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Photo: Abhas Kumar Kheti, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The zoo has some rare species of animals and is particularly well known for white tigers. There is a nice lake inside for boating. There is also the Botanical Garden is adjacent to the zoo. Avoid visiting the zoo on weekends when it gets crowded. The zoo is also plastic-free, therefore you should avoid carrying any plastic products, including plastic water bottles. There are drinking water services inside the zoo.
Nandankanan Zoological Park is a 437-hectare (1,080-acre) zoo and botanical garden located in Barang village, Odisha, India. It is 10 km to south of Cuttack and 10 km north of Bhubaneswar. Established in 1960, it was opened to the public in 1979 and became the first zoo in India to join World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) in 2009. It also contains a botanical garden and part of it has been declared a sanctuary. Nandankanan, literally meaning The Garden of Heaven, is located in the environs of the Chandaka forest, and includes the 134-acre (54 ha) Kanjia lake.
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ଚନ୍ଦକା ହାତୀ ଅଭୟାରଣ୍ୟ Chondokā Hātī Obhoyāroṇyo
There are a number of watch towers to observe wildlife. While Kochilaberana, Pitagadia and Charichhak watch towers are excellent for observation of birds and animals, the ones at Kumarkhunti and Ambilo have the comfort of rest houses where one can make a night halt. There are two water reservoirs, Deras Dam and Jhumka Dam, situated within the reserve. The cottages near Deras provide a scenic view of the Chandaka reserve and a chance to see wildlife.
Headquarters of the East Coast Railway (ECoR). Hosts the Kalinga Rail Museum.
The botanical garden covers an area of 500 acres and was founded in 1985. It is undertaking of Regional Plant Resource Centre (RPRC).
Regional Museum of Natural History is an undertaking of Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India and was inaugurated in 2004. It exhibits plants, animals and geology specimens from Eastern India, North-Eastern India and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Since 2017 the museum has used green energy through solar power production.
The planetarium is named after the famous Odia astrologer Samanta Chandra Sekhar Mahapatra, who was popularly known as Pathani Samanta. The planetarium runs four shows daily between 2PM to 6PM – two in Odia, one in Hindi and one in English. Each show duration is of 45 minutes. The planetarium also conducts sky watching classes. Special events are also held on occasions of solar eclipse, lunar eclipse and other astronomical events.