Puri Tourism: FAQs on Puri (Odisha) (2024)
Puri is called the “Temple Town” of the state of Odisha because of the renowned temple, the Jagannath Temple, which is one of the foremost pilgrimage sites. Puri is a well-known city in the Odisha state. Puri is known for its Jagannath temple, its beach, and many other beautiful things that attract tourists from worldwide. If you are planning to visit Puri then you should be wondering about some of the general travel information about the place. So, read below to know about Puri travel info.
Puri Travel Info:
On the map, Puri is in the state of Odisha in Eastern India. It is known to be the Abode of Lord Jagannath. The ancient Markandeswar Shiva Temple and the Konark Sun Temple are some of the oldest temples and monuments that are in and near Puri. There are numerous beaches in and around Puri. There are also few wildlife sanctuaries and bird sanctuaries near Puri. Apart from all these, Puri is also known for its pristine beauty and luxurious stay places.
Who Should Visit Puri?
If you are a devotee of Lord Jagannath or if you are fond of observing great architecture and stone cravings then you should visit the Puri, Jagannath temple. In addition to this, people who keep interest in ancient temples and monuments, and who love to spend some quality time in the exotic beaches can visit Puri. It is also known that Puri has so many delicious foods like the Khichidi, Abhada, Chenna Poda, Khaja, and many more to name. So, if you are a food-lover, then you should visit Puri to try out some amazing foods.
When Is The Best Time To Visit Puri?
Puri has a pleasant climate throughout the year, except for peak summer months. If you are planning for a trip to Puri, you should visit the place during October to February. It is good to visit the place in the winter season. During this time the temperature fluctuates anywhere between 15 degrees to 27 degrees Celsius. The weather is breezy, which is ideal for people who love to go for a beach walk or sightseeing. You can also go shopping in the local bazaars of Puri without feeling exhausted during this time. Moreover, during this time the crowd of devotees is relatively less in the Lord Jagannath Temple. However, you might expect light rain showers if you are visiting the place in December or January.
You should make a note not to visit from March to May as during this time the temperature is too high and goes up to 45 degrees Celsius in Puri. However, we would mention to you that if you are willing to witness the world-famous Cart festival or Ratha Yatra in Puri, then you must visit in July.
What Is The Best Way To Reach Puri?
Puri does not have an airport, however, the nearest airport is the Bhubaneswar Airport, which is located 53 km away from Puri. You can reach Puri from Bhubaneswar via buses, trains, or private cabs. There are also trains running from different places in India to the Puri railway station.
What Languages The People of Puri Speak?
Odia is the official and the local language of Puri. However, people here also speak Hindi, English, and Bengali.
What Is Famous About Puri?
Puri is famous for its wonderful Jagannath Temple that is known to have the largest Kitchen in the world. It is also a pilgrimage site for Hindus. The beach of Puri is also famous amongst the tourists. Sambalpuri sarees, kurta, dress materials, and artifacts prepared by local artisans are some of the famous things in Puri.
What Is The Local Food Of Puri?
Khicede that is a twist of the Indian Khichdi, is a popular Odia dish that is served at the Puri Temple as a part of Maha Bhoga prepared for Lord Jagannath. This is a dish that is made from a mix of rice and lentils prepared in pure ghee.
Apart from Khicede, Abhada is another food that is severed at the Puri Temple and is a main dish from the Mahaprashad served to Lord Jagannath at the Temple. This Abhada thali is available at the Ananda Bazaar in the Puri Temple itself.
Dalma is a city-special food and is cooked as a mix of lentils and vegetables. It tastes surprisingly great. Dalma is pretty famous in almost all the hotels in Puri.
Puri is also famous for its sweet delicacies like the Malpuas, Khaja, and Chenna Poda. Malpuas are made from flour, bananas, coconut, cardamoms, milk, and fennel seeds. Khaja is something where the flour with ground sugar is made in a layered dough and then fried well at a low temperature.
Among non-vegetarian foods that are famous in Puri, are the Macha Chenncheda and Chungdi Malai. Maccha chenncheda is cooked using fish, vegetables, and chana dal, and bananas. This seafood dish tastes amazing. This is served with rice. Chungudi Malai is a mouth-watering prawn dish that has a creamier texture since coconut milk is used in this. These are some unique dishes served with basmati rice in Puri.
How Is The Usual Weather Of Puri?
Puri has a moderate tropical Savanna climate, and experiences high humidity throughout the year. The summer season months of March to May are pretty hot and humid and temperature during these months increases and goes above 40 degrees Celsius. The Puri city experiences the monsoon in June, July, August, and September and temperature during these months drop to 28 degree Celsius. Puri experiences medium rainfall in the beginning and in the later days of monsoon, heavy rainfall becomes normal here. Winter begins from December to February, during which time the temperature ranges between 10 degrees Celsius to 18 degrees Celsius
What Is The Culture Of Puri?
The culture of Puri is the Jagannath Culture, which is an amalgamation of several Indian cultures along with Vaishnavism. One can know about the culture of Puri from the various festivals that are celebrated here. Snana Yatra, Ratha Yatra, Chandan Yatra and many more to name, are some of the major festivals happening in Puri. The cultural history of the city dates back to Primordial times.
The Gala celebrations of the Puri Beach Festival are something you must witness. Odissi Dance, Medha dances, Naga Dances, Bhalunacha, Gotipua dance, Navaranga dance, and Pala Natya are included in Puri’s performing art culture. The Raghurajpur Artist Village is a village near Puri that is home to several artisan involved in a kind of unique artwork called as Pattachitra painting. Puri is also famous for the exclusive sand sculptures, and sand arts made by the renowned sand artist, Mr. Sudarshan Pattnaik, especially on the Puri Sea beach.
What About Traveling Within Puri?
For travelling within Puri you can take private buses and also the buses of OSRTC Or Odisha State Road Transport Corporation which are economical. You can also look for autorickshaw
ws, cycle rickshaws, and private cabs to travel within Puri.
What are the Places Covered in the Day-Tours of Puri?
Let us take a look at some of the places that are covered in day-tours in Puri.
• Shree Jagannath Puri Temple:
Puri is worldwide famous for the Shree Jagannath Puri Temple. This is one of the four dhams or the most sacred pilgrimage places of Hindus in India. It was constructed in the 11th century and is famous for the festival of Rath Yatra held in July. The entry to the temple is limited only to Hindus. The temple complex is really huge and has some interesting stories linked with it.
• Shree Lokanath Temple:
Shree Lokanath temple that is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is said that this is a place where Lord Shiva hid himself from Shani, under a pond. The Shiva Linga is submerged partially and the pond is teeming with fish. Here the priests are very strict, so do maintain etiquette.
• Puri Konark Marine Drive:
Puri Konark Marine Drive is the road that was renovated recently. You can see so many rivers falling into the sea in various places, from the road. Along the way there is the Ramchandi temple, which is a famous picnic spots among the locals.
• Raghurajpur Artist Village:
This is one of the most beautiful villages in the state of Odisha and is famous for its exclusive paintings and painters. This is a heritage craft village in the Puri district and is mostly known for its Pattachitra painters. Pattachitra is a unique art form, which dates back to 5 BC. It is also known for several craft works like Tussar paintings, palm leaf engravings, wooden, stone and wood cravings, and cowdung and paper mache toys and masks.
• Sun Temple, Konark:
Sun Temple of Konark, once named as Black Pagoda, was built by King Narasimha of the Eastern Ganga dynasty in the 13th century. This Sun Temple is known for its pristine beauty, legendary stories and unique Kalinga architecture. The Konark temple is located on the shores of the Bay of Bengal and signifies the glory of Sun God. The Konark temple is in the form of a chariot for the Sun God with 12 giant wheels that depicts the 12 months of a calendar, and driven by 7 horses resembling the 7 days of a week. The entire temple has got 3 sections, known as the Sanctum with several images of the Sun God. Near the main temple, Mayadevi and Vaishnava temple are also present. Konark Sun temple is included in the UNESCO as a world heritage site.
• Bhubaneswar:
One of the places that you can visit in a day tour from Puri is the Capital city of Odisha, i.e. Bhubaneswar. The state capital, Bhubaneswar is one of the best places to visit in India. It is the smart city of India that houses several tourist places. There are a lot of ancient temples like Lingaraj temple, Parshurameshwar temple, Rajarani temple, Mukteshwar temple, Ram Mandir, and many more in Bhubaneswar. You can explore Odisha’s art works in the Handicrafts Museum of Bhubaneswar. You can also visit the Nandankanan Zoo in Bhubaneswar and enjoy awesome water rides in the water park.
• Chilika Lake:
Chilika Lake is the largest coastal lake of India and also Asia’s largest in-land salt water lagoon which is enriched with picturesque view that definitely takes you to a wonderful world. Chilika lake is a huge lake with several islands. The migratory birds vist the Nalaban forests around the Chilika Lake, all the way from regions like Siberia for nesting in the winter months. The Lake also flaunts proudly the “Bird Island” which is extremely popular amongst the tourists. The Kalijai Island in the lake is famous for the temple of Goddess Kalijai. Satapada is a place that houses the astonishing Chilika Dolphins in the natural abode.
