Neelachal calling

Neelachal Calling

 

Best known as one of the Char Dhams or citadels of faith in India, Puri is the pilgrim resort overlooking the Bay of Bengal. Having spent my formative years and education period in Odisha, I had many opportunities to visit Puri- locally reputed as the land of Neelachal. The pilgrim resort of Puri was founded by Shankracharya and is renowned as the abode of Lord Jagannath.

 

For us, the major attractions of the pilgrim destination have been to visit the shrine of Lord Jagannath and to get immersed in the magic of sun, sea and sand at its Golden Beach.

Lord Jagannath Temple

 

Lord Jagannath Temple

 

For centuries, the towering shrine of Lord Jagannath belonging to 12^th century A.D has been the calling card of the pilgrim destination of Puri. The huge shrine rising to a height of 65 metres was the premier monument of the Ganga dynasty of Odisha in bygone times. 

 

The shrine stands on a raised platform and there are a flight of 22 steps from the ground. There are grand stone carvings with fascinating sculptures on the walls and this shrine is one of the best examples of Kalinga architecture.

 

I have visited the shrine a number of times and each time, I have experienced a sense of bliss. During my third visit to the shrine, I trekked the entire route from Swargadwar to the shrine. The shrine of Lord Jagannath stands on a wide road called Bada Danda and the shrine complex has a slew of shrines like Nrising temple, Sarba Mangala temple, Lakshmi and Vishnu temple. The entrance of shrine is flanked by lions called Singhadwar that forms a typical feature of Kalinga School of Art. The presence of an imposing nine feet figure of Lord Nrising depicts an interesting piece of art.

 

When one visits Lord Jagannath shrine during evenings, one can get to hear religious discourses. While visiting the shrine of Lord Jagannath, we always try to collect the “Mahaprasad” cooked in Anand Bazaar, regarded as the largest food mart in the world.

Vimala Mata temple

 

Another attraction of Lord Jagannath shrine is to visit Vimala Mata shrine devoted to the female goddess and is one of the Shakti Peeths in India. Devotees are refrained from using their lenses in the precincts of the shrine.

Gundicha temple

 

Nearly 2 km away from Jagannath shrine is Gundicha Ghar where Lord Jagannath along with Balabhadra and Subhadra make their annual journey during Rath Yatra from the Jagannath shrine and stay at the small sanctum for a period of eight days.

Golden Beach

 

Puri sea beach

 

 Once the visit to Jagannath shrine is over, devotees hang out on the Golden Beach where nature is at its best with the sun, sea and sand playing a magical rhythm. One can get to view Shankracharya Math on the Beach Road. The southern end of the Golden Beach has Swargadwar with the statue of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Vignettes from land of Black Pagoda

Vignettes from land of Black Pagoda

No visit to Puri is complete without travelling to Konark renowned as the land of Black Pagoda. 

 

Yatri Niwas

 

 

I recall my last visit to Konark when I had stayed at Yatri Niwas run by Odisha Tourism Development Corporation for a few days. At Konark, I had a chance to explore the coastal destination that is barely 30 km drive from Puri and 64 km from Bhubaneshwar.

 

Also known as Arkashetra, Konark is derived form two words- Kona and Ark that imply “corner of the sun”. The old-world town of Konark is untouched by the influence of the jet age. History flows on that Konark was widely known as the forest of “Maitra Aranya” on the banks of river Chandrabhaga way, way back in the medieval period. 

 

In today’s era, the river has dried up and only a miniature pond remains close to Chandrabhaga beach where devotees congregate on the occasion of Shukla Sapatmi in the month of January to take a holy dip in the legendary river to wash away one’s sins.

Enchanting Sun Temple

 

Sun Temple

 

The beauty of Konark is its Sun temple or the Black Pagoda that reflects a glorious heritage of Odisha. Steeped in mute silence, the colossal Black Pagoda has a potted history of its own. Listed as a world heritage monument, the Sun temple is on the “to-go” list among all segments of tourists. The magnificent 13^th century temple, built by the Ganga king, Narasimhadeva in honour of the Sun God has a rich display of Odishan architecture. In fact, it is a magic created in stone and is one of the masterpieces of Kalinga art. 

 

The Chariot at Sun Temple

 

The rock-cut temple was built in the shape of a huge chariot with seven horses and twelve pairs of divine giant wheels each measuring 10 feet high that are engraved on both the sides and carry the reigning deity forming the highpoint of the temple. 

 

There are numerous images carved on the walls of the temple that depict superb works of craftsmanship of Odishan architecture. There is a detached structure- the Natamandir or the dancing hall built on a square platform and has a flight of steps. The Navgraha temple dedicated to nine planets lies adjacent to the Sun temple.

Chandrabhaga sea beach

 

Chandrabhaga

 

Once our Sun temple tour was over, we were off to the isolated silver beach of Chandrabhaga. Just a few kilometres away from the Sun temple, the pristine Chandrabhaga beach has the verdant beauty of lush coconut groves that tempts all segments of tourists. 

 

Once upon a time, tourists rarely visited the beach but new-age tourists crowd the palm-fringed beach that is steeped in tradition and has a long coastline. In the twilight hours, at Chandrabhaga, it is a sheer delight to watch the last rays of the sun play with the silver beach. We did not forget to visit the age-old Hanuman Chalisa shrine near the beach that finds its mention in the Puranic texts.

Legendary Ramachandi shrine

 

The Shrine of Ramachandi

 

For pilgrims on a tour of Puri and Konark, a visit to the pilgrim point of Ramachandi is another wonderful experience. Nearly 8 km from Konark, the shrine of Ramachandi is at the confluence of river Kushabhadra meeting the Bay of Bengal.

 

A half-an-hour drive from Konark brought us to the tranquil environs of Ramachandi in the midst of casuarina-lined roads on Konark-Puri Marine Drive Road. The shrine flaunts a typical Odishan architecture with lions adorning the apex of the temple. Moreover, there is mythological significance associated with the shrine that mentions about the existence of legendary Goddess Ramachandi. 

 

Ten avatars of Goddess Ramachandi

 

Back in the 16^th century, the Goddess had foiled the attempt of Kalapahar who had set out to demolish the Sun temple at Konark. The Puranic text mentioned in the shrine premises highlights that it was the Goddess who had suggested Lord Rama, the plan to conquer Lanka. 

 

The shrine premises is adorned with ten statues depicting the different forms of the Goddesses including Kali, Lakshmi, Dhumawati, Bagla, Chinnamasta et al. After the darshan of the shrine is over, one can get to see the Kalpavat or the sacred banyan tree in the shrine complex believed to fulfil the desires of pilgrims.

Bhubaneshwar – City of Odishan grandeur

Bhubaneshwar-City of Odishan grandeur

 

Once the ground of historic Kalinga War, the city of Bhubaneshwar on the banks of river Daya has been the bygone capital of Kalinga and is replete with history. 

 

I have travelled to Bubaneshwar many times during my visit to Puri. Best known as the temple city of Odisha, Bhubaneshwar flaunts the earliest rock-cut sculpture of India in the form of a huge elephant that is present in the Ashokan rock edict. 

 

The temple city has three prominent monuments that are frequently visited by tourists- Lingaraj temple, Peace Pagoda on Dhauli Hill and the fascinating pink temple of Mahavira in Khandagiri cave representing the influence of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism during age-old times.

Lingaraj temple

 

The most significant and the biggest shrine dominating the city skyline is Lingaraj temple rising to a height of 54 metres and honours Lord Shiva. The shrine dates back to 11thcentury and stands as one of the architectural jewels of Kalinga art. Here we had a glimpse of richly adorned sculptures on the walls of the shrine. The shrine has a huge shikara at a height of 45 metres.

Mukteshwara temple

 

Another famed shrine portraying Kaling art is the highly embellished Mukteshwara temple belonging to 10th century. The shrine has an impressive stone arch at its entrance and lives up to the reputation in being an architectural marvel. There are tales of Panchatantra carved on the exterior walls of the shrine.

Dhauligiri

 

Peace Pagoda, Dhauligiri

 

Dhauligiri fares high on the itinerary of tourists visiting Bhubaneshwar and Puri. Just an 8 km-drive from the capital city, Dhauligiri is set on Dhauli hill in the midst of tranquil, rustic environs on the banks of river Daya. The major attraction of Dhauli hill is the one-of-a-kind white-domed Peace Pagoda known as Vishwa Shanti Stupa or the Japanese Pagoda that has the life-size statue of Lord Buddha and serves as a sound example of Indo-Japanese venture.

Khandagiri and Udayagiri

 

Jain Caves of Khandagiri

 

Around 8 km north-west of Bhubaneshwar are the Jain rock-cut caves of Khandagiri and the Buddhist caves of Udayagiri that are as old as 1st century B.C. Udayagiri has 18 caves while Kandagiri has 15 caves done up with sculptural motifs. Built by king Kharavela, the caves were cut out in a solid rock and stand high in the vertical of rock-cut Indian architecture. The two-storied carved Rani Gumpha or Queen’s cave is the largest of all caves in the complex.