Pradhanpat & Kudurkut Waterfalls in Debagarh, Odisha

Goddess Pradhani Bhudhi in her shrine

The state of Orissa is gifted with some beautiful and picturesque waterfalls and Pradhanpart, the 70 feet high steep fall in Debagarh district is one of them. Named after Goddess Pradhani Budhi the fall attracts picnickers and visitors round the year. Situated in the Pradhanpat hill, the fall offers a rare scenic beauty. Surrounded by hills on all sides and covered by greenery of the adjacent Saal wood jungles, the roaring reverberation of the gushing water in this serene atmosphere provides a mind-blowing experience. Scene of the fall is surely a treat for the eyes. Himanshu Guru attempts to catch beauty of the fall with this report.

Location
Pradhanpat waterfalls are located at a distance of 153 km from Bhubaneswar, 136 Km from Rourkela and 100 km from Sambalpur. Located at the outskirt of the District Head Quarter of Debagarh one can reach comfortably through roadways. One can set out from Rourkela passingRajamunda, Narendra Chowk Barkote and Debagarh to reach Pradhanpat through NH 23.

Picnickers at Padhanpat

In Public Use
Since water from Pradhanpart fall is supplied to Debagarh town for drinking purpose bathing in the water is strictly prohibited by the Municipality of the district.

Night-Stay
There are no hotels or private accommodation facilities available close to the fall, but one can stay in Debagarh town that provides the option of a range of hotels starting from economic standard to luxury though there are no star hotels there. Also there is no good eatery near the fall and so one need to take his own Tiffin box or have his lunch at Debagarh town. However for night stay two guest houses are there near the fall – Basanta Nivas and Lalita Basanta.

Basanta Nivas

Basant Nivas at Pradhanpat

Basant Nivas was constructed by the ex-rulers of Bamra province and is now under the management of the Public Works Department of the Government of Orissa. As per the writings found, this was the summer fun palace of the erstwhile king of Bamara state. Statue of a half-naked woman, perhaps erected to entertain the king then is witnessed today also. Here reservations can be availed through the Executive Engineer, National Highway Division, Sambalpur.

Kurudkut waterfall

Kudurkut waterfall

Besides Pradhanpart, Debagarh district also houses another beautiful water fall named ‘Kurudkut’. This little known fall is located in the lap of the Kurudkut hills in a calm and quiet place. One needs to head towards Baba bandh and then take a right turn and travel around 2 kms to reach Kurudkut. So far a motor-able road is yet to be constructed to reach the zero point of this fall. Though one needs to trek for about one km to reach at the fall, still many people recommend to visit the spot for its picturesque scenery and refreshing seren atmosphere. One can also witness the remnants of a pump house here. The pump house is claimed to be Asia’s Hydro Electricity Generator, which was started by the then king of Deogarh “Raja Sachidananda Tribhuban Dev”. As per news Government is trying to revive the old project.

In and around

Newly developed Park at the site

Besides the falls, Debagarh district also houses some notable temples like shrines dedicated to Gopinath, Jagannath and Gokarneswara and a recently created park near Pradhanpart water fall. Like many other wild destinations a lot of monkeys are also seen at Pradhanpart water fall.

A few lines from my friend Romeo Mohapatra, man from Debagarh/Devgarh

Debagarh district can be seen as a natural treasure. After getting district status government of Orissa is trying to convert Pradhanpart water fall area as a tourist destination but Kurudkut water fall is yet to be properly discovered in the tourist map. The place is important for the age old hydro-electric project. Some elderly people of Debagarh town know much about the history, kingship of the ex-rulers of Bamra province and natural resources and destinations of the area and they should be approached to get the precious information.

Pradhanpat Waterfall in Debagarh, Orissa