The town also known as Ranapurgarh or simply Ranpur is 70 km from Bhubaneswar
It’s very important to highlight these small and lesser known places beyond the Puri-Konark-Bhubaneswar triangle and we are trying to showcase such places….
- Ashish Sarangi| participant
Bhubaneswar: At a time when the state is banking on its tourism potential to attract tourists from all across the country and world, cultural and heritage enthusiasts here are also leaving no stone unturned in showcasing the verbosity of Odisha’s beauty.
Odisha Tourism’s 11th roadshow at Varanasi got kicked off at a city hotel Tuesday. While addressing the local media, commissioner-cum-secretary, Odisha Tourism, said, “Odisha is emerging as India’s sought after destination and the state tourism department is developing new destinations and niche tourism products with a view to attract domestic and foreign tourists.”
Keeping up with the explorer’s spirit, around 20 cultural and heritage enthusiasts visited the area around Raj-Ranpur in Nayagarh district, January 27. The town is also known as Ranapurgarh or simply Ranpur, just 70 km from the capital city of Bhubaneswar. The place also got its tag as the second Srikhetra after Puri temple due to the presence of the 15th century Jagannath temple built in Puri temple style. During the one-day tour, sites like Maninaga hills, Jagannath temple, Olasingh weavers’ village and dargah of Bukhari Baba at Kaipadar were covered.
The picturesque Maninaga Hills and the breathtaking drive through the ghat offering a bird’s eye view of Ranpur town from the hilltop left the participants mesmerised.
Ranpur town is famous for the magnificent Jagannath temple. The deities of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra are worshipped as per Puri temple’s rituals. There are several other shines inside the temple complex. The most outstanding is the Snana Mandap with beautiful motifs of lions and elephants adoring the base wall.
The rustic village of Olasingh is lesser known to the outside world, yet it has a quite a few heritage temples and quaint zamindari houses. Above all, it’s famous for the weavers. “It’s a village where you will find very friendly people who are keen to invite you to see their works. We were really pleased to have such a nice welcome,” said Sonal Bhat, one of the participants.
Baba Bukhari’s Dargah at Kaipadar is one of the most famous Pir shrines in Odisha, frequented by both Hindu and Muslim pilgrims. “It’s a lovely place and we really liked the serenity of the atmosphere. We received peacock feathers as blessings from the Khadim,” said Arun Patre from Bangalore, who along with his wife is on his maiden visit to Odisha.
Ashish Sarangi, one of the participants, said, “It’s very important to highlight these small and lesser known places beyond the Puri-Konark-Bhubaneswar triangle and we are trying to showcase such places through our curated tours.”