Puri Things to Do

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You must have seen or experienced Herbal massage sometime or the other but this massage has a history of tradition of may be several hundred years. The masseur ( The Bariks of Baripada) in the picture is from Baripada district of Orissa. There is community of masseurs ( The Bariks) who have served the warriors, kings, queens, orthopaedic patients, rich and famous personalities in Orissa, Kolkata and all over India for generations and centuries. They are expert masseurs with some secret herbal oil which is made by themselves. They know the exact pressure points of the body, feet and apply perfect pressure on each point. When I asked him to give jolt massage on my neck, he declined and advised me never get it done as it may permanently damage my nerves around neck.( See the video).

The way he massage my foot and body I felt very rejuvenated and rerfreshed. Sea Bathing after a massage is highly recommended. The price for 40mts massage is about Rs100 to Rs. 200 on the beach but the same massage provided in the hotel would be around Rs.600/- and the masseur may get the same rate only as they are poor unorganised people.

In case you want to experience the great herbal massage near the Holiday resort or Mayfair beach resort hotel then look for Rabi Barik and experience heavenly refreshing massage. I tipped him well.

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YOU CAN TAKE ABOUT 1000 PICTURES OF THE VARIOUS MOOD OF THE TEMPLE AND YET YOU FIND THAT YOU HAVE MISSED SOME OF THE POSES. IT IS BETTER TO BE EXPLORED BY ONE' S OWN EXPERIENCE. I TOOK ABOUT 300 PICTURES TILL MY MEMORY CHIP WAS FULL.

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This spectacular chariot festival celebrated for 8 days is held at the famous Jagannath Temple at Puri (Orissa). Thousands of devotees flock to Puri during the occasion, as they believe that a glimpse of Lord Jagannath in his chariot gives salvation. Images of Lord Jagannath - the Lord of the Universe, his sister Subhadra and brother Balbhadra are taken out in a procession in three immense chariots. The main chariot is 14 meters high and 10 meters square with 16 wheels.

Thousands of devotees pull these chariots to Gundicha Mandir, a temple 3 km away. After a week, on 'Ashadha Sukla Dasami', the 10th day of the bright fortnight of Ashadha (June-July), return journey or 'Bahuda Yatra' of the deities commences in the same manner from Gundicha temple to the main temple like Rath Yatra.When two months of Ashadha fall in one year, Rath Yatra is observed as the festival of 'Nabakalebar' the old deities are buried within the temple premises ('Koilibaikuntha') and are replaced by new deities, carved out of Margosa trees for which there are set procedures. Double Ashadha occurs at intervals of 8 to 19 years. Construction of the chariots begin as early as April.

Jagannath Rath Yatra or the' chariot journey of Lord Jagannatha', observed in the month of Ashadha (June-July), is a festival that celebrates the annual visit of the God to his birthplace. The Jagannath Temple at Puri, Orissa is the venue for all celebrations. Several lakh people converge at Puri for this festival. An atmosphere of almost hysterical devotion prevails on this day and in earlier years; devotees were known to have thrown themselves under the wheels of the rath in the hope of obtaining instant salvation.


Source: OTDC/ Picture.

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Oh! I missed the early morning Sunrise. These picturs are taken at 5.30 AM the time when I get up. As I have the habit of getting up with Kolkata in mind, I missed the first 20mts of Sunrise. It's up at 5.00AM and clearly visible from your hotel room. The picture are taken from my room balcony as I did not have time.

But the best views are guaranteed if you can reach the beach exactly at 5.00AM or earlier!

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Puri Sea Beach is one of the best in India, visited by thousands everyday. An excellent weekend gateway from Kolkata. Though it is not like the beaches of Philippines or that of any European country, it is surely an under utilized beach. But there is lot of scope to improve it and have more facilities of bathing, toilets, boating and so on. This beach may not attact an European as it is highly crowded offering less facility but enjoyment is none the less.

I had been to Puri many times and have always enjoyed a lot.

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The celebrated Temple of Lord Jagannath now existent at Puri was constructed by Raja Ananta Varman Chodaganga Dev in 12th century A.D. The wooden images of Jagannath Balabhadra and Subhadra were installed in that temple. The management of the temple continued under the Hindu rulers till 1558, when the State of Orissa was conquered by the Afghan Nawab of Bengal and the temple was attacked by the Afgan General ‘Kalapahad’. Then, an independent Khurda kingdom was established by Ramachandra Deb, who assumed the management of the temple. He consecrated the temple and reinstalled the deities. Raja Mansingh, a General of the Mughal King Akbar, defeated the Afghans and annexed Orissa in to the Mughal dominion. It remained under the Mughals till 1751 A.D. Till 1760, the temple continued under the Khurda Raja, who was paying tribute to Mughals and Marhattas. Marhattas took up direct management of the temple till 1803. The Britishers annexed Orissa into British empire in 1803 and allowed Puri Raja to manage the temple. The position continued till 1947.

Recently the temple showed decay in the 1990's. The Archaeological Survey of India has undertaken renovation job of the temple for the last 12 years. Hopefully it will again look like a brand new one very soon. Please remember no leather, shoes, mobilephones, cameras allowed inside. Please leave them in safe custody before entering. One last thing, entry is only for Born Hindus!

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This huge temple, built at the end of the 12th century c.e., is dedicated to the incarnation of Vishnu as creator of the universe. The temple grounds are, unhappily, closed to non-Hindus. We non-believers can get a glimpse of the temple from the rooftop of Raghundan Library. Admission to the library is Rs 20 (about 50 US cents in 2007).

As we were about to ascend the steps to the top, the curator (or whoever he was) handed my driver/guide a long wooden stick. As we got to a landing just below the roof I discovered why. A monkey was sitting on the ledge. The moment he saw me he bared his teeth and started toward me. The moment he saw the stick he fled.

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The Sun Temple at Konark was one of my highlights whilst travelling around India. It sits in the middle of nowhere, all alone, on a flat featureless landscape near the Orissan coastline near Puri, which is about 35km away. It was built between 1253 and 1260 A.D. by the Orissan king Narasimhadeva I (1236-1264) to celebrate his military victory over the Muslims and is one of the signature temples throughout the whole of India and, because of this, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple was then sacked by the Muslim Yavana army in the 15th century. The central statue enshrined in the temple was smuggled away to Puri by priests, but the Sun Temple was badly damaged in the attack. Nature took over the destruction from there. Over the centuries, the sea receded, sand engulfed the building and salty breezes eroded the stone. It remained buried under a huge mound of sand until the early 20th century, when restoration began under the British.

Konark is very easy to get to from Puri and more details can be found on my Konark Page. More photo's can be found in one of my travelogues.