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Mahendragiri Trek

Gajapati, Odisha

Moderate2 daysBest Oct–Feb

Aerial view of forested Mahendragiri hills with a red dirt road winding up the slope and Eastern Ghats ridges beyond1,501 mhighest point3 Photos
Max altitude
1,501 m
Days
2 days
Distance
14 km
Difficulty
Moderate

Best months Oct–Feb

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

About 6 km each way on a steep, landslide-damaged jeep road with roughly 500 m of climbing, then an unmarked boulder scramble from the Yudhishthira temple to the Bhima temple and Arjuna's cave on the summit ridge.

Photos

On the trail

Aerial view of forested Mahendragiri hills with a red dirt road winding up the slope and Eastern Ghats ridges beyond
Aerial view of forested Mahendragiri hills with a red dirt road winding up the slope and Eastern Ghats ridges beyondPhoto: Subhamsahoo2008 · CC BY-SA 4.0

1 / 3

The route

Day by day

  1. Day 1

    Burakhat Pass (Hanuman temple) → Hilltop ashram and Kunti temple

    6 km · 3 h · Guesthouse

    990 m → 1,350 m

  2. Day 2 · highest point

    Hilltop ashram → Burakhat Pass (via Yudhishthira temple, Bhima temple and summit)

    8 km · 5 h · No overnight

    1,350 m → 1,501 m → 990 m

Ups and downs

Altitude profile

5001,0001,5002,000Burakhat Pass (Hanuman temple): 990 m, 0 kmHilltop ashram and Kunti temple: 1,350 m, 6 kmDay 2 high point: 1,501 m, 10 kmBurakhat Pass (via Yudhishthira temple, Bhima temple and summit): 990 m, 14 km
Metres above sea level · distance 14 km

Where it is

Map

Download GPX waypoints

Trailhead and high point only — not a recorded track. Use it with a proper map.

Weather

Next 5 days on the trail

Live forecast for the trailhead and the high point. Mountain weather changes fast — check again on the morning you start.

Each day: high / low °C · rain mm and chance · snow cm · wind km/h

Weather data: Open-Meteo.comModel forecast, not an official warning. For alerts follow IMD and the local administration.

Plan the trip

How to reach

Trailhead
Burakhat Pass (Barakhat / Burukhat) (nearest town: Paralakhemundi)
Nearest railway
Palasa (Andhra Pradesh), about an hour's drive via Mandasa; Paralakhemundi has a smaller station
Nearest airport
Visakhapatnam, or Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar
By road
Brahmapur (Berhampur) to Paralakhemundi, 115 km via Ichhapur and Palasa, then about 40 km to Burakhat Pass; Mandasa (Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh), about 30 km to the hill
Drive
About 4 h from Brahmapur

Plan the trip

Permits and fees

We could not confirm the current permit rules and fees from an official source. Check with the local forest department or tourism office before you go.

Plan the trip

Cost

Self-guided

₹1,500–4,000

With an operator

₹2,500–6,000

Per person, ex-Paralakhemundi. No trek operator publishes a Mahendragiri price, so both ranges are estimates: self-guided covers a bus or shared jeep to Burakhat, food and a donation for a room at the hilltop ashram; guided adds a local guide (Outlook Traveller advises trekking with one) and an optional jeep ride from Burakhat to the hilltop.

Gear

Top picks for this trek

The gear that matters most on this route, chosen from its altitude, season and risks.

See the full packing checklist

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Packing checklist

Matched to this trek: altitude, season, days and the risks on the route.

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What to wear
Pack and gear
Sleeping

Many trek operators provide tents and sleeping bags. Ask before you buy.

Safety
Water and food
Documents and money

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Know before you go

Good to know

Mobile network
Not confirmed by any source; expect patchy mobile signal on the hill.
Last ATM
Paralakhemundi (district headquarters)
Nearest hospital
District Headquarters Hospital, Paralakhemundi; MKCG Medical College, Brahmapur for serious cases
Water
No confirmed water source on the road from Burakhat; carry at least 3 litres. The hilltop ashram feeds pilgrims, but ask there before relying on it. Treat all water.

Highlights

  • Sunrise from the 1,501 m summit, with the Mahendratanaya river and the Bay of Bengal on the horizon on clear mornings
  • Ancient Shiva temples linked to the Pandavas: Kunti, Yudhishthira and the massive 18-block Bhima (Gokarneswar) temple
  • Arjuna's cave, a two-level shelter formed by giant boulders, and the 'musical' rocks that ring when struck
  • A biodiversity hotspot of the Eastern Ghats with over 600 flowering plants, the second biodiversity heritage site of Odisha

Risks

  • Summer heat and dehydration: the road climb is largely exposed, so start early and carry plenty of water.
  • The road from Burakhat was badly damaged by landslides after Cyclone Titli (October 2018) and is steep and loose in places.
  • There is no marked path from the Yudhishthira temple to the Bhima temple and Arjuna's cave; expect boulder scrambling and go with a local guide.
  • Elephants, leopards and other wildlife live in the surrounding forest; do not walk the road after dark.
  • Huge crowds and traffic on the night before Maha Shivaratri, when pilgrims walk up and stay on the hilltop.

Know before you go

Questions

Where does the Mahendragiri trek start?

At Burakhat (also spelt Barakhat or Burukhat) Pass, where there is a Hanuman temple. Vehicles park here; you can walk about 6 km up the hill road to the ashram and Kunti temple, or hire one of the jeeps that ferry visitors to the top.

How high is Mahendragiri?

1,501 metres, according to the Gajapati district administration. It is in Rayagada block of Gajapati district, Odisha, in the Eastern Ghats.

Can I stay overnight on Mahendragiri?

Yes. The ashram on the hilltop gives pilgrims simple one-room concrete quarters (no attached toilet) and food; leave a donation. Staying the night lets you see the sunrise over the Bay of Bengal.

When is the best time to visit Mahendragiri?

Winter (October to February) is the comfortable season. On the night before Maha Shivaratri thousands of pilgrims walk the 6 km up and keep vigil on the hilltop, so expect crowds then. Summer climbs are hot and dehydrating.

Do I need a guide?

The road to the ashram is easy to follow, but the climb to the Bhima temple and Arjuna's cave has no marked path. Outlook Traveller advises trekking with a guide; ask at Burakhat or the ashram.

Your 8-week plan for this trekModerate grade. Start about 8 weeks before you travel.
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In an emergency

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You are in

District: GajapatiOdisha

Nearest hospital
District Headquarters Hospital, Paralakhemundi; MKCG Medical College, Brahmapur for serious cases
Last ATM
Paralakhemundi (district headquarters)
Phone network
Not confirmed by any source; expect patchy mobile signal on the hill.

Before you set off

  1. Tell someone your route and when you will be back.
  2. Carry a charged phone and a power bank.
  3. Download an offline map of the route.
  4. Turn back if the weather turns bad — the mountain will wait.
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Where this comes from

Sources

Last reviewed:

  1. Mahendragiri | Gajapati — Gajapati District Administration, Government of Odisha (official)
  2. Trek to Mahendragiri -- The Second Highest Peak In Odisha — Indiahikes
  3. Mahendragiri – Odisha's Second Highest Peak! — Odisha Lifestyle
  4. Exploring the Enchanting Gems of Gajapati District: Top 10 Travel Destinations — Odisha Lifestyle
  5. Paralakhemundi: Off The Beaten Track In Odisha — Outlook Traveller
  6. Maha Shivaratri At Mahendragiri (visitor blog, 15 Mar 2021) — Odisha Tourism visitor blog
  7. Mahendragiri (Odisha) — Wikipedia

Photos: Subhamsahoo2008, CC BY-SA 4.0; Kpvirus, CC0; Vsvlss, CC BY-SA 4.0

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