T – Top Travel tourist places in Odisha and Destinations #A2ZChallenge

Puri is a beach city with its most famous attraction as the Jagannath temple. King Indradyumna built the Jagannath Temple in the 11th Century. This glorious temple is the abode of Lord Jagannath who is a form of Lord Vishnu. There are a lot of places near Puri that one must visit, like the Chilika lake, Puri beach, and Gundicha Ghar. Every year they celebrate the  Puri Beach Festival with great pomp and splendor in early November.

2. Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, the temple city of India, once known for its architecture and grand temples, is presently a thriving center for commerce and business.

Bhubaneswar is an ancient city replete with beautiful historic temples which attract pilgrims and tourists from all over the country. The literal meaning of the city is Lord of the Universe. This rightly reflected in the number of temples here and the religious fervor of its locals. Now Bhubaneswar is a bustling city where history is beautifully intertwined with its modern and progressive present. Bhubaneswar is the center for religious tourism with majestic well kept temples that were built centuries ago. Most have them have still retained their original beauty over all these years. Among them, the Lingaraj temple and the Parasurameswara temple are must-visits and attract tourists for all parts of the country.

3. Konark

Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century  sun temple, about 35 km North of  Puri on the coastline of Odisha. The Rath Yatra(chariot festival) takes place during the month of June-Jul. The  Sun Temple is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Konark’s Sun Temple is an architectural marvel and is one of the most beautiful monuments of India. The Annual Dance Festival is a five-day-long cultural extravaganza that invites unique dancing talent from all over the country. This festival is a grand celebration of our country’s rich cultural and artistic legacy, an event to truly rejoice in the various dance forms that our country has invented. The celebrations happen with the backdrop of the Sun temple, adding grandeur and magnificence to the whole program.

4. Cuttack

Referred to as the cultural capital of Odisha, Cuttack is a commercial city with plenty of impressive tourist attractions. Cuttack is the second-largest city in Odisha. It the center of all commercial activities and the local handicrafts of this state. The inflow and outflow of the rare artifacts which so beautifully define the quintessential Oriyan form of art takes place from this very city.

Cuttack is always buzzing with cultural activities and plays host to a variety of festivals like the Baliyatra, which commemorates the ancient trade links the countries like Java, Bali, and Sumatra, and the Kite Festival which is held in the month of January. Cuttack is a highly-planned city and has a number of tourist attractions which will make a person’s trip here a memorable one.

5. Baripada

At a distance of 248km from Kolkata and 256km from Bhubaneshwar, Baripada is a beautiful city, located along the east bank of the Budhabalanga river. It is also known as a natural haven as there are many scenic locations that you can visit in this region.

Its Rath Yatra is considered the biggest and oldest after Puri and thus Baripada is also known as Dwitiya Srikhetra. It is host to the world-famous Car Festival (Rathyatra). Here they have only women to pull the Rath of Maa Subhadra. Massive crowds gather to see this enormous celebration. New on the list of adventure buffs and nature lovers, this town is popular and one of the top tourist places in Odisha to discover.

6. Gopalpur

Gopalpur is a famous sea beach town and popular tourist destination around 15 km from Berhampur. This city is noted for having the best beaches on the eastern coastline of the country. It is popular for being one of the few sites in India where Olive Ridley Turtles nest. Besides the beach, they serve up some really authentic delicious seafood too. Chilika Lake is very scenic at sunset. It also has a bird sanctuary.