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Tourism Places In Orissa
Puri and Konark are major tourist attractions. Hirakud Dam,
the fourth largest in the world is also worth seeing. Chilka, the largest brackish
water inland lake in Asia, stretches over an area of 1100 sq. km. The largest Lion
Safari of India, and the only White Tiger Safari in the world, are located in the
outskirts of Bhubaneswar. Odissi, one of the dance forms of India continues to draw
admirers throughout the world.
Orissa is located on India's east coast. It is bounded by the Bay of Bengal
in the east and by the states of West Bengal in the northeast, Bihar in the north,
Madhya Pradesh in the West, and Andhra Pradesh in the south. The state occupies
an area of about 156,000 square kilometers. The capital of Orissa is Bhubaneswar.
Bhubaneswar is also the most populated city in Orissa. Cuttack and Puri
are two other cities with high populations.
The history of Orissa has a place of distinction in the Indian folklore. The famous
Battle of Kalinga was fought near the city of Bhubaneswar in 260 BC. The battle
transformed Emperor Ashoka into a philanthropist and patronizer of the Buddhist
faith. Many battles took place during this time period, and the next rulers of the
Orissan area were the Kesari, a Hindu people, and then the Ganga. Then in the 16th
century the Mughals brought Orissa in its empire followed by the Marathas. The British
rule entered the political scene and took control of the state in 1803 with the
rest of India. Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism flourished in Orissa.
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As of 1991, the time that the last recorded census was taken, there were approximately
31, 660, 000 people living in the state of Orissa. Fewer than 14% of all citizens
of Orissa live in cities. This number illustrates the great number of people who
live in the country and work on farms. The ratio of males to females is about 1:
9.7. About one half of all the people living in Orissa can read, a high number for
a relatively rural state. The most common language spoken in Orissa is Oriya. The
average individual income, annually, is 3,963 Rupees.
Over 76% of the people are dependent on agriculture. Out of the gross cropped area
of 87.46 lakh hectares are 87.79 lakh hectares are irrigated. Rice, pulses, oil-seeds,
jute, mesta, sugarcane, coconut and turmeric are important crops. The state contributes
one-tenth of the rice production in India.
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The Central Sector Projects are: Steel Plant at Rourkela, SAND Complex at Chhatrapur,
Heavy Water Project at Talcher, Coach Repairing Workshop at Mancheswar, Aluminium
Complex at Koraput, Captive Power Plant at Angul, Aluminium Smelter at Angul and
Fertilizer Plant at Paradip. Major thermal and hydel power stations are Talcher,
Hirakud, and Chiplima. Major rhermal and hydel power stations are Talcher, Hirakud
and Chiplima. Other power projects are Upper Indravati, Upper Kolab, Rengali and
Ib.
Industry also plays a key role in the economy. Products manufactured in Orissa include
textiles, paper, leather goods, cement, soap, glass, aluminum, and flour. Some of
the natural resources that are mined are iron, coal, and zinc. Orissa has trade
relations with other states of India, the United States, Japan, Britain, and Germany.
There are many products that are shipped in and out of Orissa annually. The main
exports are expensive gems, fish, fancy jewelry, baskets, and clothing. Orissa is
known world-wide for its fine cloths and the painstaking effort with which they
are made. Orissa also imports many things. The chief imports are machinery, steel,
and fuel.
Places of interest are: Lingaraja Temple,Mukteswar Temple, Ananta Vasudeva Temple
and Rajarani Temple, the Jain and Buddhist rock-cut caves of Khandagiri, Udayagiri
and Dhauli together with Ashoka’s edict.
Hotels of Orissa
The State has hotels of star and non star category catering to the needs of the
tourists visiting Orissa. Besides it has resorts, restaurants and cafés which cater
to the needs of all segment of travelers.
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