Balasore Tourist Attraction, Orissa, India
Balasore is located in the state of Orissa, in the Indian continent. It is at a distance of 198 km to the north of the Bhubaneswar which is the capital of the state. Balasore forms the center of operation of Balasore district. Balasore district spans over an area of 3079 km2. The geographical coordinates puts the place at 21.490 N and 86.930 E. Many missiles developed by Indian scientists are test fired from a place situated at 20 km south of the Balasore city. In summer the mercury shows a range of 280 C to 370 C and in winter the temperature ranges from 190 C to 320 C. The place is located 16 meters above sea level.
History of Balasore
According to history, the district Balasore formed a part of the kingdom of Kalinga. In 1568, the Mughals brought Balasore under their rule. The Mughal ruled Balasore up to the 18th century. Later the Marathas conquered Odisha and Balasore fell to the Maratha King who ruled from Nagpur.
In the late 1803, the Marathas signed a treaty with the British Raj. The British merged Balasore with Bengal. However, the British never settled in Balasore until 1634. In the year 1640, Balasore witnessed the rise of industrial power. In 1642, Balasore became a trading center and the port located in Balasore had ships arriving from Europe continents.
In 1763, the Danish overthrew the British and took charge of Balasore. In 1845, the Danish sold Balasore to the British.
On 1st April 1936, after the state Orissa was formed, Balasore became a part of the state.
Orissa happens to be the birthplace of well known poet and freedom fighter Kabibar Radhanath Ray, novel writer Fakir Mohan Senapati.
People & Culture in Balasore
The place, Balasore has a rich and diverse culture with people from all religion, caste and sect residing in and around the town
Many festivals are celebrated in and around Balasore with Dusshera , Kali Puja, Kartikeshwar Puja, Kite flying being some of the important festivals. Other festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Holi, etc. are celebrated with great prompt.
Oriya, Hindi and English are the languages known to the people of Orissa, but the local language of the people is Oriya.
Food and Shopping in Balasore
Orissa also known as Odisha offers a wide range of multi-cuisine, both Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian. Rice is the staple food of the locals. Odisha being a coastal region in the east offers a lot of seafood delicacies. Sweets too form an integral part of the food.
Kusum Saree House and Shree Mandir are some of the best reputed shopping destinations in Balasore. Apart from these shopping centers, there are shops selling various other handmade artifacts in and around the city.
Tourist Places in Balasore
Being a coastal area of Orissa, the place Balasore has many beautiful beaches and religious places of interest.
- Chandbali
- Dhamra
- Aradi
- Raibania
- Panchalingeswar
- Chandaneswar
- Chashakhand
- Chandipur Beach
- Chawmukh
- Kshirachora Gopinatha Temple
- Bhujakhia pir
- Dagara
- Kashaphal Beach
- Kharasahapur Beach
- Talasari Beach
Means of Commutation to Balasore
The place Balasore is well connected by road to various other cities in the state of Odisha and other cities in neighboring states. The distance of Balasore from various cities are mentioned below
- Kolkata is located at a distance of 260 km
- Kanpur is located at a distance of 1078 km
- Lucknow is located at a distance of 1131 km
- Hyderabad is located at a distance of 1312 km
- Chennai is located at a distance of 1427 km
Trains from Chennai, Howrah, Bangalore, New Delhi, Kolkata, Puri, Bhubaneswar and Jaipur do halt at Balasore railway station.
The airport located in Bhubaneswar connects Balasore to rest of the world. The airport witnesses flights arriving and departing from cities like Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore on a daily basis.
Accommodation Options at Balasore
There are plenty of hotels with beautiful interior decors in and around Balasore. Some of the hotels also offer complimentary breakfast to their guests. There are also spa’s available in some of the resorts where one can rejuvenate themselves. Some of these hotels are mentioned below.
- Panthnivas Panchalingeswar
- Panthnivas Chandipur
- Panthasala Chandneswar
- Panthnivas Balasore
- Anandamayee Hotel
- Hari Plaza Hotel
- Hotel Shubam
- Kalinga Hotel
- Swarnachuda Hotel
- Hotel Lucky International
- DK Lodge
- Shakuntala Niwas
- Panchajanya Holiday Resort
- Shanti Nivas
- Roopark Village Resort