Paradise of Western Odisha – ‘Pradhanpat’

Nature has different dimensions to enhance the beauty of various places. It could be in the form of flowing streams, static lakes, hills or forests. 

The state of Odisha is full of natural beauty and resources. Most of them are explored and maintained by OTDC and associated districts administration. There are still a few unexplored or uncovered places that are full of natural beauty and which needs to be highlighted.



Nature has never neglected our state. It has gifted a lot of forests, rivers, waterfalls as a complete package. Pradhanpat in Deogarh is one of its noble gift. Located at 90 km away from Sambalpur and 260 km from the state capital, Deogarh is full of natural beauty, historical evidences and serenity.

Small history:


Initially ruled by King Basudev Sudhaldev, Deogarh was the capital of Bamanda. The kings of ganga dynasty were very much concerned about social upliftment, literature, Education and art. You can get a good idea about this after visiting the old palaces, monuments at Deogarh. These monuments and old buildings reflect the perfection of the kingdom and their strategies. Deogarh was in Sambalpur district till 1993. It was declared as a district on 1/1/1994.

Major attraction
Being surrounded by hills, forests and waterfall at its three sides, Deogarh has created its own identity today for its valley type existence. The hills are of average range of 750-800m above Mean sea level.

Pradhanpat is the main attraction for locals as well as tourists. It adds perfect ornamental value to the location with calmness, and abundant natural beauty. Several stream, tall trees, dense forests and old monuments have enriched its value.



Being situated at only 2 km away from the town, Pradhanpat has now become a favorite destination for the morning and evening walkers of the town. Everybody wants to come closer to the nature and enjoy its natural treasury. Apart from Pradhanpat, a few other destinations that can be covered during a typical holiday visit are Kurudkut waterfall, King palace and Kailash palace.

When to go!
Pradhanpat and Kurudkut are almost open throughout the year. But the nature gets perfectly ornamented during monsoon and winter. July to February is the perfect time to visit. Pradhanpat Utsav’ is a mega event organized during January and February where a lot of people gather to celebrate and enjoy. During this time the town seems bright with lighting and lots of cultural programmes.

How to go!


Deogarh does not have railway connectivity till date. The only way to reach this town is by cars and buses. It takes 2 hours to reach Deogarh from Sambalpur through NH-6. Bhubaneswar to Deogarh has 2 scenic routes. One is via Angul, Chhendipada and Chiknee Ghat. The second one is via Dhenkanal, kamakhya nagar and Khamar.This route crosses many scenic points, roads, and forests. One can stop several times for photography. Normally it takes 5-6 hours to cross 260 km stretch.

Tourism development
District administration is giving outstanding effort to develop this place at regular intervals. There are still a very few people of the state who have explored this natural destination. Let’s hope that OTDC would develop this place as a nice tourism circuit by establishing tourist lodges and ecotourism trekking activities. This will help the tourists to explore this place in detail. Pradhanpat is a must see waterfall.

About the Author:
Soumyajit Mishra is an Architect by profession, currently practicing in Bhubaneswar and involved in many healthcare and hospitality projects. He has travelled to a lot of places in India, both because of his passion as well as profession. He has been working hard to visit remote places in Odisha state and gather various information to promote rural tourism. He has been a true admirer of forest beauty, integrity of big towns, adventure, ecotourism and sustainable habitat development.  All the photographs in this post belong to him.