ODISHA a favourite destination

by Aline Dobbie

Odisha when I was a child was known as Orissa and the seaside holy town of Puri was a favourite destination. The great train bringing us from Calcutta, now Kolkata, would go through all the various places that became so familiar like Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. But that was a long time ago and so I was glad to make a return in early 2018.

In 2018 February we arrived by plane at the pleasant Bhubaneswar international airport that is named in honour of Odisha’s great Freedom Fighter Biju Patnaik. We had travelled from the extreme west of India in Kerala, but I think most people would add Odisha to a visit to West Bengal and therefore arrive from Kolkata. Many Buddhists arrive from other Asian countries as the Buddhist Trail is important to them and India has much that reveres the Buddha and his wise teachings. To be clear, the Buddha did not actually ever visit ancient Kalinga but as I tell you the story you will understand why it became so important.

After the attempted take- over of India by Alexander the Great the Mauryan Empire arose. But let us travel back even further in time to The Indus Valley Civilisation from 5500 BCE to 1500 BCE  – Most people were farmers who grew barley, wheat, peas and kept cattle. The Cities were surrounded by walled fortresses with checkerboard pattern streets; sections for homes and public buildings with sanitation. Trade for the Indus people was vital. They traded with Persia, Mesopotamia, and China. The Arabian Gulf region, central parts of Asia, areas in Afghanistan and north western India.

Terracotta pots, beads, gold, silver, coloured gems like turquoise and lapis lazuli, metals, flints, seashells and pearls. It is thought they also traded cotton as cultivation had begun in India in 5,500 BCE. Because of the rivers changing course, and probably because the Trade Routes changed to more direct paths, the civilization disappeared & migrated east to the areas around the Gangetic plain.

Trade continued, but it is when Alexander the Great and his attempted conquest of all north India that it is documented once again. Alexander after initial victories retreated.  Greeks however remained in north west India and established the Indo Greek states, but this was the advent of the great Mauryan Empire.

This was India’s first great empire and it followed the decline of that established by Alexander the Great in the north in 326 BCE; he died in 323 BCE. In 322 BCE Chandragupta Maurya seized Magadha in the Ganges valley and over the next 24 years conquered northern India and founded the Mauryan Dynasty which lasted till 232BCE; it encompassed the whole of the subcontinent except the extreme south. Chandragupta was a successful administrator and a military leader.   Seleucus Alexander’s general had inherited the fragmenting empire upon his death but the account  of Megasthenes, his ambassador to the Mauryan kingdom details the life of the court at Pataliputra (modern day Patna in Bihar). Megasthenes reported that there were no famines. Crop rotation, irrigation, foreign trade and a simple form of sewerage system were practised.

Following on Chandragupta’s death in 297 BCE the empire was expanded southward into the Deccan Peninsula, but it was Ashoka 269-232 BCE, his grandson the most revered of all Indian rulers, who became more committed to peace than war once he espoused the ideas of Buddhism after his terrible cruel defeat of the Kalingas in what is now Odisha in 261 BCE. He killed 100,000 people at least and enslaved a further 150,000, but then was covered in remorse he became a devout Buddhist and espoused the cause of non-violence – Ahimsa and of Dharma, doing what is right doing one’s duty. Throughout the empire Ashoka had his edicts carved on rocks and pillars and they remain today as the oldest surviving Indian documents. Ashoka had become a devout Buddhist, but he did not persecute Hindus and preached tolerance of others’ beliefs. He sent Buddhist missionaries to the Himalayan regions, the south (what is now Tamil Nadu), Lanka (Sri Lanka) and Burma and as far away as Greece and Macedonia. The lion on the capital of one of his pillars was adopted as the national seal of India in 1947 when India became independent of the British rule.

The Mauryan Empire collapsed almost immediately upon Ashoka’s death in 232 BCE. The Shanti Stupa at Dhauli was built as a peace pagoda jointly by the Japan Buddha Sangha and the Kalinga Nippon buddha Sangha. It is modern of course, but beautiful and depicts the life of the Buddha and the Son et Lumiere is very powerful which we watched on our first evening. In daylight I returned to see the famous Rock Edicts of the Emperor and photograph the stone which is semi carved like an elephant; I had come across the famous rock on the Girnar Mount in modern day Gujarat in 2012 and it was Colonel James Tod of Rajputana fame who had discovered that and painstakingly drawn the carved script for the record in 1822. A group of young men including Lieutenant Kittoe who found the one here at Dhauli, and James Prinsep – famous in Kolkata for his good deeds there - and James Tod in the 19th century were determined to uncover the ancient history of India about which they were convinced there must be some written documentation – it was the rock edicts of Ashoka that proved their theories right – the edicts are written in the Brahmi script. To this day Ashoka’s Edicts are watchwords for living a good dutiful constructive life…his espoused belief of Ahimsa and Dharma are evergreen to this day, and most probably influenced Gandhiji in his quest for India’s freedom in the 20th century.

Bhubaneswar is the capital of Odisha though in the ancient past and right up until 1948 Cuttack was the capital. Bhubaneswar is famous for its hundreds of temples; at one time it was reputed to have about 500 but now 50 temples are spoken about and we had the pleasure of visiting some of the most famous. The modern city of Bhubaneswar was laid out in the early 1970s by a German architect Otto Konigsberger. I was so impressed; because you see in my childhood there was merely the old original city but this newish one has gracious avenues, trees, beautiful buildings and, for an Indian city I have to say is quite clean ... cleanliness is so important for foreign tourists and travellers.

We were so warmly greeted by representatives of the Swosti Group of Hotels at the airport with armfuls of roses and then driven to their very nice Swosti Premium Hotel in an elegant part of the city. The welcome was so warm and gracious with a lovely suite and after enjoying the sound and light show at Dhauli we were given the most sumptuous delicious Thai meal. That had been my own choice. The Swosti Group have two hotels in the capital and then a number throughout the State. There is a good ethos in this group of which I approved – I miss very little, so this keen eye takes in all aspects of a hotel or resort!

On a Sunday morning there is an activity called Ekamra Walks which is a weekly heritage walk for visitors to explore the heritage trails of the city. We went to the wonderful Mukteswar Temple just as the sun rose to learn about this temple and others close by. It is a good time of day to walk and comparatively quiet at that hour on a Sunday morning – we went back to the hotel for a well-earned breakfast. We managed to see the famous 11th century Lingaraj Temple which is perhaps Bhubaneswar’s largest ancient temple complex, plus the Raja-Rani Temple and one or two others on another morning. They are all stunning in their own ways and I have some lovely photographs of them all.

We asked to visit the Botanic Gardens and were somewhat dismayed to see the huge queues on a Sunday but of course that is entirely natural; to our amusement it is the custom to bring almost one’s whole kitchen to designated camp sites to then have a huge family outing with curry and rice being cooked, one family had brought their little puppy too. Of course, one understands, these folk are perhaps cooped up in small flats for their home lives and on a Sunday, there is a chance to go out to a beautiful place and spend the day in the fresh air and have good family time, but we then went and enjoyed the adjacent Butterfly Garden which is well maintained and a delight.

The Tribal Museum is excellent, and we subsequently were able to visit the Adivasi Mela which was being held in that first week of February. Odisha is world famous for the sixty-two Tribes of the State; within Odisha and Chhattisgarh are perhaps the largest collection of tribes in the whole of India. The Tribes comprise 22.8% of the state’s population. Indeed, one could write a whole article on the Tribes but suffice to say here that we were enchanted with the shy encounters we had at the Adivasi Mela which is a well-attended event and fascinating place to observe modern Odias and the historic tribal peoples. I loved the Gond Art particularly and other forms of art, but the Gond somehow ticks my box and I bought paintings for our grandchildren and for those who were helping to host us.

We visited the Buddhist heritage at Lalitgiri, Udaygiri and Ratnagiri. These sites are well maintained and very interesting. Lalitgiri goes back to the second century BCE and the other two to between the seventh and 12th centuries CE. The new museum at Ratnagiri should be very good, it was yet to open when I visited but the building held promise. These are just some of the extensive Buddhist sites in Odisha but there are at least eight others for those who are particularly keen on Buddhist heritage.  The ones I mention are within an easy drive from Bhubaneswar.

All of India has craft and beautiful works of art, but in Odisha Art in its Heart is a true saying. I loved Patachitra which we observed in the heritage village of Raghurajpur – palm leaf inscription, mural painting, cow dung toys, applique, terracotta and bell metal work. However, of all these crafts Patachitra painting in which pictures of animals, flowers, gods and demons are painted on a specially prepared surface is the most famous. Filigree work, stone and wood carving, brass and metal ware, terracotta and pottery, golden grass and cane items, horn work all can take one’s fancy. It is good to visit Raghurajpur, but the shopper can also see all this in Ekamra Haat, a shopping complex that houses the best of Odisha art, crafts and culture which is to be found in Bhubaneswar.

Graham and I love visiting wild places in any country but in India most particularly, and we visited Bhitarkanika National Park; it boasts India’s second largest mangrove forest which has 63 of the 72 species of mangroves identified in the world. This lush forest and waterways has the largest population of the giant salt water crocodile in India, besides being home to the king cobra and Indian python. Indeed, we saw the largest crocodiles we had ever seen in either Africa or India. Great fat bellied beasts lazing in the sunshine and not really caring about our river launch. Some did react and my goodness the speed with which they rushed into the water was impressive. The Similipal National Park, the Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary, the Ushakothi Sanctuary which has the big cats, the Badrama Wildlife Sanctuary and one or two others all add up to an impressive array of wildlife parks. We knew of the Olive Ridley Turtles and their nesting on beaches in Odisha and we were taken to one such area and a boat arranged for us to go out to sea to observe the turtles mating; hundreds if not thousands of them could be seen, then the females would come to the sea shore and dig holes to lay their eggs. Gahirmatha alone boasts of an annual turtle gathering of between 100,000 and 150,000 We were not there at that time, but have witnessed similar on an island in the Sulu Sea off Borneo so could well imagine it. Moreover, we handled tiny turtles once they emerged from their eggs and then they were let go into the sea early in the morning to avoid the sea birds predating on them as they scrambled for the water’s safety.

We drove to Konark which is 35 km from Puri. The crowning glory of the Kalinga Temple architecture is the 13th century Sun Temple also known as the ‘Black Pagoda’. This is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, but I first set eyes on it way back in 1962 on a private visit arranged by my Father; he arranged for a jeep to take just five of us from Puri and there we were, beside the sea, with the waves crashing down on the beach and this amazing Sun Temple and no-one else around and nothing around it but sand and scrub. Now it is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India thankfully and there are fine lawns and gardens, but also of course the ubiquitous line of shops and stalls and the crowds were immense even on a week day in early February. It is being maintained and carefully restored in some parts but was further evidence that India is on the move and domestic tourism is immense. The shape of the temple is as if a mammoth chariot set on 24 colossal and intricately carved wheels, drawn by seven horses. Built by King Narasimhadeva from oxidised and weathered sandstone, the temple towering 200 feet high is symbolic of the sun’s march across the heavens. It took 1200 master craftsmen 12 years to build. The Konark Dance Festival is held here in December/January annually.

We drove along a wonderful coast road towards Puri. Odisha has very good roads which makes moving around a real pleasure and quite fast. This coast road was particularly fine, and we stopped off for a fine lunch of fresh fish or mutton curry depending on the requirements of our foursome; the two of us, our fine Facilitator Sudarsan and Manas the excellent driver – he liked his curry! We were a companionable four and Graham and I enjoyed their company – sometimes speaking in Hindi, then they would speak in Odia, but I often understood and of course in English.

Odisha must encourage or threaten its population however to stop littering their lovely land. This is India’s great burden, to educate, encourage and warn, and maybe punish if the request is flouted – keep India clean. The idea that having had a picnic – which is very popular in Odisha, that one just drops the detritus of the meal all around is frightful – but we in Britain have had to work hard to make many of our own people behave responsibly. The curious thing is that often then others will come and sit amidst the litter in India – it seems they are inured to it but to the foreigner it is very frustrating; the Prime Minister is doing his best but perhaps a stricter enforcement might have a positive effect?

We approached the outskirts of Puri, and I was astounded; my teenage memory of the place was so different. This is now a big town and I would think flourishing with its holy status and the beach. We immediately tried to locate the old holiday home that was so special to me and it was frustrating because of the enormous development which is understandable. Suddenly I spied it, the mansion is now a little different, but I still recognised it and was delighted when we drove up to its gates and looked at the property and the building. It was so nice to see a precious memory that had not been destroyed by degradation or indeed destruction. There was Nilambu, the holiday home of my childhood and it is now owned by someone other than ITC and looking smart and welcoming. Happy memories are very precious and when the interval is 56 years… well things could have been different. We stayed at a very pleasant hotel called The Hans Coco Palms and it is both elegant and comfortable with beautiful gardens and a superb swimming pool right on the beach. It was a good night to spend in an old place of my long-ago childhood.

Puri is one of the four most sacred places (Dham) for the Hindus. It attracts millions of people every year because of the Shrine of Lord Jagannath (Lord of the Universe). Besides having one of the finest beaches in India this Odishan Temple of Lord Jagannath is considered supremely important. Curiously, as a teenager I had been in the temple and recall it, but now no non-Hindus can enter. It was built in the 12th century. The unique car-festival in June-July is called ‘Ratha Yatra’ and the most colourful festival of Odisha in which a sea of humanity takes an active part. Millions of pilgrims and visitors draw the traditionally decorated three giant wooden chariots with gigantic wheels having three deities seated in their respective chariots. The chariots are drawn from the temple to another sacred place and then make the return journey nine days later amidst intense fervour.

We drove to the Swosti Chilika Lake Resort the next day. I had always heard of the Chilika Lakes but never been and now there is this very fine resort to enjoy. Chilika is Asia’s largest inland salt water lagoon, spread over 1,100 sq km. The lake, fed by sea water supports over 700 species of non-aquatic plants, more than 800 species of fauna and over 225 fish species, and is home to several indigenous and migratory bird species. Many of these creatures are rare and endangered including the Irrawaddy dolphin and Barakudia limbless skink. A sandy ridge now separates the pear-shaped lake from the Bay of Bengal of which it was part almost 6,000 years ago. Chilika then served as a port from which freight-laden boats would sail to Cambodia and Indonesia. We stayed at the new Swosti Chilika Resort in charming and comfortable accommodation. This place has been well thought out and will be well maintained with glorious gardens and lawns and a main swimming pool; some of the cottages like ours has its own plunge pool with jacuzzi and its own private garden in which to relax. There are Ayurveda and Spa facilities, glorious cuisines in the restaurants and conference facilities, but chiefly this is a place in which to ‘chill’, absorb the beauty of nature by taking trips on the great lake in the early morning, watching birdlife, perhaps catching sight of the illusive dolphins – they are there, I saw them but not sufficiently to photograph! There are a few temples dotted around on the islands in the lake, but I just enjoyed the peace of this place.  We did visit the nearby very new art museum and gallery called the Odi Art Centre that had just opened. It was a treasure trove of all that is beautiful in Odishan art and sculpture. Its curator is very proud of it and most enthusiastic. The Swosti Resort is 120 km from Bhubaneswar airport and the fine road makes the journey fast and efficient. I would another time happily relax and enjoy this lovely place for a week with perhaps the odd excursion out to see something.

 My enjoyment of the countryside and the magnificent birdlife cannot be over emphasised – it is always good to see the folk looking good in the villages, casting nets for fish or prawns, planting paddy, closely watched by the many kingfishers, the drongos, the Indian rollers, the woodpeckers and the wonderful storks in the fields. Odisha will draw me back that is a definite – a truly lovely State of India.

Odisha is little known to the Western visitor, please go and visit and enjoy so much diversity in one state of India… Odisha!

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