With an area of 155,707 sq km the state of Odisha is a major land mass in eastern India. Odisha has a huge coastal land extending from the Subarnarekha river in the north to the Rushikulya river in the south. The lake Chilika is also a part of the coastal plains. The plains are rich in fertile silt deposited by the six major rivers flowing into the Bay Of Bengal: Subarnarekha, Rushikulya, Budhabalanga, Mahanadi, Baitarani and Brahmani. The bordering states are the states of West Bengal and Jharkhand in the north Chhatisgarh in the west, and Andhra Pradesh in the south. Capital city is Bhubaneswar.
Three-quarters of the state is covered in mountain ranges and beautiful valleys. . These valleys have fertile soil and are densely populated. Odisha also has plateaus and rolling uplands.
The varying topography of Odisha has created bountiful flora & fauna and is the land of several reserve forests. About 31.41% of the land area of the state is covered by forest and classified into dense forest, medium dense forest, open forest and scrub forest.
Odisha is also a place of rich history and mythology. Old name of Odisha was Kalinga and the history of the state dates back to times of Mauryan empire Ashoka in the 261 BC. Several temples with unique Orissa architecture are visible all over the state. The Jagannath Temple of Puri has religious reputation all over the world and the Chariot Festival ( Ratha Yatra) pulls huge number of crowds in the state.
With immense natural resources engraved in it, Odisha offers immense tourism opportunities to explore the mountains, forests and seascapes :
- Sea Beaches – Puri, Gopalpur On Sea, Dagara, Chandipur, Aryapalli, Baleswar etc.
- Mountains and Hills – Daringbari, Mandasuru, Mahendragiri, Taptapani, Chandragiri, Devagiri, Malaygiri etc.
- Temples & Historical Places – Jagannath temple of Puri, Konark temple, Lingaraj temple, Taratarini temple, Mukteswar temple, Dhauli temple, Dhawalgiri, Khandagiri etc.
- Flora & Fauna – Simlipal, Satkosia, Kuldiha, Bhitarkanika etc.
- Brackish Waters of Chilika – entry points are Satpada (Puri district), Rambha (Ganjam district) & Barkul (Khorda district).
