the passage of time the nearby area filled up with the reservoir water, turning the hilltop into an island. Being away from mankind, the cattle are now wild, very swift and not easily caught. Living on a hilltop with dense forest, they are larger than tame cattle, and almost all are white in color. Nearby residents attempt to capture these animals from time to time, but these hunts are rarely successful. Though descended from tame cattle, these animals provide a contrasting picture of this breed of animal returning to life in the wild. Wildlife The dam with the channel provides an ideal environment for the wildlife. The Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary is located here. Several species of migratory birds visit the reservoir during winter. Nearly 20-25 species of birds are seen in the reservoir and common among them are common pochard, red-crested pochard, great crested grebe and several others. People affected by the dam construction The main purpose of the Hirakud Dam was to check the massive floods that were affecting a large part of coastal Odisha. But, the construction of the dam greatly affected the natives of the western part of Odisha. Nearly 150,000 people were affected by the Hirakud project and nearly 22,000 families were displaced. In the original estimate, an amount of was provided for payment of compensation to the affected people. After revision, the amount was reduced to and the total compensation paid to the people was, in reality, only . A large number of families were evacuated from their hearth and homes without compensation from 1956 onwards. Stamps and notes A commemorative stamp on Hirakud Dam was released on 29 Oct 1979 by the Department of Posts, with denomination , 3,000,000 stamps issued. A hundred rupee note was issued on 26 December 1960 by RBI Governor H.V.R. Iyengar. The size of this note is . On the back side of this note there are thirteen regional languages along with an image of the Hirakud Dam and Hydro-Electric station. See also 2014 Hirakud boat disaster References http://www.hirakuddam.com/places-to-go/ External links Hirakud Dam Hirakud Dam On Wikimapia Hirakud dam of odisha Hydroelectric power stations in Odisha Dams in Odisha Dams on the Mahanadi River Geography of Odisha Economy of Odisha Buildings and structures in Sambalpur district Tourist attractions in Sambalpur Geography of Sambalpur Dams completed in 1957 1957 establishments in Orissa Ramsar sites in India 20th-century architecture in India