A Drive to Chilika Lake for Bird Watching
Every year, from October to March, the sleepy town of Barkul and its neighboring areas like Manglajodi Rambha, Satapada and Balugaon become a buzz of activity as people from all over the state and country –tourist, photographers, bird watchers, ornithologist etc make a beeline for Chilika Lake- the world’s second largest lake and largest on Northern Hemisphere . A sight to behold for all, the lake, which also happens to be Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, gets covered in a myriad hue of colors as thousands of birds descend to make the lake their home for the winters. Located on the eastern coast of India and connected to the Bay of Bengal through a narrow mouth, the lagoon also houses several islands like Nalaban island, Honeymoon island, Breakfast island etc. The inhabitants of these islands are only the migratory fowls who come here from countries as far as Europe and Russia. The sole exception is the Kalajai Island, where a temple dedicated to Goddess Kalijai is loc...