When it has been a very long journey and all you want to do is take a shower, change in your sweatpants and get some rest, it is certain that you can take no more of travelling, especially when you no longer know how it feels to be immobile.
The northern grid failure in July had to happen when my dad and me packed our bags and took a train to Odisha via Delhi to reach Dhenkanal and enroll me in IIMC to study my passion, Journalism.
The northern grid failure in July had to happen when my dad and me packed our bags and took a train to Odisha via Delhi to reach Dhenkanal and enroll me in IIMC to study my passion, Journalism.
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| On our way to Odisha...! |
The journey till Delhi was smooth and exciting as I eagerly wanted to reach my destination soon. But, the electricity department had some other plans for me. Upon reaching Delhi, the news of power failure and the delay of our train by 8 hours came as a blow, but this was not the end of our wait. Finally sitting inside the train and feeling closer to the destination, another power failure next day made our miseries more certain. Another 12 hours of waiting in the stock-still train and reaching Bhubaneswar at 4 in the morning and hanging around for another 2 hours for a cab to Dhenkanal was certainly not a welcoming prospect.
By 7, we finally reached my hostel, and upon attending the orientation of the college, at last we got the much needed rest. All was well again. And indubitably my ardour for travelling kicked off once again and in full zeal we took off to explore the beautiful state, Odisha.
Odisha is located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. The landscape is dotted with a large number of temples and Odisha has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
We started our small adventure from one of the most renowned temples in India, Konark Sun Temple, which is a 13th century Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda), at Konark. True to its name, the temple takes the form of the chariot of Surya, the Sun God, and is heavily decorated with stone carving. We ventured at the beautiful site, clicking pictures and admiring the sculpted figures and the various floral and geometric patterns. Even though the temple is somewhat in ruins now, it was an interesting visit because of its beautiful patterns and scroll-work, as well as the fine-looking and natural cut of animal and human figures and of course the huge wheels carved at the base of the temple which is the major attraction.
Upon coming out of the temple, my eyes fell upon a sign which read ‘Konark Beach- 3kms away’. My excitement knew no bounds and so we paved our way to the famous beach. The sight was breathtaking. It was a time for high tides and the Ocean with its leaping waves and the smell of salty water, the wind in my face and the pleasant sound of the water washed away all the tiredness I had from the day before. To add to the enchanting view, it started to drizzle and I had no intentions to return from there ever.
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| Me. At Konark Beach! |
Talking to some of the local people who were also there enjoying the scene, I was slowly
falling in love with the place and its humble folks. But to my disdain, we had to continue our journey as it was already getting late. So we went back to our cab only after having a taste of the Coconut Drink and took off for Puri.
Puri is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the 11th century Jagannath Temple located in the city and this temple was our next destination. The narrowly packed streets with brightly painted houses held their own charm and I was soon cheerful again upon seeing the beautiful temple. We were fortunate to be accompanied by a guide we met outside the temple. He not only explained the importance of the temple but also helped us get a good view or Darshan of the Deities, seeing that the place was astoundingly crowded.
It was a wonderful experience but alas every journey has to end sometime. And so it was time for us to head back to the hostel, but I surely enjoyed my way back by relishing the amazing weather and the lush green surroundings and making the most of my trip by enjoying the rains.
Soon we were back in the real world after a long cherished trip. Having developed a love for the place after the trip, the journey was about a spirit that can never be explained but can only be felt.
Puri is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the 11th century Jagannath Temple located in the city and this temple was our next destination. The narrowly packed streets with brightly painted houses held their own charm and I was soon cheerful again upon seeing the beautiful temple. We were fortunate to be accompanied by a guide we met outside the temple. He not only explained the importance of the temple but also helped us get a good view or Darshan of the Deities, seeing that the place was astoundingly crowded.
It was a wonderful experience but alas every journey has to end sometime. And so it was time for us to head back to the hostel, but I surely enjoyed my way back by relishing the amazing weather and the lush green surroundings and making the most of my trip by enjoying the rains.
Soon we were back in the real world after a long cherished trip. Having developed a love for the place after the trip, the journey was about a spirit that can never be explained but can only be felt.
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| Konark Beach, Odisha |
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