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Puri Tours

If you are planning to travel to Puri, here we are with complete travel guide to make your Puri Holidays relaxing, enjoyable and memorable.

Puri – Geographical Location

Puri is a city found in Odisha, India. It is located 19.80 latitude and 85.82 longitude and it is situated at elevation 16 meters above sea level.

Puri has a population of 170,841 making it the 5th biggest city in Odisha. It operates on the BURT time zone, which means that it follows the same time zone as Nowrangapur.

How to Reach Puri

There are many ways of getting to India and then to Puri. It is up to your choice if you want an expensive and comfortable way or an inexpensive and less comfortable means of transportation. There are some options available below how to reach Puri, please choose the way you find the suits to you.

By Air

Puri is 60 km from the domestic airport which is in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha. Bhubaneswar is connected by air with flights to major Indian cities like New Delhi, Calcutta, Visakhapatnam, Ranchi, Chennai and Mumbai etc. All major domestic airlines like Air Deccan, Jetlite, Kingfisher, Indian Airlines have daily flights to/from Bhubaneswar. The nearest International Airport is at Calcutta (Kolkata).

Travellers flying from Europe or America (east): The best way to reach Puri is to fly either to Calcutta (Kolkata), Mumbai (Bombay) or Delhi and then fly to Bhubaneshwar.

Travellers flying from Australia or California could fly directly to Chennai (Madras) or Calcutta (Kolkata) and then fly to Bhubaneshwar.

By Rail

Puri is the last point of South Eastern Railway. A major rail head on the South Eastern Railway, Puri has fast and superfast train connections to Calcutta, New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and other major cities and towns of the country.

There is an official Indian railways website where you can find all the necessary information, including time table and fares. You can also book tickets online. This website accepts all major credit cards.

Major Tourist Attractions

The Golden Triangle of East India includes Puri, Konark and Bhubaneshwar. This is also known as the glorious golden temple triangle of the Eastern India. This triangle shows the rich heritage of the state of Odisha. Each place has it’s own importance, culture and heritage.

Golden Triangle

PURI: The first link of Odisha’s Golden Triangle, Puri is the spiritual capital of the state and popularly known as Jagannath Puri, Nilachala, Nilagiri, Niladri, PurusottamKhetra, Srikhetra, Shreekhetra and SankhaKhetra, occupies a significant place in the map of torism and field of spiritualism of the country for its magnificent culture and striking beauty. Puri, popularly known as the Jagannath Dham, is one of the Char Dhams (Four most famous pilgrimage circuit) of India. The other three dhams are Dwarka, Rameswaram and Badrinath. The main two attractions of this city are famous Lord Jagannath Temple and finest long sandy Sea beach.

BHUBANESWAR: The Second link of Odisha’s Golden Triangle, Bhubaneswar is the capital city of Odisha. It is also known as the ‘City of Temples’. The main tourist attractions of this city are Lingaraj Temple, Mukteshwar Temple, Rajarani Temple, Bindusagar Lake, Khandagiri, Udigiri, Nandankanan and Odisha State Museum.

KONARK: The Third link of Odisha’s Golden Triangle, the Sun Temple of Konark, built in the middle of 13th century, is a massive conception of artistic magnificence and engineering dexterity. Designed in the form of a gorgeously decorated chariot mounted on 24 wheels, each about 10 feet in diameter, and drawn by seven mighty horses, this monument attracts domestic and international pilgrims and tourists in large numbers.

Stay Tuned with Hotel Holiday Resort at www.puriholidayresort.com to gather all the information about Puri.

Markandeshwar Temple

The Golden Triangle of Odisha is adorned with innumerable temples. Some of these temples hold a very special significance and are historically, culturally and religiously are very important. Most often Jagannath Temple is the most famous and visited pilgrimage site in Puri, however apart from Jagannath Temple, there are few other beautifully carved out temples which should be included in your visiting-spots when travelling to Puri.

One such temple is Markandeshwar Temple in Puri.

Markandeswar temple is also known as Markandesvara Temple, Markandeya Shiva Temple and Markandeswara Mahadeva Temple. This temple is facing towards east and the presiding deity is a Sivalinga. This temple is connected with the rituals of Chandan yatra, Balabhadra Janma, Ashram Bije, Sital Sasthi, Kaliyadalan etc. of the Jaganath temple. Festivals like Janmastami, Risi Panchami, Rakhi Purnima, Sivaratri, Sankranti, Narasimha Chaturdasi etc. are also observed with great devotion at this temple. This place is one of the Pancha Tirthas of Puri and also one of the fifty two sacred Shiva places of the country.

Markandeya is one among the Pancha Pandavas. God saved Markandeya from a severe danger from sea. The place where God saved Markanda is known as Markandeya, the holy place, on that particular spot Markandeya remained on meditation for a long time. At this place a Shiva Temple was constructed by sage Markandeya. The ancient Markandeswar Shiva Temple is situated in the Markandeswar street by the side of  Markandeswar tank, to the north of the Jagannath temple. This place can be approached on the right side of Markandeswar road leading from Markandeswar chowk to Prui-Brahmagiri road. The exact geographical location of this temple is LONGITUDE 85049’94”E and LATITUDE 19048’62”N.

Markandeya Tank

Markandeya tank is an open structure and it enclosed within a stone wall made of dressed laterite blocks. The tank is rectangular is shape and 8.50 meters below the present road level. Its sides measure 350 feet on the northern side, 508 feet on the eastern side, 385 feet on the southern side and 542 feet on the western side. Bathing ghats are provided for the tourists in southern side of the tank. The tank is presently used for rituals as well as for normal bathing. Rituals like Pinda Dana, Mundan Kriya etc. are observed on the steps of the tank. The tank is fed by a natural spring from underground. The excess and waste water is discharged through an outlet channel in the north eastern wall. As a result the water level of the tank remains constant throughout the year. The exact geographical location of this tank is LONGITUDE 85048’94”E LATITUDE 19048’62”N.

Previously at the northern side of the tank there are seven stone images, each four feet high, kept over a platform representing the Sapta Matrukas or seven sacred mothers. These Seven Mothers are also accompanied by images of Lord Ganesha and Lord Virabhadra. I visited this temple on 02FEB2010 and found that the temple administration is creating a new temple for the Sapta Matrukas and all these images have already been shifted inside the under construction temple.

Few ancient stone inscriptions found on the steps to the tank and the Markandeshwar Temple, are of great interest to historians. These stone inscriptions pertain to Ganga dynasty. Both Markandeswar temple and Markandeswar tank can be dated back to the 12th century AD. Puri became an important center of pilgrimage by the 12th century. The history in Puri also proves that Sri Ramanuja visited Puri during 1107 and 1117. Sri Ramanuja was followed by Vishnu Swami, who is known to establish the Vishnuswami Matha, near Markandeshwar Tank.

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