Orissa Dairies: Hot water springs & Hatkeshwar temple by Nalin Agarwal

Location: Baghmari village, Khorda Distt.
Nearest Towns: Bhubaneswar.
Distances: 42Kms from Bhubaneswar
Getting there: Bhubaneswar towards Khorda (NH5), turn into khorda town and keep left from new bus stand. Baghamari is well connected with Govt and Private Buses from Bhubaneswar and you can find Buses within one hour interval for Nayagarh.
Trip Length: 3 Hrs
Best Time to Visit: October to Feb
Worst Time to Visit: Peak Summer & Peak Monsoons
Permission: None Required
Things to look for: Hatkeshwar temple and Hot water springs
Things to carry: Bottle of water, some snacks.
Rating: * out of *****

Factfile:
Situated in the Khurda district of Orissa, 42 Kilometers from the capital city, Atri is one of the most popular hot water sulfur springs in Orissa. The Atri sulfur spring is situated in the middle of paddy fields, and a distinct odor of sulfur surrounds the entire surroundings. The water at the Atri hot water spring maintains a steady temperature of 55 degree centigrade all through out the day. The waters from the spring are reserved in an artificial lake for the use of the people.


With a depth of around 15 feet and a circumference of 10 feet, the reservoir collects enough water to supply all the people visiting the place. The crystal clear water of the Atri sulfur spring is believed to have medical properties that have curative powers. According to the local people the Atri sulfur spring can even cure the infertility of women.


The Atri sulfur spring is located in a picturesque setting and the path leading to the spring is lined with banyan, neem and peepul trees. The tourism department of Orissa has constructed a bathing complex besides the spring which allows the pilgrims to take hot water bath indoors. Besides having healing powers the hot water of the Atri spring is famous for rejuvenating ones body and soul. Very near the Atri sulfur spring is located the Shrine of Lord Hatakeswar which is also a popular tourist spot. The place acquires a festive look on the days of Sivaratri and festival of Makar Sakranti.



The Journey:

After wasting numerous weekends spending indoors lazin off or watchin movies I finally decided to give myself a break. Starting after a big gap I needed somewhere close, somewhere easy to warm myself up before I went into bigger expedites once again. So there I was sitting online looking for places in the near vicinity. Of all the options thrown, I chose a lesser visited place known for an old temple (Hatkeshwar Temple) and a not so famous Sulfur hot water spring. Total travel distance was approximated to 42kms and about an hour to reach there. Neither wikimapia nor google maps were of any help to check the route, nonetheless the area was known so the plan was final. Unfortunately my friends were still coming out from the inertia and the hangover from the night…so if I had to travel…it had to be by myself. Still anyways…

I started easy at 11 in the morning towards town of Khurda on NH5. The weather was perfect, cloudy, very light drizzle at times, great road … I couldn’t have had chosen a better day for this trip.



After cruising for 24Kms on the national highway from Khandgiri square, I turned right to enter the roads of town. One could easily miss the turnings as there were no signboards, and from the boards or hoardings of shops etc, it was difficult to make out the area since they were all in OriyaJ. That’s when the friendly local crowd comes to the rescue, after seeking the directions from the local in my broken two-three word local vocab, I was able to figure the way out. It was mostly straight roads with complete greenery around, green farms on both the sides and an overcast sky up and ahead of me.

These roads through the town with a couple of turns brought me to the temple. It was a beautiful temple with the colourful arch and statues at the entrance. Amidst the quiet farms and serene surroundings the temple was really peaceful. After offering my prayers and taking some pics I made a move towards the hot sulphur springs.


A mile ahead from the temple was the “Atri-Hot Springs”. I entered into the complex with a measly entry charge of Rs.2 J (inflation sure didn’t hit here !!). In the centre of the complex was the well. Walking towards it I could get the same pungent smell that we used to shove at the noses from the test tubes to irritate the girls in the chemistry lab …yes it was sulphur J. Peeping inside the well I could get the whiffs of bubbling hydrogen sulphide emanating from the hot water.

In the meanwhile a priest (or he pretended to be one) had hurried over to me bringing along a small cup tied from a rope which he hurled into the well and took out some water for me to experience, giving the gyaan of 55 degrees temperature etc. He finally left me at peace once he was handed over a currency note. It was a well maintained well, looking around I saw some bathing pools which supposedly had the same sulfur water to cure various ailments. Being touted as having medicinal properties I did wanted to have a go and take a dip in the same.

As I walked towards the 4 of them, there was Fifth pond with the title as ‘Maansik Kuan (Literal English translation – Mental Pond J). At the sight of that I was so sad that I should have brought some of my friends with me…mebbe a dip here would have helped them gain some mental stability J. Sigh…they should have come along !!! Moving further towards the 4 small pools, my enthusiasm was however dampened by the sight those pools were in.

Local villagers were busy having a proper soapy bath while some were busy washing clothes. Nearing the ponds I couldn’t se the inside of the pool because of the deeply murky water.
Considering that I am in the pink of my health I thought I can make a pass at having a dip in this water J maybe laters when I would need some medicinal treatments ill come back again..till then this can wait. Apart from this the complex there had a small park with a couple of swings and see-saws where some kids were having a good time.


Being promoted as a tourist destination under Orissa tourism I would say that this place has not received any attention at all. The main attraction, the hot water spring is safe in that well, but those pools which should have been an interesting pull for tourists shabbily or rather not maintained at all. Overall my score for this place would be 1 out of 5. Not a place that you may feel sad about in case you’re not able to make a visit here.


Finally the lazy me started to take over me slowly and I headed back straight for my home..where my cozy comfortable bed was waiting for me. Not a very rewarding trip but the weather and the surroundings surely made it worth remembering.

More pics from this trip can be found here: Picasa Album



--Nalin Agarwal
TAG INDIA Discoverer for Orissa