Planning for a short trip..?? Want to visit a place that's rich in heritage and culture and also safe for solo travelers? Planning for a trip with family wherein you can cover both Temples and Beaches. Then you must know about this hidden gem in India which offers all these and even beyond. It's nothing but the glorious historical state, Odisha.
About Odisha
Odisha (formerly known as Orissa) is an Eastern Indian state with a coastline at the Bay of Bengal. This state has a rich cultural heritage, Unique Temple Architecture, and a beautiful ecosystem.
There are many famous places to see in this state. Some of them are Puri, Konark, Bhubaneswar (Capital of the State), Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur, Rourkela, etc.
I don't know why but I feel that this state is one of India's less-visited or preferred states for a trip. It's just because people aren't aware much of its beauty.
But trust me, if a person visits this place once they would definitely love it and the people. I promise you will never regret visiting this.
This state has a lot to offer. It has a glorious history. The Old gigantic temples, beautiful Beaches, Nature Camps, Tribal lifestyle, Museums, Dams, Rivers, Hills, Wildlife sanctuaries, and a lot more.
Although Orissa is considered economically poor, yet it's rich in heritage and culture.
I like the people here. They are strong, helpful, and kind. One cannot be without appreciating these people's resilience. Despite facing many natural calamities, it is their resilient nature that made their state stronger and amazed everyone out there.
Orissa is a cyclone-prone state that often gets affected. Yet people and the government be well prepared always to face it together, work together and develop their state.
It even offers help to other states during emergencies. So I have huge respect for this state beyond its beauty.
Golden Triangle of Odisha
Today I'm going to share about three places from this state which are called "Golden Triangle".
Puri - Konark - Bhubaneswar
The Top Attractions covered in this trip are:
Konark Temple, Chandrabhaga Beach, Ramchandi Temple, Puri Jagannath Temple, Markandeshwar Temple, Gundicha Mandir, Puri Beach, Chilaka Lake, Lingaraj Temple, Udaygiri and Khandagiri Caves, Nandankanan Zoo, Iskcon Bhubaneswar, Sakshi Gopal Temple and Dhauli Giri hills.
In this article, I'm going to share only a little about the places. I covered my entire trip to these three places in my other article wherein I briefly talked about everything.
From where I started, how many places you can visit in a day, and charges, food, etc. So don't forget to read that article if at all you are planning a trip to these places. #TravelItinerary. Check it out here:
So let's come to the point. Why it's called the Golden Triangle of Odisha?
I hope the above picture explains everything. I believe pictures say a lot. So I don't want to dig deep. Let's move ahead.
How to Reach Puri?
Odisha is well connected with the rest of the country. There are many flights, trains, and buses that run from most of the major cities in India to this state (Orissa) and cover almost all of its major cities and towns.
By Air: The nearest airport to Puri is Biju Patnaik Airport at Bhubaneswar, which is 60 km away from Puri.
This airport provides its flight service to all the major cities in India. From there, one can either take a cab or a local bus to reach Puri.
By Rail: Puri has its own railway station. It comes under East Coast Railway and is connected with most of the major cities and towns.
It is just 1 km North of the town. So you can reach in no time to station with the help of an auto-rickshaw.
Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Ranchi, Bihar are some of the nearest cities to this state.
By Road: You can reach Puri through buses, cabs and even on your own vehicle. One can reach this place with one of the best roads connected to most of the neighboring cities.
Best Time to Visit this State:
Since this state is a cyclone-prone area, it is better to avoid travelling during the monsoon here and during Summer, the weather is too hot here.
So the ideal time to visit this state is Winter.
Best Time: October - March
PURI:
Puri - Puri is one of the most sacred pilgrim places in India. It is also known as "ShreeKshetra". Puri is famous for the Jagannath Temple.
People here worship Lord Jagannath along with his brother Balabhadra and his sister Subhadra Devi. This temple is situated on Grand Trunk Road.
It is vast and spread over around 10 acres and its architecture just amazes.
Puri is one of the Chardham in India. Char means Four and Dham mean Temple. So Chardham comprises Four places and they are Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram.
This Chardham is different from Chota Chardham. Chota Chardham comprises four holy sites of Uttarkhand namely Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
Here the Mahaprasada offering to Lord Jagannath is exceptional. Also, don't forget to have the Prasadams at Ananda Bazaar.
The explanation about the Chardham and Mahaprasadam topics are vast. So I will not say a lot about those now. If possible, I will write about it in another blog some other time in the future.
Ratha Yatra or Chariot festival takes place once a year during June-July. People in lacs come from across the world during that time and be a part of it.
It's such a peaceful place and a must-visit on your trip. Puri is around 60kms away from Bhubaneswar, the capital city of the state.
Apart from Puri Jagannath Temple you will find many other places like Gundicha Mandir, Markandeshwar temple, Alarnath Temple, Narendra Sarovar, Sudarshan Craft Museum, Puri beach and so on.
Konark:
Konark is famous for its Sun Temple, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This temple is dedicated to Lord Surya.
The temple was positioned in such a way that it catches the first rays of the Sun and illuminates the deity of Lord Surya.
Konark is a small town in the Puri district which is also known as Black Pagoda. Konark is around 35kms away from Puri and around 65kms away from Bhubaneswar.
Many people from across the world visit this temple and observe the beautiful architecture of the temple.
Apart from the Sun Temple, the other attractions in Konark are Chandrabhaga beach, Archaeological Museum close to Sun Temple and on the way to puri, you find Ramchandi Temple.
Bhubaneswar, The Capital city of Odisha
Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha has a lot of temples and is hence known as Temple City. Some of the famous majestic temples are Lingaraj Temple, Mukteshwar Temple, Raja Rani Temple, Iskcon and so on.
Other places to visit in Bhubaneswar are Dhauli Giri, Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, Nandankanan Zoo.
Apart from Puri, Konark & Bhubaneswar, if you can spend a little more time do visit Chilika lake.
Chilika Lake:
Chilika Lake in Odisha is the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia, studded with small islands.
This lake is a paradise for Bird watchers and Nature lovers and the ideal time to visit this place would be October - March as it becomes home to many migratory birds.
As said earlier, it's the largest lake. There is no doubt about it as we can view it from the train and I witnessed it even before landing there.
Its spread over Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts, covering 1100 sq. km. This is at a distance of 40 km around from Puri and 64kms from Konark.
Conclusion:
Overall, I loved this trip and it remains special forever. It gave me Peace and a beautiful feeling. For me, Some kinda special love formed on this state.
Also, I love the way this state strives for progress. At the same time, it maintains and preserves its ecosystem well.
If you are planning to visit any of the above places, My suggestion would be to visit all the three places in one go. I hope this helps in planning your trip.
I'm so looking forward to revisiting this state and covering the rest of the places.
I hope you enjoyed reading!!
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