Sambalpur & West Odisha

Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda (JRG), situated roughly 60 km north along the Biju Expressway, is the closest commercial flight gateway, offering direct scheduled flights to major metros including Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Bhubaneswar. Sambalpur Junction (SBP) is a premier divisional railway hub on the East Coast Railway, providing extensive superfast train connections across India.

Sambalpur city offers the widest hotel infrastructure, serving as the best base for visiting the riverside Maa Samaleswari Temple, touring Sambalpuri ikat textile weaving clusters, and reaching Hirakud Dam. Nature enthusiasts should reserve forest department eco-cottages inside Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary (Zeropoint) for immediate access to wildlife safaris and reservoir views. Bargarh or Paikmal provides convenient lodging for hiking around the sacred Gandhamardan hills and Nrusinghanath Temple.

City buses and auto-rickshaws operate regular shuttles between Sambalpur, Burla, and the Hirakud dam area. Exploring Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary requires private four-wheel-drive cabs or booking authorized forest department safari vehicles and solar boats at the entrance gate. Reaching Nrusinghanath (around 100 km west) requires a dedicated private taxi, as rural bus services are slow and infrequent.

NH-53 functions as the primary east-west trunk route, connecting Raipur eastward through Bargarh to Sambalpur, and continuing toward northern Odisha. The multi-lane Biju Expressway connects Rourkela and Sundargarh southward through Jharsuguda directly into Sambalpur. From Bhubaneswar, follow NH-55 northwest through Angul and Redhakhol to Sambalpur over roughly 290 km.

2 to 3 days provides a satisfying itinerary: 1 day to tour Maa Samaleswari Temple, Hirakud Dam towers, and the Huma Leaning Temple, followed by 1 to 2 days for wildlife safaris in Debrigarh and a pilgrimage excursion to Nrusinghanath at the base of Gandhamardan.