Gopalpur beach festival to be held from 24 to 28 December 2012

The famous Gopalpur Beach Festival (www.gopalpurbeachfestival.com) has been scheduled to start from 24th of December 2012. This five-day cultural festival aimed at promoting the serene Gopalpur beach resort is expected to draw large number of tourists to this popular beach town on the outskirts of Berhampur city. Date of the festival has been chosen to coincide with the Christmas festivities to attract more tourists to this beach resort. This time this beach festival is being organised jointly by the Ganjam district Culture Department, Tourism Department, Gopalpur Notified Area Council (NAC) 

 and GDHA. Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahy is the president of the organising committee. According to the organisers like past years this cultural festival would showcase folk art forms from different parts of Ganjam district, other areas of Odisha and outside the State. A handicraft mela would also be part of this beach festival. Details of programmes of this beach festival would be decided at a meeting to be held on November 29, Mr. Panigrahy said. Organisers have suggested that renovation and widening work of Berhampur-Gopalpur road and Karapalli-Gopalpur road should get completed before the beach festival for smooth flow of traffic. Usually these roads get totally jam packed with traffic congestions during the beach festival in past years. Source: The Hindu

Tourist places near Berhampur city: Next weekend you can be at ... Ghodahada

By:Samir Chakraborty and Bolon Chakraborty 

On my way to Berhampur from Taptapani in Orissa, my car whizzed past a signpost —“Better late than never” — warning drivers of the consequences of reckless manoeuvring on hilly terrain. It suddenly dawned on me that I was hooked on to speed even on a leisure trip. The habit of being in the rat race just refused to go.

Put up by the state irrigation department, the sign had a picture of a large water body painted on it. Guided by sixth sense, I turned right, leaving the main road.

What lay ahead was more beautiful than I had expected. A winding narrow road through a canopy of trees took me to Ghodahada. It was a discovery of delight!

Nestled among the hills and forests of the Ramgarh range, Ghodahada gets its name from the river on which the irrigation department has built a dam . Gushing out of the hills at a height of 3,000 metres, the river suddenly becomes wide before flowing downhill. It is at this spot that the dam was built.

The waves lapping on the banks, the quiet murmur of the current and the occasional gurgling streams through the dam gates accentuate the serene and tranquil atmosphere.

The happy togetherness of flora and fauna, hills and the woods makes Ghodahada a nature lover’s favourite. The cosy accommodation in the bungalow on top of the hill puts the final touches to this idyllic retreat.

The primary activity here is to chill out in the lap of nature. If you are of the adventurous kind, you could even go for a jungle safari. Birdwatchers can spend the day along the riverside or walk into the woods. You can visit an old Shiva temple in the area, locally popular as the Ujjaleswar temple. Villagers from Jayanarda, Gobarbaraha, Seripur, Gurubadha and Khamari Gaon in Orissa’s Ganjam district come here to worship.

Gopalpur-on-sea, Rambha and the ancient hill temple Tara Tarini are some of the popular tourist spots nearby.

Godhahada has a charm that makes you want to come back. It helps you connect with yourself, something we hardly get a chance to do in our hectic lives in the cities. By the end of my stay, I was happy that I slowed down and took the right turn.

Going

Take a train from Howrah to Berhampur city in Orissa. You could also take NH-5 to Berhampur and proceed from there. Air connectivity to Berhampur is also available from Bhubaneswar. Air service between Kolkata and Berhampur will commence soon.

Staying

There are many hotels in Berhampur and Gopalpur-on-Sea. You can book the irrigation bungalow by writing to the sub-divisional engineer, Godhahada, Digapahandi.

Source : The Telegraph

Explore Berhampur: Taptapani

If anywhere nature reveals its enigmatic charisma; it is here in Taptapani, an exotic world of wonder. Enjoy the nature close to your heart and carry the memory for years to come.

Located at a distance of 45 Kilometers from Berhampur, Taptapani, as the name suggests, is a hot water sulfur spring. The bubbling hot spring of Taptapani lies deep in the forests and high on a hill on the Berhampur-Koraput Highway.

It is famous for a perennial hot spring of Medicinal Sulfuric Water. Being surrounded by a cluster of hills and thick forests, the serenity of nature at Taptapani is added by wonderful sights of sun rise, sun set moon lit night, tribal dance and music, chirps of birds and sight of wild animals.

The place as such attracts large numbers of tourists of all category. Set amidst the greenery of a lush forest, the sulfur spring of Taptapani is situated on the top of a hill. The hot waters erupts in bubbles in two specific places and the temperature of this hot water varies between 90 degree to 100 degree Fahrenheit.
The Orissa Tourism Development Corporation has built a panthanivas or guest house near the spring in order to provide accommodation to the people visiting Taptapani. The bungalow is beautiful and offer great view of the surroundings but the greatest asset of guest house at Taptapani is that it provides direct water from the sulfur spring.
Source: Orissa Tourism