Odisha (Orissa) is the land of Villages. A major portion of Odisha’s total population resides in the villages. Villages of this state are endowed with natural beauty with virgin beaches, serpentine rivers, rich wildlife, etc. The villages of Odisha are rich in tradition and cultural heritage and the villagers celebrate several colourful festivals and occasions throughout the year. One will be very happy and will feel very special when he sees the lifestyle of villages of Odisha . One can enjoy the charm of lush green and fertile plains in the villages, most of which are surrounded by palm, coconut trees and mango groves in Odisha.
In most of the villages we normally find Hindu people including Vaishnavs, Saivas and Saktas besides, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Christians. Besides these religions we also find the new cult of Hinduism like Mahima and Natha also. Religious activities of all these cults are really enchanting. Whether an Indian or overseas visitor, anyone who becomes a part of these fairs & festivals will take back a lifetime memory.
Housing Plans of the Villages of Odisha with natural thatched houses are also very interesting. In different festivals and occasions walls of the houses are decorated with different painting with different natural powers like rice powder, Lintel powders, Powder prepared from leaves, stones, Turmeric and Vegetable. Their wonderful scenic beauty and local culture of the people attracts several tourists from all over world every year.. To have an Odisha Village Tours. In this type of tour, Tourist, photographers and writers can enjoy and gather knowledge on Villages of Orissa.
Odisha with Villages of different religious beliefs the predominant religious community in the villages is the Hindus. The villages of Odisha have one of the highest Hindu populations among all villages in India. The castes like Brahmins, Karans, Kshatriyas, etc. are the major Hindu castes in Orissa. Apart from the Hindus, the other major religious communities include the Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Vaishnavs, Saivas, Christians, etc. When 23 % of total population of Orissa is belongs to different primitive Tribes, as far as their religion, they are absolutely animist. Most of the Tribal Communities stay in the hilly and forest area. Any we we find some of tribal people also reside in the common villages of Orissa; Most of the tribal communities live in the villages located in the three districts of Koraput (undivided), Sundergarh and Mayurbhanj. The major tribes in Orissa include Santal, Munda, Oram, Gond, Juanga, Bhuiyan, Saora, Dharua, Bonda,Kondh Koya, Mohali, Lohara, etc.
The principal language spoken in the villages of Odisha is Oriya or Odiya. The language is closely related to Assamese and Bengali. The most common linguistic variations of Oriya include Baleswari (Balasore), Bhatri (Koraput), Laria (Sambalpur), Sambalpuri, Ganjami, Chhattisgarhi, Medinipuri, etc. Oriya is also the official language of the state. Apart from Oriya, the other languages spoken in the villages of Orissa include Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Telugu, Gujarati, etc. All different Tribal communities have their own dialect.
The principal source of occupation in the villages of Odisha is agriculture. Like most villages in other parts of India, a majority of the rural population in Odisha is dependent on agriculture to earn their livelihoods. The villages of Odisha are one of the largest producers of rice in India and they contribute to almost one tenth of the total rice production of the country. Apart from rice, the other major crops cultivated in the villages of Odisha include jute, oil seeds, pulses, coconut, sugarcane, tea, rubber, cotton, gram, mustard, maize, sesame, ragi, potato, soybean, etc. All these agricultural activities are still in traditional method which also very interesting to things to visit in the Odisha Villages. Many people in the villages of Odisha are also engaged in non-agricultural activities like art and crafts of Odisha. Village tour becomes more and more interesting when somebody see the different traditional activities related agriculture and non agricultural activities like making different handicrafts and handloom like Patta Chitra, Palm Leave engraving, Brass Metal Works (Lost wax processing) Stone Carving, Silver Filigree, Cane Works, Bamboo Works, Terracotta Sand Art, Metal Work, and making Puppets and Masks etc.
The villages of Odisha have a rich tradition of art and cultural activities. The rural people celebrate various fairs and festivals throughout the year with pomp and cheerfulness. The festivals have always been a part and parcel of village life in Odisha. The villagers celebrate all the popular festivals like Holi, Diwali, Dussehra, etc. Apart from these, there are also some regional and local festivals. The Ratha Yatra is the principal festival in Odisha. Apart from Ratha Yatra, the other major festivals include Dhanu Yatra, Magha Saptami, Makar Sankranti, Magha Sapthami, Kumar Purnima, Dipavali Amavasya, Sri Nrusingha Chatturdashi, Janmashtami, Kartika Purnima, Navaratri, Sri Vinayak Chaturthi/ Ganesh Chaturthi, Rakhi Purnima, etc.
Visiting all these colorful festivals are really interesting part of Odisha Village Tour. Another interesting attraction for of Orissa Village tour is Orissa Traditional dances like Oddissi ,Gotipua, Samablpuri, Ghumra and Other Traditional entertainment activities like Palla ,Daskahia,Dhudki Nacha,Paika Nacha,Nritya Natika. Traditional music like Balipuja Geeta, Kendra Geeta, Jaiphula Geeta, Bhajan, Sariman, Champu, Malasri, Vyanjani, Chaturang are also makes more interesting to visit Orissa Villages.