Rourkela is known as the Steel City of Odisha and it is situated in the northern part of the Odisha state. It came 12th as the “smart city” in 2016 and it has also become the “Fastest moving city” in India. It is the third-largest city in Odisha and is surrounded by hills and rivers. It is also the industrial capital of Odisha.
Rourkela is well-known for its festivals also. The major Odiya-festivals like Ram Navami, Pana Sankranti, Raji Karma Puja, Utkala Dibasa, Sarna Puja, Kartik Purnima, Nuakhai are celebrated every year with a great enthusiasm.
Top 5 tourist places in Rourkela
1. Vaishno Devi Temple – It is very famous among the tourists as this temple is dedicated to Goddess Kali, Goddess Saraswati, and Goddess Lakshmi.
2. Khandadhar Waterfalls – The height of this waterfall is almost 244m. Tourists love to visit here as it is a well-known picnic spot and good for trekking also.
3. Hanuman Vatika – It is a garden temple that has one of the highest statues of Hanumanji. The height of that statue is almost 75feet.
4. Vedavyas – It is situated at a place where the rivers Sankha, Saraswati, and Koel merge. Tourists love to visit here to see the “Tridhara Sangham” in their own eyes.
5. Ghoghar Temple – This temple is very famous among the pilgrims and it is dedicated to the Hindu deity, Lord Shiva.
Best time to visit Rourkela
Winter is the best time to visit Rourkela. Travellers can enjoy Rourleka in the months from October to March. The temperature remains around 24° Celsius in these months. Neither summer nor monsoon is ideal for visiting Rourkela. Most of the tourists come here in February for the Vedvyas Mela and in June-July for attending the Rath Yatra.
How to reach Rourkela
Rourkela has its railway station named Rourkela which is a part of the Howrah-Mumbai line and Ranchi-Bhubaneswar line. People can easily travel to Rourkela by train.
Birsa Munda Airport is the nearest airport from Rourkela. The distance between Rourkela and the airport is almost 170km. To reach Rourkela, visitors can take buses or taxis from the airport.
Visitors have to arrive Rourkela Bus Stand first. They can reach here by taking government buses as well as private buses e.g. Volvo bus and Red bus. The bus route is pretty good and it is one of the best ways to reach Rourkela.