Discover 12 travel destinations across 7 regions of Odisha.
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Hidden Gem
Athagarh block, Banki road, Cuttack district
A picturesque horseshoe-shaped freshwater lake spread across 141 hectares beneath the verdant Saranda Hill. Home to migratory water birds, lotus ponds, bamboo cottage eco-resorts, and walking trails leading to historic ruins atop Saranda Garh.
Hidden Gem
Jamboo / False Point, Kendrapara district
An uninhabited sandy island off the Kendrapara coast built by the British East India Company in 1867 following the Great Orissa Famine (Na'anka Durbhikhya). Features a colossal stone building designed as a rice storehouse with innovative rainwater harvesting roof structures.
Hidden Gem
Huma village, Sambalpur district
A curious architectural marvel standing on a rocky outcrop along the Mahanadi River, where the main 17th-century stone temple tilts noticeably at a 47-degree angle while its pinnacle remains perpendicular to the ground. The river pool below is populated by friendly holy Kudo fish that feed from visitors' hands.
Hidden Gem
Nilgiri block, Balasore district
A tranquil dense forest corridor of 272 sq km linked with Similipal, renowned for wild elephant herds, leopards, giant squirrels, and hornbills. Offers secluded nature camps and watchtowers at Rissia Dam where wildlife gathers at dusk to drink.
Hidden Gem
Lalitgiri, Cuttack district
The earliest established Buddhist monastery in Odisha's celebrated Diamond Triangle, flourishing continuously from the 3rd century BCE to the 10th century CE. Excavations revealed a massive apsidal chaitya, four monastic complexes, and a stone Mahastupa enclosing sacred gold and silver relic caskets.
Hidden Gem
Mangalajodi, Tangi block, Khordha district
A globally acclaimed community-led eco-tourism village on the northern wetland marshes of Chilika Lake. Once poachers, local villagers now guide silent, non-motorized wooden boat tours through thick reeds sheltering over 300,000 migratory waterfowl, whistling ducks, godwits, and purple swamphens.
Hidden Gem
Nilagiri, Balasore district
Perched on the verdant Nilagiri hill range, this sacred shrine is famous for five naturally sculpted stone Shiva lingas continuously washed by a cold perennial mountain spring. Devotees lie flat on the rock slab and feel the sacred lingas underwater amidst dense green forest canopies.
Hidden Gem
Ganjam town, Ganjam district, Odisha
A historic star-shaped maritime fort constructed in 1768 CE on the banks of the Rushikulya River estuary at the Bay of Bengal. Built with composite Muslim, French, and British colonial masonry, the fort features underground escape tunnels, moat ramparts, and atmospheric river-facing maritime ruins.
Hidden Gem
Putsil, Semiliguda block, Koraput district
Often called the 'Switzerland of Odisha', Putsil is a hidden highland tableland nestled at 3,500 feet near Deomali. Known for dramatic cloud seas enveloping pine plantations, rolling grasslands, cool mountain breezes, and offbeat eco-camping under starry night skies.
Hidden Gem
Raghurajpur, near Chandanpur, Puri district
A living museum village where every household is an artisan family dedicated to traditional master crafts, including Pattachitra cloth paintings, palm-leaf etchings, tassar silk art, cow dung toys, and Gotipua traditional dance troupes. The birthplace of legendary Odissi maestro Kelucharan Mohapatra.
Hidden Gem
Ratnagiri, Jajpur district
The crowning jewel of Odisha's Buddhist heritage, this major centre of Mahayana and Tantric (Vajrayana) Buddhism flourished from the 5th to the 13th century CE. Features a grand carved chlorite entrance portal, a colossal seated Buddha with compassionate expression, and hundreds of votive stone stupas.
Hidden Gem
Jajpur District, Odisha
The largest Buddhist complex of the Diamond Triangle (Pushpagiri University circuit) featuring a monumental Mahastupa, rock-cut Avalokiteshvara sculptures, and large monastery quadrangles.
