Orissa has Several Great Tourist Attractions Like Taptapani and Chandragiri

chillibreeze writer — Amitava Chakrabarty

Tucked away in a remote corner of the Ganjam district of Orissa are two tourist locales atop the Eastern Ghat Mountains. One is Taptapani and the other is Chandragiri. While the first one can well be for the honeymooners, seeking recluse from the dining discord of the city, the second one is yet another wonder in waiting for any nature lover just 35 kilometers away from the first.

The Hot Springs of Taptapani

Taptapani, as the name suggests, is famous for its hot springs. Nestled at about 1800 feet above Mean Sea Level, this spot is only 56 kilometers away from Behrampore (or Brahmapur as the locals call it), the nearest rail station. You can board a bus bound for Raigada and alight at the Tattapani Panthanivas (OTDC-Guesthouse), or else you can hire a car which will take around Rs. 800/- to drop you at Taptapani. You can retain it for a higher fee so that it can take you to Chandragiri the next day before dropping you back at Behrampore.

The sprawling Panthanivas, is the only shelter for tourists at Taptapani. The two AC suits (Rs.500 - 700, depending on the season) have a common balcony and each has a huge bedroom, a dressing room and a bathroom containing a small swimming pool fed by the warm water from the hot springs. The cozy lukewarm water sooths your body and soul. “Bathing is believing”, the manager asserted.

The cottages have another attraction. They overlook a pristine valley replete with various shades of green. Anyone can leisurely spend hours sitting here. The Dining Hall is strategically placed in between two crests of mountain fold. You get an eerie feeling amid buzzing crickets in the evening. A few minutes walk from here will take you to Kandimata Mandir where the locals take a bath in the spring before offering their daily prayers. There is also a deer park maintained by the forest department, which adds another feather to Taptapani’s cap.

Chandragiri – Little Tibet

Thirty-five kilometers away from here is a unique place called Chandragiri, a Tibetan village inside the heart of Orissa. During the Chinese Aggression of Tibet in 1959, these Tibetan refugees crossed over to India along with the Dalai Lama and were allotted this spot. They built cottages and camps and a monastery resembling what they had left in Tibet. It is sheer zeal and hard work that has transformed this jungle into crop growing fields. Maize and corn is everywhere to be seen. The beautiful houses and well maintained gardens reflect the economic independence of the residents. Colorful flags decorated with dragons and inscribed with prayers welcome anyone under the clean blue sky.

To get the feel of the place, one has to go to Chandragiri by bus. Humans are stacked along with chickens or even goats, but a tourist is given all the respect he deserves. The bus stop is Lobersing, where you can alight and see exquisite Tibetan wall mats, carpets, handicrafts and leather goods being spun by gown clad ladies inside a Co-operative Society factory. They are so engrossed in their job, that they hardly give you a glance. Suddenly the superior will emerge and start showing you the artifacts. You can cross the road, which leads you to the village monastery. At this juncture, you can hardly imagine that you are in Orissa. Here between the mountain cliffs you can almost breathe Tibet! Young lamas jostle around while the elders rotate the“chakra” drum humming prayers, like gentle apostles of nonviolence. A white mountain dog follows you all through, giving you company in this solitude. Only a whistling bike breaks this Tibetan trance.

You can either take a night halt at the Society’s Guest House or come back to Taptapani. Though the season of this trip is in the monsoon, you have nothing to fear in this terrain, except for the mosquitoes! Last but not least, order your lunch or dinner early.

Contacts:-

The Managing director,

OTDC Head Office, Panthanivas(Old Block)

Lewis Road,

Bhubaneswar-751014

Email:otdc@ortel.net Tel:(91-674)2430764

OrissaTourism. Gov. in

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—About our writer:

Amitava is a basically heart-driven creature who some times uses his brain. Loves to write poetry on love (along with its pains), nature, social discord etc.Likes all shades of blue and Indian classical music and trekking in mountains. A dock pilot by profession and a striving writer by choice. Penned an anthology of poems titled SOLITUDE, which has been reviewed in International magazines. Books like Da Vinci Code, God of small things, &the selfish gene are his favorites.

Orissa has Several Great Tourist Attractions Like Taptapani and Chandragiri

The Hot Springs of Taptapani

Chandragiri – Little Tibet

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