Daringibadi, "Kashmir of Odisha" - An Unknown, Virgin and Hidden Attraction

 “Kashmir of Odisha”, an epithet, that characterizes this unknown, hidden and virgin tourist attraction of Odisha called Daringibadi, is more than just a hill station in Odisha state of eastern India. Situated at a height of 915 m in the Kandhmal district of the state, the place is gifted lavishly with natural bounties including pine groves, coffee gardens and beautiful valleys. Daringbadi is set in a beautiful spot surrounded by thick rain forests with wild animals, and is an ideal summer resort. During the winter sometimes it reported that, the temperature, goes below the freezing point and light snows have also been observed on serial occasion.

According to a report by Times of India, on 18^th Dec 2014, the mercury level dropped to minus point 5 degree Celsius at Daringbadi at 5.30 am which is said to be the lowest temperature of the season in the entire state of Odisha. This a virgin attraction, yet to be explored by tourists. While this place is frequented by many foreign tourists throughout the year, the spot is yet to fully known to the Indian tourists.

Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of Odisha holds Winter Festival (Sita Utsav) at Daringbadi every year in the end of December or beginning of January over 3 days to make the place popular for. The festival hosts a series of cultural events, like dance and musical extravaganza, an artists' camp, Kavi sammelan, with special focus on Kandhamal and its tribal cultural elements. Major state-run cultural organizations such as Lalit Kala Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akademi and Sahitya Akademi jointly hosts a series of programmes to make the place prominent on the tourism and cultural map of Odisha.

Attractions of Daringbadi

·         Hill View Point – The spot providing a vantage point to the visitor from where the whole of Darigbadi and its neighbourhood can be gazed. This is a must to be visited place while in Daringbadi.

·         Coffee plantation- There are two Coffee & Black Pepper plantations maintained by soil conservation/forest department of Daringbadi which are an ideal place to explore, experience and just a great picnic hotspot. Do not forget to take approval from the forest departments before venturing out the gardens.

·         Doluri River- Doluri river is full of small natural beauties with falls providing a mesmerizing views and scenic beauties.

·         Belghar - Internationally Declared Eco Village, Belghar holds a promise to satisfy its visitors. The small village located entirely on the hill top is surrounded with dense flora and is a definite place for tranquility. There are also opportunities for future gliding club due to its seven mountains with a decreasing height. Even elephants can also be seen on the way.

Belghar Sanctuary has thick tropical forests. The dense vegetation of the area is a host to a variety of flora and fauna. Wild elephants are found in bound in this area.

You will be taken inside for about 2/3km walk to witness the Bonda man & woman coming down from the forest side. It is being considered that at present Bondas is the most primitive tribe of India or otherwise known as the Nakate tribes of the mountain. 

·         Kotagarh Sanctuary- It is located in the Baliguda subdivision of Kandhamal district is rich in bio-diversity. Major wildlife species are tiger, elephant, gaur, sambar, spotted deer, peafowl, red jungle fowl and a variety of reptiles. The dense lush green forests with sylvan and serene picturesque beauty are the major attraction. A wooden bungalow at Belghar attracts many nature loving visitors. The area is still unexplored and virgin with natural sceneries and 80% tribal populace. The place is with a charming climate in the summer.

Best time and means to Travel

The best time to visit the place is summer (May - Sep), although it’s not at all a bad idea to experience the freezing temperature of the area during winter in the midst of deep green vegetation and local tribal cultures.

Rail

There are no rail lines in Daringbadi. The nearest railway station is Berhampur. It is 125 km from Berhampur and very well connected with all major towns of Orissa.

Taxi

The easiest way is to book a taxi /from Berhampur or other locations, we can assist you with transportation booking, just let us know by phone or better by e-mail. 

Bus

If you want to use public transport, local buses run daily between Berhampur and Daringbadi.

Distance to Daringbadi from Important Places

Bhubaneswar - 250 km, (takes 5.30 – 6.00 hours)

Berhampur - 125 km (takes 3.00 – 3.30 hours)

Gopalpur on sea - 140 km (takes 3.30 – 4.00 hours)

Taptapani - 110 km (takes 2.30 – 3.00 hours) 

Accommodations

There are not much accommodations available at this place, for being still an undeveloped and virgin attractions. Although the best and cheapest options are government provided facilities, but few private accommodations are also available.

1.      OTDC Hotel, Daringbadi

2.      PWD Bungalow, Executive Engineer (R&B) (Ph. 06846 – 243242)

3.      DEERS Eco Home

4.      Hotel Utopia, Daringbadi

Population control measure (sterilization camps) in Odisha

Recently, Times of India carried a news piece where bicycle pumps were used on 56 women who undergone sterilization surgeries as a government measure to control population at a camp in Odisha's Angul district on November 28 and soon after that the state government on Tuesday (2nd Dec 2014) issued a blanket ban on sterilization camps after an administrative probe confirmed that the pumps had been used during the procedures at Angul. 

Odisha health secretary said in a statement that "The government has decided that henceforth no such camp will be organized for sterilization to ensure quality care. Only established healthcare centres with proper operation theatres can conduct the surgeries adhering to universal infection prevention practices only on Mondays between 9 am and 4 pm. Stringent action will taken against those found not following standard operation procedures." 

But is such a blanket order justified? While we acknowledge that providing basic minimum level of health care facilities is of extremely important, at the same time we also feel that India and Indians need such sterilization camps not just to control India's population, but to make household economically and socially sound and independent. Instead of arranging better heath care facilities during such govt. organized camps which are quite popular among people, the government of Odisha instead declared a blanket ban, which will now deprive many people from various strata of the society to avail this cheap facility. The government must organize more such camps after providing quality infrastructures.

Wildlife Sanctuaries in Odisha - Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary

Odisha is paradise for wildlife lovers. Apart from the usual attractions of Chilika Lake for the migratory bird lovers and Similipal Tiger Reserve for tiger lovers, there are many more wildlife sanctuaries throughout the state that are still virgin and unexplored. In a series of few simple informative articles we will cover them one by one in this blog. The first one is Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, which is situated in the district of Balasore.      The forests of the region cover the Nato hills and Sukhupata hills going as far as till the Similipal National Park. One of the major Orissa wildlife sanctuaries, this Sanctuary is home to rare species of animals and plants. The Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary spreads across an area of 272.75 square kms covered with thick wooded forests and home to wild animals like tiger, elephant, leopards, sambar, bison, gaur and giant squirrels. The forest also houses a variety of birds like hornbills, hill myna and peafowl. The perennial streams that water the forests are home to a variety of reptiles. The government of the state of Orissa maintains the wildlife sanctuary which preserves the rare and endangered species of animals and plants.

As one reaches the perfect clearing in the jungle, leopards can be seen licking themselves clean on extended branches of trees, while elephants and deers forage the ground. Jungle Fowl and monkeys are common sight there.     Even in the moonlight, one can catch sharp shadows of the pachyderms from a distance of 20 metres. It is a truly enjoyable sight to see the elephants shovelling the earth with their feet and trunks to get at the salt balls below.

Yet it boasts of a healthy population of elephants along with deer, bison, bear and leopard. And if the forest guard is to be believed, the herbivores are regular visitors at the saltlick.      Though the lack of tourists has worked well for the forest, it has also resulted in the lack of preparedness among department officials to receive them.  One can feel the wildlife of elephants, bison, sambar, giant squirrel, leopard, varieties of birds like hill myna, peacock, hornbills and varieties of reptiles here.This sanctuary is located in the district of Balasore and is blessed with a charming forest and a variety of wildlife such as tiger, leopard, elephant, gaur, sambar, giant collector, a numeral of bird species like hill myna, peafowl, hornbills and various reptiles.     A trek from Nilgiri amidst Kuldiha forests is worth enjoying. Two rest houses at Kuldiha and Jorachua and the perennial streams are treat for the visitors. Summer season is the best time to visit jungles to feel the wild nature of it. Summer season is the best time to visit jungles to feel the wild nature of it.