School trip to Odisha, March 2016

On 25th March 2016, 23 of us had the opportunity to go on a much awaited excursion to Odisha. The twenty one hours spent on the train were filled with excitement. Photographs were clicked, jokes shared and music played as we moved headed to Bhubaneswar. On arriving, an AC coach took us to Hotel East West, a beach resort in Puri. As soon as we reached, we dropped our bags and reassemble to quickly make our way to the beach and what a spectacle awaited us. The long horizon, the rolling happy waves of the tranquil twilight were such a lovely sight.

After a sumptuous dinner at the hotel, we had a free evening which was well spent on the lawn, playing games. Who would have known that the games we played as little children could still delight us so! It must have been the entreating locale! Later, we lazily sat around on the open terrace overlooking the waves and simply gazed. The next morning, we visited the famous Jagannath temple. As we know this temple is an important pilgrimage centre for Hindus, particularly worshippers of Lord Krishna and Vishnu. It is included as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimage that a Hindu is expected to make in his lifetime, as prescribed by the scriptures. We offered prayers for well-being and prosperity. Despite the huge crowds and the humid weather, it was a unusually calming experience.

We checked out of our hotel after lunch and the coach drove along the scenic marine drive along to The Sun Temple in Konark, a world heritage sight. The temple complex is shaped as a giant chariot with elaborately carved stone wheels, pillars and walls. A major part of the structure though now lies in ruin. The architecture as well as the historic significance of the place were fascinating. Next, we saw samples of the famous local appliqu work on fabric in the village market at Pipli, before proceeding to our next destination. At Bhubaneshwar, Hotel Suryansh offered us a very comfortable stay. We spent the evening relaxing in our rooms. The following day was just as eventful and interesting. Our first stop was the Udaigiri and Khandagiri Caves. The caves which date back to the second century BC, in the reign of King Kharavela of Kalinga were used by Buddhist and Jain monks. The rock edicts and the temple above them were a spectacular sight. We could not resist exploring every cave and quite fearlessly climbed over the rocky surfaces. Later in the day, we visited the serene Dhauligiri Stupa, the Buddhist pagoda situated on a hillock. The atmosphere here was unusually calm. At that height, we could view the legendary site of the famous Kalinga war on the banks of the Daya River. We recalled how this was the battle that had brought a life-changing transformation in the Emperor Ashoka. The last stop for the day was the Lingraj Temple, also well known for its architecture. That night we tucked in for the night filled with great anticipation about the safari at Nandankanan, scheduled for early the next morning. From deer and bears, to tigers and crocodiles, we sighted several species. In fact we we overwhelmed to see so many tigers, lions and reptiles. The thrill of sighting the lions and cheetahs at such close quarters, was truly fascinating. The safari was indeed an experience that we will not forget easily! Finally, the next day, with very heavy hearts, we boarded the train back home. It was our last School trip as we are students of class XII. Expectedly we were very emotional as we finally parted. We had collected invaluable memories to be cherished which all our lives. This was the best trip anybody could have ever asked for. Simran Khurana, Shubham Airi, Chetna Jawa, Jasmine Wadhwa, class 12.