Puri and Konark (city of temples)
The Char Dham is a set of four pilgrimage sites in India. Puri (Odisha) is one of the “dham” along with Badrinath (Uttarakhand), Dwaraka (Gujarat), and Rameswaram (TamilNadu).
Puri is a city in the state of Odisha, famous for Lord Jagannath temple, one of the dham in all four dhamas.
How to reach: Nearest airport is in Bhubaneshwar, capital city of Odisha, which is 65 km. far from Puri. You can also reach by train. Puri has railway station as well.
I got married in the month of December 2015, I moved to Bhubaneswar after my marriage with my husband. We planned to visit famous Puri temple over weekend. It was a new year as well, we thought it will be nice to take blessings of “Lord Jagannath” as we had just stepped into new phase of our life.
Puri is around 65 km. from Bhubaneswar. It takes roughly 90 mins drive to reach there on any regular day. We booked a cab for a day and started for Puri at around 9 a.m. We planned to return back to Bhubaneswar on same day.
It was a nice comfortable journey as weather during this time of the year remains very pleasant in Bhubaneswar and Puri and scenic view on the way to Puri makes you feel closer to the nature.
We reached Puri by 10:30 a.m. and asked our cab driver to park vehicle in designated parking area. You need walk for around 1 km to reach the temple from Parking slot. You can take local rickshaw as well to cover that distance but we decided to walk as it was not a big distance to cover.
Puri Temple:
The Jagannath Temple is prime attraction in the city. Lord Jagannath considered as incarnation of Lord Vishnu is being worshipped along with Devi Subhadra and Elder brother Bal Bhadra. Deities of three of them are being placed in main temple on bejewelled pedestal. All three deity are made up of wood.
Temple serves prasadam which consists of Rice and Dalma that tastes delicious, Dalma is Odisha’a local cuisine which compromises of Dal and vegetables.
The Puri Temple is famous for its annual Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival, in which the three principal deities are pulled on huge and elaborately decorated temple cars.
There are certain famous beliefs about the temple. They are:
- The particular flag flows in the opposite direction to the wind’s course without any scientific background to back it up.
- Every day a priest scrambles the walls of the temple with a height equivalent to that of a 45 storey building, to change the flag top the temple dome. This ritual dates far back to the day the temple was built. The practice is done with bare hands without any protective gear.
- From every direction you look, the Chakra looks back with the same appearance. It’s like it was designed to look just the same from every direction.
- This particular area is restricted, not even a single bird is encountered above the temple dome, even an airplane could not be seen hovering above the temple. Might be because Lord Jagannath doesn’t want the view of his holy mansion to be disturbed.
- The food is never futile here. A total number of people visiting the temple varies between 2,000 to 2, 00,000 people every day. Miraculously, the Parsadam prepared every day is never wasted, not even a bite.
- Seconds, after you put the first step inside the temple from Singha Dwara entrance, the audibility to the ocean waves is entirely lost. The sound returns when you leave the temple.
- Take any place on Earth, on daytime the breeze from sea comes to land and the opposite happens in the evening. But, in Puri, the breeze has a tendency to contradict and opt for the exact opposite direction. In the daytime, the breeze blows from land to sea and the opposite in the evening happens.
- Exactly seven pots are used as vessels mounted over one another and are cooked using firewood. Enchantingly, the top most pot is cooked first, and the rest follows the same order.
- The deities are buried from every 14 to 18 years, one above another, replaced by new ones. These deities are made up of neem wood and are believe to be disintegrated on their own.
- The Rath Yatra is an annual parade in which the deities are carried outside the temple on 2 set of chariots (3 each).
After completing our darshan at temple we went to have lunch in restaurant. We figured out a restaurant near to Puri Beach which was our second destination of the trip.
Puri Beaches:
Puri beach can be considered as the second most popular place to visit in Puri after Lord Jagannath temple. Beach lovers will rejoice a lot at this place. Sunrise and Sunset are the things to watch at this beach. Specifically the view Sunrise is breathtaking and you should definitely plan your trip to experience it. For me this beach was mine first ever beach experience, I enjoyed it to the core.
You can find many peaceful spots on the beach with which are less crowded if you plan to spend calm and peaceful time on the beach.
On the beach you can find many shops where you can buy souvenirs and products which depicts Odisha culture. You will find small shops on the beach which serves tea. If you are a tea lover you should definitely give it a try to have tea on beach shore.
Konark Sun Temple:
The famous Konark Sun temple is dedicated to God Sun. It appears like high chariot with wheels and horses, made of stones. It is said that Sun is visible at morning and evening time from the main door of temple. The temple is really awesome place to feel peace surrounded by beautiful gardens.
The architecture of the temple is beautiful. You will get mesmerized by the architecture of the temple.
This temple was called the “Black Pagoda” in European sailor accounts as early as 1676 because its great tower appeared black.
The temple was declared UNESCO world heritage site in 1984.
The temple is destructed condition today. The cause of destruction is unclear and remains controversy.
Chandrabhaga Beach:
This beach is situated 3 km. east from Konark Sun temple. There are many methodological stories behind the beach.
The beach is beautiful. We enjoyed a lot there.
