Priyaranjan Mohapatra

India \ Member since January 2022

#287 197 48 5

Hello all passionate travelers & seekers !

As a kid, I wanted to know the world. Geography and history being my favorite subjects. My 1st trips were with my parents. They took us out to northernmost and southern most regions of India. Then on, the travels never stopped for me.

Later years, when I became "UNESCO WHS aware", I realized I'm way behind :) These days, I'm an avid WHS follower; take effort to get educated on them, visit, and post the journey, relish the experiences. To me, at least, it made sense to organize my trips around such sites.

I like going places, see the mix of - old edifices, Forts, Temples, Monasteries, Medinas, Monuments, Ruins, Gardens, objects of unspeakable beauty crafted by nature and anomalies of same, Mountains, Fjords, Volcanoes, Geysers, Glaciers, deserts, Karst, dramatic landscapes, unbelievable structures that encapsulate contemporary human ingenuity & determination, soaking in Cultures, unique animals & bird species, and meeting new minds! … towards personal enrichment.  often during travels, I find oases of serenity which makes me pause & introspect ! 

Heritage Sites (WHS & TWHS) provide a draft to start on new geography and make you travel off the beaten path. Since I'm focusing on quantity, seems stressful at times ; but in process I do get glimpses of human evolution around globe -- maybe the 12,000 year old Thamudic petroglyphs in Wadi-Rum desert, or the exquisite craftmanship of medieval times in Hampi or Konark, or maybe the spectacular urban creation on top of a 8000 ft. mountain in middle of tropical forest, without aid of modern building techniques -  Machu Pichhu!

I noticed many impressive sites not listed by UNESCO , yet some sites of lesser value been inscribed :( .   Wish UNESCO did a better and balanced job. 

Of late (ever since reaching a humble count of  ~175) I collect differently....adding touristy to-dos, local cultural and culinary  immersions, add a hike for that ground feel. Wish I had longer vacation days;)

There are times I feel like I've lived a 100 lives, walked on distant worlds and hope some day to see the end of time !!

“Adventure should be part of everyone’s life. It is the whole difference between being fully alive and just existing.” – Holly Morris

“A comfort zone is a beautiful place… but nothing ever grows there.” – Anonymous

“If we wait until we are ready, we will be waiting for the rest of our life!” – Lemony Snicket

See you on a detour ;)

My most impressive site: All WHS are unique in their way... The grandeur of Angkor is sublime

My proposal for a new site: 1. Ekamra Khsetra, India (is TWHS, but should be WHS) 2. Torres Del Paine Natl Park, Chile (is TWHS, but should be WHS) 3. Atacama Desert , Chile (is TWHS, but should be WHS) 4. Postojna Cave Park, Slovenia (for WHS)

Recent Visits
  • 1
    0
    Nov. 22, 2025
    North Ethiopia Nov 2025: Lalibela
  • 1
    1
    Oct. 17, 2025
    El Savador: Chalchuapa, Joya de Ceren
  • 2
    0
    Aug. 1, 2025
    South Africa: Cape Floral Region, Fossil Hominid Sites, Pleistocene occupation sites of Klasies River, etc
Top 10 Missing
  1. Rapa Nui 4.62
  2. Galapagos Islands 4.60
  3. Pyramids (Memphis) 4.51
  4. Ancient Thebes 4.51
  5. Yellowstone 4.49
  6. Tikal National Park 4.46
  7. Bagan 4.45
  8. Uluru 4.39
  9. Persepolis 4.38
  10. Samarkand 4.37
Completed Countries

About Priyaranjan Mohapatra

Member since
January 2022
Country of Origin
India
Visits
Rank
#287
WHS
197
Tentative Sites
48
Website Participation
Reviews
1
Ratings

Ratings

World Heritage Sites
Tentative Sites
196 51
Locations
0
Zones
0
Reserved for members.

Reviews by Priyaranjan Mohapatra

Ekamra Kshetra by Stanislaw Warwas

Ekamra Kshetra (On tentative list)

Ekamra Kshetra

This wonderful temple city complex. esp. after the recent cleanup by the provincial Government of Odisha ; unfolds in an array of majestic structures that one can go back 1200 …

Keep reading Priyaranj… 09/02/22