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Old 15th March 2017, 15:17   #1
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Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa

A traveler's soul is never satisfied. The thirst to travel places, both known and unknown, keeps on growing. Initially it acts as an energy pill to counter the daily chores of life, but with time it becomes a way of life itself.

Planning for this trip dates back to December, 2016, the day I landed in India after six months. It was the morning of 18th December when my flight landed. The sight of my homeland from the cabin of the aeroplane and near and dear ones at the airport terminal brought a much needed relief. With it came the urge for a road trip which was long due. Only a spark was needed to ignite the fuel, and this spark came when I visited my in-laws place in the evening.
My uncle-in-law is passionate about driving and possesses an silver colored Alto LXI (800cc). Although, he has done a few highway trips around ~200kms but he was a bit skeptical about longer journeys. He was first to propose a group drive to Panchalingeswar, Orissa and everyone agreed. What a start for a travel-hungry soul in the first day of landing in India itself!

Now, it was time to decide on the date. My uncle-in-law had a family vacation planned during the Republic Day week, so that period was ruled out. We finalized on the Holi weekend for our travel comprising of 3 days (11th - 13th March, 2017). As discussions and planning started to take shape our group also started to increase. Now, the parents of my aunt-in-law became very much interested in the trip and asked us if they could accompany us. We whole-heartedly obliged. Also, I suggested to add Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary to the itinerary, as this was a long pending in our bucket list.
On the day of Saraswati Puja, the booking of 4 rooms at "Mahendra Niwas", Panchalingeswar was finalized.
So, all set for the travel were :
  • 2 cars, Hyundai EON (white) and Alto LXI (Silver)
  • 9 people (My parents-in-law, my uncle-in-law and his family, aunt-in-law's parents and us), and
  • 9 travel hungry souls

As the day of travel came closer, the excitement rose simultaneously. We got our cars serviced a week before our travel date. We packed some dry food and sorted our luggage.

Our journey commenced on a cloudy morning with slight traces of rain seen on the windshield. Both our cars met at a common place close to our house at around 6 am. Excitement and laughter was written all over the face of everyone. The gloomy weather at the start of our journey was not able to have any effect on any of us.

We stopped at a BP fuel pump and topped up the fuel tank of our cars. With the MapMyIndia guiding us, we continued our journey. Barring a brief traffic congestion due to a broken down truck near Santragachi, we cruised to our breakfast stop at Azad Hind Dhaba, Uluberia. We had sumptuous breakfast with hot Aloo Parathas, Chana Masala, Dum Aloo followed up with hot cup of tea. The adda and photo session had already started and everyone had to be reminded of our final destination for today, which got them rolling.

The Highway run!
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7551.jpg

Breakfast at Azad Hind Dhaba, Uluberia
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_20170311_081736.jpg

The weather cleared up with bright sunlight playing hide and seek. Our destination, Panchalingeswar, was still about 245 kms away. With a lot of old people in our group, the drive had to be at a sedate pace with a few breaks in between. We maintained speed of around 80-90 kmph and enjoyed the drive with all the lush green paddy fields accompanying us throughout and some good music keeping us entertained. After 2 hours of driving, we stopped at a roadside tea stall for tea and snacks break where the “adda” session continued with random bursts of laughter.

A selfie together
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_20170311_105627.jpg

We continued with the final leg of our journey and after sometime the hills came to our view. That’s the essence of the place – “Panchalingeswar”. It is located at the base of a hill on which the Panchalingeswar temple is located. Soon, we made our exit from the left at Shergarh and turned right under the flyover to enter State Highway 19. SH 19 is in pretty good shape but it has a lot of speed breakers to keep any untoward incident at bay. After driving for about 8 kms, we took the Nilagiri bypass road and about 500 meters hence turned left to take the Panchalingeswar road (the straight road goes to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, more on that later). A right turn after 6 kms brought us face to face with the hill that we were viewing for so long. It’s a narrow road and goes straight till Panchalingeswar temple parking. Our stay for the day was as Mahendra Niwas which was located about 500 meters before the temple.

We reached our hotel at around 1:15 pm. As soon as we got out of our respective cars, everyone exclaimed with joy simultaneously. The place had exceeded our expectations and weather was superb. The location of the hotel was superb and open fields around the property guaranteed unobstructed 360 degree view of the landscape, with unmatched view of the hill from our room and balcony. The parking space is adequate as well. Overall, everyone was excited and bubbling with energy. Slight sign of tiredness induced by the long drive was immediately washed away. We took some group photos and checked into our rooms. We had pre-ordered our lunch, so lunch was ready as well. The hotel staffs were very helpful and they took our luggage and dropped them to our rooms. We freshened up a bit in our rooms and had our lunch. After lunch, the older people in our group were ready to visit the temple then only. Such was the enthusiasm! We, the younger lot, had to calm them down and we finally decided to get some rest and we would be going to Panchalingeswar Temple in the afternoon.

A group picture on the hotel premises
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7561.jpg

View from our room balcony
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_20170311_141929.jpg
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7562.jpg
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7565.jpg

Myself with my parents-in-law
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7569.jpg

My Uncle-in-law with his better half
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7571.jpg

Around 4:30 pm, we took our car to Panchalingeswar temple parking. We saw a lot of hotels on our way including the OTDC Panthaniwas, Panchalingeswar and Sakuntala Niwas. But frankly, those were located just below the hills and too close to get the view we got at Mahendra Niwas and Sakuntala Niwas seemed a bit clumsy. Though, these hotels were located much closer to the temple. We parked our car at the temple parking and came to know that the temple could be accessed by climbing 311 steps on foot. My Father-in-Law and my Aunt-in-Law’s father decided to stay below and seven of us moved on. The climb was moderate with various species of chameleons giving us company. Though we have heard that black bear is very common in the area we were not quite lucky to spot them. Nevertheless, the gurgling sound of the waterfall and rich flora and fauna of the place made us forget the pain of climbing the stairs.

We reached the temple premises at dusk and we were the last visitor to be allowed entry to the holy place. The area, atop the hill, was gracefully covered with large trees along with the holy Peepal tree with five("Pancha") leaves from each stalk. The gloomy light of the setting sun gave a mystical feel to the place. We stayed there for about 45 minutes before coming down. We went back to our hotel and ordered pakoras and tea for snacks. After that we strolled along the road in front of our hotel. The serenity of the place was nicely complemented by the full moon night.

Entrance to the Panchalingeswar temple
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7576.jpg

A photo together at the entrance
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7578.jpg

The long climb up starts!
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7579.jpg

Some company along the way
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7583.jpg

The temple premise on top of the hill
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_20170311_174046.jpg

We had plans to visit Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary the next day. We decided to book a local car for the same. That way, we would be able to travel together and we were also not sure about the terrain, which coupled with two fully loaded hatchbacks could have been risky. Our hotel quoted INR 1800/- for the Kuldiha safari excluding the entry fees, which seemed a bit too much. So we decided to try our luck with other hotels like Sakuntala Niwas or OTDC. As we were making our way along the road towards the other hotels, we first saw a pitch-black colored Scorpion and a medium sized Common Krait, both dead of course, lying in the middle of the road. Apparently they were crushed by the traffic movement along the road. This shook us a bit and underlined the rich fauna the place bore. With the possibility of Black Bear in our minds as well, the plan of walking down the road at night was immediately scrapped. Five of us took one car to Sakuntala Niwas and rest stayed at our hotel. After talking to the manager of Sakuntala Niwas, he agreed to provide us with a 12 seater Mahindra “Savari” for INR 1500/-. We agreed with 8:30 am start from our hotel the next day. We returned to our hotel, had our dinner went to sleep after another round of adda session in the garden of our hotel. The trip was shaping up brilliantly with an eventful first day drawing to a close.

The dead snake on the road in front of our hotel
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7588.jpg

Last edited by gearhead_mait : 23rd March 2017 at 14:22.
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Old 21st March 2017, 12:19   #2
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Travel to the Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary

I woke up pretty early the next day, along with my Father-in-Law. We went for a morning walk towards the temple. The weather was awesome that morning with cool winds coming down from the hill which was covered with mist. I took this opportunity to take some photos. We had hot cup of tea at a tea stall beside the temple parking. With absolute silence prevailing the area and the cool winds rewarding us with a sensation of chill, the cup of tea seemed fabulous. The tea vendor informed us that he could arrange a night safari (walk) with a guide, who would take us up the hill at around 9 pm. This, according to him, guarantee a few spotting chances including the black bear. The idea was too adventurous, specially traveling with a group with an average age on the higher side. May be, someday, when I travel alone.

Morning view of the hill from our hotel balcony
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_20170312_054234.jpg

A picture taken in the morning near the OTDC
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_20170312_055946_hdr.jpg

We had to rush to our hotel to prepare for the much awaited tour of Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary. We went back to the hotel to find that everyone in our group already woke up and excited about the Kuldiha trip. We freshened up and gathered for breakfast sharp at 8 am. Everyone was oozing with excitement, with various stories and past experiences coming from everyone. The hired Savari came sharp at 8:30 am as promised, and we started our journey for Kuldiha.

The smile reflects the excitement!
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_20170312_085158_hdr.jpg

First we went to Kuldiha Forest Range Office, Nilagiri get the permit for entering the forest. The permit office is located Nilagiri town (Geo Coordinate : 21.467200, 86.776470). The details of permit fees are given below:

Entry fee per person : INR 40/- (Total 40*9 = 360)
Entry fee per car : INR 100/-
P/S Camera charge/piece : INR 50/-
Timespan for permit issuance : 9 am-1:30 pm
Forest gate opening/closing time: 9 am – 5 pm

Additionally, a miscellaneous charge of INR 100 was charged which was not part of the permit receipt given to us. On asking the officials, they said that this is the charge for parking the car in the forest etc. Though I didn’t raise a voice against it, but I think this is a fraudulent practice going on. Forest Department, Orissa – Please take a note of this.

So, we paid INR 610/- and got the permit. Now we drove straight towards Kuldiha. Kuldiha has three gates –

1) Tenda gate that goes straight to Kuldiha FRH,

2) An unnamed check gate that goes to Nature Eco Tents (the only place for staying inside the forest) taking a right turn from a crossroad junction and the straight road going to Jodachua FRH.

3) Rissia Dam gate that enters the forest through a route circling the lake.

Tenda gate is the main entry gate of Kuldiha. At the time of our visit, the Tenda gate was closed. Instead of the primary entry gate (point 2 above), our driver entered the forest through the Rissia dam gate. This turned out to be a nice decision as all the traffic went to the other gate. We showed the permit at the check post and entered the forest area. The large lake with the backdrop of hilly terrain was beautiful. The green forest cover around the dam was adorned by pista green colored “Mohua” flowers. The scenic beauty of the place won over our hearts in minutes. We spent some time here enjoying the view and the absolute serenity of the place.

The Rissia Dam check post
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_20170312_101849_hdr.jpg

The forest trail
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_20170312_101853_hdr.jpg

The elevated road along the bank of the lake
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7594.jpg

Beautiful color of the Spring
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7603.jpg
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_20170312_102734.jpg

The Lake with Kuldiha Forest on the other side
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_20170312_102402.jpg

We again started our journey into the forest. The entry into the forest from Rissia gate has to be made along the bank of the lake. The terrain was muddy with a few large stones scattered here and there. Added to that the climb down from the elevated road to the bank of the lake was uneven. Overall it should be moderately tough for hatchbacks. But the entry to the forest from this side is a sight to behold. A large lake giving way to a dense forest within a distance of 100 meters. The hilly terrain, the dense forest and an unknown silence inside the forest spiked up the adrenaline. Everyone inside the car was mum as the car strolled forward with our eyes continuously scanning from left to right. At one place we spotted elephant dung lying on the forest road. The driver immediately knew that it was not long before the elephant has passed this place. He asked us all to roll up our windows. That was a tense moment! We waited for some time in the area, but couldn’t spot the beast. Be it successful or unsuccessful spotting of animals, the jungle itself has its own charm. The wilderness with occasional sounds from a distance, which seem unknown to city dwellers like us, makes the safari priceless.

The Savari making an entry into the forest through Rissia gate
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_20170312_104843_hdr.jpg

The journey continued and in some time we reached the Jodachua FRH. The rest house is located in the core area of the forest. The 10 feet deep trench being bored around the FRH indicates the proximity of wild animals around the place. The salt pit is located on the other side of the trench connected only by a felled tree trunk. We were strongly advised not to cross over to the other side. The FRH is out of scope for tourists for stay. The forest office workers offered us a cup of tea, and we obliged. The Red Squirrels are found in abundance inside the forest and we could see them on the branches of the tree in Jodachua FRH complex. We strolled around the FRH, taking pictures and enjoying the silence of the woods with trickling sound of a stream flowing amidst the dense green forest cover.

The forest trail that led us to Jodachua FRH
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7612.jpg

One of the Red Squirrels playing on the tree
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7607.jpg

View on the other side of the trench
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7609.jpg

Some colorful species of butterfly adorn the forest floor
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7611.jpg

A nice capture
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7616.jpg

A stream of water flowing in front of Jodachua FRH
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7620.jpg

With the Jodachua FRH at the background. An awesome experience!
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_20170312_113116_hdr.jpg

Time flew and our driver asked us to move on, as we still had a lot to cover inside the forest. While our heart wanted to stay in this place for some more time, but the thrill of expectation coupled with the limited time we had in our disposal compelled us to step on the car once more. The forest was getting denser with each passing minute, while the sound of dried leaves being crushed under the tires enhanced the thrill. The driver stopped suddenly! From nowhere came a watch tower – an old and dilapidated structure.Our driver told us that this is the watch tower and short walk through the jungle road just beside the watch tower would lead to the elephant bathing place. The place has an unusual and eerie feeling attached to it which has to be experienced and impossible to jot down in words. The forest was dense all around. My brother-in-law and I moved out of the car first followed by my uncle-in-law. Rest of our group preferred to stay in the car. Keeping the watch tower on the right hand side, we took the jungle path. The path was little muddy with dried leaves stacked at both sides, indicating a recent passage of water, may be due to the rainfall. A short walk among the dense forest suddenly opens up to a rocky terrain with waterfall. Although it’s a beautiful setting for elephants taking a bath, but the place seemed to be an ideal place for leopard as well. Few moments later my wife and aunt-in-law joined us there. We started making fictitious stories about the place contemplating the arrival of leopard and/or elephant. Our tough luck with respect to sighting an animal continued, but the place offered its fair share of thrill to us. Just as we were returning to our car, my wife suddenly saw something on the muddy soil. It was a pug mark of an animal, high chances being that of a leopard. Our driver, on seeing the pug mark, immediately asked us to move back to the car. My uncle-in-law was about a 100 meter away from the car and we asked him to hurry. There was a sudden panic among us. Once in the car, the driver told us that if the pug mark was of the leopard, it was surely somewhere around and if it attacks, we do not have anything to defend ourselves with. Breathing a sigh of relief and with a “heart in the mouth” situation in our mind, we bade farewell to the place. This place will be remembered for long in our memories and I will definitely come back to the forest someday in my own car. Experiences like these are the sole reason of a forest safari – it’s not always about sighting any animal, it’s about an experience, a feeling that cannot be described in words!

The dense jungle trail we took, beside the watch tower
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7628.jpg

That place which gave us all the thrill
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7633.jpg

The pug mark of...?
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7635.jpg

The journey had already provided what was expected out of it, though the later part of it had a few of our group members permanently seated inside the car, not stepping out at all. Nevertheless, we moved on and without any more incident worth mentioning, reached the Kuldiha FRH. Similar in some respect to the Jodachua FRH like the trench and salt pits, Kuldiha FRH is much more tourist friendly. The gathering of tourists was also more in this FRH. We spent some around the FRH clicking pictures and all. We could see the road to Tenda gate from here bearing a “No Entry” signboard. It was already 2 pm and we were getting late for lunch. We made an exit from Kuldiha through gate (2) as mentioned earlier. Overall, Kuldiha safari is highly recommended for anyone visiting the area. For anyone bringing their own car, the entire path is easily doable in a low ground clearance hatchback apart a small stretch around Rissia dam gate.

The Kuldiha FRH
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7636.jpg

The road to Tenda gate with "No Entry" board
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7637.jpg

My earnest request to all visitors!
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7638.jpg

We went back to our hotel, had our lunch and went to our rooms to get some well-deserved rest. In the evening we took our car to the Nilagiri Town to taste some local sweets. “Nilagiri Sweets” and a sweet shop beside that is recommended. We were still discussing the events during our safari in the morning. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the entire episode. Next, we decided for a short drive at night towards the same road to Kuldiha in our cars. There was not a single light-post along the stretch and the drive was soothing with only the light from our cars cutting through the darkness. We were advised by the senior members of our group to return to the hotel as it would be risky at night to drive to an unknown place. We agreed and returned to our hotel. After a brief session of “adda” post dinner, we called it a day.

Last edited by gearhead_mait : 23rd March 2017 at 12:47.
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Old 22nd March 2017, 19:58   #3
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The journey back with a stint at Chandipur!

Being the last day of our trip, we took it on a relaxed note. The plan was to drive to Chandipur beach, a detour of 40 kms, on our way back to Kolkata. The weather was at its best throughout the duration of the trip. The morning was cool with gentle wind blowing over the area. We had our breakfast in the hotel itself, packed our bags and with a heavy heart left the place at around 9:15 am sincerely wishing to come back again.

A parting shot of the beautiful place with our steeds
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7641.jpg

We drove straight to Chandipur and it took us an hour and 15 mins. We parked our car at the OTDC complex and went to the sea beach. The ladies in the group hadn’t got the chance for shopping during the trip, until now. So, they went straight towards the roadside stalls along the Chandipur beach.

A group photo in the OTDC, Chandipur premises
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7643.jpg

Chandipur beach
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_7649.jpg

A straight line at an angle
Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_20170313_110603_hdr.jpg

We initially planned to have our lunch at OTDC, but they would have started serving lunch post 1pm, which would be a little late for us. So we had our lunch from a hotel nearby and started our journey back to Kolkata.

We took a tea break at a Dhaba somewhere along the highway in Orissa and stopped for snacks break at Express Plaza, Kolaghat. We reached our home at 7 pm.

This was a trip worth remembering for a long time. It opened up our mind to think beyond Tajpur or Mandarmoni for a long weekend trip of 2-3 days. A place so close, yet so unknown!

Hotel details:
Mahendra Niwas
Room rate : INR 700-900 (Non AC), INR 1200 (AC room)

Fuel Expense incurred:
INR 2000 for 600 kms trip

Route Details

Route map

Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-route.jpg

Till we drive again, Adios Amigos!

Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa-img_20170313_110715.jpg

Last edited by gearhead_mait : 23rd March 2017 at 13:14.
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Old 23rd March 2017, 14:27   #4
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Re: Where the serenity prevail : A road trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary and Panchalingeswar, Oris

Mod note: Thread moved to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing.
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Old 23rd March 2017, 14:55   #5
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Re: Where the serenity prevail : A road trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary and Panchalingeswar, Oris

Great write-up and vibrant photographs. Always love to read your travelogues. Thanks for all the informations you have provided.

Cheers.
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Old 24th March 2017, 11:20   #6
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Re: Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa

Nice write up and wildlife pics. Do the rangers there take you on their vehicles or can we take our own inside the reserve ?
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Old 24th March 2017, 11:29   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Panda View Post
Great write-up and vibrant photographs. Always love to read your travelogues. Thanks for all the informations you have provided.

Cheers.
Thanks for your comments!





Quote:
Originally Posted by prithm View Post
Nice write up and wildlife pics. Do the rangers there take you on their vehicles or can we take our own inside the reserve ?
Thanks! You can take your own car inside the forest. Its recommended too.
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Old 24th March 2017, 14:46   #8
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Re: Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa

Nice, short yet crisp travelogue. The pics are lively. As-usual your narration is great as always.

I agree to the part of hiring a local cab inside Kuldhia instead of taking your own car. The local driver acts as a nice guide plus it aids there financial status too. If every one starts taking their own cars for sightseeing the locals get a hit. Even in many cases i do the same, hire a local cab or local guide. That's more informative and they also feel happy.

You rekindled my Kuldhia visit.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ota-etios.html

Last edited by Samba : 24th March 2017 at 14:49.
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Old 24th March 2017, 15:47   #9
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Re: Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa

The Places you have visited are all in vicinity of my wife's birthplace. It is refreshing to see the excellent pictures of these spots, after a gap of 1-2 years.

There are lot of other great places to visit in this area (esp around Mayurbhanj dist), but due to Govt. apathy and lack of roads, people are unable to visit those.
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Old 24th March 2017, 17:30   #10
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Re: Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa

Happy faces and a lot of colours with a well penned down narratives make your travelogue a good read indeed !! Rated it a well deserved 5* as small getaways can indeed be so pleasurable and memorable.

Sighting the leopard is never easy as it is a very shy animal and uses it's deep intellect before making any move on mankind. The old law stands strong - "Be in your jeep and do not try to interact with the cat family members and they will do no harm to you".

Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience, may be someday we will plan and follow your footprints to this place.
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Old 25th March 2017, 10:01   #11
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Re: Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa

Full family trips are a rarity these days. No matter what the destination is, travelling with elderly folks - folks who have seen us grow up, is itself an interesting activity. An activity that can at times become difficult, confusing, frustrating for sure, but at the end of the day it leaves us with pleasant memories. Congrats for pulling this off.

A well written travelogue with appropriately situated photographs. Reading your experiences inside the forest, I felt the eerie vibrations pass through my mind too! Thanks for sharing.
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Old 31st March 2017, 11:25   #12
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Re: Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa

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Full family trips are a rarity these days. No matter what the destination is, travelling with elderly folks - folks who have seen us grow up, is itself an interesting activity...
..I felt the eerie vibrations pass through my mind too! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks a lot!

Quote:
Originally Posted by AJ-got-BHP View Post
Happy faces and a lot of colours with a well penned down narratives make your travelogue a good read indeed !! Rated it a well deserved 5* as small getaways can indeed be so pleasurable and memorable.

Sighting the leopard is never easy as it is a very shy animal and uses it's deep intellect before making any move on mankind. The old law stands strong - "Be in your jeep and do not try to interact with the cat family members and they will do no harm to you".

Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience, may be someday we will plan and follow your footprints to this place.
Thanks, AJ! Leopard is indeed a shy animal and will avoid human contact, unless provoked. We still feel somehow that there was a high chance of the presence of a big cat species at that location.

You should visit the place once, if you haven't done already. But try to avoid monsoon period.

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Originally Posted by abhishek46 View Post
The Places you have visited are all in vicinity of my wife's birthplace. It is refreshing to see the excellent pictures of these spots, after a gap of 1-2 years.

There are lot of other great places to visit in this area (esp around Mayurbhanj dist), but due to Govt. apathy and lack of roads, people are unable to visit those.
Thanks!

Although I haven't got the time to explore a wider area around the place, but the road to Panchalingeswar and the one leading to Kuldiha WS is very good. I heard that the road to Devkund is bad, but didn't have sufficient time to go there.

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Originally Posted by Samba View Post
Nice, short yet crisp travelogue. The pics are lively. As-usual your narration is great as always.

I agree to the part of hiring a local cab inside Kuldhia instead of taking your own car. The local driver acts as a nice guide plus it aids there financial status too. If every one starts taking their own cars for sightseeing the locals get a hit. Even in many cases i do the same, hire a local cab or local guide. That's more informative and they also feel happy.

You rekindled my Kuldhia visit.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ota-etios.html
Thanks Samba! Yours and adc's travelogues were the inspiration behind this trip. I agree with your statement regarding local car hire, but I would go back again, this time only to take my car inside and stay inside the jungle.
I really missed the feel of the forest at night.
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Old 31st March 2017, 11:54   #13
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Re: Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa

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Thanks, AJ! Leopard is indeed a shy animal and will avoid human contact, unless provoked. We still feel somehow that there was a high chance of the presence of a big cat species at that location.

You should visit the place once, if you haven't done already. But try to avoid monsoon period.
This place definitely deserves a visit as I have not been here. Your travelogue inspires !!
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Old 31st March 2017, 14:28   #14
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Re: Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa

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Originally Posted by gearhead_mait View Post
Although I haven't got the time to explore a wider area around the place, but the road to Panchalingeswar and the one leading to Kuldiha WS is very good. I heard that the road to Devkund is bad, but didn't have sufficient time to go there.
Thanks!
I had visited Devkund just after my marriage.
The roads are very narrow near the last point where you have to park. But, overall in fine shape.
It is small and quaint spot, but offers excellent views of lake after lake after lake, at multiple elevation level.
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Old 31st March 2017, 19:57   #15
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Re: Where serenity prevails : A road-trip to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary & Panchalingeshwar, Orissa

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A traveler's soul is never satisfied. The thirst to travel places, both known and unknown, keeps on growing...
It's another crisp travelogue Soumyajit! The pictures from the Kuldiha forest are very beautiful and definitely they are inviting to a traveler soul! Your writings are always charming and it's good to see your mighty EON back on munching miles!

Best,
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