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Orissa Travel Guide
Orissa, the lush green state, girdled by the Bay of Bengal,
has seen some of the best fusion of traditional Indian art in
its many temples and monuments, and has been able to preserve
much of it, in an environment natural to its wonder and attractions.
Ancient Orissa was a confluence of racial streams. History tells
us that the Aryans entered Orissa from the north-east, subjugated
the primitive people living there and imposed on them their
language and culture.
The story could not be so simple; for the people then living
in the land were not perhaps all of the primitive type, nor
were they subjugated culturally. What might have happened in
all Probability was a racial and cultural amalgamation.
Geographically Orissa stands as a coastal corridor between the
northern and southern India cut off by the intractable Vindhyas.
It is natural therefore that an assimilation of the races and
cultures of the Aryans and the Dravidians; must have taken place
here in the days of gore.
At the same time successive racial and cultural tides might
have surged up from the different sides, rolled in and broken
over this Bound culminating in the indo-cultural synthesis.
Orissa, which is largely rural, the traditional values are still
kept alive. In general the values have no doubt weakened but
they are not lost.
Among die innocent Advisees dwelling in the wooded hinterland
and forested hill slopes, India's earliest civilization is retained
in its pristine form. Not only in their secluded hamlets, bet
also in the countless thousands of villages in the country sides
one can catch a glimpse of the dwindling horizon of humanity,
through the innocent and benign outlook of tile villagers.
A sensitive person who happens to be a prisoner of the modern
society with its stress and strain will not, while in a typical
village, fail to mark the relationship of its common people
with God, nature and their fellow men
.It was in Orissa, that Buddhism found some of its strongest
exposure, and cult following. However, it was Hindu art that
dominated the landscape, eventually, and resulted in the profusion
of temple traditions, that have endured till now.
Heavily forested, and isolated, Orissa was once famous for its
majestic battle elephants. But life in Orissa revolved around
temples, and that the Oriyas lived lives free of strife, is
evident from the fact that the state has few forts or fortified
palaces to its credit, indicative of centuries of peace and
harmony.
Most of the state's attractions are close to each other, and
convenient access is provided out of the state capital, Bhubaneshwar.
The capital itself is an intriguing amalgam of the old and the
new, an emerging modern Indian city, that is steeped in the
roots of the traditions of its glorious past, without being
overwhelmed by it.
How to reach :
By Air :The most convenient access into Orissa is a flight to
Bhubaneshwar. Indian Airlines has flights from Hyderabad, Nagpur,
Calcutta, Delhi, Raipur, Varanasi, Mumbai and Chennai.
By Rail :Train connections from all parts of the country exist,
but are usually long and the non - availability of air-conditioned
class travel is a constraint.
By Road :Once in Bhubaneshwar, road travel is the best option,
to visit the other attractions in Orissa.
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