The overnight bus journey from Bhubaneswar to
Sambalpur was so comfortable that I could hardly feel that I had traveled over
three hundred kilometers. My wife and children were also fresh and had a good
night's sleep. We took a rickshaw to Hotel Panthanivas where we had our
booking.
We hired a taxi for the sight seeing in and
around the town. We got necessary information and assistance from the Tourist
office in the hotel. We started with the darshan of Goddess Samaleswari
after whom this small western Odisha town has been named. I was amazed to see
the discipline in which people stood in a queue to get inside the temple. Such
type of discipline is rarely seen in temples of Odisha. Our next destination
was the Budharaja Temple on a hillock in the heart of the town. We had to climb
more than a hundred steep steps to reach the top of the hill. The bird's eye
view of the entire town was very nice. My children were ecstatic to see a train
moving like a snake down below at the foot of the hill.
It took us about 45 minutes to reach Hirakud.
We had to obtain a formal pass from the Security Office to visit the Dam. We
were not allowed to drive on the dam. The five kms. long dam connected two hills on the opposite sides
thus creating a large reservoir. We climbed the Gandhi minar on the left dyke
side. The top portion of the minar revolved
thus giving us an all round panoramic view of the dam site. My children
were very happy. We felt as if we were amidst an ocean. The panoramic garden on
the hill top was a good place to sit and relax. We then went to other side of
the dam via the satellite township of Burla, popularly called the town of
intellectuals. Barely within a radius of 2 kms. this township encompasses
an Engineering College, a Medical college and an University. The literacy rate
per square km will probably be the highest at this place. After spending about
half an hour at the Nehru Minar we proceeded to the Ghanteswari Temple situated
at Chipilima about 40 kms from Sambalpur. One has to walk on the narrow
pavements of iron over vast expanse of water to reach the temple. It was a
unique experience of fear and joy when we approached the temple. My children
were very apprehensive and we had to hold their hands tight to give assurance.
Both my children were thrilled to see myriad of
bells (Ghanti) of all sizes hung all around the temple. Hence the name
Ghanteswari. The local priest explained to us that when people get their wishes
fulfilled they tie bells in the temple. My wife also tied a ghanti for
the well being of our family. We were feeling hungry and so we returned to the
hotel.
In the afternoon session our first destination
was the Deer Park on the Brookes hill. We thought it was a zoo sort of thing.
But we were disappointed. A few deer and a leopard were what we could see
there. I felt that if a beautiful garden were developed at the place it would
be more attractive. Maneswar temple was our next destination. We were told that
the deity in the temple was seen only on Sivaratri day and so it was called Patala
Linga. My children enjoyed seeing the large turtles in the temple pond.
It was already 4.30 P.M. We proceeded to our
last major destination, i.e. the leaning temple of Huma.(29 Km. from
Sambalpur). The Shiva temple in the village was in an inclined state (about 20
degrees from the Vertical). I remembered the leaning tower of Pisa, Italy. Was
this temple in any way less than that? Inside the temple all pillars and gates
were also inclined. The local people told us that the temple was in that
position since time immemorial. This was the most interesting and amazing spot
of my entire Sambalpur trip. My children were in a spell of ecstasy to see
hundreds of large and small fishes clamouring near the shore of the river
adjacent to the temple. The fishes took eatables from our hands. People told us
that those fishes belonged to the Lord and they always remain there. My
children wanted to stay there for some more time but we had to return as it was
getting dark. We could not also enjoy the boat ride in the river.
The next morning we went out for some shopping.
I had heard about the famous handloom sarees of Sambalpur. My wife purchased
two silk sarees from the Gole Bazaar area, the most famous market place of the
town. They were not very cheap but at least the quality was guaranteed. A good
bargainer can land up paying about 35 to 40% less on the quoted price of the
sarees.
In course of our visit I talked to a lot of
people. As I knew a bit of sambalpuri accent the local people felt that I
belonged to their place and were very much free with me. They were very
friendly and cooperative. However, the one thing about the town that tormented
me was the poor drainage system, which resulted in flooding of roads after a
good downpour thus making things unhygienic.
I and my family enjoyed every bit of time that
we were at Sambalpur. If somebody is looking for a sleepy holiday away from the
din and bustles of city life, Sambalpur will definitely be the right
destination for him.
