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| Chilika: Unmatched beauty |
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Asia's largest brackish water lake, Chilika, is one of the most beautiful tourist spots in the world. Covering an area of over 1,100 sq km, the lake is situated in coastal Orissa.
Touching the Bay of Bengal on one side, the lagoon is spread over an area that comes under the limits of the districts of Puri, Khurda and Ganjam. The lake, a
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biodiversity hotspot, hosts over 205 species of birds during the peak migratory season. The beauty of Chilika, which has inspired poets to sing its glory, attracts tourists from different parts of the country and abroad for fishing, bird watching and boating.
The lake can be best enjoyed from places such as Balugaon, Barkul, Rambha and Satpada. One can also have a glimpse of the lake from the moving trains and vehicles on the road near these places. The atmosphere is just serene and undisturbed amidst the blue expanse of water on one side and an evergreen range of hills on the other. Dotted with a host of islands with romantic names, a cruise in Chilika is surely an experience of a lifetime.
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The places of tourist interest in the lake include Kalijai Island, Honeymoon Island, Breakfast Island, Birds Island, Nalabana (Island of Reeds), Parikud Island, etc.
The Island of Kalijai is famous as a centre of religious worship due to the temple of Goddess Kalijai where a big fair is held on the occasion of Makara Sankranti that falls |
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in January every year. The Island of Nalabana, 8 km in circumference occupies a unique place in the vast expanse of Chilika as it happens to be the central point for the migratory birds. At Satpada, one can view the Irrawaddy dolphins from close ranges.
The lagoon is a highly productive ecosystem and with its rich fishery resources sustains the livelihood of more than 1,50,000 fisher folk who live in and around the lake.
Approach: Chilika is around 100 km from Bhubaneswar by road and rail.
Best time to visit: October to June.
Stay: Stay arrangements can be done with the local hotels and in the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) guest houses at Rambha, Barkul and Satpada on Chilika.
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