Utkal · Eastern Coastal Plains
How to reach
By air
- Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar (BBI) — The region's only airport, about 5 km from the city centre, with limited international service.
By rail
- Bhubaneswar (BBS)
- Cuttack (CTC) — On the main east-coast trunk route; the older and busier of the two city stations.
- Puri (PURI) — A terminus — trains end here, which is why the platform empties into the Bada Danda approach.
- Khurda Road Junction (KUR) — The junction where the Puri branch leaves the trunk line; most long-distance trains change direction here.
- Balugaon (BALU) — The railhead for the western shore of Chilika.
By road
NH 16, the Kolkata–Chennai coastal trunk, running through Cuttack and BhubaneswarThe Bhubaneswar–Puri road through Pipili, the busiest sixty kilometres in the stateThe Puri–Konark marine drive along the sand ridge, with Chandrabhaga midwayCuttack to Kendrapara and Chandbali for the mangrove
By water
Boats from Satapada into the Chilika mouth for dolphins, and from Barkul and Rambha for the open lagoonCountry boats through the Bhitarkanika creeks from Khola and GuptiParadip, the delta's working port, on the Mahanadi mouth
Getting around
City buses in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, autos everywhere, and app cabs in the two cities. Puri is walkable and its Bada Danda is best done on foot; during Ratha Jatra the town is closed to vehicles over a wide area and the only realistic approach is by train and then on foot.
How to reach Utkal by air, rail, road and water, and how to get around once there. (6)