Puri
General Information
Popularly Known As Puri is
called "Sri Purusottama Dham"
or "Martya Vaikuntha", the
abode of Lord Vishnu on earth. Other
names are "Sriksetra" (best
of all sacred centers), "Purusottama
Ksetra" (the abode of the supreme
being), "Nilachal", "Nalagiri",
"Sankha Ksetra", and "Jagannatha
Dhama". Puri is about 2-km wide
and 4-km long.
Puri is one of the most important pilgrimage
centre for the Hindus. The renowned
Jagannath temple built in the 15th century
AD and crowned with Vishnu's wheel and
flag dominate the landscape at Puri.
The temple with its elaborate carvings
and mouldings are very fine examples
of Kalingan architecture.
Puri being a coastal district of Orissa,
is famous for its Historic antiquities,Religious
sanctuaries, Architectural Grandeur,
Sea-scape beauty,moderate climate.It
holds a wealth of attraction for the
visitors. It boasts of a continuous
history from the 3rd Century B.C. to
the present day and its unique monuments
like those of Lord Jagannath at Puri,
the Sun God at Konark are the famous
in the world. It has the Chilika lake,
one of the largest brackish water lakes
in India, that holds a picturesque Sea-Scape
beauty. It offers an ideal resort for
birds who migrate from different parts
of the continent. By virtue of Geographical
location, the climate of Puri is equable
through out the year.
Temples and sanctuaries , beaches and
glorious lakes, colorful ,vibrant and
the numerous festivals for every reason
and for every season that can take on
a"Jagannath-like momentum".
Puri has then all and much more for
all. Excellently connected by air, rail,
and road, Puri invites you to its hospitable
environs and promises you an experience
you will never forget. When others talk
of taking you down memory lane .
Puri will take you back to your ancient
linkages . When others talk of romancing
with the stones, her ancient architects
and sculptors will show you what it
really means. The dynamic topographical
and vegetational strength of puri have
combined to extract some of the most
stunning destinations in the district
and the visitor would do well to prepare
himself for a vacation that will not
only be a visual feast but a highly
educative and culturally pleasing in
the world .
Puri is a land of temples, examples
of a religious architechture. A synthesis
of the inherent aesthetic sense of the
Puri's people and the values of the
religious sects and cults. Exquisite
temples superb monuments, inviting beaches,
natural landscape.
Puri offers tourists the rare oppurtunity
of witnessing the colorful sunrise and
sunset on the same beach on its golden
sands. Temples and sanctuaries, golden
beaches and glorious lakes that is visually
fascinating , crafts that are colourful
and vibrant and the numerous festivals
that can take a "Juggernaut-like
" momentum. Puri has then all and
much more for you.
Festival
/ Special Event : Puri's
annual "Car Festival", the
Rath Yatra is held in the full moon
phase of the Oriya month of 'Jestho’
- June/July in the Gregorian Calendar.
Then, the town is chockfull of pilgrims
who come to celebrate the return of
the three gods to their mother’s
home, a journey through the streets
of Puri on a colossal wooden chariot/car
hand pulled by king (the erstwhile Raja
of Puri) and commoner alike. The more
secular visitors include thousands of
tourists who come to observe the procession
of the colossal Jagannath chariots.
The festival rituals begin with
Chandan Yatra, when special replicas
of the three temple deities are taken
to the Narendra Sagar, a sacred pond,
where they are rowed around in a traditional,
swan-shaped boat and anointed with sandalwood
paste (chandan) for twenty-one days.
After this the holy trio take a dip
in the tank in a ceremony known as Snana
Yatra following which they take fifteen
days to prepare for the Rath Yatra in
solitude.
Main
Sightseeing of Puri
Jagannath Temple : dedicated
to Krishna is one of the four dhams
or holy places venerated by Hindus
and mandatory pilgrimage for the devout.
This temple complex was built during
the 12th century A.D. by Anantavarman
Chodaganga as a place to offer prayers
to the God Vishnu. The main features
of the temples are its sculpted figures
from Hindu mythology and its tapering
65m high spire. The Jagmohan, the
inner sanctum has images of the black
hued Jagannath ( an incarnation of
Vishnu, the god Krishna), his brother
Balabhadra and sister Subhadra. It
is said that the prasad or the sanctified
food served at the temple is the tastiest
morsel cooked in Puri. Special
Note : The temple is strictly off
limits for non-Hindus.
Gundicha Temple :
This temple is located at the end
of Grad road (the main road) about
3-km northeast of the Jagannatha temple.
At the time of the 'Ratha-Yatra' festival,
Lord Jagannatha goes to the Gundicha
temple and stays there for one week.
After one week He returns to His original
temple. It is said that the wife of
'Indradyumna', the king who originally
established the temple of Jagannatha,
was known as "Gundicha".
The cleansing of the Gundicha temple
takes place the day before the Ratha-Yatra
festival as mentioned in "Chaitanya-Caritamrita".
Non-Hindus can walk within the
walls and see the beautiful garden,
but they are not allowed in the temple
building.
Sunny Beach of Puri :
For centuries now, the beach at Puri
has been the venue of countless pilgrims
taking the traditional purification
dip for Puri is the abode of Lord
Jagannath and considered one of the
most important Hindu pilgrimage destination.
The fine white sands of Puri beach
and the roar of the breakers rolling
in from the Bay of Bengal have fascinated
visitors throughout the ages. As it
is with all the beaches of Orissa,
overcrowding is never a problem and
the sight of holiday-makers having
entire stretches of the beach to themselves
is not uncommon. The local fishermen,
with their catamarans and wide brimmed
cane hats are welcomed by tourists
for they not only provide you with
a ride on their boats but also act
as lifeguards if you wish. And yes,they
are also expert masseurs.
Sun Temple of Konark :
This world famous sun temple of Konark
some times also spelled as 'Konarak'
or 'Konaraka' is situated on a lonely
sea shore of the Bay of Bengal and
is 20 kilometers north-east of the
holy city of Puri. Its silence brokes
only by the soft lapping of the distant
waves and the occasional roar of the
breakers. The Sun temple of Konark
should not be judged merely as an
isolated, individual monument of glory
onits own rights, like the Taj Mahal,
but should be studied also as the
grandest art-epic of an entire people,
the Oriya, the small Indian sub-race
on the east coast of India, who tried
to give shape to their national dreams
and aspirations, in ceaseless experiments
of noble buildings for a period of
over 16 years.
Konark is undoubtly the last wonderful
chapter of a long and varied national
history of creative work. But it is
the most tragic of all the monuments
of Orissa, though the grandest of
them all, like the brightest flaming
of a lamp before it dies out, presenting
to the on-lookers the saddest asemble
of beauty and bereavement, desire,
desolation, ambition and frustration
- a book in stones, of magnificent
human endeavour and defeat. This marvelous
temple deserves the title "a
poem in stone".
The temple was built by King Narasimha
Deva I (AD 1238-64) of the Eastern
Ganga dynasty, rulling over Kalinga
sometimes in the middle of the 13th
century. Today the main sanctum is
in ruins, but the Dance Hall and Audience
Hall are intact. The most amazing
fact is that the number twelve is
closely related to this temple.Twelve-hundred
massons being engaged by king for
sixteen years to complete the project.
It is said that the ambitious king
spent twelve years revenue of the
old Orissa state. There are twelve
pairs of wheels in the platform of
the chariot like temple, which are
taken as the twelve months of a year.
There is a story which tells that
a boy named as "Dharmapada"
of age 12 year, who was the son of
chief architect of Konark, jumped
from the top of the temple to save
the life of twelve-hundred workers
after setting the finial of the temple,
which the workers couldn't set.
Narasimha Deva and his planners
and architects, his master- builders
and massons, dreamt of huge horse-drawn
chariot, the processional car the
vehicle of the Sun god Surya who rode
the high heavens in it from down to
dusk, from the east to west. The black
granite of its structure, begrimed
and dimmed by the passage of ages,
earned for it the name of the Black
Pagoda from the 17th century Europian
sailors who must have seen it afar
from the sea, alone and mystery laden
in its loneliness, black in comparison
to the white brilliance of the Jagannath
temple on the sea-washed shores of
Puri, only a few miles away.
The fame of this temple as a wonderful
monument had spread so much far beyond
the limits of Orissa in the 16th century
that the great Vaishnava saint Chaitanya's
(A.D. 1486-1533) as well as Abul-Fazl,
the famous chronicler of the court
of Akbar (AD 1556-1605). He wrote-"Even
those whose judgement is critical
and who are difficult to please, stand
astonished at its sight". Nobel
Laureate Poet Rabindranath Tagore
felt that, "The language of man
here is defeated by the languageof
stone"..
Go to Top
Excursions
from Puri
Balighai (8 kms)
: This is a popular picnic
spot at the point where the River Nuanai
meets the sea. Brahmagiri with the shrine
of Alarnath and the shrine of Baliharachandi
on the solitary sand dunes near the
River Bhargavi is only 25 km away.
Satyabadi or Sakshigopal
(20 kms) : Your trip to Puri is considered
incomplete if one does not visit the
shrine of Lord Sakshigopal(Krishna)
here.
Raghurajpur (16 kms)
: This is a famous artists village in
Orissa is 16 km from Puri. Besides art
– pattachittra and talapattachittra,
this village is the hometown of Guru
Kelucharan Mahapatra, one of the most
renowned exponents of Odissi, the lyrical
classical dance genre born in the temples
of Orissa and handed down from generation
to generation in the Guru-Shishya (teacher-disciple)
tradition.
Birapratapur and Ganganarayanpur
are two traditional Brahmin villages,
situated inland amongst the coconut
palms, paddy fields, muddy lakes and
rivers. Thatched houses of baked clay
and wood, painted with gay designs,
and small temples are the main attractions
of these quaint villages that worship
Lord Vishnu..
How
to reach Puri?
By Air : The nearest
airport is Bhubaneswar at a distance
of 60 kms which is connected by major
domestic airlines.
By Rail : Good railway
network of South Eastern Railway connects
Puri with major cities of India.
By Road : Puri is at
a distance of 60 kms by main National
Highway from Bhubaneswar, the capital
city of Orissa.
