My another traveblog, appeared in The Telegraph (www.telegraph.in) on July 5, 2007.
This monsoon, you can spend a day or two at Gopalpur-on-Sea, one of the
secluded tourist destinations in Orissa, says Supratim Pal
If you want to go on a shopping spree like you can do on any popular beach destination, then Gopalpur is not your cup of tea. If you want to take a stroll on the beach followed by a freshening bath in the sea, then Gopalpur will be a bit risky.
If you want to go on a tour when you can enjoy the serenity of a place far from the madding crowd, then Gopalpur can be the ideal monsoon destination for you.
For, Gopalpur is such a secluded place — especially during the rains — on the Orissa coast, that you will sometimes forget if that can hardly be called a tourist hotspot.
But it is one of the top tourism sites in the neighbouring state with a fuming sea always provoking you to get drenched at your own peril. Like it did to us a few days ago.
Though we had known that even taking a dip was risky, as told by nulias (fishermen) there, we ventured out into the sea against an overcast sky accompanied by a steady drizzling for hours. The nulias, most of them Telugus, were quite keen to help us out in the suddenly-found adventure on the beach — a vast stretch of it is still virgin!
Walking back to our hotel was not at all a problem since it was located on the beach itself! A few steps have been created on the backside of Hotel Kalinga, like that of Sea Pearl, the only other hotel on the beach, to help enthusiasts take a plunge in the deep blue sea.
This part of the Bay of Bengal is so blue, that it can only be compared to Rushikonda beach on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam. And the best time to enjoy the beauty of Gopalpur is obviously this monsoon before you wait for another rains!
Local flavour
Apart from the rough sea, the other attraction — my all-time favourite — of Gopalpur-on-Sea, its ornamental name, is the lighthouse built in 1871 for assisting coastal shipping between Rangoon and Coromandal coast ports.
The lighthouse is still active and besides assisting fishing trawlers regularly it also allows visitors like us to take a bird’s-eye view of the sea and also of the town. Sadly, you cannot click any shots from high above, as there is a ban on taking pictures from one of the highest structures on the coast.
Gopalpur, which used to be a harbour a few decades back, is being developed into a modern port with all necessary infrastructure — the old jetty being reformed, the road leading to the port widened, among others.
If you want to visit the port, and the old jetty, necessary permission can be obtained from the Gopalpur Ports Authority.
Footfalls on the beaches around Gopalpur are quite few that only leaves them virgin. A day’s trip to Dhabaleshwar would greet you with serenity amid rows of casurina trees. Dhabaleshwar, about 20km from Gopalpur, is locally famous for its temple, although not quite old but its settting on the beach enthralls every moment of your stay there.
The "pink" beach — the colour of sand is a bit reddish there — in Dhabaleshwar is itself an attraction besides the puja you can offer to the deity there.
Visiting Chilika, the largest brackish water lagoon in India, is a must if you plan to holiday in Gopalpur. Situated around 40km from the beach town, this 1165sqkm (906sqkm during summer) Ramsar site, is home to thousands of species of flora and fauna.
We took a boat ride from Rambha, easily accessible from Gopalpur, to move around the vast water body, which in winter, would be nesting place of migratory birds flocking from the north.
Although monsoon is certainly not the right time for birdwatching, but resident birds at Chilika — like cormorant, kites, gulls and also green bee-eaters —can be spotted easily. A number of islands dot the lagoon where around 52 rivers and rivulets drain water. You can visit Becon island (3km from OTDC bungalow in Rambha) or Breakfast island, or for that matter Honeymoon island! If you think these are fictitious names, blame it on the British who used these rather unusual, but symbolic, names to define the islands.
But if you really want to enjoy the Chilika, you should stay at the OTDC Panthanivas at Rambha and venture early in the morning on a countryboat to watch birds and fishermen busy with their first catch of the day.
Travel tips
Nearest railhead: Berhampur, 16km
Nearest airport: Bhubaneswar, 180km
Oberoi Palm Beach: (0680) 242021/23
OTDC Panthanivas: (0680) 2243931
Hotel Kalinga: (0680) 2242067
Points to ponder
Dangerous is the sea to take a bath at Gopalpur. If at all you cannot resist yourself, take help of a nulia. They know the depth of the sea, as well as the weather on a particular day. On the top of the lighthouse one should not try to be too adventurous, as accidents, though very few, are also reported there.
The entry fee to the lighthouse is Rs 5 only and there is no fee to take your analog/digital/movie cameras, as those are totally banned on its premises!
However, the officials there did not seem too strict about using a cellphone with a video camera!At Chilika, it is better to keep a binocular, which you can use atop the lighthouse too, to watch birds and hillocks in and around the lagoon. These taken care of, just relax and enjoy your days off from work. Take no calls and forget the internet, in case you foolishly brought the laptop along. In short, forget the world and give yourself up to the beauty around.
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