CHILIKA LAKE
Our next destination in Odisha was
Chilika Lake. This is about 50 kms. South of Puri along the coast. Chilika
Lake is a brackish water lagoon on
the east coast of India, at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing
into the Bay of Bengal,
covering an area of over 1,100 km. It is the largest coastal lagoon in
India and the second largest brackish water lagoon in the world after The
New Caledonian barrier reef. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It
takes about an hour and a half to reach the boathouse in Chilika.
The lagoon hosts
over 160 species of birds in the peak migratory season. Birds from as far as
the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, and
other remote areas come here. These birds travel great distances; migratory
birds probably follow much longer routes than the straight lines, possibly up
to 12,000 km, to reach Chilika Lake.
The Irrawaddy dolphin is
the flagship species of
Chilika lake. Chilika is home to the only known population of Irrawaddy
dolphins in India and one of only two lagoons in the world that are home
to this species.
A small population of Bottlenose dolphins, also
migrate into the lagoon from the sea. Chilika fishermen say that when
Irrawaddy dolphins and bottlenose dolphins meet in the outer channel, the
former get frightened and are forced to return toward the lake.
At the boathouse various sizes of boats are available. A boat
for ten persons would cost about Rs.2000. It is a trip of about 3 hours.
It is a very pleasant and leisurely trip.
We can see quite a large number of birds fly along with the boats. Some tourists get
puffed rice and throw to attract the birds. Once the boats reach a particular
point they all stop waiting for the dolphins to appear. Since the number of
dolphins is very low only if one is lucky you may see one or two of them. In
spite of staying there for more than an hour we just saw the backs of two of
them. It is not worth the trip. The only attraction is the birds.
On the way back, we were taken to the
shore at a particular point where a group of fishermen was waiting. We were
shown some red crabs. Very interesting creatures. We are told that they are
highly poisonous. The men take out some oysters and break them in your
presence. From some of them, they take out pearls. They are highly shining and
very hard. Normally the pearls sold in shops are absolutely spherical. But
these are not so. The men claim that these are the natural pearls. Then they
take out clams. They break them open and take out a capsule-shaped pearl. It is
simply stunning. It shines like a rainbow with all colours and when held underwater the light emitted is easily seen. They call it Life stone. The men quote
anywhere from Rs.500 for the white one and Rs.2500 per piece for the rainbow.
No one seems to believe it. The shop keepers on the shore say that these are
artificial and the men cheat the tourists. This is a big scam which the
tourists should be aware of.
Finally, you return to the starting point.
Since the whole boat trip is about 3
hours it is suggested that one should take some snacks and water. Caps and
goggles are a must. Just outside the boathouse, there are a couple of dhabas where
you can get reasonably good food.
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