Incredible India! Little Explored Destination: Balasore - Orissa

Fast Facts About Balasore

Located in the State of : Orissa

District: Balasore

Famous As : Historical Place

Languages Spoken: Oriya & Hindi

Best Time to Visit Balasore: September to March

Average Temperatures at Balasore: Summer 28 to 37°C, Winter 19 to 32°C

STD code of Balasore: 06782

Known for its historic significance, Balsore is a small town in the Balasore district of Orrisa. Also called Baleswar or Baleshwar, Balasore is set close to the Bay of Bengal and also the famous Chandipur Beach. Once served as the early settlement of British East India Company, Balasore is an old town and noted for its scenic beauty and tourist attractions like temples, historical places, tombs and a few hills. The noted temples located in and around Balasore are Gopinatha Temple, Biranchinarayan Temple and Lagula Narasimha Dev.

Many myths are linked with the Kshirachora Gopinatha Temple. The town is also home to a tomb of a Sufi saint. Other places of interest include Asta Duraga and Budhar Chandi. The Chandipur Beach is known for its resorts and the shallow seas attract many visitors. It is located at a distance of 30 kilometers from the town of Balasore. Panchalingeshwar and Chillka Lake are other places of tourist interest. Balasore is also a place to savour the exotic cuisines that one should try during the visit to the town.

Best Time to Visit Balasore

The district of Balasore experiences a tropical monsoon climate and the conditions are wet for a few months of the year. The place experiences three main seasons and they are summer, monsoon and winter seasons. Summers (March to June) are hot and high temperatures are to be expected. The monsoon season (June to September) is extensive and one can expect rains for more than 62 days in the year. The winter season (December to February) is comfortable and this is a good time to visit the place.

How to Reach Balasore

The district headquarters of Balasore is about 207 kilometers from Orissa’s capital city Bhubaneswar. You can easily reach the place using buses and taxis.

By Air: The closest airport is Biju Patnaik Airport in Bhubaneshwar, which is well connected to many cities across the country. There are a few airline operators that offer services from cities such as Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore to the airport. From the airport you can take a taxi to reach the town of Balasore. They cost around Rs 7 per kilometer for the trip. The drive time is around 4 hours. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata (212 km) is the nearest major airport from Balasore.

By Train: Balasore Railway Station has excellent connectivity with almost every part of the country through express and mail trains. You can one reach Balasore from several cities such as Chennai, Howrah, Bangalore, New Delhi, Kolkata, Puri, Bhubaneswar and Jaipur.

By Bus: Good roads including state highways connect Balasore with rest of Orissa, and nearby states of West Bengal, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. Buses are available from some nearby cities and towns and these are also a good option. Rates differ according to the distance travelled.