WEAVER'S WORLD / JAGANNATHPURI / PLACES TO VISIT -3

WEAVER'S WORLD / JAGANNATHPURI / PLACES TO VISIT -3

Kanchi Ganesha temple is inside the Puri Jagannath temple complex. It is a small beautiful temple with a beautiful Ganesha and is located inside the Lord Jagannath temple. It is a small Ganesh temple, whose idol was gifted by the king of Kanchi as per the temple history. Those who visit the Jagannath temple also visit the Kanchi temple. It is towards the west gate with four gates in four directions.

Made of black granite stone, this beautiful idol of Lord Ganesha was brought by King Divyasingh Dev from Kanchi (now in Tamilnadu) after defeating the Kanchi Naresh, as a memoir. Incidentally the Puri king married the Kanchi princess after the war.

Located in the south west part of Puri, covering a widespread area of 1100 sq kms, Chilika Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the most visited wildlife sanctuaries in Odisha. This wildlife sanctuary is home to various migratory and local birds such as Flamingo, White Bellied Sea Eagle, Brahminy Kite, Spot billed Pelican, Bare headed Goose, Open billed Stork, Spoon bill, Brahminy Duck, Wigeon, Pintail, Shoveller, Ibis, Stilt, Heron, Egret, Avocet, Gull, Tern and King Fisher etc. Apart from resident and migratory birds, Chilika Wildlife Sanctuary is also home to animal species such as the Black Buck, Spotted Deer, Golden Jackal, Hyena and many more. It is also rich in aquatic wildlife, housing Dolphin, Prawn, Crab, Limbless Lizard and Crustaceans. More than 225 species of fish are also found here. The sunrise and sunset at Chilika Wildlife Sanctuary is a spectacular sight, very popular among the tourists. One of the most famous tourist attractions near Chilika Wildlife Sanctuary is Kalijai Temple, devoted to Goddess Kalijai. Each fisher man visits Kalijai Temple before going on a fishing expedition in Chilka Lake for getting a good catch. Reasonably priced boats, can be hired from Balugaon and Barkul for the sanctuary. Do visit the Chilika Lake Bird Sanctuary and Hotspot of Biodiversity.

It is here that the Kalinga war was fought and blood had flown in place of water - the war that turned the great emperor Ashoka into one of the most compassionate human beings from being a proud emperor. He had laid down his weapons on the river bank after witnessing the bloody sight and embraced the path of non-violence thereafter. The river remains a silent witness and provides a great view of this historic battlefield.