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Explore
Puri |
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As the state's premier temple town, Puri is swathed in an aura of
mysticism and frenetic pilgrim activity. It is the site of the famous
Jagannath temple - which soars out of the narrow packed streets and colonial
suburbs like some kind of misplaced space rocket - as well as the location of
one of India's most spectacular religious festival, the annual Rath Yatra.
Puri is engaging outside festival times too, with the fanatical devotion to the
daily needs of Lord Jagannath, and the mass of wonderfully creative commercial
celebrations of the deity, including rickshaw hoods, puppets and beedi packets.
The town emerged remarkably unscathed from the 1999 cyclone, which is all the
more incredible if you have just driven past the enviornmental devastation along
the coastal road between Puri and Konnark. Puri, town isn't particularly attractive - a mixture of pastiches of colonial buildings and new multistorey hotels - but the palm trees and lack of traffic make for a laid-back atmosphere. The traveller's scene here is relatively mellow - no techno raves or beach parties, and everything shuts down early - but is has a charm of its own and a certain timelessness. the town beach is pretty grim and becoming increasingly swallowed up by new hotels, but it's easy to cycle or walk to cleaner streches. |
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Facts and Figures |
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History |
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Until the 7th and 8th centuries, Puri was little more than a provincial outpost along the coastal trade route linking eastern India with the south. Then, its association with the Hindu reformer Shankaracharya, the town began to feature on the religious map. Shankara made Puri one of its four mathas, or centres for the practice of a radically new, and more ascetic form of Hinduism. Holy men from across the whole subcontinent came here to debate the new philosophies - a tradition carried on in the town's temple courtyards to this day. With the arrival of the Gangas at the beginning of the 12th century, this religious and political importance was further consolidated. in 1135, Anantavarman Chodaganga founded the great temple in Puri, and dedicated it to Purushottama, one of the thousand names of Vishnu - an ambitious |
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How to Reach Puri |
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Air : The nearest airport is at Bhubaneshwar (65 kms from Puri).
Road : 60 km by State Highway from Bhubaneswar. One can also approach by
road via Konark and then through the Marine Drive covering about 100 km. |
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Generally you can visit Puri at any of the year .Best time is October to April. |
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