Visit to Puri, Konark and Bhubaneswar - Part I

Puri Temple : Singadwara  

During Christmas holiday season (2010), visited Orissa along with 25 others. It was no wonder that Orissa is often referred as the museum of India's sculptural and artistic heritage. I have no doubts after my visit that the temples and monuments of Orissa are among the most magnificent gems of religious architecture the world has ever produced. I am not sure which one impressed me the most : The magnificent Sun Temple at Konark or the majestic temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri, which is also renowned for the spectacular Rath Yatra chariot festival or the glorious temples of Bhubaneswar.

We stayed at Sidhi Mandap (Near Kedar Gauri Temple), Old Town, Bhubaneswar-2 for a period of 4 days, and visited Puri, Konark and Cuttack as per the schedule below. Bhubaneswar is well connected both by Air and Road and Rail from all major Indian cities like Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Calcutta. We opted for the train journey from Chennai to Orissa  and then hired van for the next 4 days to cover the places in Orissa. It is not advisable to bet on state bus services for your local visits as they are poor and often uncomfortable. Plenty of Auto rickshaws and taxis are there for roaming around in the city if you prefer to hop-in and out instead of engaging a vehicle for the whole day.

Golden Triangle of East India

Orissa Tour Schedule: 
22nd – On board Pondicherry-Bhubaneswar Express   from Chennai (10 P.M).
23rd – Day long train journey, reached Bhubaneswar at 8 P.M
24th – Visit Puri
25th – Visit around Bhubaneswar
26th – Visit Konark
27th – Visit Cuttack
28th – On board Coromandel Express at Bhubaneswar
(6.20 A.M)
29th – Reached Chennai at 4 A.M



Lord Jagannath

Our first place of visit was Puri. On Dec 24th morning, drove to Puri (60 Kms), and visited Lord Jagannath temple (build in 12th century). The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna. The  temple has four gates facing the east, west, south and north directions and are respectively called Lions Gate, Horse Gate, Tiger Gate and the Elephant Gate. We entered the temple though Singadwara (Lion Gate) and offered our prayers to Krishna. Then visited the numerous smaller temples and shrines which are within the temple complex. The temple of Mahalakshmi has an important role in rituals of the main temple. It is said that preparation of naivedya as offering for Jagannath is supervised by Goddess Mahalakshmi.  Two important shrines not to be missed at any cost are Narasimha and Vimala Devi. This temple is also referred as Padha gaya or as one of Shakthi Peetam. Narasimha is exactly behind Lord Jagannath and you need to climb few narrow steps to have the darshan. Also do take time to visit the Mukti Mandapa or Pillared hall on raised platforms within the temple complex meant for religious congregations. The Kanchi Ganesh Temple is dedicated to Lord Ganesh is also another notable shrine. Tradition says the King of Kanchipuram gifted the  Ganesh idol.

Puri Temple

Since we visited in the month of December, we weren't fortunate to see the Puri Rath Yatra. Orissa state comes in to a lime light in the month of June-July because of Jagannath Rath Yatra. People from all across Orrisa and from various parts of India come to take part in this auspicious occasion. It is a well know fact that Orissa  receives by nearly 8 - 10 lakh pilgrims during this famous festival.

Night View of Puri Beach

The local guide mentioned that non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple, but they can view the temple proceedings from the flat roof of the nearby  Raghunandan Library. He also added that one has to pay a small fee (Rs. 10 or Rs. 20) to climb up the roof.

Finally in the evening after  visiting to beautiful Puri beach we decided to return back to Bhubaneshwar. While you are in  the Beach, one could undertake elephant, camel or horse rides for fun.

Check out http://www.jagannatha.net/puri.html for some more information about Puri. Will post my Bhubaneswar (Part II) and Konark(Part III) experience in few days.

Note for Shoppers:

From Bhubaneswar if you travel 20 Kms towards Puri/Konark, there is a place known as Pipili. Pipili is famous for patching cloth design locally known as Chandua. Do take time for shopping in Pipili if you ever visit Bhubaneswar.