The Ancient Pilgrimage "Puri"

Puri 

Puri is one of the ancient pilgrimage centers of India. It is located on the Orissa coast and is 60 km from Bhubaneswar. Puri is among the four sacred "Dhams" other than Dwarka, Rameswaram and Badrinath of the Hindus. The Sand art and Applique art are some of the important crafts of the city. It is one of the 12 heritage cities chosen by the Government of India for holistic development. The biggest attraction of Puri is the Jagannath Temple where devotees come to worship regularly. The famous Rath Yatra Festival is held in Puri every year.

Huge Crowd during Rath Yatra

The Rath Yatra begins on the second day of the bright fortnight in the month of Asad (June-July). This festival is held to commemorate the journey of Lord Krishna from Gokul to Mathura. It is celebrated at Puri with great pomp and gaiety. In the Rath Yatra Lord Jagannath, his sister Subhadra and brother Balbhadra are taken out in procession in three Rathas (chariots). Millions of devotees pull the ropes of the Rath.

Other than this festival the Hindus make it a point to bathe in the sacred Pancha Tirtha or the Indradyumana Tank, the Rohini Kunda, the Markandeya Tank and the Swetaganga Tank to complete their pilgrimage to Puri. These tanks have perennial sources of supply in the form of rain water and ground water. Moreover they go to the Balighai Beach of Puri to watch the sunrise and sunset as it is one of the scenic attractions of the beach. The beach is located 8 km away at the mouth of Nunai River from the town.

Pilgrimage Attractions of Puri are as follows: 

Puri Jagannath Temple

Puri Jagannath Temple: The temple of Lord Jagannath is one of the most sacred pilgrimage spots in India and one of the four Dhams of the divine that lie on the four directions of the compass. The temple commands great influence over every aspect of life in Puri. The huge temple compound is surmounted with a 20 foot wall. It is truly an institution unique in the India. 

Gundicha Mandir

Gundicha Mandir: It is located some 3-km northeast of the Jagannath temple. During the 'Ratha-Yatra' festival, Lord Jagannatha goes to the Gundicha temple and stays there for a week. After one week Lord Jagannath returns to his original temple.

Cultural activities: Apart from religiuos festivals the cultural fuctions held annually are The Puri Beach Festival held between 5 and 9 November and the Shreeksherta Utsav held from 20 December to 2 January where cultural programmes include unique sand art, display of traditional handicrafts and food festival. The Odissi dance, Odiya music and folk dance are major part of this event.