Beautiful Tourist Places in Junagarh, Odisha, India

Beautiful Tourist Places in Junagarh, Odisha, India

It is situated about 25 km from Bhawanipatna Town and about 476 km from state capital city Bhubaneshwar.

Junagarh is placed between 19°51′42.35″ N latitude and 82°56′26.32″ E longitude. Junagarh Town covers an area of 20 sq. km. and is positioned at an elevation of 248 meters. The Postal Code of Junagarh is 766014.

Junagarh is widely popular for its lakes, fruit garden, well-built fort and temples. Also the town houses numerous well facilitated schools, colleges and hospitals.

Major Temples in Junagarh are:

Lankeswari Temple
Kanak Durga Temple
Sri Ram Temple
Gayatri Temple

History and Culture of Junagarh:

Junagarh had a splendid history and grand civilization in ancient times. Junagarh was ruled by major dynasties of the country like Maurya Empire, Gangas Dynasty, Nala Kings and British.

Maa Lankeshwari Temple is the main temple of the town and there is Khandabasa festival held every year. The natives highly speak Kalahandia language along with Kui, Bhatri, Parji, Bhunjia language.

Junagarh has a strong cultural background and the blend of Aryan and tribal culture makes Junagarh wealthy in its festivals and traditions. Junagarh is famous for its Handloom Sarees and handicraft shops. Ghumura Dance and Banabadi Dance are the popular dance styles in Junagarh.

Cuisine of Junagarh:

The natives of Junagarh have the great taste of both vegetarian and non vegetarian food items. Alu Jhol, badi jhol, Kulersag, Kakharu Sakra are the main vegetarian dishes and Main Mach, Maus tarkari, Besar Mach are the major non vegetarian cuisines of Junagarh.

Connectivity to Junagarh:

Due to the presence of tourist places in near proximity, Junagarh has got good connectivity all over the state. Bhawanipatna City Bus Stand is the major bus stand located about 25 km from Junagarh and also buses of major cities of the state are accessible at other nearby bus stations.

There are daily trains available at Bhawanipatna Railway Station (26 km away from Junagarh) to Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar. Raipur Airport is the closest airport to Junagarh situated at a distance of 248 kms. Also there are plenty of private vehicles available to reach Airport and Railway Stations in Junagarh.

Tourist places in and around Junagarh:

Ampani Hills:

Ampani Hills is one of the major attractions of Junagarh. Trekking is the most enjoyable activity in Ampani Hills and also it has near proximity with popular tourist attractions like The Haladigundi Valley, Behera Reservoir and Ambapani Sanctuary.

Amathaguda Fort:

Amathaguda Fort is a historical monument located on the right side of Tel River. It is a great viewpoint of ancient bridge. Amathaguda Fort attracts tourists highly in monsoon season for sightseeing purpose.

Asurgarh:

Asurgarh is a one of the villages of Kalahandi district and is famous for Asurgarh Fort. The fort was constructed in rectangular shape with four entrances and this ancient fort was the house of a devil Gosinha Daitya. The fort has four idols, each of the idols placed in each doorway. The idol of Vaishnavi Devi installed in south door, Ganga Devi idol in east, the idol of Buddaraja towards north and Kala Pahad idol in west.

Gudahandi Hills:

Gudahandi Hills is well known for its very old caves of stunning pictures. It has several attractive caves and the main cave colored with black and red paint. Behera River flows near Gudahandi Hills.

Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary

Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the village of Karlapat and was established in the year 1992. It houses the major wild animals like gaur, leopard, nilgai, tiger, sambar and barking deer. Also Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary has rare kind of flora and fauna and has near proximity with Phurlijharan Waterfall, Khanduala Fall and Goddess Manikeswari Temple.

Few other top tourist attractions near Junagarh are: