Silk city Berhampur

Berhampur in Ganjam district of Odisha, has presently been renamed Brahmapur. Going by the mass admiration the city draws in every year, it has honourably been nicknamed “The Silk City”. The city is precisely located in the eastern coastline of Ganjam district and is deemed as one of the oldest and largest cities of Odisha. Berhampur demands nation wide acceptance and is much celebrated for its silk, its majestic temple structures and cultural domain. As stated by the regional administration, the latest estimate of the population of the city is calculated at 402,672 (a 2009 estimation), establishing it as the fourth most populous urban area in the state and 109 th in an overall nationwide estimate.

How to reach there?
Berhampur lies on the NH-5, which in the recent times has undergone a facelift and transformed into a 4 lane express highway. From other places of Orissa like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack etc one can avail frequent buses. Bus service also is available from near by states like Andhra Pradesh and Kolkata. It takes nearly four hours from Bhubaneswar to reach Berhampur.

Berhampur railway service also is significant. It is significant railhead on the eastern coast railway line. All express trains and super-fast trains give halt in the Berhampur station.

Biju Patnaik airport at Bhubaneswar also lie in vicinity. For reaching airport one can get both bus and taxi services. Bicycles, two wheelers, cars also are part of the transportation in Berhampur. Not only that one can hire vehicles like rickshaws, matadors, minivans, trekkers and private buses for commuting.

Where to stay?
To meet the needs of tourists and visitors, initiatives are taken to build multitudes of hotels and lodges. Accommodation of Berhampur is wide ranging which comprise of luxurious hotels, economic guesthouses and many more.

Fairs and festivals
Festivals, an integral part of the culture of Berhampur, add spice to the lives of the localites. Shiva Ratri, Makar Mela, Khambeswari Yatra, Buda, Thakurani Yatra, Tara Tarini Mela, Car Festival, Ganesh Puja, Dussera, Budha Kandu Yatra deserve special mentioning. This was the time when the people enjoy life to their fullest forgetting all the hassles and problems of the day-to-day living.

The joyous mood of the people gets more fascinated with dancing and singing. In other words, dance and music are key elements for depicting the true nature of the culture of Berhampur. To imitate the animals in dance forms is popular amongst the tribal communities. Following this trend, tiger dancing is prevalent especially during Thakurani Jatra, a popular theater form.

Shopping
Berhampur is called Silk city with silk fabrics of Berhampur dominating the market. Handiworks of other places also are easily available. Brass work of Ganjam, coir mats of Gopalpur and the superb horn works of Paralakhemundi can be secured from here. Exquisite carpets from Chandragiri, threaded by the refugees from Tibet, are the specialties.