Place:- Puri
Hotel Booked:- Puri
How to Reach: Puri is well connected by railways. Bhubaneswar is the nearest airport.
Place to Visit:
Day-1,Morning
Jagannath Temple: It is quite evident that your first destination during the Puri trip would be the Puri Jagannath Temple. While the temple remains flooded with devotees during the Rath Yatra, it is not necessarily one of the tourist places in Puri meant solely for the religious minded travelers. The temple gives a fascinating insight into India’s ancient temple architecture. Built back in the 11th century by the king of Kalinga, Chodaganga, this is the most revered Lord Jagannath temple in the world. This huge temple is decorated with intricate carvings throughout and has a mammoth 20 feet wall. There are more than 120 smaller shrines inside the temple’s complex. Puri Jagannath temple has one of the largest kitchens in the world and this space is needed to cook 56 different dishes (as a part of the Mahaprashad) every day! The dishes are not only cooked for the Lord, this Prashad can be booked by thousands of devotees. While millions of devotees would be visiting the Puri Jagannath temple during Rath Yatra festivities, even on an average day the temple is thronged by more than 2000 devotees!
- Timings: 5 AM – 11 PM
- Tip: The Prashad offered to Lord Jagannath can be booked from the Temple Trust’s office in the early hours of the morning. The earlier you visit, the better it would be!
Raghurajpur Craft Village: A mere twenty minute drive from Puri and I am ushered into a world of paint and colour in a small hamlet located barely 15 kms from Puri. Along the route you will come across groves of coconut, palm, mango and jack fruit apart from a view of rural Orissa.A Crafts Village , Raghurajpur is home to over 100 craftsmen who have been creating and preserving the 900 year old craft of patachitra, which literally means scroll paintings on cloth. Once you reach the village, you would be welcomed by 100 homes of artisans. The houses might be small but they are beautifully decorated with mural paintings. All the ancient arts and crafts of Orissa, including the 900 year old Patachitra, are practiced in this village. You can watch the artisans at work, talk to them and learn a few tricks from them. Patachitra is the real show stealer among the crafts items on display at Raghurajpur Crafts Village. This ancient craft form depicts mythological stories which are drawn so precisely that they are no less than visual depictions!
- Timings: 8 AM – 6 PM
- Tip: These artisans have been preserving the local art since ages and it’s only wise to support them by buying a few pieces of their work from the village.
Puri Beach: Reach before sun set: There are 3 main beaches in Puri, Swrgadwar beach – this is the oldest beach area with fully crowded; Light House Beach – this is just next to the Puri light house, long stretch of sand and very good for bath, but now days it’s quite crowded. Golden Beach – this is the new beach area and less crowded, also good for bath.
Known for its gigantic waves, Puri beach is one of the most appealing reasons for tourists to head to this ever bustling town. Right after you have shopped to your heart’s fill, you can head to the beach for a bath. As mentioned before, Puri beach is characterized by gigantic waves and a slope at the beach (which can get quite steep. The beach is a lively place to be at, where you can either take a bath in the waters or relax at the shores watching different people doing myriad things. Puri beach is also the best destination to end your first day’s sightseeing, with a mesmerizing sunset view.
- Trivia: During the months of November-December, Puri Beach Festival is organized. The festival features brilliant sand arts by the famous artist, Padma Shri Sudarshan Pattnaik.
- Tip: As mentioned there is a steep slope at the Puri beach, so be careful while you take a bath.
Day 2
You can go for the local sight seen covering below mentioned plces. AC/ NON AC buses are available that can be booked previous day. Taxi can be also booked but record the whole conversation and keep it handy so that it can be used if there is any dispute at the end.
Konark Sun Temple: Konark Sun Temple, located 35 KM away from Puri, is a not-to-miss attraction near Puri. This 13th century temple is known for its unique shape. The temple’s architecture resembles the chariot ridden by the Sun god. The chariot is driven by seven horses and has twelve intricately carved wheels on its sides. The walls of this temple are beautified with carvings depicting scenes from Hindu mythology, plants, flowers, animals, etc. Each year during February, the temple witnesses a cultural extravaganza when the Konark Dance Festival is organized at the temple premises.
- Timings: 6 AM – 8 PM
- Tip: Leave for Konark early in the morning to experience the rays of the sun falling directly on this beautiful structure.
Lingaraj temple:This is a very old and famous temple is Odisha.
Dhabalgiri: this place is for peace and clam, as it’s a Buddhas pagoda. A very well known place and pure white structure, must visit it
Nandan Kanan – this is a very famous zoo in India. Some sources are claiming, this is the best zoo in India. I love this place, this is very famous for his royal Bengal tiger and white tiger. Bags or food items are not allowed inside, but you can take your water bottle with you. Food joints are available inside of this park with limited food option. Request you to, please behave like a human here and not to tease any animal.
Evening: View the amazing sunset at Chilka Lake
Chilka Lake, one of the largest brackish water lagoons in the world, is a famous Orissa tourism destination. And the sunset cruise on the Chilka Lake is the perfect way to pull curtains on your 2 day trip to Puri. Cruises on the lake are available from the jetty at Satpada village. The waters turn into numerous shades of red during the sunset hours and it’s not just a delight to the eyes but also to the mind. If you are lucky, you might even spot some Dolphins during your cruise! Boats take you to the Rajhans Island, where you can spot a lagoon on one side and the Bay of Bengal on the other. It’s a sight to behold and you must not miss out on this experience.
- Timings: 6 AM – 7 PM
- Cruise Costs: INR 80-250 (depending on the distance covered)
- Tip: Chilka Lake is quite famous for its pearls. So, if you can identify the true pearls then go ahead and purchase some pearls here.
Note:-
Famous:-
Place to Stay:-
Best Time to Visit:- Winter months – October to February – are best time to visit as temperatures will be bearable. Summers will be very hot and humid.
Eat:- Khaja,
Purchase:-
Do:-
Next:- Go back to home
