One of the
four holiest places in India, Puri is
washed by the sea, and embraced by causarina
- fringed beaches. It is said that one
obtains 'moksha' from the cycle of birth
and rebirth, if one stays here for three
days and nights. Puri is the hallowed
seat of Lord Jagannath (Lord of the
Universe), Subhadra and Balabhadra.
One of the four holy dhams of Hinduism,
Puri is possibly one of the very few
religious sites which combines the outdoor
pleasures of sea and divine beaches
with the religious sentiments of 'darshan'.
A place, known by many
names over the centuries - Nilgiri,
Niladri, Nilachal, Purushottam, Sankhakshetra,
Srikshetra, Jagannath Dham, Jagannath
Puri - Puri is dominated by two great
forces, one created by God, and the
other by man.
Jagannath Temple
This 65 metre high
temple is one of the awesome monuments
in Puri. This 12th century temple built
by Chodaganga to commemorate the shifting
of his capital from south to central
Orissa, stands in a compound on the
Niligiri Hill. It is surrounded by 20
feet high wall within which lie several
small shrines. The rest of temple consists
of a traditional
porch,
shrine, hall of offerings and a pillared
hall of dance. What is truly wonderful
about this temple is that there has
never been any caste-discrimination
here. On one end of the road that leads
to the temple is Lord Jagannath's summer
temple with the Gundicha Mandir. It
lies within a walled garden at the end
of Grand Road, where the deity is enshrined
for a week on a simple throne. Like
the Lingaraja temple in Bhubaneshwar,
this temple too is not open for Non-Hindus
who contend themselves by viewing it
from outside it's precincts.
Gundicha
Mandir
Known as the Garden House, the smaller
sanctum, houses the deities during
the Rath Yatra. The walls enclose
a garden, in which the temple is
built. It is also known as the Aunt's
house.
Puri Beach
Perhaps the only walkable beach
on the eastern coast of India
is the Puri white sand beach.
Puri beach is characterised by
its utter simplicity, the sweets
and snacks hawkers, the wonderful
and loving people, and the widespread
white sand with the waters from
Bay of Bengal continuously washing
your
feet while you walk. Though dirty at some places because of the commercial set ups nearby, you can still have the much needed evening walks in the remaining clean stretch. A lazy walk by the sea with few sips of hot and made on the spot tea or tender coconut add up to that heavenly experience. Moreover, you can also request the local boatman for a boat ride into the sea.
Atharnala
Bridge
Atharnala bridge
also makes another site to visit
in Puri. It was built in the 13th
century over the Mandupur stream.
The bridge is situated at the
entrance of the town and is considered
to be an architectural marvel.
This massive bridge of around
85x11 metres is still in use by
the city dwellers here.
