Located on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, the small town of Puri is one of the four most revered temple cities and pilgrimage centers of India. In addition, it is also a popular resort.
The city of Puri in India is famous for the famous Jagannatha temple, which rises above the narrow narrow streets. Tourists and pilgrims are attracted here by the opportunity to take part in one of the most picturesque annual religious celebrations - Rath Yatra. The town is also interesting on ordinary days. Tourists are amazed at the many ways the locals use to glorify the god Jagannatha: images of his face on bidi packages, rickshaw covers, making dolls. The town is small, you can get acquainted with its attractions as part of an excursion group. If there is no such desire, you can visit Puri on your own - guests are welcome in India.
Location
The city is located in the coastal region of East India, in the state of Orissa, attracting the attention of researchers, pilgrims and travelers from time immemorial. The city of Puri is located on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, 61 km from the state capital - Bubaneswar. Exact geographic coordinates: 19 ° 4753 s. w. and 85 ° 4929 c. e. According to the latest data, the population is 170.8 thousand people.
A bit of history
In this ancient Indian city, few ancient monuments have been preserved. Until the 17th century, the city of Puri in India was mentioned only as one of the settlements located on trade routes between the south and north of the country's Bengal coast.
Sands and surrounding forests belonged to the Shabarov tribe, who inhabited these lands from ancient times. With the name of Shankaracharya, who chose Puri (India) as the place for one of his monasteries (math), the heyday of the city is associated. Ananta Chhotaganga from the Gangavas dynasty in the XII century built the temple of Purushottam on this land. During the reign of the Gajpati dynasty, in the 15th century, the temple was rebuilt and turned into the temple of the Lord of the World (Jagannatha) to unite the scattered lands of the kingdom.
Today the city is one of the most revered and significant pilgrimage centers of the country.
Description of the city
The infrastructure of the city of Puri, whose photo we posted in this review, is focused on three categories of guests arriving here constantly. First of all, these are pilgrims, the second include foreigners, and the third includes vacationers from India. Similarly, the city is divided into three completely different parts.
Old city
This area is located northwest of CT Road, it is an ordinary provincial Indian town, where the decaying, and sometimes already abandoned pompous British colonial buildings with huts covered with palm leaves, narrow shopping streets and numerous tiny temples are adjacent. There are shelters, shelters and guesthouses for pilgrims. Foreigners come to this area of Puri in India infrequently. And it is completely in vain: at the bazaars and in the shops here you can buy the same goods as in the tourist areas, but much cheaper. In addition, it is very interesting to walk here along the curved narrow ancient streets.
Marin pde
In the eastern part of the city, along the coast, where Indian tourists stop, there is a crowded and noisy area with high-rise hotels, Tibetan and Kashmir shops of fake antiquities, entertainment infrastructure, travel agencies. The Marin Pde is always noisy, expensive and not very clean.
In the western part of the city along the CT Road and the coast to the fishing village there are ashrams, guesthouses, shops and restaurants. The west, the cheaper and more democratic. Here you can eat inexpensively and tasty, buy, desperately bargain, at a great price, the products of local craftsmen made of stone, wood, palm leaves, silk, rummage in the widest assortment of adivasi bracelets and rings.
Puri Attractions: Jagannatha Temple
The main temple of the city is located in its very center. It covers an area of about 40 thousand square meters, surrounded by a wall. Its height exceeds six meters. The main structure of the temple, measuring 128 x 96 meters, is located behind the wall. Historians claim that the temple was built by the king of the Ganges dynasty - Ananta Varma Chhotaganga. It consists of four structures. The main one and the highest is Viman (65.47 m), followed by Jagamohan, Bhoga Mandap and Natya Mandap (dance hall).
The crown of the temple is crowned with a bright red flag and a “wheel of dharma”. The halls of the temple, called the "mandapa", have pyramidal arches and resemble the tops of mountains. Inside the temple consists of three halls: meetings, a dance hall and an offering hall. From early morning, hundreds of believers are drawn to the temple to get to Jagannath for a greeting (darshan).
The temple annually for many centuries organizes and conducts the magnificent festival of Ratha Yatra, during which temple deities are transported along the main street of the city of Puri (India) in the lushly decorated huge chariots. Locals can visit the Jagannatha temple every day, except Sunday, from 10.00 to 12.00 hours and from 16.00 to 20.00. However, foreigners are not allowed to enter.
If you want to attend the services, you can do this from the roof of the Raghunandan library, located opposite the central gate of the temple.
Gundich Temple
Located at the northern end of Puri's main street in India. She is called Badadanda. The temple houses the Jagannatha sanctuary, for which once a year during the celebration of the Ratha Yatra, the deities Baladeva, Subhadra and Jagannatha are delivered.
Konark Sun Temple
The Temple of the Sun, Konark, is a landmark of the 13th century. It is famous for its unusual architecture. The temple was designed flawlessly and resembles a chariot in shape. It is located in the suburbs of Puri, which is easily accessible by car. The temple is decorated with unique carvings, some of them have an erotic orientation. They are very reminiscent of carvings depicting scenes from the Kamasutra in the famous Khajuraho temple complex in Madhya Pradesh.
Indradyumny Lake
It is located northeast of the Gundich temple. The lake is considered a holy place. Its width is 120.7 m and its length is about 148 m. Several small temples were built on the shores of the lake.
Lake Narendra
Located 1.21 km northeast of the Jagannath Temple. It covers an area of about 3.2 hectares. In the center of the lake there is a small island with a small temple located on it. It connects to the south shore of the lake with a bridge. In the sanctuary of the temple of Madana-Mohan in April-May, during the celebration of Chandana-Yatra (for 21 days), there is a deity Jagannatha. Every day at noon during this period, the deity, accompanied by numerous pilgrims, is transported by boat on the lake.
Lake Chilika
Nature lovers who want to watch the birds are advised to go to Lake Chilika with brackish water. It is the largest in Asia, covers an area of over a thousand square kilometers. This place attracts many birds, including several migratory species. Tourists can ride a boat here and even see one or two dolphins. Do not be surprised, some species of dolphins really live on Lake Chilika.
Shopping in Puri
The streets adjacent to the Jagannath Temple live their measured lives. True, the activity on them is more likely commercial than religious. A market is located along Puri's main street in India. Here you can buy Shivaite prayer beads, consisting of 108 beads, Ayurveda remedies, images of Jagannatha for a symbolic price.
On Krematsionnaya Street in the southern part of the city, tourists may feel dizzy from the abundance of smells of sweets, incense, spices. At the end of the street there is a cremation ground, where curious tourists with cameras are not too fond of
Puri Hotels
There are always many tourists in India. There are many hotels in the main pilgrimage and tourist center of Orissa. Despite this, in the high season, during the New Year and Ratha Yatra, it can be very difficult and quite expensive to accommodate in them. The most respectable hotels of the city are concentrated in the south-west of the coast, the cheapest - away from the coast, the most comfortable - in the northeast, near the fishing village.
If quality service and comfort are important to you, you need to choose a hotel in the Marine Drive area. The cost of living here is quite high, but always crowded and comfortable. Those wishing to stay in an inexpensive colorful hotel surrounded by interesting neighbors and sincere local residents who will greet you on the second day, as with old friends, should go to the north-east of the city.
Hotels in Marine Drive
If you decide to stay in this area - go to the lighthouse. There are several pretty decent hotels, the cost of living in which ranges from 2,000 to 10,000 rupees (1830-9150 rubles).
Gajapati
Quiet and clean hotel with a cozy courtyard and a picturesque garden. The air-conditioned rooms have balconies. In high season (December-February), you should book in advance. The hotel is located on the southern edge of the beach in a respectable area.
Panthanivas puri
Hotel of the Orissa Department of Tourism. As in most hotels of this state network, it is clean, but ... uninteresting. The staff is not too friendly with the guests. The restaurant is rather dull, but the administration strictly monitors compliance with sanitary standards. The best rooms of this hotel are on the ground floor.
Hotels in the fishing village
For those who wish to stay in the eastern part of ST-Road, experienced tourists recommend driving to the Pink House restaurant, leaving things in it and going in search of the hotel. There are a lot of them. Here is some of them.
Pink house
Pretty nice place. Cozy and clean beach houses with verandas are located on the dunes by the beach. Nearby is an open-air restaurant of the same name. The hotel attracts tourists with a pleasant atmosphere, professionalism of staff. But, unfortunately, Pink House has practically no free rooms.
Hotel derby
The hotel is located west of Pink House, on the opposite side of the sandy area. Vintage hotel offers a total of ten comfortable rooms. The building is located in a well-kept shady garden, right on the beach. The hotel has a small cozy restaurant Golden Green
Puri, India: reviews
The town is interesting to visit. However, most tourists believe that it is more suitable for a study tour with the pilgrimage of India. Rest here is of little interest. According to travelers, the noisy and not the cleanest Puri in India, whose photo is published by many publications on tourism, mainly attracts pilgrims and Indian holidaymakers. In addition, you can meet young people who are attracted by the lack of a ban on the purchase of drugs.
Meanwhile, lovers of exotic, no doubt, will find a lot of interesting things in this Indian town. Fans of excursion and beach vacations should choose another place, for example, the beaches of Goa.