Shri Pradip Kumar Amat

Hon'ble Minister
Forest & Environment Department

Mr. Satyabrata Sahu, IAS

Additional Chief Secretary
Forest & Environment Department

Sri Susanta Nanda, IFS

Chief Executive
Chilika Development Authority

Chilika Lake - Asia's largest brackish water lagoon

The vast and dream like Chilika Lagoon is situated on the east-coast of India. It is the largest brackish Water Lagoon with estuarine character that sprawls along the east coast. It is the largest wintering ground for migratory waterfowl found anywhere on the Indian sub-continent. It is one of the hotspot of biodiversity in the country, and some rare, vulnerable and endangered species listed in the IUCN Red List of threatened Animals inhabit in the lagoon for atleast part of their life cycle.

Chilika is an integral part of the culture of coastal Odisha. Almost 400 years ago, the saint poet Purshottam Das, a devotee of Lord Jagannath, wrote a poem about Lord Krishna dancing with a milkmaid called Maniki, who had come to sell curds on the banks of the Chilika.

Chilika supports some of the largest congregation of migratory birds in the country, particularly during the winter. Flocks of migratory waterfowl arrive from as far as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea, remote parts of Russia, Kirghiz steppes of Mongolia, Central and South East Asia, Ladakh and the Himalayas, to feed and breed in its fertile waters. In 1989-90 an estimated two million birds visited the Lake.

Chilika is an integral part of the culture of coastal Odisha. Almost 400 years ago, the saint poet Purshottam Das, a devotee of Lord Jagannath, wrote a poem about Lord Krishna dancing with a milkmaid called Maniki, who had come to sell curds on the banks of the Chilika.  Learn More

Trip to Chilika

The best time to visit the Chilika Lake is the winter months of November to February, when the variety of migratory birds can be witnessed. Chilika Lake lives up to its reputation as the most picturesque spot and being Asia’s largest salt-water lagoon. While the lake is a beauty in itself, there are several places around its vicinity which are worthwhile to visit as well. Situated on the east coast of India, and connected to the Bay of Bengal through a narrow sea mouth, Chilika is also a lagoon.

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Chilika Lake - Asia's largest brackish water lagoon with water spread ranging from 1165 sq km m the rainy season to 906 sq km in the
dry season is nestled in the heart of the coastal Odisha

Download Mobile App

The Chilika App has been created under Chilika Development Authority ( a agency of Forest & Environment Department, Govt. of Odisha) in the year 2020 with the objective for the conservation of ecology of Chilika lagoon and to bring an all-round digital facility in and around the lagoon which call for multidimensional multi-disciplinary tourists and researchers activities.