Puri, every Odias land of Devotion

NH 5 Near Rambha

NH 5 Near Bada Ghat Road in Khallikote

(Most of the Photos in the blog post are taken with my DSLR from my running car, so the quality of the shots may be little soft and hazzy at places)

For last five years we have been waiting eagerly to Visit Puri. It somehow did not happen because of busy schedules and mismatching of time between we father daughter duo, when I was free she had her school and when she was free I was busy in college. Somehow during this summer vacation my wife along with her friends (wives of my friends) planned for a two day trip to Puri and I was summoned to take leave from duty.

View of the road from inside our car

I was thrilled at the thought of going to Puri. I remember when I was studying in MKCG Medical College, Berhampur, we had some friends who were Telugu speaking, they used to visit the Tirupati temple at least once in a year on any pretext. It was a sort of challenge for us too and we made a group and decided to visit Puri at least one a year and that tradition continued well pass medical college years too but of late we were been so much entangled in the humdrums of life that we could not visit the Temple in the last more than four years. When this programme was planned I was excited, because I always felt I had some special bonding with our lord Jagannath. I never tried to pull his legs for some silly demands neither I tried to passify him with my sorrows. I thought he listened carefully to what ever I said and that was for me the most important link between him and me.

We decided that the second weekend of May we will be heading for Puri. Well in advance I requested my friend Mr Saroj Sahu to book a couple of rooms for us and he did that with much happiness. World is a good place because of good people like him, he whole heartedly welcomed us and also declared that he will take us to the temple and will look after the Prasad (Abadha) and other formalities.

Hillocks near Khurdha look like this due to removal of stones

Our friend Dr U Girija Pati was to come from Cuttack and we were to travel from Berhampur by a car. My friend Dr Ram Sahu had managed to hire a good car (a Toyota Innova) for our travels. We made a plan that we will be going to Puri on the 17th and stay there on 18th we will move to Konark and on 19th we will be coming back via Bhubaneswar where Dr Ram had some official formalities to do. On the morning of 17th we were to start our journey.

Roadside mango seller with customer

Bhubaneswar Roads look red due to Krushnachuda trees

Despite all our efforts we were delayed by a couple of hours while starting our journey from Berhampur and we started off at 11:30AM in the morning. But thankfully the driver of our car, Mr Prafulla was a great driver, he took us to Puri in less than four hours and we did not even feel how we spent the four hours in the car.
The long hot highways due to the sun was giving us views of mirage on the road and the long paths near Bada Ghat in Khallikote was a scenery worth viewing. The temperature inside the car was cool as the AC worked wonderfully and we did not sweat it out a bit. While we were passing through the National highway on the road side there were makeshift huts for selling mangoes. And people were stopping by to peek at the mangoes and buy some. That was more lucrative to us and then the Chilika Dhaba near Balugaon was yet another distraction and yet we held our feelings strong for our very own Abadha and did not stop by for some petpuja.

As we were nearing Khurda the roadside hillocks were having a faceless view and many of the hillocks had been completely or partially mined out for stone pellets. How careless we are for our own environment and what ecological imbalance we are causing to ourself. Although we can not do away with the stone pellets too because we need them for building the houses. But the way these small and medium hillocks looked was a scary scene to watch.

Dhauli Hill with the monument of peace

When we were going further the driver informed that we will be passing through Bhubaneswar although it is a long route but then it is good one and the other routes to Puri via Khurdha, Jatni and other small towns may be a difficult one and we left the decision on the Driver himself, because we were enjoying the cool air inside the car much.

As we approached Bhubaneswar the burning red Krushnachuda trees on the both side of road gave a treat to our eyes and I took some snaps too. On the left side of the road at a distance I saw the Khandagiri and Udaygiri mountains and the temples. I have not visited these places in last more than five years and wish to come back to these places in near future.

My friend Dr Girija reached Puri in the morning and checked in to the hotel and was busy visiting some of our friends at puri because we had informed that we will be reaching puri in the afternoon.

The journey from Bhubaneswar to Puri was very nice although midway there were at many places the road was closed and diverted for repair for the ensuing Nabakalebar Jatra in 2015 for which the roads are being widened and made more lanes so that more vehicles can be acommodated on the road. Then I saw the Shanti stupa the largest Buddhist monument from inside the vehicle, although I wished to drop by and take some close shots, I could not insist on it as we were getting late to Puri where the God and Abadha were both waiting for us.

The gate welcoming devotees to Puri Dham

In next one hour or less we crossed the gate welcoming us to the PURI DHAM and a sense of gratitude to the lords and devotion took up a huge space in my heart and mind. God I have made it to you. I am coming to see you and talk to you about many things. Things which I had been jotting in my mind for quite sometime. I may be different from all other earlier visits because this time, times have changed and also people. I need your blessings for not only me and my family but for everyone.

Hotel Pushpa, where we stayed

We reached our hotel by half past three. In four hours !!! How can that be possible. A journey of more than 250 KMs in four hours and unhurt and untired. We jumped out of our car and rushed to our room and there our room was clean and waiting for us. I could not take much photos of the hotel or the room because I did not wish to. But finding a hotel near the sea beach and having AC within a couple of thousand rupees per night was my tagline to My friend Saroj Sahu and he had got this hotel room for us for only 1200 per night. The room was spacious and AC was superb. In less than ten minutes the room was chillingly cold.
We got ready to visit the temple as my friend Saroj Sahu came to pick me up from the hotel and we left for the temple. We entered the temple from the West side and were checked by security personel at the entrance and then we were inside the temple and my friend Saroj Sahu was guiding us from one to the other small and big deities and was telling us stories, associated with them and soon we entered the big temple, the Shree Mandir and while holding the Garuda Stambha, I was trying to catch glimpse of Chakadola. My daughter Nyasa was very excited about all this and Saroj Babu held her on his shoulders and let her have a view of the lords from behind the Garuda Stambha. Then we entered the main temple and fortunately the crowd was thin and no one tried to push us further and we had eyefull of view of the lords and then had the opportunity to have the arti. All I asked was good will of the lords for my family, my friends, my state and country and all the people.

Our hotel room for the stay

We visited the Bimala Temple and Lakshmi temple and some more temples before we entered the much awaited Anand Bazaar to give rest to our taste buds and there we were seating on the floor while a Sevayat was serving us delicious Abadha, Ghee Rice, Ada Kanika, Mahura, Khata. Saga, Dali, and some more delicacies which we put in our stomach as fast as we could. Three families having Abadha on the floor in Anand Bazaar and paid 900 Rupees including the tips to the person who served us. I must say the Abadha was awesome. I have come to Puri many times in life but never had the chance to taste the special Abadha as ordered by my friend Mr Saroj Sahu.

After having Abadha we head towards the hotel room and took rest for sometime before we were again ready to hit the street on the beach for small time shopping and eating out. The beach road was crowded with a whole lot of people and the makeshift market on the sands of the beach was ready to lure the visitors. We were mesmerized at the variety of people we saw on the beach, there were Bengalis, Gujratis, Tamils, Telugus and much more than that. All colours, all languages speaking only about one Religion Jagannath.
On the roadside of the beach there were some shops selling fresh fish and prawn for tourists to savor the taste of sea food while enjoying the sea breeze. The other things that caught my attention was Masala Chana, Fried Fish, Khaja and some cloth stores especially near Swargadwaar. These shops were selling all types of Odisha traditional handloom products and the variety simply enthralls anyone entering the premises of any shop, the sellers in the shop are well equiped to lure you into their trap and sell you something or the other. Our families were busy too in browing sarees and other clothings while we were roaming on the beach footpath trying to taste all delicacies.

Puri beach market in the night lights

What better to chew than some chana masala on the beach

Gods of all sizes and shapes sold here for visitors

Who wants to taste some sea food fresh and raw

Colorful fabrics on show to  lure customers

You are at Puri and do not see Khaja, Impossible..

A shop selling Odishan clothes to customers

Fish, prawn and crab, what you want is all here

Baccha Party posing for a picture

Elephants of different size made from white stone

Puri beach market as seen from a distance

I parted my way to take some quick shots of wonderful art work in some shops and although I took more shots I particularly am posting these photos because they were distinct. The small to big size elephants made of stone and a shop window full of three deities of all size. I was glad I was there.

After spending some time on the beach and eating the Momos (Chinese dish) on the beach we returned to our hotel room tired for the day and there I finished my day one of the tour at Puri. I was browsing the camera for good shots as well as my mobile and was trying impatiently to update my status on facebook while my mobile internet was not helping me a bit.

Today I had the opportunity to travel from Berhampur to Puri via Bhubaneswar in four hours without trouble and pain. I saw the Lord Jagannath and other deities on the Ratnabedi. Also saw the moving deity on the Palanquin going for the Boating ride on the Narendra Puskarini. Ate stomach full of Abadha with complete satisfaction.

If you are planning to come to Puri during this time of the year be well prepared for the hot and humid environment. Do be careful of pick pockets as well as people trying to cheat you inside and outside the temple.

Description: My recent trip to Puri and the photos that I took along the way