Hirakud means Island of Diamond near Sambalpur !!! Where a Dam has been costructed on the river Mahanadi for Multipurpose activities

Back Next

Hirakud means Island of Diamond !!! Where a Dam has been costructed on the river Mahanadi for Multipurpose activities . Hardly 20 minutes drive from Sambalpur is the dam. Photography of the dam is not allowed from security point of view,

The Hirakud Dam is a composite structure of earth, concrete and masonry. It is the longest major earthen dam in the world measuring 24 km including dykes, standing across the river Mahanadi. The main dam has an overall length of 4.8 km spanning between two hills; the Lamdungri on the left and the Chandili Dunguri on the right. The dam is flanked by 21km long earthen dykes on both the left and right sides, closing the low saddles beyond the ajoining hills. The dam and dykes together measure 25.8 km. It also forms the biggest artificial lake in Asia, with a reservoir holding 743 km² at full capacity with a shoreline of over 640km.

View Larger Map


Cattle Island exists in one of the extreme point of Hirakud Reservoir, a natural wonder. It is near Kumarbandh village of Belpahar-Banharpali range which is about 90 km from Sambalpur. By motor launch from Hirakud Dam, it is closer by 10 km via the river. The island is nothing but a submerged hill, and prior to Hirakud Dam construction, it was a developed village. Only cattle inhabit the island. During the resettlement period, villagers left some of their cows and bulls behind; when the dam construction was over the cattle settled down on the hill-top. By the passage of time the nearby area filled up with the reservoir water, turning the hill-top to an island. Being away from mankind, the cattle are now wild, very swift and not easily caught. Living on a hilltop with dense forest, they are larger than tame cattle. Almost all are white in colour. Nearby residents attempt to hunt these animals from time to time, but these hunts are rarely successful. Though descended from tame cattle, these animals provide a contrasting picture of this breed of animal returning to life in the wild.

See Video Cattle Island

Near to Dam : Debrigarh Wild Life Sanctuary 

Back to Sambalpur District

Famous Tourist Places of Cuttack District of Odisha , Visit o see Temples, Scenic Spot of Mahanadi, and Island

map of cuttack district

Map of Cuttack District

Cuttack District:

Cuttack City: Business Capital of Orissa. This city has river Mahanadi in the north and river Kathajodi in the south. Barabati Fort, Temple of Goddess Chandi and Barabati Durga can be visited.
Places of tourist interest in Cuttack :


Stone Patching of Cuttack : The river banks of Cuttack are protected by stone revetment, a great engineering marvel of the 11th century A.D. and a remarkable example of ancient technological skill of Orissa.

Barabati Fort : The ruins of a medieval fort with its moat and gate and the earthen mound of the nine-storeyed palace on the bank of the river Mahanadi are noteworthy. Adjacent to the fort are two modern stadiums.

Temple of Cuttack Chandi : Being the shrine of the presiding deity of the city, the temple of Cuttack Chandi is normally visited by every Hindu visitor.

Quadam-i-Rasool : A sacred shrine both for the Hindus and Muslims, Quadam-i-Rasool, having a compound wall and towers at each corner has inside three mosques with beautiful domes and a Nawabat Khana (music gallery). It is an object of veneration for Hindus and Muslims alike.


Dhabaleswar: 35 kms from Cuttack on the bed of river Mahanadi this Shiva temple is situated.
Ansupa Lake : It is a Running Water Lake adjacent to River Mahanadi near Subarnapur Village of Cuttack District, which is a Natural Bird Sanctuary for many Migrated and Local Birds. This Place is about 68 K.M.s away from Cuttack City and 98 K.M.s away from Bhubaneswar.

Banki: 60kms from Bhubaneswar, Goddess Charchika temple near River Mahanadi.Naraja: Scenic spot on the bank of the Mahanadi with Buddhist images. It is 15 kms from Cuttack.

Bhattarika: 108 kms from Cuttack, famous for the temple of Goddess Bhattarika.

Niali Madhab: 47 kms from Bhubaneswar, Niali is famous for the temple of Sobhaneswar (Shiva) and Madhab (Vishnu).

Simhanath Temple: It is situated in a rocky island in the Mahanadi River at distance of 10 kms from Badamba in Cuttack District. It is also one of the earliest standing temples of Orissa and it shows close affinities both in art and architecture with.

Nemala: 42 km from Cuttack is Samadhi of Acchuttananda.

Ansupa Lake near Raja Athagarh of Cuttack District, Beautiful Lake and Bird Sanctuary of Orissa

The small but picturesque lake holds a prominent position like heaven formigratory birds in winter and in the tourist map of Orissa. With the Saranda mountain in the west and river Mahanadi in the south, the Ansupa Lake is a haven for migratory birds in winter. The Panorama of the shadow of Saranda mountain and surrounding bamboo and mango groves on the waters body of Ansupa Lake make it a real thing of beauty. One can have a boating journey or go for fishing in the lake.
It will be about 68 KMs from Cuttack .Nearest Bus stop is Subarnapur 2KMs but you will find very few buses to reach up to Subarnpur . However regular bus services are available up to Athagarh from Cuttack 54 KMs.
The rest 11KMs from Athagarh to Ansupa can be negotiable by Auto Rickswaw or Taxi s on hire.
By Rail : Raja Athagarh Rly. Station will be 20 K.M. apart from the Lake
By Road :Cuttack to Athagarh (54 KMs)
Athagarh to Ansupa (14 KMs)
By Air- Biju Pattanaik International Air Port, Bhubaneswar is 98 K.M.