Mahendragarh: Mahendragiri Hills in Gajapati district is not less than a blessing of nature towards humankind as it has all attractions for nature-lovers and also for those interested in history.
Mahendragiri Hills is also treated as treasure trove of biodiversity, housing rare and threatened species of flora and fauna apart from its immense mythological significance.
Mentioned as Mahendra Parvata, the hill finds place in the pages of mythological texts. The same finds place in legends associated to all the four yugas.
The hill is situated amongst the Eastern Ghats at an elevation of 4,925 feet. The hill is spread across the neighbouring Ganjam district and the Srikakulam border of Andhra Pradesh. Mahendragiri is the second highest mountain peak in Odisha.
The hill is surrounded by forested hills on three sides. From the top of hills such as Singaraj (1,516 metre), Mahendragiri (1,501 metre) and Devagiri (1,392 metre), you can see the Bay of Bengal.
The hill eco-system acts as a transitional zone between flora and fauna of Western Ghats and the Himalayan biogeographic zones making the region an ecological estuary of genetic diversities.
It plays a pivotal role in maintaining the ecological balance and control of climate of the entire south Odisha and Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh. The fragile ecosystem is also being treated as a critical habitat of Saora (Saura) and Kondh tribe, local researchers said.
The hill ecosystem includes 388 species of animals, 27 species of mammals, 165 species of birds, 23 species of snakes, 15 species of amphibians, 3 species of turtles, 19 species of lizards, 100 species of butterflies and 36 species of moths.
Officials said the hill ecosystem is the only high-altitude dry evergreen shola forest in the state. It also represents 40 per cent of reported higher plant species in Odisha. For this, the State Forest Department has declared Mahendragiri as a Biodiversity site.
Mahendragiri is the foremost of the seven “Kulagiris” or principal mountains of India. It has been referred to in ancient literature, accounts and epigraphy. It finds mention in the works of poets Kalidas and Oriya poets Sarala Das and Radhanath Ray.
There are three temples on the top of the hill. These temples are named after the Pandavas and their mother Kunti. Odia Mahabharata author Sarala Das attributes the establishment of the Gokarnesvara Sivalinga to Pandavas, who are said to have visited Mahendragiri during their exile.
The Kunti temple is 30-ft high and is at one end of the flat top of the hill. The temple has been plastered with lime after thorough repairs.
The Yudhisthira temple that rises abruptly from the ground level is in the “Triratha” style and is on the other side of the hill’s flat top. The outer walls are devoid of any sculptural decoration excepting four Chaitya arches.
The Bhima temple is assumed by scholars to have been built just after the Gupta period and appears to be the oldest of these temples. It is made of five huge square blocks of stones and has a low and squat tower, square sanctum, squat Sikhara and flat roof. The doorway is narrow and the walls do not have any niche. This temple is often regarded as the Gokarnesvara temple of the place.
In this background, tourists, students and nature lovers are very oftenly visiting the site every day. To visit Mahendragiri one needs to reach Burukhat. From there he needs to travel 7 km on ghat roads to reach the top of the hill. After reaching the top point, one can trek a few meters to reach the Bhima temple.
Behind the Bhima temple, one can enjoy the beauty of the site with feelings within the clouds and mountains with greenery all around.
As there was a huge demand from the tourists to make arrangements for night stay at such a natural beauty, the Odisha Forest Department is developing beautiful eco-tourism cottages at the top of the Hills.
The cottages have been beautifully designed in the line with houses made in Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir. The construction work is on last leg and very soon the cottages will be dedicated to the people, sources said.
However, the locals demanded better connectivity to the site from both sides. The connecting roads are in bad shape for which the tourists are facing difficulties to reach at Burukhat. But the road from Burukhat to the top of the hill is in good condition. Still, the road needs expansion for free passage of vehicles from both sides, the locals said.
There is a connecting road from Ganjam side also, but it is in a sorry state as no maintenance has been done for a long time and the heavy rain completely washed away the black top road in the hilly area. The road in the lower parts (completion of Ghat road) is completely okay, they said.
If the hilly road from Ganjam district side will be completely reconstructed, the tourists can directly visit on the smaller distance road from Berhampur and it will also help the locals in livelihood support, the locals asserted.