Duration: 08 Nights - 09 Days
Locations: Bhubaneswar + Chilka + Gopalpur + Rayagada + Saora + Kothgarh + Chatikona + Jeypore + Onukudelli + Gupteswar + Vishakhapatnam + Mumbai
Day 01-Arrive Bhubaneswar (by flight)
Morning post breakfast on time transfer to airport to board the flight for Bhubaneswar. Upon arrival assistance and check-in hotel.
Bhubaneswar has some stunning temples clustered around the Bindusagar Tank. Of the original 7000 only 500 remain dating from the 7th century to the 11th century. Of these the most outstanding is the 11th century Lingaraja Temple which represents the peak of Orissa art and the late 10th century and beautifully decorated Muktesvara temple which belongs to the end of the phase of temple building. Close to the Mukteswara Temple is the Parsurameswara Temple, a small but richly decorated shrine of Shiva that was built in the 7th century. It is one of the best preserved. It has sculptures featuring amorous couples, animals and floral motifs. In the evening we visit the great temples of Lord Shiva: The Lingraj Temple and Parusurameshwara Temple. Overnight stay at hotel. (B).
Day 02 Bhubaneswar-Chilka-Gopalpur
Post breakfast, drive to Gopalpur en route visiting Khandagiri & Udayagiri- rock cut monolithic jain caves and later continue drive to Chilka lake. Further drive to Gopalpur for overnight.
Overnight stay in Gopalpur.
Day 03 Gopalpur-Rayagada
Early breakfast, drive to Rayagada en route visit Taptapani, hot sulpheric water spring. Also visit Saura Kondh tribal villages enroute. Arrive at Rayagada in the evening and check-in to Hotel.
We are now in the tribal belt of Orissa. Orissa has the third highest concentration of tribals in India and because of the remoteness of the areas where they live, the tribes are untouched by modern times. Each has a distinct language and pattern of social and religious customs. Though economically challenged and a very low rate of literacy, the tribal groups have highly developed artistic skills as seen in their body paintings, ornaments, weaving and wall paintings. Music and dance also are an integral part of their ceremonies and seasonal festivals.
Overnight stay in Rayagada. (B, L, D)
Day 04 Rayagada - Saora Tribal Villages - Rayagada (45 km / 1.5 hrs)
Morning drive visiting the Saora tribal villages. Today we will stop at the villages of the Langia Saoras, a major tribe who live in hilly areas. In contrast to other tribes who live in clans, the Saoras live in extended families descended from a common ancestor. The village is administered by a headman who is assisted by a religious leader and village shamans, or medicine men, who are able to communicate with deceased ancestors. The walls of the mud houses are decorated with remarkable paintings and traditional designs known as IKONS. Saura are one of the oldest known tribes of Orissa. They are doing shifting cultivation. The ceremonies and festivals of the Saoras are the occasions when the social bonds are cemented. The Saoras also practice both sorority and levirate forms of marriage, i.e. a man can marry his deceased wife's younger sister and woman can marry her deceased husband's younger brother. We will wander the tribal market. Overnight stay in Rayagada. (Market only on MONDAY,S) (B,L,D).
Day 05 - Rayagada - Kothgarh - Rayagada - (100 km / 3-4 hrs / one way)
Today's excursion would be to Kothgarh tribal area to visit Kutia Kondh tribes. Many of them speak Kuvi, a language derived from the Dravidian strain of Southern India. Human sacrifice has now been replaced with animal sacrifice, offering the blood to their supreme goddess represented by a piece of wood or stone to ensure fertility of the soil. The members of this tribe still use bows and arrows to protect themselves from wild animals. Return to Rayagada for overnight stay. (Market only on TUESDAY'S) (B,L,D)
Day 06 - Rayagada - Chatikona - Jeypore (240 km / 7-8 hrs)
The morning drive today takes us to Jeypore. En-route at Chatikona we visit a few Dongariya Kondh villages. Dongariya Kondh is a very primitive tribe. They live at the top of the mountain. And they are doing shifting cultivation.
Jeypore, the commercial nerve centre of Koraput district, endowed with falls and forests thronged with colorful wildlife has all such facilities to serve as the convenient base for visiting the places of interest in and around.
Overnight stay at Jeypore. (Market only on WEDNESDAY'S) (B,L,D)
Day 07 Jeypore – Excursion Onukudelli (180km - 5 hr)
Today we take a same day Excursion trip to Onukudelli, home of the approximately 6000 members of the fierce Bondas (naked people) of Tibetan-Burmese origin. They live in the remote hills & keep themselves isolated. They grow rice by shifting cultivation & keep domesticated cows & goats. They can only be seen when they come to trade at the local weekly market. The Bonda women are noticeable by their bead necklaces, striking brass & silver neck lets & their shaved heads decorated with plaits of Palmyra leaves.
We also visit the colorful Godabas, Munda tribe who speak in the Austro-Asiatic dialect called Remo. This very primitive & colourful tribes of Orissa build their houses in two rows facing each other with some broad way left between them. The economic life of the Godabas mainly center on agriculture. Later wander through tribal market.
Overnight Hotel - Jeypore (B, L, D) (Market only on Thursday)
Day 08 Jeypore - Gupteswar - Vishakhapatnam (225 km/ 6-7 hrs)
After breakfast drive to Gupteswar to visit the Dhuruba tribal village. They are one of the oldest tribes of Orissa and found in Koraput district of Orissa. As regards the family, the father acts as the head and manages the family. The income of the family members goes to the headman and it is the head man's duty to fulfill the needs of the family members. Both nuclear and joint families are found among the Dhurubas. We can also visit the caves which were believed to have been the refuge of Lord Rama during his days in exile and the place he worshiped God Shiva. Overnight stay at Visakhapatnam. (Market only on SATURDAY'S) (B)
Day 09 Vishakapatnam - Mumbai (Flt. CD-7562 - 1430 hrs)
Mumbai departure
After breakfast visit Simanchalam Temple near Visakhapatnam is one of the most important Vaishnavite shrines of South India. It has Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy as the presiding deity. Eastern Ganga King Narasimha built the central shrine in 1267 A.D. With more than 252 inscriptions describring the antecedents of the temple, it is historically important.
The deity at Simhachalam, the lion-man incarnation of Lord Mahavishnu appears like a Sivalinga when covered with sandalwood paste. The original shape of the deity in the tribhanga posture has two hands with the head of a lion on a human torso.
Next transfer on time to the airport to board the flight for Mumbai. Upon arrival you will be met by our representative and leave for a half day sightseeing tour covering the Gateway of India, the entrance to the port of Mumbai. It was built to commemorate the visit of King George V in 1911. Historically the Gateway holds greater significance as the last of the British troops, which left independent India by sea, marched through its portals. If time permits we can visit Prince Wales Museum & drive on Marine Drive which runs along the shore of the Arabian Sea from Nariman Point past Chowpatty Beach to the foot of Malabar Hill.
Transfer to the airport to board our flight for onward journey
Our tour concludes: We thank you for your patronage & look forward to serve you again in near future.
|
