Tag: Odisha
First international flight from Odisha
April 26 (TravelAndy): The first international flight will land at and take off today from Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar, capital of the east Indian state of Odisha.
“Odisha creates history today. The first direct international flight service commences with arrival of @AirAsia flight AK 31 from KUL to BBI,” Odisha Tourism tweeted through its official handle @odisha_tourism today.
The AirAsia flight will connect Bhubaneswar and Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital. Continue reading First international flight from Odisha
India: Special train for religious tourism
January 18 (TravelAndy): Indian Railways will introduce a train for religious tourism, which will start running February 17, 2017.
The train will start and end at Guwahati in Assam and cover religious sites in West Bengal and Odisha states.
This train, which is called the Astha Circuit Tourists train, is aimed at facilitating pilgrimage for Indians at an affordable price. Continue reading India: Special train for religious tourism
Odisha marks ‘selfie danger points’
October 5 (TravelAndy): India’s Odisha state has identified tourist spots marked as “selfie danger points”, said The Times of India (TOI).
“We have identified some dangerous waterfalls like Duduma, Sanaghagra, Badaghagra, Khandadhar and Bareipani as dangerous selfie points. Amongst the water bodies, we have identified Chilika Lake and the river in Bhitarakanika national park as sensitive selfie points. Similarly the uneven and rocky Sun Temple in Konark, Dhauli Peace Pagoda and twin hills of Khandagiri and Udayagiri are fraught with danger for selfie-crazy tourists,” state tourism director Nitin Bhanudas Jawale told TOI.
Following several deaths due to selfie mania in various tourist spots, across the country, the Union tourism ministry has asked all state authorities to identify the dangerous spots and barricade them from visitors. Continue reading Odisha marks ‘selfie danger points’
Free pilgrimage trains for seniors
September 8 (TravelAndy): Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), along with Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC), has agreed to start a free pilgrimage trip for senior citizens below poverty line in Jharkhand.
Two special trains are expected torun between Hatia in Jharkhand and the pilgrim town of Puri in Odisha, which will ferry approximately 1,000 pilgrims, every month, said The Times of India (TOI)
The trains are expected to depart from Hatia on November 15, 2016. Continue reading Free pilgrimage trains for seniors
Puri set for rath yatra (car festival)
July 5 (TravelAndy): The temple town Puri in east India’s Odisha state is gearing up to celebrate its famous car festival from tomorrow.
During the festival, the three idols of Puri’s famous 12th century Jagannath temple are brought out of the temple and taken to the Gundicha temple on wooden chariots, called raths.
The deities — Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra — return to the Jagannath temple after a week. Continue reading Puri set for rath yatra (car festival)
Odisha plans online booking for eco-tourism spots
January 28 (TravelAndy): In a bid to promote eco-tourism, the east Indian state of Odisha has decided to develop a centralised online booking system for its eco-tourism spots in the next two months, said reports.
The Odisha government has also identified 40 new spots that will be developed into major eco-tourism destinations within the next years.
To facilitate livelihood from tourism, the local communities will be involved in conservation and promotional activities of these upcoming eco-tourist destinations. Continue reading Odisha plans online booking for eco-tourism spots
From lighthouse to tourist attraction
October 14 (TravelAndy): The Indian government is chalking out a plan to transform 78 lighthouses across India, into tourism centres.
The identified lighthouses for this are located in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said an official statement.
There are plans to using land adjacent to the light houses to develop hotels, resorts, viewing galleries, maritime museums and heritage museums, adventure sports facilities, thematic restaurants, souvenir shops, laser shows, spa and rejuvenation centres, amphitheatres and other facilities to attract tourists. Continue reading From lighthouse to tourist attraction
AirAsia to fly Bhubaneswar-Kuala Lumpur
September 16 (TravelAndy): AirAsia is set to start direct flights between Bhubaneswar in Odisha, India, to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, said reports.
This will mark the first direct international flight from the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar.
Low-cost carrier AirAsia is planning to start this route tentatively from December 15. However the date has not been confirmed yet. Continue reading AirAsia to fly Bhubaneswar-Kuala Lumpur
Ancient Buddhist site excavated in India
June 13 (TravelAndy): The Buddhist tourism circuit in the east Indian state of Odisha just became historically more significant with archaeologists finding that a structure unearthed at Aragada was much older than initially thought, The Telegraph reported.
The stupa (dome-shaped Buddhist shrine) discovered at Aragada in the suburbs of Odisha’s capital, Bhubaneswar, could date back to the first or the second century BC, say researchers.
The new conclusion comes after examination of the pottery and other artefacts discovered from the site. Continue reading Ancient Buddhist site excavated in India