Sightseeing
Mahendratanaya River
The river that rises on Mahendragiri and runs past Paralakhemundi. Broad sandy stretches, quiet ghats and good light in the early morning and late evening.
The river off Mahendragiri
About Mahendratanaya River
The Mahendratanaya drains the southern slopes of Mahendragiri and joins the Vamsadhara system on its way to the sea. It has shaped Paralakhemundi's farmland and its water supply for centuries.
Near the town the river is calm and shallow for much of the year — used for washing, small-scale fishing and, on festival days, ritual bathing.
What you can do
- Riverside walk
- Sunrise photography
- Birding on the sandbars
- Picnic
Plan the trip
How to reach
- The river runs past Paralakhemundi; the nearest ghats and the Pathapatnam bridge are 8–12 km from the campus.
- Any auto-rickshaw or car from town reaches the riverbank in about 20 minutes.
- Best light is early morning and late evening. Keep away from the bank when the river is in spate during heavy monsoon.
Photographs
Mahendratanaya River
Photographs: Narendra Modi, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Chinmaya1973, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.