in their own mental setup. different people viewed the same temple and its stone carvings and sculptures from different angle. Never miss this great temple.  I feel that you may find something new which others have not found at Konark.

Each year Konark Dance festival is held at Konark around the month of December. It is an unique opportunity to see famous dancers of different classical dance forms performing on a single stage

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Rail Museum

Tourists and Visitors coming to Delhi may include one nice place in their list of site visit, it is National Rail Museum. If you are with your family and children or you simply appreciate engineering marvel then visit to Rail Museum is a must.

Black Beauty

The National Rail Museum is located on Shantipath, Chanakyapuri. It is about 11 km from new Delhi Railway station. The visitors are allowed to the museum six days in a week. Do not visit on Monday as the museum remains closed on Monday.

This Rail Museum is a place of entertainment and fun. Simultaneously it is an excellent place of information on past and present of Indian Railways and its long journey.

As you move along you see your favorite child hood black beast, the steam engine. There are Diesel engines and modern high speed Electric engines. There are engines and coaches for broad gauge, meter gauge and of course narrow gauge Darjeeling loco. There are light weight engines and huge engines of different periods. Also on display are the saloon used by maharaja of Baroda, Maharaja of Mysore and prince of Wales. The other attraction is the monorail of king of Patiala.

Engineering Marvel

The huge steam engine lying dormant in the museum was once a big object of attraction of our childhood. The typical working principle and sound of the steam engine attracted and impressed many people in the past, including film industry. At that time it was also  nicknamed as black beauty. Perhaps one time, steam engine was the only such heavy engineering object on Earth which was open and free to observe.


In addition to real engines and coaches one can see different models of engines and coaches and their working principle nicely displayed.  Many historical articles, records and photographs will make you nostalgic.

Rail Companies Operating in British Era

The museum has other stuffs for you and your family. Ride the toy train for fun. Refresh at the restaurant, located in the middle of a small beautiful lake or simply enjoy the scenic beauty of the place.

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ISKCON Temple New Delhi

Tourists coming to New Delhi should visit this unique place of hindu religious belief, the ISKCON Temple. While many temples in India do not allow western people (claiming as hindu) to enter inside, here any hindu can enter the temple irrespective of his nationality, body color, caste etc.. One can visit the temple at any time of the year.

ISKCON Temple

ISKCON is the abbreviation for International Society of Krishna Consciousness. ISKCON was founded by Sri Srila Prabhupada. Mayapuri at West Bengal, India, is the headquarters of ISKCON. But this temple at Delhi is different in some ways. This ISKCON temple is located at East of Kailash, New Delhi. It is about 14 kilometer distance from New Delhi Railway station and about 5 kilometer from Nizamuddin railway Station. One can hire an auto-rickshaw to Iskcon temple which is near Lotus Temple.

Lord Krishna and Radha are worshiped in the temple. The temple compound has many beautiful statues and paintings of the characters from Mahabharata and Ramayana. At ISKCON temple regular shows are performed. The robot show is something special.  The gist of Mahabharata and Ramayana are shown in light and sound high-tech animation. Krishna is central to the animation and show.

Sri Krishna

The temple compound is itself very beautiful and peaceful. You can see many people including westerners chanting the maha mantra Hare Rama, Here Krishna for peace of mind.


Also there is a vegetarian restaurant, Govinda where you can puchase prasada for full lunch.

Although the food at Govinda is costlier still it is worth its value. There are shops for snacks and sweets. There is one book shop where you can purchase religious, philosophy and ISKCON related books.

Srila Prabhupada

If you visit in the evening then never miss the evening Kirtan  (Kirtana). Kirtan is a form of worship or love for god. Devotees gather in front of the lord and chant Hare Rama Hare Krishna with traditional music and dance with raised hands.  This form of Kirtana is a style which was started by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The most beautiful form of Kirtana is performed at ISKCON Temples at Mayapuri in West Bengal and Bhubaneswar in Odisha . If you ever get a chance never miss it.

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Balasore

Balasore is one of the oldest and important towns of India. It has rich history and tradition. Balasore town is the head quarter of Balasore District. Baleswar is the original name of Balasore. The Europeans (probably British) used to call it Balasore, which is today mostly used by non-oriya people. Oriya (or ODIA) people still call the town by its thousand year old name, Baleswar. The local people claim that the name Baleswar probably derived from the name of the Demon Banasuro.

River Budhabalanga

The population of Balasore town is about two lakhs and the poulation of the Balasore district is about twenty lakhs (2 millions). The town is situated 214 kilometers from the capital city Bhubaneswar and 232 kilometers from kolkata. Being situated just at the middle of the two metropolis it has taken advantages from both the Metropolis.

The town can be hypothetically divided into three parts. The oldest part is called as Puruna Balasore (Puruna Baleswar). The middle part is something that expanded after the arrival of the Europeans. In last 20 years the town has undergone rapid expansion which is responsible for third part of Balasore. Of course some areas are still outside the Balasore municipality.

Modern History

Balasore is situated near river Budha Balanga. It is the river through which Europeans landed in the Eastern coast of India for the first time.


First the traders from Holland (also called as Netherland) arrived in Balasore towards the 16th Century. The people of Holland are called as Dutch. In India they were called as Hollandas or hollandaz. They lived near the bank of Budha Balanga. Today this place is known as Olandaz Sahi. Many artifacts of that time are still found in that area. The archaeological department has been able to excavate some items of the time of the Hollandaz or the Dutch. These are preserved in the Museums.

Olandaz Sahi

At that time there was great competition among the Europeans for at least trading with India. Traders from Denmark also arrived at Balasore through Budha Balanga. They lived near Olandaz Sahi. The traders from Denmark were called Dinamar. Accordingly this place is known as Dinamar Dinga.  In some other part of the town where the French people were living, is known as Farasi Dinga. Farasi means French. Of course the meaning of Dinga is not clear.

Although the British arrived here late but they were able to expand their trading and later ruled India. A place called Barabati was the main living place of the British in Balasore. Then Mondal Bazar and subsequently Motiganj Bazar gradually developed at the time of the British. In this part of the town, one can still see many old houses which were built and once occupied by the British.

The British wished to make Balasore as their main trading post of eastern region. Later on they discovered a better navigable river Ganga, so they established their main trading point near river Ganga which is today known as Kolkata.

Tourist Spot

There are several tourist spots and other places of importance at or around Balasore. Here I have included some very popular spots.

Khirochora Temple

Khirochora Gopinath temple is located at Remuna. The temple is nearly seven kilometer from Balasore town. The locality is a very calm and quiet place. Lord Gopinatha is worshipped here. The statue of Gopinatha is beautifully made from black stone. Here Prasada is prepared daily. The devotees and pilgrims visiting the temple should have the chance of taking prasada. Prasada distribution usually starts around 12 noon. The prasada is greatly in demand by the locals and devotes. So it is always better to consult the temple authority well in advance.

More over Khira (milk) is available in small pots. The Gopinatha Khira is very delicious like amruta.

Panchalingeswar

Panchalingeswar means Five Lingas of lord Shiva. Panchalingeswar is another important place of visit for hindus. Panchalingeswar is situated on the Nilgiri Hill of Balasore district. It is about 25 km from Balasore town. Those wishing to visit Panchalingeswar can hire a Tatasumo, autorickshaw or some other means readily available near the railway station.

Pancha Lingeswar

The five lingas are rising from the bottom of the small stream flowing through the hill. The devotees feel the presence of the five lingas by slowly moving the hand dipped in the flowing water.

Panchalingeswar is also a picnic spot. The hills attract many tourists each year. Although the place is visited by tourists throughout the year, still  December and January are the ideal months for visit.

Chandipur

Chandipur is a small place situated 15 km from Balasore. Chandipur is well known in India and outside India due to several reasons.

Artillery Displayed in Beach Festival

The Proof and Experimental Department of India Government is established here. This is one of the oldest defense organisation of India. It was established in the year 1895 at the time of British Rule. Now this organisation is called as Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE) under DRDO. Balasore was chosen as the best place for the purpose due to it's typical sea shore. The tide at Chandipur sea recedes about 3 km from the sea shore in low tide. As the tide recedes, the sea bed becomes visible upto about 3 km. This characteristics of the sea is not observed in any other sea shore of India. It proved to be the ideal place for testing guns. mortars and other ammunition. The Interim Test Range has been established at Chandipur in the year 1989. Missiles of all categories and ranges are tested here.

Chandipur Beach

As just I said above, the Chandipur beach is unique some way. The sea is Shallow. The tide recedes to more than 3 km in low tide. In high tide also one can go into the sea water for at least half a kilometer without any fear. The sea is not dangerous unlike at Puri or Digha. Perhaps for enjoying the sea waves there is no better place in India. The sand is hard. In low tide people often enjoy driving vehicles on the sand. The jungle of casuarina trees and sand dunes makes the beach beautiful. The beach is also known for availability of red color crabs.

Balaramgadi

Balaram gadi is a fishing harbour. It is located about 5 km from Chandipur. For people living here fishing is the main profession. Several Storing and Packing facilities available here helps to export fish to other parts of India and outside India.

Tombs of a Dutch Officer and his wife at Olandaz Sahi

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Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar is the capital town of Odisha. Bhubaneswar is well connected to all the major towns and cities of India by road, rail and air.

These three places, Puri, Konark and Bhubaneswar form a triangle which is well known as the Golden Triangle. There are several thousands of temples, both big and small located within the golden triangle. Perhaps it is the only place on earth having so many numbers of old magnificent temples located within such a small area. Naturally this Golden Triangle is the tourist's heaven. Bhubaneswar is known as the city of temples. The superiority of Odishan temple architecture is reflected in numerous temples in Bhubaneswar.

Bhubaneswar can be hypothetically divided into two parts. The old Bhubaneswar and the new one. The old Bhubaneswar is one of the oldest towns of Odisha. It was a small town before the capital of Odisha shifted from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar.

Lingaraja Temple

After Konark and Jagannath temple, Lingaraja temple is the third biggest temple in the Region. The height of the Lingaraja temple is about 150 feet. Lord Shiva is worshipped in Lingaraja Temple. Surrounding Lingaraja Temple there are several smaller temples. The Lingaraja temple was built by king Jajati Keshari towards 11th century.

Lingaraja Temple

Although one cannot find here stone carvings like at Konark but the temple has its distinct identity. This temple is architecturally distinct. Lingaraj temple surrounded by several smaller temples on the compound looks marvellous. More over if you look carefully you can see that the temples are different architecturally. Unlike the Konark temple, here worship and rituals are performed as usual.

There are several other temples for the tourists and pilgrims to visit. Among these the main temples are Rajarani, Mukteswar, Ananta Vasudeva and Kedareswar temples.

Two Damaged Temples

As per the most conservative estimate of the historians, there were more than four thousand temples alone in Bhubaneswar. Some temples are ravaged by forces of nature while many are destroyed purposefully. It is good that, now people have become aware and purposeful destruction of temples and old monuments is almost stopped whether it is a place of worship or not. More over the government is taking steps to preserve such places and structure.

Dhauli

Dhauli hill is located nearly eight kilometer from Bhubaneswar. It is now almost a part of Bhubaneswar. The ghastly Kalinga war was fought near this hill. It is said that the nearby Daya river turned red by the blood of the deceased fighters. This is the place where the horror of Kalinga war transformed the emperor Ashoka from Chandasoka to Dharmasoka. It means he adopted buddhism and renounced violence. Ashokan edict is found around the hill.

Dhauli

A white Shanti Stupa has been built on the hill top in association with Japan Buddha Sangha. From architectural point of view it is quite different from temple architecture. This magnificent Shanti Stupa is a important place of interest for both the tourists and pilgrimage. Each year tens of thousands of both Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims visit this place.

Gautam Buddha

Khandagiri and Udayagiri

The hills Khandagiri and Udayagiri are situated near Bhubaneswar. The hills are near to each other. There are some 15 caves in Khandagiri and 18 caves in Udayagiri. The cave "Hati Gumpha" is on the Udayagiri hill. The inscription of Kharavela is in this cave. The other cave, Rani gumpha is also situated on this hill. The inscription in rani gumpha reveals many important facts of that time. Khandagiri hill is famous for the scenic beauty.

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Puri

Puri is a town situated in east coast of India, In the state of Odisha (Orissa). It is about 60 kilometer from Bhubaneswar, the capital town of Odisha. Puri is a prime religious place for the hindus. It is holy town. It is one of the four Dhams established by Sri Sankaracharya. Puri is famous for the temple of lord Jagannath. Jagannath means the lord of the universe. The scripture says that there were several thousands of temples in puri. Several temples are ruined. Today one can see at least some hundreds of temples dedicated to different hindu god and godesses. The temple architecture is just marvellous.

The height of Puri temple is 214 feet and 8 inches. The Jagannath temple was built by king Anangabhimadeva of Ganga dynasty.


Puri is also called as Jagannath Puri and Jagannath temple as Puri temple.

Puri also has more than half a dozen other names. The most used names are Srikhetra, Neelachal dham, Purusottam dham etc.

Rath Yatra (Car Festival)

Puri is famous for Rath Yatra or car festival. The Rath Yatra is celebrated each year towards the end of June or beginning of July. The date is fixed as per the Hindu calendar.

Rath Yatra is not just the biggest festival of Puri rather it is the biggest event or festival in India. Each year nearly a million of devotees come to Puri for Rath Yatra. Perhaps Rath Yatra is one of the biggest events of the mankind. People from all religion, caste, nationality attend this great event or festival. Usually men, women and children go to place of temple, church or masjid, etc. for worshipping and have a darshan (look) of the god. But Rath Yatra is something where god himself come out of the temple so that any follower of lord Jagannath can have a darshan irrespective of his religion, race, caste or country of origin. At the time of Rath Yatra the population of Puri swell to more than four or five times its actual population. While visiting Puri at this time one should plan well in advance.

Puri Beach

Puri has one of the best sea beaches in India. While taking bath at Puri beach one should be very cautious as there has been lots of incidences of death in sea current. Each year many people die due to careless swimming in the Puri sea or simply due to lack of awareness.

Ideal time to visit Puri is from December to February. Lots of tourists come to Puri during the period from December 25th to first wek of January. Especially hindu people want to start the new year from Darshan of lord Jagannath.  In this time it is very difficult to get accommodation in any of the lodges and hotels at Puri. Any one wishing to visit Puri during this period are advised to book hotels in advance.

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