Mahendragiri, Berhampur

Mahendragiri is a hill station located in the Paralakhemundi subdivision of the district of Gajapati in Orissa. A part of the Eastern Ghats, the mountain peak is worth a visit for the views if not for the sights, sounds and culture on offer. 

The mountain peak is religiously and historically important owing to the associations with Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas. The area is mentioned in all the holy scriptures as a place where penance and a trance like state of meditation was practiced. 

The natural beauty of the area underscores and enhances attempts at shedding the daily grind that life gets reduced to in the cities. Ancient temples and archaeological remains rumoured to have been built by the Pandavas regularly dot the landscape in Mahendragiri. The best time to visit Mahendragiri would be during Shivarathri when the town comes alive with chants and festivities.