Gopalpur, Odisha, India (Nov 2022)
Gopalpur-on-sea is a coastal town and sea beach. An ancient sea port nearby finds mention in historical texts from the Kalinga era to Ptolemy. The beach area has none of the conventional amenities that tourists nowadays expect: bars, restaurants, choice of decent mid-range hotels. A few fishing villages, each bursting with temples, line the beach. The town itself looks battered and disheveled with many abandoned buildings, not the least due to multiple episodes of cyclone damage in recent decades. Nevertheless, the beach itself is quite lovely and tranquil, ideal for walks, with long secluded stretches even in late November mornings when the tourist season is well underway.
Gopalpur beach
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Long secluded stretches
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Happy camper
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Main beach access point
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By the lighthouse
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Fast food stall
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Amorous couple
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Happy camper
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Morning glories
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Scampering crabs
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Cyclone ruin
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With a few fishing villages
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Fishermen examining the
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Fishermen examining the
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Extracting the fish
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Drying fish in the sun
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Women drying out the
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Fishermen sorting nets
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Collateral damage:
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New Baxipalli,
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Lord Jagannath temple
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The temple complex
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Varieties of Hanuman
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A Hanuman statue
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A cyclone shelter
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Walkway to the sea (more)
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An egret
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Temples in a village
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Women gathering shellfish
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Hauling the catch
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Gopalpur from afar
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