Puri is the city of Orissa which is renowned for its Jagannatha Temple/ Dham. It is almost 60 Km away from the state capital Bhubaneswar. In this post I will share the places to visit in Puri and near around attractions you should visit. Puri has the beast beach in East India.
Being a Bengali I believe, Puri is one of the most important tourist spot for us. Puri was the first place I visited with my parents when I was 6 years old. I still remember how I was amazed to see the white water with monstrous sound when we reached Puri at night. This was the first time when nature surprised me and till then I always try to find a way to give Nature that chance. I have visited Puri 4 times but never felt the same and I know if I visit next time I will enjoy the place same as the last 4 times.
How to reach Puri:
By Air:
If you are coming from outside India, the nearest International Airport is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata. However if you are domestic traveller the nearest airport is Bhubaneswar Airport (BBI) which is 53 km from Puri.
By Train/ Bus:
Puri railway station is connected to most of the east part of India, but if you don’t find any direct train to Puri from your place, you can reach Bhubaneswar and then take another train/bus/cab to Puri.
Best time to visit Puri:
As the weather of Puri is hot and humid in summer, so the best time of visit is winter. However you can also visit in Rainy season. I love the cloudy view of the Bay of Bengal but sometimes some big storms may come in the coastal area of Bay of Bengal, in that case your tour may disrupted by this.
Place to stay at Puri:
There are many luxury as well as budget hotels, guesthouses are there. You can book online from www.makemytrip.com or check the best rate at www.Trivago.com. If you are beach lover person then book hotel near to beach or you are kind of devotional person then you can book hotel near Jagannatha Temple. From the beach the temple is 2-3 Km (based on the location of the hotel) which can be easily reached by rickshaw or auto.
Read about the disappearing sea Chandipur.
Places to visit in Puri/ Puri Sightseeing:
Here are the details of top 5-6 places near and around Puri, which you shouldn’t miss. All the photos I have given are taken in my 2011 visit. The quality are not very good as that time I didn’t have DSLR. Still I am giving these photos which are part of my memory.
1. Puri Beach:
Puri beach is most attractive place. This is the best beach of Bay of Bengal. In this beach you can witness sun rise and sun set both. If you love to swim or take bath in sea, you would definitely love the experience here. However please note that the sea is very rough at high tide, so don’t go to the inside of the sea without taking the help of sea guards. (Nulia).
In the evening you can do Camel ride or horse ride along the sea shores. One World famous sand sculpture maker Mr. Sudarshan makes sand art every day and this you should not miss.
2. Jagannatha Temple:
Jagannatha Temple is one of the main attractions in Puri. The lord Jagannatha is considered as one part of lord Vishnu. All three lords Jagannatha, Balarama and Subhadra are siblings. In the month of June-July during Rathayatra, people from all over India and outside country visit this place this time. So if you want to witness Rathayatra, consider booking all your accommodation and communication in advance.
Inside the temple, mobile, purse, camera are not allowed, you have to submit it outside the temple. Every day you can taste yummy prasad/ bhog dedicated to the Gods. It is said that the quantity of the bhog made everyday is such that, it never wasted yet sufficient for all the people.
3. Konark Temple:
Almost 35 km away from Puri, the Konark Sun temple is one of the best place to visit. For visiting this place you can hire car/ auto which are easily available. Built in 13th Century, this gigantic temple looks like a chariot. The walls of the temple is carved wheels. The name of the temple came from Sun. The temple complex is very big and still renovation of the temple is going on.
The Chandrabhaga beach is 3 km from the temple complex. It is the nearest beach, however this beach is not safe to take bath or boating. There is a part of the road from Konark to Puri, where the beach is running just parallel to the road and you can see the beach. That 3-4 km is most beautiful part of the journey.
4. Nandan Kanan:
This Zoological park is almost 15 Km from Bhubaneswar and it is spread across almost 400 acre. Nandan Kanan is the first zoo in the World to breed White tiger and Melanistic tiger. This park is situated inside the forest.
The entry fee for Indians are Rs. 50 and for foreigners Rs. 100. For the kids (3-15 years) the entry fee is Rs.10. You need to spend at least 5-6 hours to see the total zoo. There are toy train, White tiger safari, Lion safari which may take even more time.
5. Chilka Lake :
Chilka Lake is the Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon. It is almost 50 Km from Puri and if you are planning to visit Chilka, it will take almost the whole day. I visited Chilka only once, the first time. The other two times, I did not get time.
There are 3-4 small islands,where you can do day trips by boats. I still remember our boat journey though I was only 6 years old girl. The boat was moving very fast and water level was reaching almost window level of the boat. I was very scared to see this. The island was very beautiful and you can see various type of birds. Even Peacocks were also there. If you have time to visit, it is worth every bit of your time.
6. Dhabal giri/ Dhauli Giri:
Dhabal giri or Dhauli giri is one of the important Buddhist pilgrimage destination near Bhubaneswar. It is surrounded by paddy fields (at least it was when we visited). Historically it is famous as the famous Kalinga war happened here. It is to be said that the nearby river Daya became full of blood when King Asoka realized his fault and became a monk.
So these are top 6 places to visit in Puri or Puri Sightseeing places. You can consider it as 3-4 days itinerary for Puri attractions.
Foods to try:
Don’t forget to try Nolen Gur (jaggery) Ice cream at Bhajahari Manna which near at Puri hotel. Also try Khaja (a special type of sweet made in Puri). If you are non-vegetarian, then you must try prawn, crab, and fish fry from road side food stalls. You can buy these raw sea foods from the road side stalls near beach at the evening and then they will fry it immediately.
If you already have visited Puri, let me know about your experiences. Pin the below images for future reference. Thanks for patience reading. Happy travelling
Further Read:
- Top 5 places for one day tour near Chennai.
- Coorg Attractions.
- Mahabalipuram Tamilnadu.
- How to handle unwanted situations in solo travel?
Amazing blog with beautiful pictures Puri is a nice place to visit the temple and the beaches are just worth going . the boat ride at chilka lake is also a great experience. the sun set point is also good.
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Thank you. I am glad you liked my content.