Bhubaneswar

Orissa has plenty to offer to the visitors as the state is home to numerous sites of tourist interest. Amongst others, the Holy Places in Orissa are major attraction for the travelers. Apart from general tourists, many devotees also come to these Orissa Holy Places for pilgrimage.

Temples of Orissa attract many from every nook and corner of the world. In fact, the temples in the Bhubaneswar-Konark-Puri region remain choc-a-block round the year. Apart from this Golden triangle of the state that comprises of Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark, Orissa is also home to hundreds of lesser known temples. Orissa's temple architecture takes pride in its magnetic appeal that lies in its indigenous glory.

When one embarks on a journey to the Holy Places in Orissa, India, the temples of the state that exhibit a majestic grandeur can't be missed. An Orissan temple (deul) generally consists of a sanctum, one or more than one front porches (jagamohana) usually having pyramidal roofs, a hall of offerings (bhog mandir) and a dancing hall (nata mandir). The Lingaraj temple at Bhubaneswar is a visual treat with its 150 foot high deul whereas the Janannath Temple at Puri is almost 200 feet high, thereby dominating the skyline of the town. The Sun Temple at Konark is another place worth a visit which stands tall as a masterpiece of the Orissan architecture.

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Puri : 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
Even before one enters Puri, this 65-metre high temple makes its presence felt. The 12th century temple built by Chodaganga, to commemorate the shifting of his capital from South to Central Orissa, stands in a compound on the Nilgiri Hill, and is surrounded by a 20 foot high wall, within which lie several smaller shrines. A traditional porch, shrine, hall of offerings and a pillared hall of dance, form the rest of this temple. The remarkable thing about this temple, since its early beginnings, is that there has been no discrimination, ever, between castes. To one end of the road, that leads to the temple is Gundicha Mandir, Lord Jagannath's summer temple, within a walled garden at the far end of Grand Road, where the deity is enshrined for a week, on a simple throne. Like the Lingaraja in Bhubaneswar, Puri's Jagannath is not open for non - Hindus, who must contend themselves, from viewing it from a vantage point, outside its precincts.

Ananda Bazar : Ananda Bazar the largest food market in the world.

Gundicha Mandir : Gundicha Mandir the Garden House, the smaller sanctum, that 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 : Puri Beach sunrise and sunset on the seas of Puri are awesome spectacles, and visitors can ride the waves in catamarans. The beaches are ideal for sunbathing.

Balighai Beach : Balighai Beach 8 kms from Puri, is Balighai Beach, at the mouth of the river Nuanai, a popular picnic spot, fringed by lovely causarina trees.