Top 5 Best Places to Visiting in Rayagada – Temples, Waterfalls & Tribal Culture

1.Maa Majhighariani Temple

As an incarnation of the Goddess Durga, Majhighariani is considered as the Chief, most principal deity of this region. The name is derived from the temple of Shakti being situated at the center of the fourteenth century Silavansi king Viswanath Dev’s royal palace and means The one seated in the central recess. Large number of devotees from all over the state and the country, particularly from Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Chhatisgarh CM, comes to offer prayers in this temple.

The temple is open to visitors from 6am to 1pm, after which it closes for bhogam and reopens between 4pm to 9pm Free entry although special darshan will cost as much as ₹20 or ₹100, for VVIP darshan. Eve of weekends especially Sundays and Wednesdays are very much crowded whereas evening one is very less crowded. Festival of Chaitra Parva, occurring around April is the most auspicious occasion for the followers of Shiva and Majhighariani, and this temple gets a hundred and first percentage of congregation at this time. Durga Pooja and Shivratri is also full of pilgrims.
Getting to the temple is fairly simple as it is hardly touching distance from Rayagada railway station which is only 20 mins away from this place. Autos, rickshaws or personal vehicles can be transported easily and enough parking space is also there for each.

2.Hanging Bridge

The Hanging bridge in the Rayagada chekaguda village is second of its kind in Orissa. Constructed in 2012, the 151 meters long suspended bridge has helped around 20, a new tribal villager in nine panchayat residing at outskirt of town, better connected with urban area , by connecting to shores of the Nagavali river. Also referred as the Jhula Bridge for a reason of its creation it only troubling Pedestrians as not any vehicle are permitted to pass through it. The Nagavali river now has been turned to the tourist destination and the bridge also a tourist spot, as people go there to enjoy the scenic beauty of Nagavali river, mountains around the valley and its relatively peaceful atmosphere. The north span of the bridge is open every day of the year with no entry/crossover charges. The bridge is about 3kms west of Rayagada railway station, needs only 15 minutes by road to reach there. To see in building marvel and see Rayagada’s nature is the place to be.

3.Chatikona Falls

Chatikona Chatikona is a small tribal village around 40 kms. away from North of rayagada and come under Rayagada District Administration. The region is situated right in the midst of Niyamgiri hills and provides the tourists stunning natural beauty with long green canopy of the trees and a stunning waterfall. Chatikona is a Dongria Kondh tribal village is selling with marketplaces many tribal arts and crafts. And it attracts thousands of tourists, and picnickers and Shiva temple nearby attracts pilgrimage from all over Odisha, especially the time of Shivratri it becomes very crowded. Though it is an all-season destination, it is not suggested to visit during the rainy seasons and the month of Shivratri to maintain away from congestion. No entry fee is charged for sightseeing of these attractions. Reaching Chatikona is relatively easy, largely by land, because there are state transport buses, taxis available. Tourist can until Bissamcuttack railway station, which is just nearest to Chatikona by trains, can be travelled.

4.Minajhola

Though this pilgrim and sightseeing destination is a little far from rayagada town, it comes under the same district administration. Minajhola is a nicely sprawled conjunction of nature and religion. It is situated near the confluence point of three rivers of a state: Vamsadhara, Chauladhua and Phalaphalia where the statue lies in shape of a fish called Minaketan hence the name. It is a great place of pilgrim, as during shivratree, they celebrate with high enthusiasm. Because of its natural charm, Tourists are also attracted to Manijhola as a place to see the confluence of rivers, in them bathe and picnic by banks. Manijhola situated in the gudari town of Rayagada district at distance of 134 kms from N of Rayagada. There is no way to get there as trouble-free as any other destination, but The State transport department is providing for to Gudari from Rayagada and other 25 Km. from Gudari to Minajhola travelling can be done by Jeep or hired taxi. The road is quite unfriendly and not all-weather. The nearest railway station is Rayagada. There isn’t any entry fee to pay off to visit this pilgrim and tourist spot.

5.Laxminarayan Temple

Situated about 25 kms from Rayagada district town, the Laxminarayan Temple was constructed by the IMFA, the Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys Ltd. near their factory at Therubali. It is built about the year 2004 as a place of worship for Vishnu and Laxmi, while also contains Jagannath, Hanuman, Balabhadra, and Shiva murtis. There is a sea of visitors from all parts of state and even from adjacent states especially more for Shivratri celebrations. Near to Paikapada, you will witness more than one lakh Shivling at the Paikapada temple. These two temples are also thronged during the Jagannath Rath Yatra season in the hot month of July. The Laxminarayan Temple is more crowded on Tuesdays but there is no entry fees of this architectural temple.

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