Puri is a beach city considered one of the four major pilgrim centers for the pious Hindus. Situated in Orissa, this city is mainly famous for its long stretch of beach and Lord Jagannath Temple. Every year millions of devotees visit this holy place season in and season out. A larger number of tourists from all over the globe flock to Puri during Rath Yatra. This festival is organized annually during monsoon season
Before visiting this beautiful city, the first thing to remember is all about advanced reservation of a hotel in Puri. Golden sand, blue waves and a host of sightseeing spots are the major attractions of the city. Visiting Puri is a pleasure in itself. The sea in Puri is shallow for about a mile. Huge waves come smiting upon the beach and that makes the place ideal for surf riding. Here are a few most visited and popular tourist spots in Puri:
Jagannath Temple: The temple is a big draw for the religious Hindus. This towering structure is 65 fit in height and features delicacy and richness in architectural style resembling the Kalinga art. The temple was built in 12th century during Chodaganga Deva’s reign. In addition to main temple, there are smaller shrines including Vishnu and Lakshmi, Vimala and they are worth a visit.
Gundicha Ghar: Puri is a place where there are more to only Jagannath Temple and a long stretch of beach. Nicknamed as Garden House, it is nestled near the main temple. During Rath Yatra or ‘Car Festival’, Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are carried to this small sanctum amidst pompous possession and great enthusiasm. If you stay in a sea-facing hotel in Puri, you could see the grandeur of possession and feel the spirit of celebration from your balcony or even room.
Sakshi Gopal: This delicately decorated temple is located nearly 25 km away from Puri and houses a life-size image of Gopal (child Krishna). In accordance with Hindu mythology, once Lord Krishna – during his childhood days – came here from Vrindavan to witness quarrel between two Brahmins. But he was so much in love with this striking place that he decided to stay here.
Athamala Bridge: It is an engineering spectacle. The bridge is 85 meter in length. This 13th century structure was built over Madupur stream.
According to tradition, this Orissa city was a thickly wooded hill and the Subaras (Pre-Dravidian and Pre-Aryan tribes) were the original inhabitants. There are several places of travel attractions around the city, with Konark Temple being the most deserving mention. Konark is mostly famous for Black Pagoda or Sun Temple. This temple is an amazing structure and the architectural wonder was dated back to 13th century.
The entire temple is designed in the form of a chariot carrying Sun God. Many a hotel in Puri offers help of a professional tour guide for their guests. The tour guide is fluent in different languages including English and also in possession of profound knowledge of history, geography and other aspects of Puri. This city is also a photographer’s delight with its strenuously designed temples, shining sea beach and rolling waves. You can make your trip more funny and fascinating by staying in a lovely Puri Hotel.