Gopalpur-On-Sea Odisha’s Hidden Time Capsule

By- Anil Dhir

Gopalpur-On-Sea was originally a small fishing hamlet on the southern coast of Odisha. Named after the ‘Krishna Gopal’ temple built in the 18th Century, the village’s antiquity stretches back to a much earlier age when Odisha had a rich maritime tradition. The early Kalingans had sailed to Java, Bali and Sumatra carrying the seeds of Indian civilization with them. It was a flourishing port on the eastern coast for years. The East India Company had built huge warehouses and godowns for trade with Burma. Even passenger ships sailed from the place, taking indentured labourers for the rubber plantations and railways in Burma and South East Asia.

Ultimate beauty of Gopalpur-On-Sea (Brahmapur)

In 1911, when the British shifted their capital to New Delhi, Kolkata developed a number of satellite getaway resorts like Kurseong, Kalimpong and Diamond Harbor. Gopalpur was known for its magnificent beach and was discovered as a perfect winter resort. Many Bristishers, Armenians and a few wealthy Bengalis made it their holiday home. Many Christian missions set up training schools and seminaries, a few of which still exist. Soon hotels and guesthouses lined the seafront. There were gas lights, wooden dance floors, and dancing and parties that continued till the early hours.

The road rounds a curve and stretching infinitely are the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal. The British put the suffix ‘on sea’, similar to the names of little English fishing villages like Middleton-on-sea, Frankton-on-sea and so many others

The road to Gopalpur from the railhead at Berhampur meanders through coconut plantations and casuarina groves, before sharply dipping downwards through the narrow marketplace. The road rounds a curve and stretching infinitely are the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal. The British put the suffix ‘on sea’, similar to the names of little English fishing villages like Middleton-on-sea, Frankton-on-sea and so many others. The pristine beach, the picturesque fisher folk, swaying palms and the salubrious climate made it the favourite rest and recreation place for those who could afford it.

In 1914, Signor Maglioni, an Italian businessman was charmed by the palm fringed beach of the languorous place, where the silence was broken only by the breakers and the occasional coconut thudding on the ground. He established the ‘Palm Beach Hotel’ in 1914, building it in the Mediterranean architectural style. It was the first hotel of the State and probably the first beach resort of the country.

Between the two World Wars (1914-1918 and 1939-1945) Gopalpur was overrun by the men in Khakis and became the eastern sectors base for ferrying out troops and supplies to Rangoon. In 1945, after the end of the World War II, India inched towards being an independent nation. By the 1947, most of the British had left Indian shores and the commercial activity of Gopalpur had dwindled to a trickle. The once vibrant emblazoned ball rooms gaped at open skies. The busy wharfs crashed down and the warehouses became seedy gateways for derelicts. After the British left India, even the rich Bengalis preferred to holiday in other places and Gopalpur began to revert to what it originally was – a small fishing village.

Gopalpur-On-Sea (Brahmapur)

Many of the smaller bungalows along the seafront were taken over and developed by retired Anglo-Indians from Kolkata. These guest houses had names like White Hart, Smith’s Place, Homestead, Ocean View, Christopher Lodge, Colbon House and Sea View, The Anchorage and Wroxham House and Blue Haven. They were run on the lines of British Bed and Breakfast cottages. Their location was fantastic, overlooking the blue Bay. Beautifully maintained, they were a stark contrast to the crumbling ruins that lay alongside.

Rai Bahadur M.S Oberoi took over the Palm Beach Hotel in 1946. On a chance visit to Gopalpur, his keen eyes did not miss the state of disrepair that the hotel had fallen to. His instinct smelled a bargain and Maglioni was only too happy to sell it for a paltry three lac rupees, thereby enabling the Oberoi legend to root itself as the ‘Oberoi Palm Beach’. After its door opened, the who’s who of the country, from Prime Ministers, to celebrities and royalty left their impressions behind along with their footprints on the sands of time.

On a recent trip to the place, I once again went and met Mrs. Rosalind Dutt, the innkeeper of the Mermaid Motel. I had stayed at the place years ago, and remembered how she made me walk her dogs in return for a free meal. She is the last of the old lot who has stuck to the place. Mrs. Dutt is of Armenian ascent, she had moved to Gopalpur in 1983, after taking over the old property of the Brahma Kumari’s on the seafront. She renovated the core structure from scratch, lovingly touching up the details, reinventing the old magic, preserving the memories. After the death of her husband, she ran the place for years. Her ill health forced her to convert into a girl’s hostel for a couple of years. She had a bypass surgery after which she came back and restarted the inn. She stays in a quaint cottage aptly named Dutt Cottage adjoining the Motel. The place is kept spic and span by her staff comprising of locals. They serve traditionally cooked food from the kitchen.

For me it was a trip down memory lane. I had spent a week at Gopalpur in 1985 and stayed at the place. We comprised of a group of ghost hunters and spent many nights in the ruined buildings which were believed to be haunted. After a week of ghost busting, we gave up and had returned disappointed. Mrs. Dutt had sternly warned against disturbing the ghosts and threatened to throw us out of her place.

I met the sweet old lady and spent a couple of hours with her. I borrowed a bike and went around the small place, visiting the dilapidated old buildings. I visited two dozen of these old bungalows; all of them were in a state of near collapse. With plaster peeling off and tiles missing from the roofs, thick vegetation growing from the walls and roofs, they wore a forlorn air of neglect. Carved doors and windows hung loosely from their hinges. Some of the old grandeur was still evident, the roof beams and carven pillars had survived the years. Some of them still had the floor tiles in place.

Ocean View, the red bungalow that Geoffrey Moorehouse had written about in his book “Calcutta” is in a slightly better state, but abandoned. The road outside Mrs. Dutt cottage, like all the streets in Gopalpur-on-Sea, is adrift with sand which has blown up from the beach fifty yards away, leaving only a small channel of cracked tarmacadam for pedestrians in between its shallow banks.

There is certainly something else in the place. The easy familiarity, the otherworldly nature of a land that has escaped the world as it changes around it and the simple lives of the local fishing community is charming. Today, this small fishing village is again attracting attention and trying to become a popular holiday resort.

Courtesy -udayindia.in/August 14, 2015

TOURISTS BACK IN CYCLONE-HIT GANJAM

Tourism in the Phailin-hit Ganjam district has resumed with a gradual inflow of visitors to the famous tourist destinations like Gopalpur-on-Sea, Rambha-on-Chilka and the Tara Tarini Shakti Peeth. As the peak tourist season spans from October to March, all the 20 major hotels — including the State-owned Panthanivas — have been getting visitors soon after the authorities cleaned up Gopalpur, according to hoteliers.

Visitors from the USA, Canada, Italy, Korea, Britain, Germany and Belgium have been visiting the town after normalcy was restored after the Phailin battered the sea resort on October 12. The lighting system has been restored in the beach on a priority basis for the convenience of the tourists, said Gopalpur Notified Area Council Executive Officer R Mishra.

Tourists from West Bengal and some other places have come to Rambha. They had been lodged at Rambha and Barkul before visiting the Chilika lake. The restoration work is almost complete at Chilika. Boating has also resumed in the lake, Rambha Panthanivas Manager Rabi Das said. Another tourist spot, the Tampara lake, located near Chhatrapur, has suffered a serious setback as its boating club, jetty, decorative electric poles and other facilities were destroyed. It would take some more time to restore normalcy at the lake area, official sources said. Source: The Pioneer 

Gopalpur Port to start cargo handling from next year

The proposed all weather Gopalpur Port is expected to start cargo handling from its newly constructed berths from 2013 with construction of three berths - one for coal, one for iron and a multipurpose one. It was declared during a review meeting regarding the progress of the project. This meeting was attended by State Minister for Commerce and Transport Sanjeeb Kumar Sahu, Secretary of the Department Gagan Dhal, director of Ports and Inland Waterways and Transport, Subrat Raut, administrative officials of Ganjam district including Collector Kishen Kumar, Managing Director of Gopalpur Ports Limited (GPL) Mahimananda Mishra, directors of GPL Charchit Mishra and M.M.Moharana. The State Minister and dignitaries visited the construction site of the port. They also visited the breakwaters being constructed for the all weather port. It may be noted that the GPL has constructed one 670-meter-long backwater to the south of the port as well as another 360 meter-long intermediary breakwater.

The state government on this occasion promised to provide land needed for the expansion of the Gopalpur port. "We will provide the required land to Gopalpur Ports Limited (GPL) very soon for the expansion and development of the all weather direct berthing port," said state transport and commerce minister Sanjiv Sahu, after the review. The GPL requires around 783 acres of land for its phase-II and stage-I construction, which is scheduled to be completed by March next year. While around 393.67 acres of land has already been handed over to the GPL, the remaining portion, including 130 acre private land, will be acquired soon. "We hope the land handover process will be completed very soon to pave way for the construction of the port," the minister said. 

Olive Ridley turtles arrive at Rushikulya rookery near Berhampur

Project Smile India

• Rushikulya is one of the biggest mating grounds of Olive Ridleys in the world
• Measures have been initiated to protect these mating Olive Ridleys
• At present small number of mating pairs are visible which is expected to increase
• Fishing has been banned in the area where these turtles are congregating

BERHAMPUR: Rare and endangered Olive Ridley turtles have started to arrive for mating near Rushikulya rookery (about 30km from Berhampur and 30km from the famous Tara Tarini hill Shrine) in Ganjam district is considered as one of the biggest mating grounds of Olive Ridleys in the world. According to officials of the forest department they are now gathering up at a distance of seven kilometres from the coast line. At present small number of mating pairs are visible. But a large number of turtles can be seen. Mating of Olive Ridleys picks up in this area in the last week of December and January. This year these endangered marine turtles have arrived in time.

The Olive Ridleys usually start their mating in the sea near their preferred nesting coast. According to experts these rare turtles have a single mating season in a year. After the end of the mating season most male turtles usually return back leaving behind the female turtles to lay their eggs. The nesting of Olive Ridleys starts from the end of January in sporadic manner which picks up in February.

Measures have been initiated to protect these mating Olive Ridleys in the sea. Fishing has been banned in the area where these turtles are congregating. This involves the stretch of sea up to a distance of ten kilometres from the coast line of Rushikulya rookery. Extension of fishing ban area extends to ten kilometres towards the north and ten kilometres towards south of the rookery.

Illegal entry of fishing trawlers to this region is being checked through regular patrolling at sea said Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer. A team of forest officials is also monitoring the Rushikulya rookery coast line where the turtles would lay eggs after two months. They are also documenting the carcasses of turtles found on this coast to assess the number and cause of deaths of Olive Ridleys out here. DFO said this year deposition was quite good at Rushikulya river coast, which means the turtles would have a good stretch of beach to lay their eggs.

Source: The Hindu, Photo source: Project Smile India & Flickr

Gopalpur-On-Sea sub-post office adjudged best post office in the country

Berhampur: A sub-post office in Orissa's Ganjam district along with two others have been adjudged the best post offices in the country.Union minister for communication A Raja presented the award to M Kamaraju, the post master of Gopalpur sub-post office at a function held at Coimbatore on Saturday.The post office at Gopalpur, launched by the Department of Post under the Project Arrow scheme last year, was selected as the best post office after thorough evaluation of its performance by a private agency appointed by the government.The other two post offices are Darika Tirumulla in Andhra Pradesh and Madangoplapur in Tamil Nadu.It is a matter of pride for Orissa as a sub-post office in the state has been selected for the first prize, said Post Master General, Berhampur, S K Kamila.

Courtesy: The Pragativadi

Inter-state cruise through Gopalpur mooted

BERHAMPUR: The country's first inter-state cruise between Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to Kolkata via Orissa is being planned for tourists. ''Talks are at an advanced stage as both Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal have shown interest for this mutually beneficial tourism. We are trying to introduce the service before the end of this year,'' Orissa's tourism department director R N Nanda said. Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation at present operates a sea cruise of a shorter duration.
The idea was proposed by Orissa Tourism Minister Debi Prasad Mishra and it was discussed with his Andhra Pradesh counterpart earlier this month in Hyderabad. He has also spoken to the West Bengal tourism minister on the matter. Under the project, tourists will travel by sea-route from Visakhapatnam to Kolkata with short stays at the famous tourist spots in Orissa like Gopalpur. All facilities, including food would be provided. The project, according to Nanda, will be implemented in the public-private partnership (ppp) mode where a private party would operate the cruise. ''The proposal will take a concrete shape after signing of the MoU.'' Nanda said at least two steamers - one from West Bengal and another from Andhra Pradesh will be used and the expression of interest would be sought from the interested parties.
Orissa, which has several tourist spots along the long coast line, would be benefitted by the project, the tourism officials said adding the potential survey has already been made. The proposed cruise line will have stops at the famous beach resorts Gopalpur-on-sea, Puri, Dhamara in Orissa and tourists can visit the nearby areas of tourist interest. ''While we have the infastructure to anchor the vessel at Gopalpur-on-sea and Dhamara, we have to develop such facilities at Puri or nearby towns,'' said an officer of the tourism department.

Source: Business Standard, The Hindu, The Pioneer, Orissa Diary

Gopalpur to be modelled on Visakhapatnam

The Orissa government will examine the proposal to develop sea-beach tourism at Goplapur in line with the one at Visakhapattanam in Andhra Pradesh. The government will examine various components of sea-beach development plan implemented at Visakhapattanam before taking a decision in this regard. “The government will consider the proposal keeping in view the ecology and culture of Gopalpur”, state tourism minister, Debi Prasad Misra said. He said, Goplapur is among the six locations being developed by the state government as sea-beach tourist destinations. Since the state has a long coastline of 480 kms, efforts are being made to improve the infrastructure in locations suitable for beach tourism.
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has prepared a Coastal Zone Development Plan (ICZDP) for integrated development of Talasari, Chandipur, Chandrabhaga, Puri and Gopalpur. Financial assistance is provided by the state government for organising ‘Sea-beach Mahotsav’ to attract the tourists, he added.
The government has taken a host of measures for developing tourist destinations. This includes opening up of Panthaniwas, construction of convention centres, food court, additional accommodation, parking facilities, lighting facilities, children’s park, toilet complex, interpretation centre, public convenience centre and Kiosks among others. A gallery to accommodate 2000 tourists has been constructed at Goplapur sea-beach and the work is in progress to provide sanitary facilities there, Misra added. The state government and the Centre have provided assistance for the development of 5 destinations like Pragalpitha, Barpali (rural tourism), Ujjleswar and Ghodahada, Kechela and Berhampur.

Source: Business Standard & Govt. of Orissa

Gopalpur all set to lure back tourists

BERHAMPUR:The decline in tourists has spurred the Gopalpur-on-Sea administration to launch a cleanliness and beautification drive in the resort town. The public-private venture will include overhaul of the sanitation facilities and construction of a ring road. "Our prime aim is to lure back both domestic and foreign tourists. This is why we have chalked out several development measures including sanitation. We will launch the drive soon," district collector V K Pandian said. "The other planned projects are repair of the roads leading to the beach, a swinging bridge, water sports facilities in the town's backwater area and an aquarium," Pandian added. Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) will be entrusted with building the ring road at an estimated cost of Rs 10.5 crore and repairing the other roads. The administration will submit a proposal for building a swinging bridge modelled along the lines of the famous Laxman Jhula in Hrishikesh. "The proposed bridge will not only attract tourists, but also benefit residents of the cut-off area in the town," local MLA Pradeep Panigrahi said. The decision to launch the development drive was taken at a Gopalpur Development Committee meeting held on Monday evening. While hoteliers will contribute about 50 per cent of the cost, the Notified Area Council (Gopalpur) will provide 30 per cent and the Beach Development Committee headed by the collector will give 20 per cent of the funds. "While the district administration will provide infrastructure, hoteliers will also play a bigger role in this regard," he added. The committee has also decided to evict the illegal slums along the beach illegally. Officials said there were plans to rehabilitate the slum dwellers in another area. The development committee has taken this decision following decrease of tourist flow to the beach resort last year. The number of tourists to the town was registered at 2,82,709 in 2008 as against 2,83,040 the previous year. While the number visit of foreigners to the sea-shore town increased from 890 to 987 during the period, the visit of the domestic tourists was reduced from 2,82,150 to 2,81,722 during the period, officials said. In another development, three hospitality majors have shown interest to build hotels in the town. District tourist officer S K Patnaik said the Oberoi group, which had shut its hotel in Gopalpur, is set to resume operations soon. "Hoteliers have shown interest to establish their units because Gopalpur has immense tourism potential," Patnaik added.
Source: Times of India