Popular destinations in Odisha - Tickle the enthusiasm within

Vacations are the time to rejuvenate ourselves and welcome freshness. It leaves behind myriad memories to cherish for. The quality time spent with our near and dear ones brings unmatched joy and excitement. It is the time to leave behind the daily hustles and mingle with dear ones.

Well! A vacation is a time to evolve, energize, and educate.

Vacations are around the corner again, and the fun and excitement among people of all ages double up after an outing. Well-planned holidays are necessary to leave us free from last-minute hurry. I, too, along with my family, planned to visit Odisha. I had heard about the state's scenic beauty many times but was lucky to visit it only in December last year. We designed our tour in such a way that we could cover a maximum number of places so that we may only spend short hours in transit.

We booked our train tickets from Hyderabad to Bhubaneshwar. We needed to start after ten days, but we ended up ruling out the previous day's plans and making an altogether new one each day. Finally, we made a five-day tour plan covering the important destinations. At last, the journey date was right there; with the complete wish list, we all were ready with our bag packs in time at the Hyderabad station.

The train journey is always exciting as we get ample time to explore the beauty of nature between destinations. A journey by train also gives you much time to connect to people around you. Ours was a 12-hour journey to Bhubaneshwar, but every hour seemed so long as we eagerly waited to reach early. Finally, we got off at the Bhubaneshwar railway station.

Konark Sun Temple:

We chose a road journey further to save time, so we booked an Innova to get a head start. The driver was ready with the vehicle, and we drove straight to the renowned Konark Sun temple. It was about 65 kilometers from Bhubaneshwar; it took around one and a half hours to reach Konark. I was mesmerized to see the majestic temple with beautiful carvings depicting day to day life of the people in the past. After spending around 2 hours, we headed to Puri, about 35 kilometers from Konark. 

Konark Sun Temple

Puri:

Puri is famous for its pilgrim place and awestruck beach line. We had a night's stay at the hotel, and the next day we visited the temple and took god's blessings. The next best part was the beach at Puri. The beauty of the golden sunset was best viewed from there. We luckily had an opportunity to see the beautiful sand art too. It was simply wow!!!

Chilika Lake:

The next day we visited Chilika Lake, a brackish water lagoon famous for its assorted migratory birds. The main attraction is an hour-long motorboat ride across the lake and watching the Dolphins. It was one of the best moments in my lifetime; I can never forget the experience of such an eye-catching beauty of the lake.

Chilika Lake

Some other famous places:

With a heavy heart, we left for Bhubaneshwar from Chilika Lake, about 60 kilometers. On the way back, we also visited a small village, Pipli. It is famous for its applique art, beautifully carved out with colorful pieces of cloth. It was the best place to take some goodies for friends and relatives as a memory to cherish. After reaching Bhubaneshwar, we took a quick tour of the Nandankanan zoo, the ancient Khandagiri & Ratnagiri caves, and last but not least, the famous Lingaraja Temple.

Ratnagiri Caves

Finally we boarded our train for Hyderabad from Bhubaneshwar. It is very apt Asian proverb that “Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times “.

With Yatra we can shrug off our burden of booking tickets and hotel and enjoy our holidays without any hassles and with peace of mind.

@Meenal