Puri

Overview
Puri, also called the Sri Purusottama Dham, is situated on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. This land of temples, is widely known for the outstanding Jagannath temple, beautiful sand beaches and alluring sunrises and sunsets. Nilgiri, Niladri, Nilachal, Purushottam, Jagannath Puri are some of the names by which Puri was known over the centuries.The captivating Rath Yatra, organised in June-July pulls in tourists in large numbers to this holy place. During this Yatra, Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra, and sister Subhadra are installed in the decorated wooden chariots and are taken through the streets of Puri to Gundicha Ghar, believed to be the home of Lord Krishna's aunt. It is believed auspicious to pull the ropes of this chariot.


Major Attractions
Jagannath Temple
The temple stands in the Nilgiri Hills and is an excellent masterpiece of Kalinga Architecture. Built in the 12th century the temple is 65 mtrs high and is an important landmark of Puri.

Gundicha Ghar
It is believed to be the home of Lord Krishna's aunt. A legend says that Lord Krishna stays in this Gundicha Ghar for nine days during the Rath Yatra. During the Rath Yatra, Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken on the wooden chariot from the Jagannath temple to Gundicha Ghar.

Konark Temple
20km north east of Puri lies the famous Sun temple of Konark on the sea shore of the Bay of Bengal. The temple is of great historical significance and architecture of the temple is just superb.

Atharnala Bridge
It is an excellent bridge and was constructed in the 13th century over Mandupur stream. This bridge is considered as an engineering marvel and is around 85x11mtrs.

Chilka Lake
This famous freshwater lake is located 50kms away from Puri. Covering an area of 1100sq km, it is home to diverse aquatic fauna. One can also see numerous migratory birds here in winter months. Lake, ornamented with beautiful islands must be visited.