Chandrabhaga Beach lies about 3 kilometres east of the Sun Temple, reached by a short road through scrub and sand dunes. It is a long, quiet stretch of open coast on the Bay of Bengal — undeveloped except for a few chai stalls — with powerful surf that makes swimming risky but the scenery dramatic. The sand is clean and the beach rarely crowded outside festival season.
The contrast with the temple is part of the appeal: after several hours surrounded by centuries of human artistry, an hour on an empty beach watching the waves is a useful rebalancing. The Chandrabhaga Mela festival in January or February transforms the place entirely — tens of thousands of pilgrims, music, and ceremonies at dawn — and if you happen to be in Odisha at that time, it's worth planning around.