5 Best Hill stations in Odisha

Odisha attracts its visitors with its scenic, serene, and sublime natural beauty. Here you can find a unique combination of beautiful locations, exotic cultures and warm and friendly people. The main attractions here are the long coastline, towering mountains, serene lakes and beautiful dancing rivers. The best hill stations of the state are Daringbadi, Taptapani, Mahendragiri, Dhenkanal and Olasuni Hill. The ideal to visit the state is between October to March.

Daringbadi:

Daringbadi is an ideal summer resort of the state situated at an altitude of 3000 ft above sea level. The place is also known as ‘Kashmir of Odisha’ because of its astonishing beauty. This is the only place in the state where winter season has beautiful snowfall. The hill station is located in Kandhmal district of the state. The place is gifted with coffee gardens, pine forests and beautiful valleys. The exact beauty of the entire place can be enjoyed by reaching the top of this hill station. The main places to visit here are the beautiful waterfalls of Doluri river, Putudi Waterfalls, black pepper and turmeric gardens and Belghar Sanctuary. The main pilgrim place to visit here is Samaleswari temple. The majority population here is Christians and there are about 200 churches here. Travellers can taste delicious local food like ‘Bara’ available in the snack shops here.

Tourists can go for adventurous trekking to the nearby hills to enjoy the wild unspoilt environment. You can accommodate in PWD Inspection Bungalow or Revenue I.B here or can else stay in an Ashram near the bus stop of Daringbadi.

The place has a sub-tropical climate. The best time to visit here are the months from September to May. The beautiful hill station is about 250 kms from Bhubaneswar and 125 kms from Berhampur.

Taptapani:

Taptapani is a hill station located at an elevation of 1,800 ft above sea level. The hill station is in Ganjam district of the State. The place is famous for its hot water springs. The water here with high sulphur content is beleved to cure some ailments. The main tourist attraction here is the perpetual hot springs of the hill. Near to the spring is the most frequented temple, the Kandimata Mandir. Travellers must also visit the deer park maintained by the state forest department. The place is located at a distance of 56 kms from Behrampur.

Travellers can go for a long nature-walk along the picturesque landscape of the surrounding areas of the hill station. You can also visit the villages of tribal communities such as Kutia Kondh, Bonda, Dingara Kondh and Mali tribes and can learn about the lifestyles of these tribal people. Tampara is an another place to visit which is a large brackish lake with a water sport complex offering various water sports such as paddle boats, water scoote, etc.

The place has a uniform temperature throughout the year. This is an alltime vacation tourist destination. The best time to visit here is from October to March.

Mahendragiri:

Mahendragiri is a hill station located in the Gajapati district of the state. The place is located at an elevation of about 4,925 ft above sea level. This is a place of great scenic beauty. The place is surrounded on three sides by hills and thick forests. The surrounding forest inhabits a large number of peacocks, flying squirrels, elephants, spotted deer and even leopards and talking mynahs. The top of the hill offers most enchanting view of the surrounding area. The majestic beauty of the mountain, the blue sea at a distance and the crystal clear waters of the sacred Mahendratanaya, attracts travelers from all parts.

There are three temples on the top of the mountain. These temples are named after the Pandava brothers and their mother Kunti. The Kunti temple is 30 feet high and is at one end of the flat top the mountain. There is a Gokarneswar Linga here, in which whatever amount of water poured, gets disappear. The main festival of Mahendragiri is Maha Shiva Ratri occuring in between February and March. At that time, thousand of devotees from all around the world come here and trek onto the peak to worship Lord Shiva. The other two temples are the Yudhisthira temple and the Bhima temple.

Dhenkanal:

Dhenkanal is a hill station located at an elevation of around 700 m above sea level. There are a number of Hindu temples here. The main place to visit here is the Kapilash temple built in the traditional Kalinga style architecture. You need to climb 1352 stairs to reach the temple. The important festival here is Maha Shivratri. Thousands of pilgrims gather here from various parts of the state. Devotees trek barefoot to the hilltop carrying water of the Mahanadi in earthen vessels on their shoulders for pouring the water on the Shivling. The fair continues for three days.

The place has a tropical climate. There is a PWD inspection bungalow and a few dharamshalas which offers comfortable stay for the travellers.

Olasuni Hill:

Olasuni Hill is located on the border of Cuttack and Jajpur district of the state. The world famous "Olasuni Gumpha" the sacred seat of perfection and the Mahasamdhi Temple of Santha Arakhita Das is situated here. A nine-day Gumpha Yatra is celebrated during the annual Magha Ekadasi festival. The hill also houses the cave where Saint Arakhita Das achieved salvation after extensive meditation. The other main place to visit here is the temple of Goddess Olasuni.

In Odisha, there are many holiday rental accommodations such as resort, homestays, cottages, serviced apartments and guest houses providing all needed facilities for the travellers to explore the area in its fullest. 

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