Puri

Puri is one of the most venerated places of pilgrimage in India and is Lord Vishnu’s abode by the sea. Located on the coast of Bay of Bengal, the holy city is 60 km from Bhubaneswar, the capital of the state of Orissa.

Puri is also known by a number of names such as Nilgiri, Niladari, Nilachan, Jagannath Dham.

Legend

A tribal king named Viswavasu worshipped Lord Jagannath as Neela Madhab secretly in a dense forest. King Indradyumna had heard of the glory of Lord Jagannath. He sent Vidyapati, the Brahmin priest to locate the deity. Vidyapati failed in his mission and ended up marrying Viswavasu’s daughter Lalita. Vidyapati, now the son-in-law of Viswavasu, requested his father-in-law to take him to the secret place where Neela Madhab was worshipped. Viswavasu obliged his son-in-law but took enough precaution to keep the place secret. He took Vidyapati blindfolded to the secret cave. Intelligent Vidyapati outsmarted his father-in-law by dropping mustard seeds on the route to the cave. After a few days, when the seeds sprouted, Vidyapati found it easy to locate the cave by following the germinated seeds. On hearing about the success of Vidyapati’s mission, King Indradyumna set out to visit Odra Desha (Orissa) to worship the deity. By the time he reached the place, the deity had disappeared. A disappointed Indradyumna resolved to go on fast unto death till he could have an auspicious ‘darshan’ of the deity. His determination won him divine blessing. After performing a horse sacrifice and building a marvelous temple for Lord Vishnu, the king had a vision of Lord Jagannath in his dream. He heard a cosmic voice which directed him to take hold of an aromatic tree on the seashore and make deities out of it. The images of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan Chakra were made out of the wood of the tree and installed in due course.

Excepting in May and June, when the temperature in unbearably high, Puri is a pleasant place to visit round-the-year.

How to go

Visitors can reach Puri by road from important cities of India. Frequent bus services are provided from Gundicha Mandir to nearby popular tourist spots like Konark and Bhubaneswar. The wide and well-maintained roads ensure a smooth journey for the tourists.

The railway terminus of the city offers Express and super-fast train services to major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata. It is also connected with other places of pilgrimage such as Baidyanath Dham and Tirupati.

Puri is easily accessible by air. Nearest airport is located in Bhubaneswar, 60 km from Puri. Major domestic airlines like Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Sahara and Deccan provide regular air services from Mumbai, Nagpur, Kolkata, Hyderabad, New Delhi and Visakhapatnam.

Where to stay

Puri offers a wide range of stay options for all classes of tourists- starting from low-budget “Maths” run by religious institutions to high-budget deluxe hotels. In between, there are a number of guest houses with moderate charges. Most of the budget hotels are located on Beach Sea Road. However, the area being excessively crowded and noisy, it is not a congenial place for tourists looking for peaceful stay. They should instead go for hotels located in the southwest part of Puri offer a relatively noise-free environ and clean sea water.

Keeping in mind the cosmopolitan nature of the tourists, hotels cater vegetarian, non-vegetarian, Chinese and Continental items. Beside innumerable hotels and guest houses, there is an interesting array of restaurants offering special dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Places to visit

Jagannath Temple

The temple of Lord Jagannath in Puri is the tallest religious edifice in Orissa, with a height of 215 ft. 8 inches. The structure is so strong and massive, its architectural quality so high that it has withstood the natural wear and tear.

The temple, which was built in the 12 century, holds a special place in the hearts of the millions of Hindus all over India. The expression of reverence for the Lord Jagannath reaches its peak during the annual Rath Yatra (car festival) held in June-July to celebrate the Lord’s return to his kingdom on the earth. The images of Lord Jagannath, His sister Subhadra and brother Balbhadra are placed in a traditionally decorated massive chariot. Thousands of devotees drag the chariot to Gundicha Ghar, where Lord Jagannath, along with His brother and sister, stays for a week. The festival is so colorful that it attracts tourists from all communities across India and the world.

Gundicha Temple

In terms of importance, it is next to the Jagannath Temple. On the day of Ratha Yatra, the Lord and His brother and sister are driven to this home for a 7-day stay. The temple is situated at the Northern end the great avenue.

Mausi Ma Temple

This small but famous temple is located on the way to Gundicha temple. It is dedicated to the Goddess Ardhasini, who is known as Mausi Ma (mother’s sister) of Lord Jagannath.

Sankaracharya Matha

Established by Adi Sankaracharya, it is the oldest Math in Puri. The idols of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and their Vahanas Bull and Garuda are placed side by side to signify the fusion of sects of Hinduism.

Raghurajpur

Ragurajpur, a village located 16 km from Puri, is renowned for “patachitras” done by traditional craftsmen called “chitrakaras”. They also do wonderful etching works on palm leaves, which have won national and international acclaim.

Satapara

Satapara is an ideal tourist spot near the confluence of Chilika Lake and Bay of Bengal. Surrounded by Nature, the retreat offers beautiful sight and sound of playful dolphins and chirping migratory birds.

Choudwar

Choudwar was a once a capital of kingdom ruled by Keshari dynasty. The Keshari Kings built eight Siva “pithas” in the neighbourhood of Choudwar. According to mythical belief, it was once ruled by Virat, the brother-in-law of Kichaka. When the Pandavas went into hiding, they had a brief, secret stay in Choudwar.

Chhatia

Chhatia is a sacred place of pilgrimage where tourists can have a glimpse of the modern Oriya temple architecture in the shrine of Lord Jagannath. Another place of attraction is the archaeological relics of the fort Amravati-Kataka against the background of hill Dhania.

Jajpur

Jajpur is a holy place of pilgrimage where the chief attraction of the place is the temple of Sweta Varaha (Lord Vishnu’s incarnation as the white boar) and hundreds of other shrines. Another sanctified spot for the Hindus is the “Dasavamedha Ghat”, which is believed to have led to the “Vaitarani”, where the auspicious “ten horse sacrifices” were performed.

Ratnagiri Lalitgiri Udayagiri

The “hill trio” is essentially a Buddhist complex. There was a Buddhist university called “Pushpagiri”. Relics of brick pagodas, Buddhist images of high artistic value, which were excavated from the place, points to the greatest concentration of Buddhist sculpture of the post-Gupta period.

Ansupa

It is a small lake with a striking pictorial view and a haven for the migratory birds in winter. The Saranda mountain in the backdrop and the surrounding bamboo and mango groves adds a special splendor to the lake.

Dhavaleswar

A small island in the Mahanadi, the temple of Dhavaleswar is situated on a hillock. Though a new structure, sculptures of 10th / 11th century AD are found in the temple premises.

Swetaganga

It is a small tank, flanked by two temples dedicated to Sweta Madhaba and Matsya Madhaba, forming Vishnu Swargadwara, the gateway to Heaven. Hindus believe that it is the place where God had come down to consecrate the images of Jagannath Temple at the invitation of King Indradyumna.