Bhubaneswar, May 19: With temples, hills, streams and water bodies dotting the area, the beautiful little town of Ranpur in Nayagarh district is perfect for a weekend getaway with your family.

Ranpur is 75km by road from Bhubaneswar and 30km from Nayagarh district headquarters town.

If you are going from Bhubaneswar, you will reach Ranpur’s famous Jagananth temple first.

Situated on the foothills of Maninaga hill, it is an impressive structure and there are several small temples in its compound. The stone carvings on the temple walls, especially on the snana mandap, are impressive.

The statues are similar in style to the ones seen on coastal temples. On the other side of the temple compound stands the historic Ranpur palace.

The warrior on the horse sculpted on the wall of the snana mandap, the image of an elephant on the main Jagannath temple, the dancing beauties on the temples in the complex, the hostesses and guards near the various doors in the temple are all attractive and colourful.

Abhimanyu Maharana, a resident of the historic town, said: “Ranpur is basically a temple town. Here, the Maninaga and Dhanya hills create a beautiful backdrop to the Jagananth, Swapneswar Mahadev, Shree Yogeshwar, Shree Radha Govind Dev, Maa Maninag, Shree Asurakumari, Kunjavihari, Khilamunda and Hari-Hareswar Mahadev temples.”

“The Jagannath temple in Ranpur was built in the 13th century. There is a white coating of lime on the temple. If properly removed, the stone carvings could also be visible. But that needs expert handling,” Maharana said.

Asurakumari is a beautiful picnic spot near the temple town with a waterfall.

Situated 7km from Ranpur, the place is 19km from Nayagarh.

The nearby hills and valleys have thick forests where in summer a lot of mango trees can be seen in full bloom.

A team of experts have conducted a survey of the biodiversity and faunal wealth of the area and found that the region, especially the temple town, could become a major eco-tourism destination.

Master Apollo, a resident of Nayagarh who came on a trip to the town with his family, said: “Though Ranpur is an ideal place for tourists, it is yet to get its place in the tourism map of the state. The Odisha tourism department should take measures to develop the town with basic infrastructure so that people from Bhubaneswar can come here on the weekends and return after five or six hours of stay.”

Around the town, there are a beautiful water bodies, dams and rivers.

Families on a trip to the town can also explore new places nearby with the help of guides and local residents.

Swapan Kumar Sadual, who teaches at a tourism management institute in the city, said: “There should be enough propaganda for places such as Ranpur in the tourism and hospitality sector so that the tourists can come here on short trips and return after visiting the town. The Odisha tourism department must explore possibilities to include Ranpur and other places in the rural tourism map.”