Hirakud dam: Built during the 1st five year plan, ( for which the  foundation stone was laid by Sir H. Lewis, the then Governor of Orissa on 15^th March 1946)  under the supervision of Late Er .M. Visvesvaraya   completed in 1953 and inaugurated by the Prime Minister Late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on 13^th January 1957. Only 10 Kms North of Sambalpur the longest  main stream earthen dam in the world measures 24 Kms including the dikes,  stands in its lonely majesty across the great river Mahanadi. It drains an area of 1,33,090 square kilometers more then twice the area of Sri Lanka. From horizon to horizon the reservoir forms the largest artificial lake in Asia with an area of 746 Square Kilometers with a shoreline over 640 Kms. One can enjoy the sight of the mighty Hirakud dam and the fantastic expanse of water from top of the Gandhi Minar at the North and Jawahar Minar at the South. As the largest multipurpose river valley project envisaging flood control, power generation and irrigation is a real gift to the Nation all for happiness and prosperity. With successful irrigation Sambalpur is termed as the rice bowl of Orissa. Here Photography is strictly prohibited.