Top Things to do in Rayagada District
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What to do and see in Rayagada District, Odisha: The Best Sights & Landmarks
Discover the best top things to do in Rayagada District, India including Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga, Majhighariani Temple, Jagannath Temple, Laxminarayan Temple, Hanging Bridge at Chekaguda.
1. Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By a2lsingh - Mumbai, India
I thought of writing this detailed review considering limited available information when I was planning a trip from Mumbai. Mumbai to Bhimashankar is about 220-240kms depending on whether you go via Pune or via Thane. Pune route (via Chakan) is shorter and generally faster based on condition of roads. Google maps will also recommend this route. One may plan a day trip from Mumbai - however, that may be tiring with kids sitting in the car for over 10 hours. So, we planned a relaxed itinerary - Day-1 from Mumbai to Chakan (stay at Courtyard Marriott, Chakan); Day-2 from Chakan to Bhimashankar and back to Chakan; Day-3 return from Chakan to Mumbai. Courtyard by Marriott at Chakan, otherwise an industrial belt, is a good place to halt enroute from Mumbai to Bhimashankar (but that’s for a separate post). First, the roads - in Nov 2018, roads from Mumbai to Pune via the Pune Expressway and sharp exit to Talegaon at the 2nd toll from Mumbai was smooth. Even roads in the Pune industrial belt were comfy. Of various options from Chakan to Bhimashankar, it is highly recommended to stay on National Highway 60 to Manchar before taking the State Highways to Bhimashankar. As expected, the road surface quality falls and travel time increases quickly as one moves from the National Highway to State Highway and eventually to local roads. The shorter routes on Google Maps may appear enticing but are not desirable. In our experience, the roads were motorable all through, however, the condition did imply much reduced speed as we move in-land and into the hills. If you are not packed up with food from start, options enroute after Pune are limited to major towns on the Highway and at the road junctions. We noticed a few decent resorts for stay in the hills near Bhimashankar - Natraj and Neelam (perhaps, we might explore on the next trip). Last 20 odd kilometers of the drive is a hilly terrain. About 10 kilometers before the temple, one has to pay an entry toll for the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary - home to the Giant Indian Squirrel. Habitation reduces in the forest zone and monkeys are a regular feature. It is recommended to avoid feeding monkeys for their sake and for yours. Generally, monkeys appeared calm - however, some may turn aggressive given an opportunity to grab food. Parking spot near the temple entrance is limited to the ST bus stand area. This fills up early in the morning. So, the spill over moves to limited road-side flat spaces on a hilly terrain. By 1-2pm in the afternoon, on-road parking practically on a single-lane road with 2-wheelers jostling for space can lead to severe traffic congestion within 5kms of the temple. Consider these facts when planning visit time to the temple. The Darshan itself was pious and organized by queue - though, like elsewhere, there are always seekers attempting to by-pass the queue and herd at the entrance. The queue on a weekend/holiday is long. Budget up to 2 hours in the queue. As you walk down the steps for temple entrance, the path is well covered with roof which protects from monkey menace. The shops on the side selling temple stuff add to the protective cover. You will find relishing peda shops and snack outlets amongst the series of shops which make for an exciting package in such outings. Corn-on-the-cob (Bhutta ????) is a popular street-side available snack. Do care to protect from the prowling monkeys, though. There are many trekking and traveling options at the site. However, we restricted our visit to a drive-darshan-stroll-snack-drive. That may be the most practical option if you have young kids. Starting at 9:30 from Chakan, we reached the temple by 1pm. We started our return drive at 4pm and reached Chakan by 8pm for our overnight halt. Hope you have a pious visit and a quick weekend outing!
2. Majhighariani Temple
3. Jagannath Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By rcreviews - Bhubaneswar, India
This temple originally built 50yeras back but the new temple built in year 2007 and inaugurated by Gajapati Maharaj of Puri. Like Puri here also main festival is RathaYatra, Scenic view of the temple is excellent.
4. Laxminarayan Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By rcreviews - Bhubaneswar, India
Built by IMFA group of Odisha state 14 years back. Situated 30KM away from Rayagada district in Theruvali. It's a complex of temple where main deities are God Narayan with his wife Goddess Laxmi. There is also a Shiva Temple and goddess temple in both side of the main temple. There is a nice garden in front of temple and in side there is also a river ,So people using this place as a picnic spot also. People not only from different part of Odisha but also many people from Andhra Pradesh also visit the temple.
