Small Story of a Small Town – Gopalpur On Sea

Gopalpur is a small town in the Ganjam district of Odisha situated by the Bay of Bengal. Gopalpur has gradually transformed into a popular beach destination, thus earning the name of Gopalpur-on-sea. The town is all about the sea and the beach, an idyllic destination for a lazy beach holiday.

Ravens in search of a bite

My plan too was for a leisurely stay near the beach and watch the waves all day long, breathing in the moist, saline air and soaking in the sandy waters of Gopalpur. There is nothing fixed when I travel and suddenly the plan changed and I was finally left with very little time here.

Temple of a local deity

Things happen for a reason, so when you cannot see the destination at a go you always have an opportunity to be there again, to a known destination to explore the unknown and the unseen. The excitement remains the same even when you know you cannot see a lot.

Crabs all around the beach

The scattered population around gave me the hint of a small town even in the night lights. It is always the roads and the city precincts that built an interest in a traveller for the city. This small town setup and the sleepy ambience did the initial part and I started liking the place. The Swosti Palm Resort was our stay here and it was just a few metres away from the beach and the lighthouse.

Swosti Palm Resort – our stay near the beach

I could smell the saline air but had to wait until the morning. So the first thing I did in the morning was to go to the beach which was just around 300 meters behind our resort.

A huge gateway of ancient time stands in front of us. It was within the locality and did not seem to be a decorated tourist spot. Without any beautification, the place was beautiful and captivating.

The gateway

I was so curious to know what the gate was. I knew it was not the main beach of Gopalpur, just a coastline near our hotel with a few local houses around. So what it could be was running on my head. Much later I discovered that those were the ruins of the port area from the colonial era.

Fishing boats anchored on the beach

Entering the gateway there were ruins everywhere and the vast blue beyond. The lighthouse was very near. The very term of lighthouse arouses in me a strange curiosity and this one within the ruins around made it even more intriguing.

The lighthouse among the ruins

All lighthouses have a fixed time for the tourists and it is mostly during 4-5 pm in the evening. So this was not the lighthouse time I had no options but to gaze in amazement from a distance. What a missed opportunity to watch and capture the coastline of Gopalpur.

I wish I could climb the lighthouse

Series of fishing boats were lined up near the coast. A fishing village seemed to be close. Walking around the ruins and the lighthouse we gradually climbed down the sandy slope to find the fishing village just beside the wall of the ruins.

Waiting to sail in the vast blue at night

Fishermen were busy knitting their nets while sipping the morning tea. Some fishermen were seen taking a stroll by the sand and the women of the family were busy in household activities.

Fishermen knitting the net

Fisherman taking a leisurely walk

Just beside the fishing colony, there was the backyard of the Mayfair Palm Beach Resort leading to the beach. Coconut trees lined up the boundary of the property. A man was seen harvesting the green coconut from the trees.

Want some coconut water?

An elderly couple was basking in the early morning sun in the beach area of the resort while crabs were running around. Any little disturbance on the beach alerts them and they disappear in the sand really quick.

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Huge waves were crashing on the shores and again receding slowly carrying sands below my feet. The froths of the foaming water remained for some time to be carried away by the winds. Seas are so interesting to watch waves small and large, one after the other maintains its continuity thus engaging human sight and thoughts.

Crushing and receding

With limited time in hand, I shrugged off my imagination and jumped back from the fantasy world to reality. It was the goodbye time, so with a hope to be here again and explore the unseen I went leaving behind the Gopalpur On Sea.

Series of boats

Gopalpur at a glance, with travel information.