Puri combines its dual identities of a relaxed seaside resort and of an important pilgrimage centre with great ease, and the visitor will enjoy both aspects equally. Puri is one of the four holiest places in India for Hindus, and the presence of the Jagannath Temple (see Directory: Sacred Places) has dominated life there since at least the twelfth century.
Throughout the year, the temple is a pulsating center of pilgrimage. The pulsations turn to electricity each summer, when the temple statues are taken on an annual pilgrimage themselves, carried from the temple in immense 40-ft chariots, in the spectacular Rath Yatra festival. Although the temple precincts are off-limits to non-Hindus, everyone can enjoy the lively bazaar area surrounding the temple, and can peer into the temple itself from the roof of the Raghunandan Library opposite.
In addition to the bazaar area near the temple, superb shopping can be done in and around Puri by visiting the area's traditional painters and stone carvers (see Arts and Crafts Listing). The beach area has been a popular seaside resort for decades, and some of the older hotels capture the charm of bygone days.
There are also new hotels of great style and comfort, and it is quite possible to spend an entire vacation based at one of these lovely places, using Puri as a base for excursions to other parts of the state and returning to the solace of the sea in between.
Approach (Access) to Puri
Air - Bhubaneswar is the nearest airport - 60 km. Indian
Airlines offers excellent connections to Bhubaneswar from Delhi,
Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Nagpur,Hyderabad, Chennai, and Mumbai.
Rail - A terminus on the S.E. Railway having fast and superfast
train links with New Delhi, Mumbai, Guwahati , Hyderabad
,Thiruvanantapuram, Kolkata and Baidyanath Dham & etc.Puri has good
rail connections with Delhi , Kolkata, Tirupati, Okha and Ahmedabad.
Road - 60 km by State Highway from Bhubaneswar. One can also
approach by road via Konark and then through the Marine Drive covering
about 100 km.
HOW TO GET THERE
The nearest airport is Bhubaneswar , 100km. away. The Kolkata -Chennai
rail route of S.E.R. touches Chilka Lake at Balugaon , Chilka,
Khallikote and Rambha . National Highway No. 5 runs along the lake and
touches Balugaon , Barkul and Rambha. Buses and taxis are available from
Cuttack ,Bhubaneswar,Puri and Berhampur to Chilka. OTDC provides luxury
coaches and cars from Bhubaneswar and Puri.
CLIMATE
Generally you can visit Puri at any of the year .Best time is October
to April.
