Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary is a marine wildlife sanctuary located in

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

and is a very popular tourist attraction of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is the world's largest nesting beach for Olive Ridley Turtles. It extends from

Dhamra River Dhamara is a joint stream in Odisha that is formed by the confluence of the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers south of the town of Chandabali. It lies in the Bhadrak district and empties into the Bay of Bengal. To the north of its mouth is the Dhamr ...

mouth in the north to

Brahmani Brahmani (Sanskrit: ब्रह्माणी, IAST: Brahmāṇī) or Brahmi (Sanskrit: ब्राह्मी, IAST: Brāhmī), is one of the seven Hindu mother goddesses known as Sapta Matrikas. She is a form of Saraswati and is considered ...

river mouth in the south. It is very famous for its nesting beach for

olive ridley sea turtle The olive ridley sea turtle (''Lepidochelys olivacea''), also known commonly as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. The species is the second-smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in th ...

s. It is one of the world's most important nesting beaches for turtles.

References

{{Protected areas of Odisha Marine sanctuaries Wildlife sanctuaries in Odisha Protected areas established in 1997 1997 establishments in Orissa