The Silk City, Berhampur(Odisha) - The Abode of Serenity and Bewildering Beauty

Berhampur, the southern capital of Odisha is one of the most wonderful places in the state, particularly famous for its nostalgic locales and fabulous beaches. Located just off the East Coast of India, Berhampur greets a visitor on his arrival from the southern part of India and wishes him happy sojourn to discover the bewitching Eastern part. The commercial capital of the state, it is also a great shopping centre for famous silk sarees and handicrafts.  Apart from being an important trading center, the city also boasts of some of the best academic institutions of the country. Some of the best engineering, medical, pharmacy and mainstream schools and colleges are located in this city which boasts of its uniqueness and completeness. The Berhampur University is one of the oldest and major Universities of Odisha.

A sweet mixture of East and South Indian cultures makes it a foodie’s paradise too. The rich and spectacular tourist spots in and around the city makes it one of the most sought after travellers destinations in the country. Berhampur is a major Railway Station and is well connected to all other places of the country. The nearest airport is Bhuvaneswar. There are a lot of fantastic accommodation facilities in and around the town.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berhampur

Things to Do and See in Berhampur:

Gopalpur On Sea

If You are looking forward to enjoy a few tranquil moments away from the noise and worries of the world, then Gopalpur on Sea is your perfect destination. Located about 16 km away from Berhampur, Gopalpur on sea is one of the pristine beaches of India. The auburn sand beneath the clear blue sky, the limitless blue sea glistening with the bright sunlight, the clusters of coconut and palm trees, vast stretches of casuarina plantations account for a picturesque setting of the place. 


Gopalpur is a standing witness to the odisha’s ancient maritime glory. The clumbering walls and remains of an ancient jetty speaks volumes about the vibrant sea trade carried out of Gopalpur port in the past. The old light house which used to guide the ships to the shore at one point of time still stands there blinking over the changes that have taken place over the years. 


Sunrise and sunset at Gopalpur are simply spectacular. The flawless natural beauty, scenic surroundings, well maintained accommodation units, hospitable people living around the beach form one of the most sought after tourist destinations of the country.

The Drive from Gopalpur to Chatrapur along the coastline provides a enchanting and everlasting experience for travelers. The Gopalpur port is also a noteworthy place to visit in this locality. There is a beach festival organized on the shores of Gopalpur in the months of December - January and during this time The place rises to the occasion and becomes the most happening places to visit. The Mayfair Resort now adds to the list of fantastic staying options in the sublime and serene beaches of Gopalpur.

Gopalpur Panthanivas Website: http://www.panthanivas.com/gopalpur.html

Tampara Lake

Nearer to the NH-5, about 15 km from the city of Berhampur,  right opposite to Chatrapur is the beautiful and bewildering Tampara lake. With gentle waves and cool breeze breaking on the shores, Tampara offers great avenue for water sports and evening relaxation and recreation activities.
On the opposite side of the highway, the lake has a beautiful strip of land sandwiched between the Tampara lake and the Bay of Bengal. This strip of land has vast stretch of cashew plantations where one can take a leisurely stroll in the evening and afternoon hours. An exciting trek of about 2 kms across these cashew plantations, leads to the beautiful beach on the Bay of Bengal. Huge funds have been sanctioned for the development of Tampara Lake to a exciting and pleasurable natural ecosystem.
There are plans to organize an annual summer festivals to attract tourists to this location. To facelift the wonderful site, there are also plans of having more water vehicles, floating restaurants and houseboats, over bridge and road surrounding the lake, parks and parking areas.

Annapurna Market-Girija Restaurant Square-Rama Linga Tank area 

This shoppers paradise can be considered as the downtown area of Berhampur. This location is the most happening place in Berhampur, and You can continue shopping throughout the day and all around the year. You get a variety of street food for which Berhampur is well known in this locality. 

Along with being a superb shopping location, this location is also the center for movie theatres which are mostly located in close proximity with this area. You find a lot of people sitting on the banks of the huge Rama Linga Tank in the evening to enjoy the cool breeze and chitter chatter in their friends circle. There is also a Hanuman Temple and a huge Hanuman Idol on the main road to be seen. The City's Main Trading Points of Bada Bazaar, Sana Bazaar, Hanuman Market, Barracks, Ganesh Market, and Aska Road are located at walkable distance from this location. The Gandhi Park and Biju Pattanaik Park are located in the heart of this area.

Gandhi Park

Its probably the oldest park in the city and is located in the prime location right in front of the famous RamaLinga Tank. It’s a small park and is usually visited by old people and kids.

Biju Pattnaik Park

Located in the prime location of the city(near to Girija Restaurant Square, Hanuman Bazaar and Annapurna Market), it’s the newest favorite hangout place for the youth and kids. It’s the biggest of all the parks in Berhampur with facility of paddle boating in a good sized man made pond inside the park. You also get good street food for which Berhampur is famous around the park area.

Nehru Park

Situated near Hillpatna and Railway station Road, This is a cute and lovely park for a evening stroll. It’s a park for all age groups and is very lively all around the year. 

Courtpeta Square Park

It’s a new park right on the Courtpeta Square adjacent to the Courtpeta Lord Jagannath Temple. With a pond at the centre and attractive plantations around the pond, it’s a beautiful spot for a evening or early morning walk.

Taptapani

The hot suplpur springs with natural medicinal properties is the prime attraction of this place situated about 50 kms from Berhampur. Besides being situated in the midst of nature surrounded by lush green forests, Taptapani is a favorite tourist destination. The OTDC run Pantha Nivas provides perfect accommodation facilities. The water from the hot sulphur springs are also piped into the bathroom of panthanivas. The beauty of rolling tribals inhabited hills is an added bonus.

Taptapani Panthanivas Website: http://www.panthanivas.com/taptapani.html

                      

Rushikulya Muhana

An ecological site, where river Rushikulya meets the Bay of Bengal. Known as the Rushikulya Muhana, it acts as the mass nesting ground for the Olive Ridley turtles who come here in large numbers every year during winter. The Olive Ridleys mate in the offshore waters and come ashore for laying eggs. After 7-10 weeks, the eggs hatch and the young Ridleys march towards the vast ocean to begin their life cycle.

Chilika in Rambha

Nestling in  the  heart  of coastal  Orissa,  Chilika is India’s biggest inland lake. Spread over 1,100 square kilometers stretching across the length of the three districts of Puri, Khurdha and Ganjam and finally joins the Bay of Bengal through narrow mouth, forming an enormous lagoon of brackish water.
Dotted with many emerald green islands with colourful names such as Honeymoon Island and Breakfast Island, Chilika is home to a rich variety of aquatic fauna. It is also a sanctuary and winter resort for migratory birds, some coming from as far as Siberia.
Containing a large variety of fish, the lake provides a livehood to thousands of fisherman. Hundreds of boats sail out daily on the lake’s blue expanse in search of mackerel, prawn and crabs- the sight providing an insight into the pageant of rural India at its colourful best.Encircled by hills all along its arched shape shores, Chilika lake’s colour changes with passing clouds  and the shifting sun. The water ripples languidly, occasionally dancing with a gentle breeze from across the Bay of Bengal.
The various places of interest in Ganjam pertaining to Chilika are:

• Nalabana : An asylum for long-range migrants in winter.
• Birds Island : A haven for resident and migratory birds.
• Kalijai : Adobe of the island Goddess” Kalijai”.
• Parikuda & Malud : Colourful islands with the lake.

Nirmal Jhar

The renowned monument was constructed by Raja Balukeswar Mardaraj, the most popular and unconquered king of the Mardaraj dynasty of Khallikote in the year 1676. The sacred spring of Nirmal Jhar(Clean Water Spring) originates from the foothills of Marua mountains. Inside this monument there exists temples of Shri Neelakanteswar, Godess Bimala, Radha Krishna, Shri Jagannath, The Sun God and Magar Kund(the pond). The world famous, sacred and worth seeing places conveys the glorious and immortal tradition of Khallikote region. This place is situated at 3 km away from the western side of Khallikote town, under the hills of Marua and is very close to the Chilika Lake. This is about 5 to 6 km interior of the NH-5 towards direction of Bhubaneswar from Berhampur.

Tara Tarini Hill Shrine

The temple of Taratarini, where the twin sister Goddess Tara and Tarini are worshiped with great enthusiasm is situated on the top of a small hill surrounded with the waddling holy river Rushikulya. The temple attracts thousands of devotes and visitors throughout the year. As per the Hindu calendar, on all Sankranties and all the four Tuesdays in the month of Chaitra, huge number of visit the temple and worship the deities. Along with being a famous place of worship, the spot is also a spectacular warehouse of natural beauty. Trekking thru the hills provides enchanting experience with forests on both sides of the stairways. The sight of River Rushikulya from the top of the hill is breath taking.

Tara-Tarini is one of the most ancient Shakti Pithas of Odisha. Goddess Tara-Tarini is worshiped as the presiding deity in almost every house in South Odisha.Everyday devotees from different parts of Odisha come here to offer the first bunch of hair of their children. Hundreds of barbers with license are engaged for the execution of this task at the hill.

Sevral festivals are observed in Tara Tarini temples namely Sankranti mela, Dola Purnima, Chaitra Purnima, also known as Phalguna Purnima, Chaitra Parba (February - March), Basantika Parba, Chitalagi Amabasya, Gamha Purnima, Saptapuri Amabasya, Saradiya Parba and Dipawali.

Ariel Rope Car are available to shift visitors from Taratarini foothill to Top of the hill, where the daity dwells. There are good accommodation facilities and package tours provided by OTDC.

Tara Tarini Temple Website: http://taratarini.nic.in/

The other major places of interest in and around Berhampur include Mahuri Kalua Temple, Vhairavi Temple, Pati Sonepur Beach, Siddhi Vinayaka Temple in Hill Patna, Dhavaleswar Beach.

CA-7 Job Status and Failure Reason Codes

Here are the various status codes that You may see for jobs in the Queue or Logs in CA-7.

1. R-C0002
2. R-C0003
3. R-C0099
4. R-C0255
5. R-JCLER
6. A-U0002
7. A-U0004
8. A-U0015
9. A-U0043
10. A-U4095
11. A-SOC7
12. A-U4000

Reason Code/Job Status Code explanation: The indication of the job's current disposition. Values and their meanings are:

• A-Snnnn-- The job has failed with a system abend.
• A-Unnnn --The job has failed with a user abend.
• C-Cnnnn --The job has completed successfully and is going through completion processing.
• E-ARFATT-- An error occurred during the attempt to attach ARF definitions. This can result if the ARFSET specified is not defined. A diagnostic message may have been written to the CA-7 log, the OS console, or to the trailer queue for the job (in which case it can be displayed using LQ,JOB=x,LIST=ALL).
• E-ARFERR ---The job encountered an error in the ARF processing. Do a LARFQ command for the job to get more specific information.
• E-SEGERR --The job has been requeued to the request queue because the CA-7 job submission task was unable to read a security segment for the job.
• LATE-- The job has not either started by the DEADLINE DAY/TIME or has not completed by its DUE-OUT DAY/TIME.
• LOADING --The job completed execution of a LOAD-only run and is completing the LOAD process. This status is for jobs in the request queue.
• QJCL --This job is in the request queue with zero master requirements. At the time the command was issued, CA-7 was processing a SAVE or REPL function on the QM.5 (QJCL) panel for this job.
• R-#nnnn --The job has failed a condition code test made at the step level.
• R-Cnnnn --The job has failed a condition code test made at the job level.
• R-JCLERR --If the job is in the request queue with this status, then there was either a runtime JCL error (for example, data set not found) or an IEFUJV exit canceled the job. If the job is in the ready queue with this status, then a job purge record was received before a job initialization record.
• R-NOUID-- During submission, if no valid USERID is available, a check of the SUBNOID parameter is done to determine if a job may be submitted without an ID. With SUBNOID set to NO, the job moves back to the request queue with a status of R-NOUID.
• R-REQUE --The job has been requeued to the request queue using the REQUEUE command or the Q function on the QM.1 panel.
• R-TRLFUL-- At the time the job was active, CA-7 required another track to be obtained from the trailer queue to hold outputs. At the time that CA-7 tried to get another track, either an out of space condition oran I/O error occurred.
• RETRY --A dynamic allocation error occurred during attach of JCL for this job. At a user-specified time interval, a retry of the JCL attach occurs.
• RQMT-INC ---A job record is in the queue without its requirements attached.
• RUSH--- The RUSH command was entered for this job.
• SKELETON--A job record is in the queue without JCL attached.
• W-RSRC --A job is in the ready queue waiting on a resource which is unavailable.

Automate Refreshing of CA-7 Queue while monitoring

Here is a macro that you can run in your emulator, which runs the LQ command repeatedly in a loop to keep refreshing the CA7 queue monitor. Go to Macros, create a new macro with the following code.(Note I have used this one in Attachmate Reflection - IBM 3270 Terminal emulator.

Sub arefreshlq()

'

' Generated by the Reflection Macro Recorder on 08-27-2009  14:01:32.25

' Generated by Reflection for IBM for Windows 14.0.625

'

    Do While True

    With Session

        .TransmitANSI "LQ,SYS=*GRS2*"

        .TransmitTerminalKey rcIBMEraseEOFKey

        .TransmitTerminalKey rcIBMEnterKey

        .WaitForEvent rcEnterPos, "30", "0", 1, 1

        .Wait ("1")

        .WaitForEvent rcEnterPos, "30", "0", 1, 1

        .TransmitTerminalKey rcIBMEnterKey

        .Wait ("1")

        .WaitForEvent rcEnterPos, "30", "0", 1, 1

        .TransmitTerminalKey rcIBMEnterKey

        .Wait ("1")

        .WaitForEvent rcEnterPos, "30", "0", 1, 1

        .TransmitTerminalKey rcIBMEnterKey

        .Wait ("1")

        .WaitForEvent rcEnterPos, "30", "0", 1, 1

        .TransmitTerminalKey rcIBMEnterKey

        .Wait ("1")

        .WaitForEvent rcEnterPos, "30", "0", 1, 1

        .TransmitTerminalKey rcIBMEnterKey

        .Wait ("1")

        .WaitForEvent rcEnterPos, "30", "0", 1, 1

        .TransmitTerminalKey rcIBMEnterKey

        .Wait ("1")

    End With

Now Login to CA7 and Go to Macros and run this macro and the auto refreshing loop begins to monitor the CA7 queue.

Satkosia(Odisha) - A wonderful Gorge Ecosystem

Satakosia gorge sanctuary represents a unique gorge ecosystem in India. It is one of the tremendous and genetic ecological importance as it is the wet portion of the deccan zone. According to the biogeographic classification, the area north of Mahanadi is classified under Chhotnagpur plateau and that of south under Eastern Ghats biotic provinces. The Satkosia represents the endemic life forms of both the biotic provinces in its traditional zone. Being the meeting point of two biotic province, Satkosia contributes the assemblage of floral and faunal extravaganza. Satkosia forms an important catchment of lower Mahanadi basin.

The scenic beauty of Satkosia is enchanting and everlasting. The narrow and deep gorge with chain of wooded towering hills on either side overlooking the crystal clear water of Mahanadi, the later reflecting hills and leisurely drifting clouds is simply fascinating and absorbing. The sylvan beauty of the forests with the captivating fragrance is bewildering.

Things to Do: 

Picnic Spots: There are exotic picnic spots and the picnic spots near Raigada, Labangi, Tikarapada, Tulka, Sitalpani, Badmul, Baliput, Sisupathar Dam, Bhimdhara falls, Bhurbhura etc. 

Nature camps: Nature camps are located at Tikarpada and Purnakote. At Tikarpada, the nature camp is pitched on the middle of the breathtaking gorge along the pristine sand banks of river Mahanadi. An overnight stay is fascinating and unforgettable. Camps have double bedded tents with toilets and water supply. Camps are run by local community groups. Visitors are advised to book the facilities in advance. The camp is operated during the winter months from October to March. At Purnakote the Nature camp has two tented accommodations.

Boat Cruise: Enjoy a boat ride on the river Mahanadi and view the majestic gorge and towering wooded mountains on both sides. One can sight plenty of crocodiles basking on the sand banks.

Nature Walk: Nature lovers and bird watchers can walk around and discover the unspoiled wilderness through designated nature trails. Different nature trails are available for trekking traversing through various zones of the tiger reserve and are generally 4 to 5 km in length. There are excellent trekking routes viz Rasanda – Kuadoli, Labangi - Tulka, Tikarpada – Katrang Ghat, Hatibari – Kandheida, Majhipada – Kadalikhola, Karadapada – KadaliKhola, Chottkei – Katrang, Baghmunda – Routbahal, Tulka – Chottkei etc.

Elephant rides: Elephant rides are available at Tikarpada. Visitors can get a feel of the dense forests and sight wild animals.

River view Picnics: Picnic locations are located at Goindi near Tikarpada and at Baliput. Picknickers can avail the bamboo crafted seats, cooking and washing platforms, boating facilities etc.

Fauna and Flora:

There are over 400 plant species comprising of 126 trees, 98 shrubs, 125 herbs and 51 climbers identified in the reserve.

Around 38 species of mammals, 161 species of birds, 27 species of reptiles, 4 species of amphibians and 183 species of fishes are found in the reserve. The reserve has significant population of tigers, leopards, elephants, spotted deer, sambar, chowsingha , barking deer, bisons, wild dog, sloth bear, jackal, giant squirrel and porcupine. The Satkosia gorge is the natural habitat of the two endangered species of fresh water crocodilians namely the gharial and mugger. The Gorge has turtles, terrapins, crabs, mollusks and other amphibians. 

How to Reach There?

The reserve is 190 Km from Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Orissa State in India. Take the National Highway 42 and reach Angul. From there proceed to Pampasar which is the main entry gate of the reserve. Bhubaneswar is accessible by air, rail and road.

Contact info: 

You can visit the website http://www.satkosia.org/ to get the telephone details and book camps. Please see the nature camp and tiger reserver brochure there for the details and descriptions.