Start Your Char Dham Yatra From Puri

[Vinod kardam]

Be it a beach holiday or a strong religious vacation, Puri offers it all. This winter, visit Puri and fetch blessing from Sri Jagannath. The article describes Puri and its attractions.

Puri located on the east coast of India. It is a municipality city of Odisha. Puri is now known worldwide for the great Ratha Yatra. The city is one of the auspicious and sacred Char dhams of India. Lord Jagannath is referred as the Lord of Universe. So, the auspicious air welcomes you to the land of Lord of Universe.

Konark, Bhubaneshwar and Puri displays the fine culture, art and architecture of the past. Well-maintained architectures portray mythological and ancient tales from history. Puri's main fame to claim is the Sri Jagannath Shrine. Every year large devotees across the country visit this important place which is believed to be the final resting place of Lord Vishnu. Besides, general tourists, researchers and foreign tourists are frequented around the year. So, there is no shortage of hotels in Puri. Now, the city is well-developed and it can accommodate a large number of visitors at the same time. It is a year-round destination if you can beat the summer heat. During the time of Rath Yatra, it is always better to book all accommodations prior to the visit. If you want to experience a cool, serene and hassle free Darshan (worship) of the Lord, then winter is the apt time.

Start your journey from the Jagannath Temple. With an awesome grandeur, the Jagannath temple stands on a raised platforms. Puri, Jagannath temple is built in Orissa style and it wings to a height of 65 m dominating the landscape around. This magnificent structure houses Lord Jagannath, brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra. The chariot festival each year is celebrated during June-July is a grand celebration and the deities are taken out of the temple on individual highly well-decorated chariots. It is believed attending the Rath Yatra and pulling the rope of the chariots wash away all the sin. Swargadwar to the south of the temple literally means the gateway to heaven is a stretch of sea where a dip is said to open the gate of heaven for you.

Once a golden, clean sea, Puri beach is now a crowded one. Few of the hotels are also located here. Famous for giant waves and several shops near the sea beach makes the area a lively place to spend a fun-filled time. After relishing the view of beach make your time for visiting the very famous sundial and Konark temple. The temple here is the structural representation of the sun god Surya's chariot. India's most famous Bharman sanctuaries, the intricate carvings of Konark temple are beautifully depicted. Chandrabhaga beach, 3 km from Konark temple is a clean beach providing a different experience from Puri beach, it is a booming beach now.

Puri offers a positive vibe to the tourists. Puri is well-linked by railways with Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Tirupati, Ahmedabad and etc. It is a terminus on the East Coast Railways and thus have direct access to many other railway stations. The railway station is about 1 km north of the city. For detail about trains check IRCTC train enquiry. Bus stand is near Gundicha temple which provide access to Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack and other places of the state. Cycle-rickshaws and autos are available throughout the city.