Destination India

Orissa (PART-XI)

Wildlife of Orissa (2)

Chandaka Elephant Reserve

 

Chandaka elephant reserve is located in the Bhubaneshwar, were designated as an Elephant Reserve in August 1982. It is only one of its kind in India. The residents of the reserve are elephants, sambar, bears, wild dogs, pea fowls and pythons. The Sanctuary was marked out to check and restore the depleting forest cover which once covered Bhubaneswar. Conservation management techniques over the last two decades have revived the natural vegetation of the designated area which now supports a variety of wild life.
From a bushy cover that characterized the landscape before 1982, the diversity of flora today ranges from the semi evergreen, to the moist kangada forests, coastal sal forest, thorny bamboo brakes, planted teak and eupatorium scrub. There is a suffusion of medicinal plants and bamboo plants, with a few orchid species also thrive in the wet and shady areas of the reserve.
Among the fauna about 30 species of mammals, 27 species of reptiles and 120 species of birds can be sighted. Besides the elephant, leopard, chital, barking deer, mouse deer, langur, rhesus monkey, mongoose, sloth bear, wolf and hyena also inhabit the sanctuary. A variety of snakes, like the python, and the monitor lizard can also be sighted there. Mugger crocodiles have adapted to large water bodies within the sanctuary.

Deras Dam

Deras Dam is a small dam, used for irrigation purpose, situated within Chandaka Elephant Sanctuary. It is a very popular picnic spot and known for scenic beauty.

Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary

 

 

 

The pleasant environs of the Hirakud Lake supporting a mixed deciduous forest provide a natural habitat to a variety of wild life in the Debrigarh WildLife Sanctuary, which stretches across the Lohara and Debrigarh Reserve forests on the Barapahad hills in Baragarh district. The waterfalls tumbling down the hill sides during the monsoon and the proximity of the large Hirakud reservoir attract a number of tourists.

Waterfall

 
The tiger, leopard, sloth bear, chital, sambar, and nilgai inhabit this almost virgin forest. Besides, a host of resident and migratory birds such as the chousingha and the crested serpent eagle add colour to the landscape. The mugger crocodiles and freshwater turtles residing in large numbers add to the diversity of the reserve forest.
Enclosing the Kamgaon and Lakhanpur wild life ranges, Debrigarh is flanked by the Debrigarh, Jhagadabehera, Lambipalli and Mundakati villages.

Ushakothi Wildlife Sanctuary

 

Ushakothi wildlife sanctuary is sprawling in an area of 285 sq kms. It is located at a distance of 22 kms from the silk city of Sambalpur on NH6 connecting it with Kolkata. The majestic Hirakud Dam lies on the west of the Sanctuary. This small pristine wildlife reserve is home for many wild beasts and serves as abode for numerous flora and Avi fauna. Its wild wealth and natural beauty make it a splendid location for ecotourism, tourists from distant locations flock here to witness this great biodiversity called Ushakothi.
The Royal Bengal Tigers and the wild Asian elephants are the flagship beasts of this sanctuary. Apart from them it also serves as natural habitat for leopards, bisons, Sambars, Nilgais, Cheetals, sloth bears and Wolves. Panthers are sighted occasionally here.
Ushakothi is home for a wide variety of fauna. The most impressive amongst them are the flying squirrels and racket tail drangos.
The forest cover of Ushakothi is primarily Dry deciduous. Neem, Sal, Acacia, Sandalwood, Arjun, Casuarinas are the common trees of this sanctuary.Wardha and Penganga are the main rivers flowing through this sanctuary. On occasions the wild animals of Ushakothi venture into the nearby villages following the trail of these rivers. The wildlife of Ushakothi is primarily comprised of nocturnal. Many watch towers have been erected on the prominent spots to allow the tourists to have an aerial view on the life of these wilds.

Tikarpada Wildlife Sanctuary

 

 

Tikarpada wildlife sanctuary adds a new line of popularity in the land of wildlife sanctuaries in Odisha (Orissa). It is a beautiful place encloses the Satkoisa Gorge – a place where Mahanadi Plunges into Eastern Ghats. Visiting the amazing wildlife in Tikadpada Odisha (Orissa) is truly a memorable experience that is a home to a number of water-creatures, reptiles, wild animals and different birds. Tourist and wildlife tour enthusiasts come to Tikadpada wildlife Odisha (Orissa) India to enjoy boating, white water rafting, fish angling, trekking, and spending more and more time in lush green forest ranges. The Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre is actively conserving and breeding the endangered species of the crocodiles in the Mahanadi eco system in Tikarpada. Though tigers are rarely sighted now, the wildlife within the sanctuary includes the Indian adjutant stroke, red jungle fowl and Indian pitta.
Located at a convenient distance of 120 kms from Dhenkanal and 58 kms from Angul, tourists can proceed to Saptasajya, a scenic picnic spot. The Saptarshi and Raghunath temples in the vicinity are also frequented by tourists visiting the sanctuary.

Talk about India, from India with you

Good morning/Good afternoon/Good evening my friends, wherever you are! This is 11:00pm. 26^th December, Wednesday in India. Wish a belated Merry Christmas and a flourishing New Year to you all! I was getting ill last week; so I missed the Sunday blog. Hope you all enjoy the Christmas.
This Christmas, my all friends were going for outing! So, I have celebrated the Christmas with my husband (Subhankar) and I enjoy a lot! As I told you, I live in Burdwan, a district town of West Bengal, India. Here we have two Churches. Every year, in the 25^th December, we must go there. This year is not an exception! We go to Church and join the pryer and then enjoy most of all programs. I will describe how we celebrate the Christmas in India in the ‘Festivals of India’. Here I share some sweet memories. 

A Church in Burdwan

Inside of the Church

After Church, we went to a famous temple of Lord Shiva in Burdwan. It is an unique temple site where 108 temples you can see at once! Then we go to a restaurant and eat Dhosa (a South Indian food) and Chana Batura (a North Indian food). After back home, we through a party with lot of foods each other! It was full of enjoyment! All thanks goes to Subhankar, my husband!

108 Lord Shiva Temple

That’s all for today! Hope you are enjoying the holidays with your family. Take very care of your families and yourselves! See you on 2nd Jan., Wednesday! Yes, Wednesday, not Sunday; I want to change my blog-post date from the Sunday to the Wednesday! Keep watching! Have a good day/ afternoon/evening/night! Namaskar.

Tips from the kitchen of an Indian homemaker

Today’s Tips

1. Sometimes, we can’t handle burnt utensils. Never scrape burnt leftovers from casseroles. Soak in a weak solution of vinegar, salt and soapy warm water for an hour or so. The stuck particles will come off very easily, without scratching the dish.

2. Always soak cauliflower in warm salted water for some time to get rid of the tiny insects sometimes present deep inside the florets and not visible to the eye.

Beauty Tips :

1. In winter, one of the most important thing that many of us usually neglects is our Hands. Take a bowl and pour two tablespoon of sunflower oil, two tablespoon of coarse sugar and two tablespoon of lemon juice in it. Mingle all the ingredients nicely until they are nicely fused and become a smooth paste. Apply this homemade on your hands and give a massage to your hands for at least 15 minutes and then rinse with water. Use the homemade beauty tips if you have dry and dark hands.

2. Aloe Vera plant is naturally available, take the pulp content of Aloe Vera and apply for your skin half an hour before taking bath. Natural Aloe Vera gel is available in the herbal shops. You can also use Aloe Vera gel in the absence of natural one.

Festivals of India in the month of December

Chumpha Festival

 

Manipur, the land of merriment, is always busy with one festival or the other throughout the year. Different cultures and races in Manipur have different festivals to celebrate and each is rejoiced with an equal passion and zeal. It is the Tanghul Nagas of Manipur who celebrate the Chumpha Festival, one of their most popular and fêted festivals. The Chumpha Festival in Manipur is a harvest festival and is held with a lot of rejoicing and merriment. This Festival is mainly celebrated by the Tanghul Nagas of Manipur, for whom it is one of the most important festivals and they celebrate this festival with great joy, merriment, fun and frolic.

The Festival is celebrated for seven days and a week after the harvest season in December. During the last three days of the festival, cultural events are organized including dance and music performances.

Chumpha Festival is celebration include gatherings of family and friends for everyone to rejoice and enjoy. As against other festivals where women have a limited role to play and participate, this festival of Chumpha gives them immense roles and responsibilities The end of the Chumpha Festival in Manipur is marked by a procession that is carried out within the village premises.

Manipur as a state is famous for its culture and traditions. There are numerous fairs and festivals held in Manipur throughout different seasons of the year. One very interesting aspect to be noticed regarding the fairs and festivals held here is that although there are different festivals, events for different races and communities, they all are celebrated with equal passion and zeal.

This year Chumpha Festival celebrated on December 12th, 2012.

Ram Janaki Vivah

Ram Janaki Vivah is celebrated in the Indian state of Uttar Prades and marks the celebration of Lord Rama's marriage to Sita. The main function is held in the city of Agra where the festival takes place during the Ramlila celebrations.
Ram Janaki Vivah is one of the most colorful events of the city of wonder, Agra. Large numbers of people participate in the marriage processions popularly known as Ram Barat. One locality is specially chosen as the home town of the bride, Sita where the Barat reaches with its royal procession. This place is observed as Janakpuri and is decorated with flowers and lights.

Children dressed as Ram-Sita

The Ram Janki Vivah or Ram Barat festival was initiated by Lala Kokamal, a cloth merchant, about 125 years ago. It is celebrated during the Shukla Paksha of Marghasheesha month as per the Hindu Calendar. Music bands and dances are other attractions of the procession in which people enjoy and cherish grand and divine wedding of Ram and Sita. Some actors play the characters of Ram and Sita for the procession.

Ram Janki Vivah is on 17th December, 2012.

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