I am an avid explorer by heart. Whenever I eyed any new place, my instant reaction was to know more and more about it. And believe me, there is no better way to know a place then to explore it. This time it was Orissa, the state known for its great heritage.

Better known as the pilgrimage destination, Orissa was indeed a retreat for me and I literally consider myself lucky that I was able to unearth the many facet of the state. Being the 10 largest state of India, the state encompasses many tourist spots that were worth watching. Bounded by West Bengal on the north-east, Bihar on the north, Andhra Pradesh on the South-east, Madhya Pradesh on the west and Bay of Bengal on the east, Orissa forms one of the best holiday destinations in India.

I came to know about Orissa through a friend, Jennie, who visited the state just a year back. She is an adorable friend and narrated me her experience on the state. In fact, her very experience made up my mind and forced me to travel to The Land of Temples.

I didn't had to plan much, all I did was to note down the addresses and phone numbers of some of the reputed travel clients. I think with in week or so, I booked my flights to Orissa and I was off to the place that added so many good memories.

Though it was not a much planned tour but then I enjoyed a lot. Orissa is a breathtaking state and I had a blast exploring the enticing tourist spot that the state endorsed. I landed in Bhubhneshwar airport on August 2005 and with out any delay I booked the nearest hotel. Just 15 minutes from airport, was the Trident hotel, a 5 star hotel but I just avoided it and resorted to a budget hotel. This time I was budgeting my expenditure and cutting all the unnecessary cost.

Now! what all I explored? The list is almost endless and 3 weeks time was indeed too short to satisfy my quest for revelation. Believe me! Orissa, is a magnificent state that delights tourists and fulfills the needs of every discerning travellers. Extended by endless coastline, Orissa becomes the perfect destination to explore.

The cities, heritage and culture, all sumed up to forms up a scenic destination to explore. Be it anything, each one of them gave me a fulfilling experience that I cannot express in words.

The Jagannath Temple, The Sun Temple, The Lingaraja Temple are few of the temples that I explored during my visit to Orissa. Better known for encompassing many Buddhist sites of the bygone era, the state appeared quite fascinating to me and today I count it amongst the best places that I explored during my tour.

Apart from these revered destination, each city is a treasure trove. Cities like Bhubneshwar, Puri, Cuttuck together formed the state, that is considered one of the privilege destination to explore.

Believe it or not! but my wildlife tour completed my foray to Orissa. Nandankanan wildlife sanctuary, Chilka Lake, Similipal Tiger Reserve were good enough to add glamor to my Orissa tour.