Puri
¤ The Divine Destination
State : Orrisa
Also Known As : Nilachal, Nilagiri, Niladri and Purushottama dham.
Location : Directly south of Bhubaneswar on the shores of Bay of Bengal.
Tourist Attractions : Eminent temple of Lord Jagannath, Rathyatra ( Chariot festival) and Languorous seafront.
Languages Spoken : Oriya, Bengali, Hindi and English.
Best Time to Visit : October to March (June and July to witness the Rath Yatra)
STD Code : 06752
There are very few places that have embraced opposites, such as the sacred and the profane, religious and secular, dogma and liberalism, particular and universal, the way Puri has, with beauty and serenity. Located at 60 km from Bhubaneswar on the shoreline of Bay of Bengal, Puri, the abode of Vishnu as Jagannath, is one of the four holy dhamas of India beside Dwarka, Rameswaram and Badrinath. A host possessing a rich cultural heritage and integrated individuality, Puri has opened her gates with a spirit of universality , adaptability , and endurance.
¤ History of the Spiritual Niche
The ancient name of this town was Charitra mentioned by the Chinese piligrim Hiuen Tsang as Che-li-ta-lo. But the restoration of the word Che-li-ta-lo as Charitra and its identification with the town of Puri are debatable. The importance of Puri as a seat of Vaisnavism increased, when Raja Ananta Varman Chodaganga Dev constructed the temple of Purusottama Jagannath and installed the images of the deities in 12th century. Thereafter , it became famous as the abode of Purusottama and was popularly called Purusottama Kshetra.
The city continued to prosper under his dominion until 1558, when the State of Orissa was conquered by the Afghan Nawab of Bengal. Later, Raja Mansingh, a General of the Mughal King Akbar, defeated the Afghans and annexed Orissa in to the Mughal territory which remained under the Mughals till 1751 A.D. It was Orrisa's capital for hundreds of years until the Britishers annexed Orissa into British empire in 1803 and made Cuttack the new capital in 1936. Later, because of its mild, balmy weather, Puri became the summer headquarters of the Governer of Orrisa.
