Tourist Places of Rourkela
Surrounded by beautiful range of hills and encircled by rivers, Rourkela is the second largest city of Orissa. It is strategically located in the mineral rich belt of Orissa. The name "Rourkela" means "Our Village" derived from Rour which means "our" and kela means "village" in the local language Sadri spoken by the Raulia tribe living there.
Rourkela boasts one of the most modern and largest steel plant of India built with a Indo-German collaboration. Rourkela Steel Plant, owned by SAIL (Steel Authority of India Ltd.) is one of the first few fully integrated steel plants. It also has one of the National Institutes of Technology of the country. It is the most convenient base for visiting other interesting places in the Sundargarh district.
Vedavyas - A wonderful picnic spot on the confluence of two superb rivers Sankha and Koel, Vedavya is not to be missed during the tour of Rourkela. It is also a pilgrimage and is considered as ‘Tirtha’ a place regarded as having great religious importance. and is only 9 km away from Rourkela. A vedic Ashram and a school on the footprints of Gurukula Ashram are the added attractions of the place.
Pitamahal – A very nice and charming picnic spot which is also famous for a small Dam project. Perfect for spending a day out away from noise and pollution.
Junagarh - The famous Junagarh is recognized for its historical and archaeological significance. There are many ancient caves displaying marks of tantra worship. It is about 180 km from Rourkela.
Ushakothi - Sitiated aroung 47 km from Sundargarh, the rock-cut caves contain some pictographic inscriptions which are yet to be understood. By road it is 157 km from Rourkela.
Mandira Dam – It’s a charming and relaxing picnic spot for a daylong outings. Mandira Dam is built keeping in view the supply of water to Rourkela and its surrounding area. Boating facility can be enjoyed in the lake with prior permission. The same is also required to enter the Dam site. It is hardly half an hour drive from Rourkela.
Khandadhar - Located at a distance of 104 km from the Rourkela, the waterfall at Kandhar produces a spectacular sight of cascading waters. Mandering and gushing from thick foliage of forests and ultimately rolling down from a height of 244 meters results in deafening sound.
Darjeeng - A place to experience peace and tranquility thy name is Darjeeng. Situated on the beautiful river Brahmani which is an ideal place for picnickers. Just a walkable distance (2 km) is a gorge on the river. Darjeeng is 51 km from Rourkela and is comfortably approachable through N.H. 23.
Approach: Excellent Rail and Road services make the place easily approchable.
Best time to visit: October to March.
