Sambalpur--Mahanadi and Nature
Hello friends, hope all of you are well. After some festival gaps like Diwali, Bhaidooj etc today I am again with you with another new destination... Now, lets visit Odisha.
For people who thinks Odisha is just for scenic beaches and temples, this story is for you. Odisha is not always associated with beaches. Actually in this story you will find some jungle and hills and a mighty river, the lifeline of Chhattisgarh and Odisha. That is Mahanadi. Actually Mahanadi is the main character in this story. So, lets start our journey. Hope you will enjoy.
Sambalpur, the gateway to Dandakaranya, that is Forests of South-central India, has a great historical connect and has some good legendary tales. So, before our journey lets share the history of the place. Sambalpur was mentioned as Sambalaka in ancient Roman texts of 2nd century CE. It is said that this place was as a diamond export centre. Local mines of Dandakaranya belt provides good quality of diamond which was exported to Rome during early Gupta ages. In many documents of Gupta Age, Sambalpur-Bilaspur region was mentioned as Dakshin Koshala and this area was a trading place. This place had a great importance on North-South trade route in India as Guptas has trade and matrimonial relations with the Chalukyas and Pallavas of South India.
According to many Historians, the town of Hirakhonda was established by Somavansi King, Janamajaya-I in 8th century. The town was a gift to his wife who hailed from Western part of Odisha. Later the town was renamed as Sambalpur after Devi Samaleswari. But few historians differs this fact. According to them, Chalukya King Pulakesin-II conquered a vast area of Western Odisha from the Panduvamsi King Balarjuna Shivagupta, who ruled over Odisha and South Bengal at that time. To commemorate this victory, Pulakesin-II dedicated a temple to Devi Samalai on the banks of river Mahanadi. Devi Samalai later on came to be known as Devi Samaleswari among locals. And the town of the Devi came to be known as Sambalpur. Still today, Samaleswari Temple is one of the main attraction of Sambalpur.
Other important temple of Sambalpur is Ghanteswari Temple. This temple is noted for hanging bells in the temple. According to local folklores, in ancient times due to heavy winds traders hanged bells on the bank of river Mahanadi to know the velocity of wind in the river channel. So that they could control the speed of their vessels. By these custom the temple come into existence. Presently this temple is very popular among people of Western Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The way to the temple is very scenic and if you are in Sambalpur, Ghantai Temple is a must visit.
Another attraction of Sambalpur is the Huma Temple dedicated to Lord Bimaleswar, a form of Lord Shiva. The temple is a bit leaned and the cause of such leanage is still unknown. During shivaratri, a fair is organised in the Temple premises by the Govt of Odisha.
The city of Sambalpur is very much related to River Mahanadi. From its history, Sambalpur has a high connection with the river. Sambalpur in present days is very much connected to Hirakund Dam, India's largest Earthen Dam. The dam constructed in 1956 has huge importance in Irrigation, power generation and flood control in Lower Mahanadi basin. The dam is named 'Hirakund' from old name this place, Hirakhonda, which means land of diamond.. According to historical texts and legends, Mahandi basin was one of the place where diamond mining was done.
The reservoir of Hirakund Dam has a stretch of 743sqkm, with a depth of 630ft, which makes it the biggest artificial lake in India. To have a bird-eye view of the Dam with its huge reservoir it is must to visit the Jawahar Tower view point. There are two towers marking both the end of the dam. Jawahar Tower on Debrigarh Road is one of the most popular tourist destinbations of Sambalpur. From the Jawahar Tour one can get a fantastic view of the Dam with its reservoir and the Debrigarh Sanctuary by the side of the reservoir.
The Debrigarh Road drive through the dykes of the reservoir is a lifetime experience. You will feel the natural beauty of the place and the engineering wonder of the dam. The view of sunset from this road is fantastic. Very much recommendable to have a glimpse of sunset on this road.
Sambalpur is a town and you can get a lot of staying options in the town. But to enjoy Sambalpur and River Mahandi at its best, it is highly recommended to stay inside the Debrigarh Sanctuary. The Odisha Forest dept has a fantastic nature camp inside the forest where one can get fooding and lodging facility. The accommodation is slightly costly with AP system, that is, the cost of fooding is inclusive along with the room rent, but a stay inside the forest by the side of the reservoir is a great experience. The food of the resort is really good and tasty.
The jungle trail inside the forest is a real fun. Just take your time, walk silently keeping eyes, nose and ears open. You will feel the silence of the place, with the sound the water and chirping of Birds. While walking you will just enjoy different colours of the flowers and butterflies. And the only smell you will get is the typical essence of the forests. If you want to enjoy the jungle trail most, obviously have a early morning walk through the forest. But must take a guide, without guide it is quite risky as there are a varied range of wild animals.
A boat ride in the reservoir is a birdwatchers dream. You will come across a wide range of Shore birds in the boat ride. The boat ride is inclusive with the room rent of the Nature Camp run by Odisha Forest Dept. If you are not staying here, you have to book it from the Forest office near the main gate of the Forest. This boat ride is very recommendable if you are in Sambalpur. The boat is provided with high power telescope for bird watching.
Jungle safari is available in the forest. Debrigarh has the highest concentration of Indian Gaur in India. Other than Gaur, you can also found Leopard, sloth bear, Chital deer, Sambhar deer, Jackals and Jungle cats. Debrigarh is one of the home of the rare Chausingha Antelope. This member of Antelope family is only seen here and in Satpura Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh. Among reptiles you can find Monitor lizards, Indian Python, Indian Keelback and King cobra. Debrigarh is home to a large variety of birds including peafowls.
The Debrigarh Sanctuary is situated in the foothills of Barapahar Range of Western Odisha, which is a continuation of the Maikal Hill Ranges of the Central India. Barapahar range is a link between Maikal Range of Central India and the Eastern Ghats of Coastal Odisha. So, the forests has a great floral diversity. Mainly a dry deciduous forest, Debrigarh shows some characteristic flora, which is common to forests of Southern India.
After some hectic schedules of daily life, a relief is highly needed. An idle day out at Debrigarh Sanctuary will give you that much needed relief. Just sit idle and enjoy the forest, the activity of butterflies, birds, insects and counting the waves at the reservoir, how you will spend a few days, you will be astonished. A lazy walk around the forest will only bring the child inside you out and after coming back to normal life after this trip you will start totally refreshed.
For tourists who are very much interested in marketing while visiting a place, yes, Sambalpur has something for you too. Sambalpur is famous for Sambalpuri Sarees.
The main festival of Sambalpur is Sheethal Sasthi. Carnivals, fairs and traditional rituals are performed throughout this region during this time. Another festival organised here is Sambalpur Lok Mahatsav. During this festival local youths performs traditional Sambalpuri Folkdances known as Dalkhai dance and Karma dance. Sambalpur Lok Mahatsav is organised on first week of January and it attracts a huge tourists not only from Odisha, but also from adjacent states of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.
So, how is this place? Do you feel to visit Sambalpur shortly? Comment me about your views. If you visit there, it is guaranteed that you will enjoy a lot. Specially the Dam and the forests. I had enjoyed a lot and is really trying to visit once again. Here are some travel tips for you...
How to Reach :- Sambalpur is well connected through railways and roadways. It is situated at the junction of the Cuttack-Jharsuguda and Jharsuguda-Koraput-Jagdalpur railway track. Sambalpur by roadways is situated on the junction of Kolkata-Mumbai Highway and Puri-Bhubaneswar-Raipur Highway. So, it has a good connectivity. From Kolkata you can get Howrah-Sambalpur SF Exp, Howrah-Titlagarh Ispat SF Exp (via Tata), Howrah-Jagdalpur Samaleswari Exp (via Tata) to reach Sambalpur. Kolkata-Sambalpur Volvo Bus is also available.
Where to Stay :- To enjoy Sambalpur most, it is better to stay at Nature Camp of Odisha Forest Dept at Debrigarh Sanctuary. You can also get accomodation at Sambalpur town according to your budget.
Time to Visit :- October to March... Debrigarh Forest remains closed from Mid June to October due to monsoon rains. Odisha is extremely hot in summer months of April and May.
So, today its all over. Very soon I will come back with another new place. May be a bit closer to Kolkata. To experience my travel stories stay connected with my blogs I am sharing my travel experiences in different places along with historical and other information for you through my blog quite regularly. To get information about my stories directly you can follow this page or my facebook page Traveller Raja. And obviously comment your views about these stories. Your comments are always welcome.
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