Travellers Adda explores scenic beauty of Odisha

Nagpur: The latest edition of monthly travel exploration ‘Travellers Adda’ focussed on Odisha, its rich heritage, coastal contours and delicious local food. Conducted at Chitnavis Centre on Sunday, the event was ‘informative and illuminating’ narration of Odisha from a traveller’s point of view.
It was Traveller Adda’s first experiment with hybrid mode (both online and offline) interaction and was a successful one too. Using the platform to share their experience, Bharat, Bhavna and Tanushree Shah unfolded the beautiful puzzle of the state of Odisha or as Bharat likes to say it ‘Odisha... aha’. The Shahs started their journey of 12 days and 11 nights from Bhubaneswar and first came across Dhauligiri, 15km south of the capital city which is famous for Dhauli Shanti Stupa — an Ashok historical.
Continuing their journey, they visited Bhitarkanika National Park known ‘for its extensive crocodiles, boating and scenic wildlife’. Addressing the gathering, Bharat Shah mentioned the Diamond Triangle terming it as ‘a rare collection of three Buddhist sites of Ratnagiri, Udayagiri and Lalitgiri’. These areas were filled with museums and old ‘khandars’. Moving forward they came across Konark Sun Temple. Speaking about it, Bharat said, “There was a beautiful display of light and sound shown on the temple buildings,” and added, “We would have liked it more if the authorities would have allowed us to see the temple from inside.”
Bharat along with his family visited Puri and the famous Jagannath Temple where the three deities — Lord Jagannath (Krishna), his elder brother Balaram and their sister Subhadra — are worshipped in tandem. Thereafter they visited Puri sea beach which according to Bharat “is one of the cleanest beaches he has ever seen.”
Some of the last few places that visited included Daringbadi hill station which Bharat said is famous for its pine forests, coffee plantations and waterfalls. They ended their expedition back in Bhubaneswar where they unwounded by watching the local dances, visiting tribal museums and savouring traditional food.
(Reporting by Parneet Randhawa)