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Indian Tourism Directory --» East India Tourism --» Puri Tourism Directory

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Puri Tourism

A heaven on earth is the common description of Puri. Both the devout and the pleasure-seeker bestow such praise on the place. The world's biggest Vishnu temple dividing the skyline through a host of smaller temples overlooking Puri's wide, sprawling, clean, sunny, buoyant, and vibrant beach, which too is one of world's finest of its kind are its chief attractions. Puri is also famous for the greatest of the temple festivals, the Rath Yatra or the Car Festival which falls in June/July.

According to tradition, Puri was originally a densely wooded hill inhabited by Sabaras, a pre-Aryan and pre-Dravidian tribe. Chodaganga Dev, the illustrious ruler of the Ganga dynasty, built the present Jagannath Temple in the twelfth century A.D. Kapilendra Dev, Purusottam Dev and Prataprudra Dev, all rulers of the Surya dynasty, left their distinctive marks on the history, art and culture of Puri. Jagannath worship flourished even during the Moghul and Maratha periods.

The sunny beach at Puri is one of the finest in the world. Watching the sunrise in a symphony of colours is a wonderful experience. It is one of the most popular sea-side resorts where visitors from any part of the globe can comfortably relax.

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Places of Interest

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Jagannath Temple
The temple of Lord Jagannath ('Lord of the Universe') at Puri is one of the most sacred pilgrimage spots in India, one of the four abodes (dhamas) of the divine that lie on the four directions of the compass. The present temple structure was built in the twelfth century by the Ganga king, Chodagangadeva, replacing an earlier structure which probably dated to the tenth century.

Long before one reaches Puri, the 214 feet spire of the temple can be seen towering over the countryside. This visual dominance is symbolic of the influence which the temple commands over almost every aspect of life in Puri. The huge temple compound, each side of which measures 650 feet, is surmounted with a 20 foot wall.

Within the compound is a city, or, more accurately, a universe unto itself. With 6000 direct temple servitors, a temple kitchen which feeds 10,000 people daily and a central deity who has become the focus of religious life throughout Orissa, the Jagannath temple is truly an institution unique in the world.