Not to
be confused with the edible, fluffy, deep-fried wheat
bread of India, Puri is a place in the state of
Orissa
, known by many names over the
centuries - Hilgiri, Niladri, Hilachal Purushottam,
Sankhakshetra, Srikehetra, Jagannath Dham and
Jagannath Puri. Two great forces dominate puri -
Bay of Bengal and the temple of
Lord Jagannath (which contributed the word
" Juggernaut" to the English
language
).
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More about Puri
Climate
Cool breeze from the Bay
of Bengal makes the tropical weather bearable as compared to interior Orissa
. Summers from
Mar-May are hot and humid, with temperatures
rising to 39° C. The south west monsoon from
June-Oct brings the temperatures down to 28°
C. Winters from Nov-Feb are
pleasant with cold winds maintaining an
average temperature of 16° C. This is the best
time
to visit.
Language
The main language is
Oriya but one can manage with
English.
Very few cities are so dominated
by a single factor as Puri is. The people living here
are in one way or the other connected to the
temple, either by virtue of
employment or service. The
Car Festival celebrated every year attracts
thousands of pilgrims.
Puri is visited by a large number of
tourists for adventure and restful
holidays too. Important locales include the
beach at Puri, the unique Sun Temple
at Konarak and Chilika
Lake, one of the largest brackish water
lakes in India that offers an ideal resort for
birds that migrate from different
parts of the continent.
The evolution of
Odissi dance and the shell
craft of Puri speak volumes of the artistic
quality of Puri. Silver filigree,
stone and wood
carving, pattachithras / Patta
paintings (a traditional medium on which paintings of
Lord Jagannath of Puri and the
mythological characters of Radha and
Krishna are painted in a
particular style), tie and dye textiles, bamboo
basketry, brass and bell metal work, horn
work, colorful applique worked home decorations and
many other famous handicrafts of Orissa can
be selected as souvenirs from the local markets.
Places of interest in and around Puri
include The Temple of
Lord Jagannath, Balighai beach, Brahmagiri shrine,
Satyabadi or Sakshigopal shrine,
Baliharachandi temple, Satapara (a nature retreat on
Lake Chilka) and Raghurajpur
(an artistic village boasting not only of
pattachitras and
talapattachitras but also of being
the native place of Guru kelucharan
Mohapatra, the famed Odissi
dancer
).
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