puri distirct
http://orissaonline.in/TouristPlaces/Places/puri.asp http://www.purionline.com/
Puri, the holy city of Orissa has a remarkable value in the field of Art, Architecture, Literature, religion and tradition. Puri is the seat of Lord Jagannath, the Lord of Universe. This place is an important religious centre for hindus. The sanctity of the place is well known to all the pilgrims of the world. The town being situated on the sea beach of the Bay of Bengal. Puri has a very long, broad sand beach. The sea produces very big waves here. It attracts many national and international tourists because of its beautiful long beach and world famous Jagannath Temple. The place to start a pilgrimage is here and Puri is a pilgrim's destination too. There are many ashrams and sacred temples in Puri.
konark temple in puri
Konark (
Oriya:
କୋଣାର୍କ)(
Sanskrit:
कोणार्क) is a small town in Puri district of the state of
Orissa,
India, on the
Bay of Bengal, sixty-five kilometres from
Bhubaneswar. It is the site of the 13th-century
Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda), built in black
granite by
King Narasimhadeva-I (AD 1236-1264) of the
Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is a
World Heritage Site. It takes the form of the
chariot of
Surya (Arka), the sun god, and is heavily decorated with stone carving. The entire complex was designed in the form of a huge chariot drawn by seven spirited horses on twelve pairs of exquisitely decorated wheels. The entrance is guarded by two lions, which are each shown crushing a war elephant. Each elephant in turn lies on top of a human body. The temple symbolises the majestic stride of the Sun god. At the entrance of the temple is a
Nata Mandir. This is where the temple dancers used to perform dances in homage to the Sun god. All around the temple, there are various floral and geometric patterns. There are also human, divine and semi-divine figures in sensuous poses.
he poses contains couples in various amorous poses, and are derived from the
Kama Sutra. The temple is now partly in ruins, and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun Temple Museum, which is run by the
Archaeological Survey of India. The poet
Rabindranath Tagore wrote of Konark: "here the language of stone surpasses the language of man." Konark is also home to an annual dance festival, held every December, devoted to classical Indian dance forms, including the traditional classical dance of Orissa,
odissi.
chilika lake is wearing grooming custom in winter
Spread over an area of 1,100-sq-km, the glorious stretch of the Chilika is Asia's largest brackish water lake. Home to thousands of colourful birds throughout the year, it is particularly noisy with the din of the raucous influx of migratory birds who descend on it from as far off as Siberia in winter.
http://orissaonline.in/TouristPlaces/Places/Bhubaneswar.asp
BHUBANESWAR
Rajarani Temple
This 11th century temple has a special significance in its architectural style. It has striking spire decorated with miniature replicas of it. The temple is noted for sculptures of dikpals (the guardians of the eight cardinal directions) perched on lotus flowers. Of these, Agni, the God of Fire,
Varuna, God of Ocean, seated on a crocodile are particularly impressive. The tall and slender female figures are carved on the walls with high relief.
Religious Spots
Lingaraj Temple |
Lingaraj Temple
The Lingaraj temple is an 11th century monument and one of the outstanding specimens of
Orissa style of temple building. It represents true Oriya style, where both sculpture and architecture have evolved in perfect harmony. The main deity here is Lord Shiva known as Tri bhubaneswar from which the city takes its name.
The temple rises to a height of 55-m with dramatic vertical ribs. It is decorated with figures of females, animals and ceremonial processions in an artistic way. The temple�s large courtyard has more than 100 smaller shrines. Towards north of the temple lies Bindusagar tank with a pavilion at the middle. The main deity of the temple is brought here for a ritual bath every year.
Non-Hindus are not allowed into the inner sanctum. However, they can view it from a platform near its northern gateway. The other temples nearby are open to visitors.
Nature�s trail
Nandan Kanan Zoo
Nandan Kanan Zoo |
Nandan Kanan, the only biological park of Orissa has varieties of plants and animals, living in a state of their natural habitat. This is also a dwelling place for animals which constitute the zoo. The other part, which is the Botanical Garden, is isolated from the zoo by a narrow lake that is meant for boating.
The animals like Tigers, Lions, European Black Bears, Grey Pelican, Pythons, King Cobra, Grey Pelicans, and Gorillas create a sense of curiosity in the mind of children. The place is frequently visited by school children to see and learn about plant and animal kingdom.
Dhauli, Udaigiri Caves
Dhauli, Udaigiri and Khandagiri Caves
The twin mountain caves, Khandagiri and Udaigiri, attract people from the globe to have a peaceful meditation. These caves are believed to be built in 1st century AD. The Dhauli is a place for spiritual devotion and eternal manifestation. Here is the place where the Buddhist monks are residing to teach the theory of Jive Daya (love for animals).The Shanti Stupa at Dhauli is a fine structure, created in the year 1971 and considered to be a living shrine of Buddhism.
Similipal National Park
Similipal National Park |
Similipal National Park is one of the earliest and finest of India's fifteen Tiger reserves. The park is situated in the centre of Mayurbhanj, the northernmost district of Orissa. Situated at a distance of km from Baripada town, Similipal is an ideal habitat for tiger, leopard, elephant, sambar, deer, birds and other wild species.
The park covers a large forest area of 2750 sq. kms. Its variation in topography, climate and vegetation has supported large varieties of flora and fauna. According to survey the total population of tiger is 98, leopard is 115 and elephant is 449.
The Sanctuary remains open to visitors tentatively from 1st November to 15th June. Prior permission from
he Conservator of Forests is required.
BALASORE Beaches
Chandipur-on-sea
Chandipur-on-sea |
About 16 kms from Balasore town is Chandipur, a place famous for its calm beaches and defence research establishments. Chandipur-on-sea is one of the finest and longest beaches of the country where the sea recede nearly 4 to 5 km everyday with tide. Low budget hotels, resorts, panthanivas and tourist bungalows are available near the seafront.
Chandipur is also important for the fact that, the ITR (Interim Test Range) of Govt. of India is situated here. The place has great importance in defense research and development program.
Choumukh Beach
About 64 km from Balasore town is Choumukh, an ideal site for picnickers and nature lovers. The calm and serene atmosphere of Choumukh village and its lovely beaches attract visitors from the nearby areas. During special occasions like Christmas and New Year�s Day the site is packed with picnickers from the whole district and even from the nearby West Bengal state.
Choumukh is easily accessible from Balasore. Direct buses are available from Balasore to Baliapal. From Baliapal one has to go by taxi or auto. | | | | | | | | | | | |
