Reasons You Should Fall In Love with Puri!

A profile on Puri and all it has to offer.

This is a collaborative post from Cleartrip

Puri is a famous city of Odisha that is mainly known for housing the Jagannath Temple, which is a destination of numerous Hindu pilgrims. There are many other temples in and around Puri, which make this city to be a great spiritual centre. As this city lies on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, many people love to spend time on the beaches here. It is only 60 Km away from Bhubaneshwar, tourists from all over the world can reach Puri very easily.

Besides being a prime pilgrimage site, this city is also a popular destination for the honeymooners and nature-lovers. The architectural grandeur of these Puri temples also attracts many foreigners to this place. Moreover, Puri is an affordable tourist place for common people, which encourage them to choose it as their favourite destination for spending family vacations.

 

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Best time to visit Puri

The best time to visit Puri is the period between October and February, as winter season has the most pleasant climate at this place. The influence of Bay of Bengal has made the weather of Puri mildly cold and comfortable in winter, compared to other neighbouring regions. But the summer has scorching heat and uncomfortable humidity during the months of March to May; while the monsoon has heavy rainfall and damaging thunderstorms during June to September. Hence, maximum tourists prefer to visit Puri during the winters only.

 

Culture & lifestyle in Puri

Since Puri is located within Odisha, the local people of this city follow Odia culture in their regular life. Hinduism is the prime religion followed here for ages, which is proved by the presence of several renowned temples dedicated to Hindu deities. Odia is the main language spoken by the majority of the people, which resembles Bengali and Assamese languages; though a few tribal languages are spoken by the tribal communities. People of Puri are interested in various art forms, like music, dance, and painting. Traditional murals, cloth painting and appliqué works are widely practised here, leading to the creations of various attractive handicrafts. Odissi is a traditional dance that is quite famous worldwide, though many other tribal dance forms are also popular. Like many other parts of Eastern India, men wear traditional dhoti and kurta; while women are usually seen in saris. Due to the presence of Jagannath Temple, different festivals related to Lord Jagannath are celebrated enthusiastically by the common people.

 

Fall In Love with Puri 1
Jagannath Temple, Puri

 

Puri Foods That Will Blow Your Taste Buds

Rice is the staple food of Odisha, for which it is widely available in all the hotels and restaurants of Puri, as the main dish. Usually, rice is served with Dal that is specially cooked with vegetables, local vegetarian cuisines, a typical Odia fry, and seafood dish made of crabs or prawns or other sea fishes. Various chicken and mutton dishes are also served in some restaurants. Most of the dishes are traditionally cooked with coconut milk, little amount of oil, Indian spices like cumin, fenugreek and black cumin seeds.

 

local vegetarian cuisines
Local vegetarian cuisine

 

Phulpatna Restaurant in Toshali Sands Resort and Green Lane Garden Restaurant are the ideal places in Puri for tasting typical Odia dishes made of pomfrets, crabs, lobsters, prawns, oysters. Nandan on Grand Road is the best place for the vegetarians to try on Odia vegetable fries and other dishes. Lee Garden Chinese Restaurant and Wild Grass on VIP Road are the destinations for lovers of Chinese foods and Mughlai cuisines respectively. Pakhala or water-soaked rice, and Chhena Poda or sweet made of caramelized roasted cheese are two special Odia dishes available in many eateries.

 

pakhala
Pakhala

 

However, no tourist misses having Mahaprasad of Jagannath Temple at Ananda Bazaar that is distributed among the pilgrims.

 

Tourist places in Puri

  • Historical places in Puri – Daya River close to Dhauli Hills is a historical place where the famous Kalinga War was fought by Emperor Ashoka. It is proved by the presence of rock edicts that were erected by the emperor.
  • Beaches in Puri – Puri Beach on the coast of Bay of Bengal is a great attraction for all tourists, from where they view wonderful scenes of sunrise and sunset. Wonderful sand sculptures on this beach also attract the tourists. Tourists also enjoy swimming and walking on this peaceful beach. Swargadwar Beach is another famous tourist destination of Puri, lined with plenty of stalls selling local foods and handicrafts. Astaranga Beach is particularly famous for the view of memorable sunset on the backdrop of a colourful sky. Baliharachandi Beach, Balighai Beach, and Baleshwar Beach are the less crowded places with an atmosphere of serenity and beautiful landscape.

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Puri beach

 

  • Best nature and wildlife tour in Puri – Nandankanan Zoological Park is quite close to Puri and hugely popular among the nature-lovers. There is also a Botanical Garden and an Aquarium within this same complex. Tourists enjoy White Tiger Safari, Lion Safari, Bear Safari, Herbivores Safari, and Butterfly Garden, which are the most unique features of this zoo. People enjoy watching various rare kinds of animals, birds, and reptiles in this zoo.

 

nandankanan zoological park
Nandankanan Zoological Park

 

  • Spiritual places (temples) in Puri – All religious-minded tourists come to Puri mainly for visiting Shri Jagannath Temple, dedicated to Lord Jagannath with his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Subhadra Devi. The magnificent architecture of this huge temple complex also attracts many tourists. Vimla Temple is a Shakti Peetha that is dedicated to Mother Goddess within the complex of Jagannath Temple. Markandeswara Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and it is famous for its remarkable sculpture of Nataraja at the entrance and many shrines dedicated to different incarnations of Lord Shiva.

 

Narendra Pokhari or Tank is a sacred place associated with Chandan Yatra of Lord Jagannath. Mausima Temple on the Grand Road is related to Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath and it resembles a fortress with high walls and exclusive architecture. Sakshigopal Temple, Dancing Ganesh Temple, Lakshmi Temple and Lokenath Temple are few other religious places that are crowded by many pilgrims. Gundicha Temple is the alternative house of Lord Jagannath for seven days during Ratha Yatra period. Alarnatha Temple and Sonar Gouranga Temple are two pilgrimage sites related to Shri Chaitanya and dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

 

  • Museums in Puri – Sudarshan Crafts Museum is a place where tourists can see the wonderful handicrafts created by local artisans. Apart from the traditional sculptures, new artists can get excellent opportunity to display their talents in special showroom of this museum. District Museum is another lesser known tourist attraction in Puri.
  • Amusement parks in Puri – Tourists love to visit Blue Splash Water Park, which is a prime amusement park in Puri, containing seven exciting rides and slides in the water of various swimming pools. Pratyush Ocean World is another water park in Puri that resembles a small Essel World, with lush greenery, numbers of swimming pools and slides. There are rooms at a resort in this complex, which can be booked for personal and professional celebrations or meetings. Retreat Sungreen is a natural amusement park for adventurous tourists, where they can have a taste of trekking and camping in the wild. The huge mangrove forest of this place is the second largest of its kind, housing plenty of wild animals.

 

Things to buy (shopping places)

Tourists always desire to buy some local artefacts that will remind them of their memorable tours for many years. Puri is the home of various handicrafts that are made by the local people. There are plenty of shops lining Marine Drive Road, opposite Swargadwar Beach, where tourists can buy various shell studded fancy objects and wooden statues of Hindu deities. Grand Road is the prime marketplace of Puri, housing plenty of shopping malls, emporiums and stores, including Odisha State Emporium.

Tourists can buy typical Odia paintings on cloths or palm leaves called Pattachitra, stone carved idols, puppets, colourful masks, and traditional silk fabrics from this State Emporium. Tourists may also visit two villages quite close to Puri, named Raghurajpur and Pipili, which are both famous for being the hubs of various artistic handicrafts. So tourists can have the opportunity of buying various souvenirs directly from the creators, among which paper lampshades, embroidered handbags, wall hangings, wooden figurines, and toys are very popular.

 

Where to stay

Puri is a temple city of Odisha and experiences huge rush of tourists on special occasions like Ratha Yatra. Thus, there are plenty of hotels all over this city, to provide accommodation to these tourists during peak seasons. It is better for the tourists to check online and book their accommodations in the suitable hotels, prior arriving here.

There are different types of hotels in Puri, providing comfortable rooms that fit into all budgets of the common tourists. Many 3 Star and 2 Star hotels and resorts are located in Chakra Tirtha, Marine Drive, and Grand Road, where accommodation costs are really cheap. However, luxury hotels of higher price ranges are also available at Marine Drive and Grand Road, where the rooms are provided all modern amenities for the comfort of the guests. There are long lists of all these hotels available on the internet, with the room charges mentioned for each hotel. Puri Hotel booking online on Cleartrip would be a great way to go. So it is no more a headache for tourists to find comfortable accommodations for spending their vacations in Puri.

 

Cleartrip

Cleartrip is a global online travel company, headquartered in Mumbai, India. The company operates an online travel aggregator website for booking flights and train tickets, hotel reservations, and activities in India and the Middle East countries. It has offices across India, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

11 thoughts on “Reasons You Should Fall In Love with Puri!

  • March 22, 2019 at 8:50 am
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    Living in India, yet I have never thought of visiting Puri. However after going through your detailed post, I wonder why didn’t I. Nonetheless, I am convincing my husband to take a trip together. Thanks so much.

    Reply
  • March 21, 2019 at 7:53 am
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    I have never heard of Puri but is sounds like a great destination to explore! It’s perfect that you can combine some beach time together with the exploration of historical sites and wildlife adventures. As a nature lover I would love to do some safaris, especially the white tiger one. When I was in India I spent just one day on a safari tour and unfortunately I couldn’t spot any tigers! I promised myself I would go back and dedicate more days to this activity to get higher chances to spot them and Puri sounds like a great place for that!

    Reply
  • March 15, 2019 at 11:09 pm
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    This is a fantastic comprehensive guide to Puri! I love experiencing nature as much as I can on vacation so the zoological park is a great suggestion. Don’t even get me started on the food, it all looks mouthwatering and delicious, especially Pakhala — which I love!

    Reply
  • March 14, 2019 at 6:58 am
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    Puri is a beautiful city and in my opinion, has one of the most underrated beaches in India. I visited three years ago and had an amazing time over there. I’m not the biggest fan of Pakhala but overall, I loved the local food

    Reply
  • March 14, 2019 at 4:02 am
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    I’ve never thought of Odisha as a state to visit but will definitely be putting it on my list now! There’s so many things to do there and the veg food looks amazing. Do you know what are the big black things in the curry? They look like prunes but that would be a bit weird for Indian cuisine?

    Reply
  • March 12, 2019 at 8:22 am
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    I wasn’t aware that Puri has so much to offer. My idea of Puri was restricted to only it’s temples and beach. Thanks for bringing out so many things to notice, a tourist or traveler may sure take cue from it and plan well its trip.

    Reply
  • March 12, 2019 at 7:30 am
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    I’ve never heard of Puri before but it definitely sparked my interest.
    I’ve only been to Sri Lanka so far but I would love to head to India someday and try their vegetarian food and explore its numerous temples!

    Reply
  • March 12, 2019 at 3:40 am
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    This post took me home!! I hail from Cuttack and visited Puri religiously every year when I lived in India! Pakhala, Chena Poda, Crab Curry. Had some serious craving for home food after reading this post.

    Reply
  • March 11, 2019 at 9:19 pm
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    Oh wow, I’d really want to spend some time seeing the wildlife. Trying the unique cuisine would be a lot of fun too.

    Reply
  • March 11, 2019 at 9:12 pm
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    I would be interested in doing the White Tiger Safari when visiting this region. Thanks for the information on the restaurants available. Puri looks an amazing destination and one that I look forward to visiting.

    Reply
  • March 11, 2019 at 7:49 pm
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    Gorgeous temples, delicious food, and beautiful wildlife – sign me up! Thank you for recommending the best time of year to travel. We’re always careful about heat and cold as we travel with 3 toddlers. Is this a family-friendly destination?

    Reply

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