06-bioresourcesstatu.. - M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation

Chilika Lake
The report said that the Australian Stilt
(Himantopus leucocephalus) was first sighted
at the Chilika lagoon in 1994. But the bird was
not sighted at Nalabana since 1997 (Dev, 1997).
f. Ecotourism: At present Chilika has been the
highlight of tourist's attraction in the East
Coast of India. The tourist spots within Chilika
lagoon include, the Break Fast Island, and the
Honeymoon Island located in the southern
sector, and the Kalijai, a hill temple resort of
Goddess Kalijai in the central sector. To begin
with, four places along the Chilika lagoon have
been identified for promotion of eco-tourism.
These include Satapada, Balugaon, Barkul and
Rambha. The vast stretch of blue water and the
unexplored stretch of empty beach across the
sand-bar separating the lagoon from the sea,
the million-plus migratory birds during winter
at Nalabana Bird Sanctuary and the Irrawady
dolphins that are seen in Safapada offer
immense scope for development of eco-tourism
at Chilika. The Orissa State Tourism
Department (OSTD) has established a Yatri
Nivas at Satapada-on-Chilika, and Pantha
Nivas (Tourist Hotel) at Barkul and Rambha
along with development of recreational
facilities for the benefit and attraction of
tourists.
g. Heritage value: In history Chilika has been
described as the centre of maritime activities
(Patra, 1996). There are several references
about the existence of the ports in the Chilika
lagoon from ancient times. In the 2" A. D. the
Greek geographer Ptolemy has referred to the
port of Palour, which has been identified with
the modern Palur village of. Ganjam District.
The lake has been referred to as "a Bay of the
Sea" by Hiuen Tsang in the 7" century A. D.
From the medieval to as late as the British
period people from south India used to travel to
Lord Jagannath at Puri by ships through the
water route of Chilika. The recent
archaeological excavation at Manikpatna in
the northern tip of Chilika lagoon has
archaeologically established the fact that
Chilika indeed was an international port during
the ancient and medieval times. Till today on
the coast of Chilika, the people of Orissa
commelllJ)rate their rich maritime heritage of
yore celebrating the Boitabandana
(worshipping of ships) festival by way of floating
the miniature boats made of paper or banana
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peels, with lighted lamps inside, on the day of
kartika purnima (the full-moon day of month
of Kartika falling during October-November)
every year.
INS Chilka, one of the premier basic training
establishments for sailors of the Indian Navy, was
commissioned on 21 February 1980. The recently
initiated survey by the Oceanic Archaeology
Department of the Goa-based National Institute of
Oceanography is expected to throw fresh light on
the archaeological history of the lake and the
remnants of the ancient port, which was believed
to have existed at the mouth of the lake (Times of
India, New Delhi, 25/12/2001)
The ever enchanting and picturesque lake has
been a source of inspiration through the ages to
poets, artists and philosophers. The poet laureate
of Orissa, Radhanath Ray was by its grandeur and
beauty to compose the kavya entitled 'Chilika'
which has been an epic in oriya literature and a
master piece of descriptive geography. One of our
nationalist leaders from the state Utkalmani
Pandit Gopabandhu Das composed the famous
patriotic anthem during his train journey along
the coast of Chilika in 1922. 'Kalijai', the lyric
composed by Pandit Godabarisha Misra narrating
the episode of a father escorting his newly married
daughter, the later died, as the boat capsized and
overtaken by a gusty storm across Chilika at a
point beyond the island Kalijai, is now a part of
the folklore. The Rambha Bungalow (the Summer
Palace of the Khallikote Raja Saheb) located on
the coast of Chilika at Rambha is historically
important for it was the venue of the meeting of
the 'Ganjam Jatiya Samiti' in January 1902, that
led to the formation of 'Utkal Samilini', in 1903
under the leadership of Utkal Gaurab
Madhusudhan Das. The Utakal Samilani later
played a leading role in the formation of the Orissa
State in 1936 (Padhi, 2001).
b. Uilter transport: Facility for water transport is
available in Chilika by both mechanized boats
and motor launches. Balugaon is the important
town on the coast of Chilika (central sector) on
the national high way (NH 5) that is liked by
water transport with Kalijai, Krishnaprasad,
Nuapada, and Satapda (Figure 1). Transport
service by motor. launch is being operated by
the state government, whereas transport by
boat service is operated by the Boating
Societies. About 60-70 mechanised country
boats are operating at Rambha, Balugaon/