Puri (population of 157,610), is a Hindu pilgrimage as well as beautiful sea-beach city situated about 60 KM (37 Miles) south of the state capital Bhubaneswar and on the eastern coast of India. It is also known as JagannathPuri after the Jagannath Temple (built in the late 11th century). Puri is a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages of the Hindus. It is considered that a pilgrimage of the temples of India is not complete without making the journey to Puri. It is the only shrine in India, where Radha, along-with Lakshmi, Durga, Sati, Parvati, Shakti abodes with Krishna, also known as Jagannath.

The sea beach is very popular amongst the tourists who can enjoy both the nature as well as visit to the temple. It positioned in a unique place so that both sunset and sunrise can be viewed from the beach. There are lots of hotels and eateries facing the sea beach and the visitors can spend entire day on the beach in front of the hotel. At Puri, it is customary to take bath in sea at Swargadwar which is a sacred place. Sree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had his first bath at Swargadwar and it is in this Neelachal (Puri) that the Great Lord had passed into his heavenly abode.

The name of Puri, the holy land of Lord Jagannath, has been mentioned in Puranas as Srikshetra, Shankhakshetra, Neelāchala, Neelādri, Purusottama Dhāma, Purusottama Kshetra, Purusottama Puri and Jagannath Puri. In Sanskrit language, the word "Puri" means 'town' or 'city'. It is presumed that Puri is a shortened name for Jagannath Puri or Purusottama Puri. In some records of the British era, the word 'Jagannath' was used for Puri. Before the Aryans cane to this area, the forest lands of modern Puri was inhabited by the Sabars. In that time the name of Puri was Dantapurah which means the place of tooth (Danta). It is believed that the canine tooth of the Buddha was kept in a temple. The Dantotsav (Festival of Tooth) of the Buddha used to be celebrated with a convoy of 3 chariots. In 1135 AD, Anantabarman built the Chodaganga Temple with Purushottama as its deity. During the rule of Gajapati Kings, the deity Purushottama (the best male) undergoing a change of name become Jagannath (the Lord of the Universe). Both are the name of Lord Vishnu.

Religious importance:

Puri is also famous for its annual “Ratha Yatra” or "Festival of Chariots", when the deities Sri Sri Jagannathdeb, Balabhadra, and Subhadra, are brought out of the temple, and placed in a chariot procession. This festival occurs in the month of July. It is a spectacular gathering of devotees.

The Govardhana Matha, one of the four cardinal institutions established by Adi Shankaracharya, is situated in Puri. The other Mathas are at Sringeri, Dwaraka and Jyotirmath.

The town is famous for its many Mathas (Monasteries of the various Hindu sects). It also houses the relics of many Hindu figures as traditionally it is seen as a holy place to die in or to be cremated. As a result, it has had a disproportionate number of widows. In 1903, Sri Yukteswar had established an ashram in the sea-side town of Puri, naming it "Kararashram". From two ashrams, Yukteswar taught students, and began an organization named "Sadhu Sabha”.

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, founder of 64 Sri Gaudiya Maths performed the final past-times of his life in Puri.

How to reach:

The nearest rail station is Puri rail station on the branch line from Khurda Road Jn. on Howrah Chennai rail route. Daily train services are available from Howrah, Delhi and other major cities in India. This is a terminal station. Local taxi, Aotu rickshaw and manual rickshaws are available at the station and they may take the tourists to the hotels on the sea beach. However, it is better to avoid the assistance of the agents or touts for selection of the hotels. From Howrah it is over night journey. Even the day train Dhauli Express starts at 6 AM from Howrah and reaches Puri in the afternoon. Usually, the hotel check-in time is 7 AM so that the in bound tourists are not inconvenienced to get the room.

The nearest airport is at Bhubaneswar which is connected to all major airports in India.

By road, Bhubaneswar is 1 hour drive from Puri. The beach side road connects Konark as well as Satpada on the bank of Chilika Lake.

Culture & Heritage
Puri is one of the fascinating littoral districts of Orissa. The Cultural heritage of Puri with its long recorded history beginning from 3rd century B.C. attracts many tourists from all over the world. The monuments and religious sanctity, way of life of the people with their rich tradition possesses emphatically to be the cultural heart of Odisha. Puri with its adjacent areas is considered as the cultural capital of Orissa.  The District has the happy conglomerate of different religions, sects and faith in course of history, Hindu, Buddhist, Jaina, Muslim, Christian, Sikh found here in the District. The Hindu monuments of various sectors like Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism, Ganapatya, Mahabira etc. are found. Similarly Muslim Mosques, Christian Churches are also noticed here.

Traditional Fairs and Festivals
13 festivals are celebrated in a calendar year relating to Lord Jagannath are:
Car Festival (Ratha Yatra) in July
Chandan Yatra in April
Gosani Yatra in Sep/Oct.
Sahi Yatra in Mr/April for 7 days from Rama Navami
Maha Shiva Ratri in Feb/Mar.
Magha Mela in January at Konark
Boita Bandan in Oct/Nov at Konark
Harirajpur Mela in March
Jhamu Yatra Kakatapur in May
Dayana Chiri at Ghorodia in Pipli Block
Anula Navami in Nov at Sakshigopal
Makar Mela in January at Ckilika
Bali Harachandi Mela during the Raj Festival in June at Brahmagiri
Anabasar Yatra Alaranath Pitha at Bramhagiri
Siruli Mahavir Mela at Panasankranti- Siruli, Sadar Block

Other Festivals for Tourists
Konark festival - Department of Tourism - Government of Orissa - 1st week of December
Konark Music & Dance Festival - Konark Natya Mandap - February
Basant Utshav - Parampara Raghurajpur - February
Puri Beach Festival at Puri - Organised by Hotel & Restaurant Association of Orissa Bhubaneswar - November
Sriksetra Mohoshav, Puri - Organised by Srikshetra Mahoshav committee - April
Gundicha Utshav at Puri - Organised by Urreka, Puri - June
In all the festivals Odissidance folk dances from different party of the country are staged.
CULTURAL PROGRAM ON SECOND SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH:
With the objective to encourage the young artist and to display our rich performing art form, Cultural programmee for two hours, in the evening of 2nd Saturday of each month is organized at the collector's conference Hall C (Near Sea bech Police Station) Puri by District Council of culture. The majestic Odissi dance, the lucid Odissi Song and enchanting folk dances are staged in this programmes.

Monuments
The important monuments of the District are:
Jagannath Temple, Puri
Gundicha Temple, Puri
Shyamakali Temple, Puri
Siddha Mahavir Temple, Puri
Swetaganga Tank, Puri
Lokonath Temple, Puri
Jambeswar temple, Puri
Karar Ashram, Kriyayoga Teaching & Meditation Centre, Puri
Sapta Matruka images near Markandeswar tank Puri
Sun Temple, Konark
Barahi Temple, at Chourasi, in Nimapara Block.
Mangala Temple, Kakatpur
Sakhigopal Temple, at Sakhigopal
Amareswar Temple, at Amareswar, Nimapara Block
Sculpture shed at Bishnupur, Nimapara
Gramswar Temple, Terundia, Nimapara
Alarnath Temple, Brahmamgiri
Baliharachandi Temple, Brahmagiri, Block
Kunteswar Temple, Araorh, Pipil Block
Harihar Temple, near Pipil
Shiva Temple, Jagadalpur at Delang Block
Tara image at Badatara, Gop
Bayalisbati Temple, near Gop
Mohabir Temple, Siruli Sadar Block
Gopaljeeu Temple, Ganeswar Pur, Gop
The grandeur of architecture and the crafts maintop of the sculptures speak high of the cultural history of Puri District.

Excavated Archeological Sites

Kurum is 80 km away from Konark. The excavation work conducted here reveal the remains at Buddhists artifacts at 10th century AD
Manikapatana - It is in Krushnaprasad block from which the remains at mediaeval period are found.
Klkha patana on Puri Konark Marine drive road where the remains of 15th century was found.

Theatre
Anna Purna Theatre, situated at the grand road Puri, is a pioneer institution in the field of theatrical performances.

Opera
Opera is a popular mobile drama troupe is very popular in the state.

Museum

District Museum Puri: With a view to preserve and project our rich cultural heritage, the district Museum at Puri is functioning since 1997. It is one of the branch museum of Orissa state museum and managed by Govt of Orissa. Different veshas of Lord Jagannath, Sculptures of various Kinds, Patta paintings palm leaf paintings, Handicrafts of numerous varieties are displayed in this museum. It is located at the Station Road, Puri-2. There is no entry fee for visiting this museum.

Another handicraft museum is situated at Batagaon, 5 km from Puri on Puri Bhubaneswar road. It is managed by a Co-operative Society.

A museum has been established inside the Jagannath Temple which showcases history of Jagannath Temple as well as the epics such as Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Gateway to famous Sun temple (from Puri 36 km.) at Konark from Konark towards north "Kuruma" is the location of a famous Buddhist place. It is possible to walk along the beach from Puri all the way to Konark (or Konarak the name it is also known by) in order to see the Konark Sun Temple.
Bada Thakura (Lord Jagannath), Bada Danda (Grand Road), Bada Deula (Jagannath temple), Bada Raja (King of puri), Maha Prasada (cooked food from the temple), Maha Dipa (oil candle) etc. are notable persons and things in Puri.

Tota Gopinatha mandira,  Alharanatha mandir at Bramhagiri.

Jayadeba, the famous Oriya poet who has written "Gita Gobinda" in Sanskrit was born in Kenduli Sasan on the outskirts of Puri.

Sakhigopala otherwise known as Satyabadi is a very significant religious place and tourist destination of Puri district. Utkalamani Gopabandhu Dasa with his four friends set up Bakula Bana Bidyalaya here, an open air school which played pivotal role in building character of students. The school had also immensely contributed to the freedom struggle of India.

Nearby Tourist Spots

Sri Yukteswar Samadhi Temple, Karar Ashram
Konark, Sun Temple
Chandrabagha
Rama Chandi
Beleswar
Chilika
Bhubaneswar
Gopalpur Beach
Kenduli Sasan
Sakhigopala (Satyabadi)

Hotels in Puri

The tourists may contact the hotels directly at the address indicated above, where the contact details have been provided by the hotels in the above table. Alternatively, please contact your travel agent (from the list under "Travel Services" in the main menu) who deals with the concerned hotel or you may contact ArrayTours for booking. For details, please log on to www.arraytours.com or  e-mail your queries to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or  phone +91 33 24416978, +91 9433253111.

Last Updated on Sunday, 14 November 2010 20:02