Odisha’s Sudarsan Pattnaik: India’s Sand Art Magician

If you happen to be strolling on Puri’s golden beach and come across a sand castle that is a work of beauty, you might have just stumbled across the work of India’s master sand artist and one of the best in the world. He is none other than Puri’s local boy, Sudarsan Pattnaik, who has been honoured with the Padma Shri and many other domestic and international awards and achievements. His work is so special that in itself it becomes a tourist attraction in Puri and one that you should experience on your Odisha holiday.



Sudarsan Pattnaik builds such sand castles and art work on important festival dates and/or to celebrate an important person, landmark or event. The one in this article was built to highlight the rich culture of Odisha, an important campaign being run by Odisha tourism at that time. If you happen to in Puri on these days, you might be lucky to see the magic unfold up close and in real. And if you happen to be in Puri on other days, you could head to the open air Sudarsan Sand Art institute in Puri and see the live sand art sessions.



Born into a simple family in Marchikote lane in Puri district, Sudarsan Pattnaik began his creative art at a very young age. In 2017, he broke the Guinness world record for the world’s largest sand castle and held this record for two years, before it was broken by Skluptura projects of Germany. He has represented India in over 60 international sand sculpture championships and festivals across the world and has won 27 of those. In spite of all these awards, felicitations and recognition, this man from Odisha remains as humble as ever and may be that is the reason his work keeps getting better and better with time. I would recommend that you see his work and/or meet the man himself on your next trip to Odisha’s Puri.



How to reach there:

The nearest airport would be Bhubaneshwar international airport. From there, it is a two hour car drive to Puri.

The nearest railway station would be Puri railway station. Puri railway station is well connected with the rest of the country. For much more options, look for trains going to Khurda road and then you could take a connecting train from there.

The nearest bus station would be Puri bus station. Puri is well connected by road with the rest of the country. Buses ply daily between Puri, Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack and Konark.



Best season to visit:

The best season to visit Puri would be from October through February when the weather is pleasant and the days are bright. Summers can get a bit stifling during the day, but evenings are better thanks to the sea breeze. Monsoons completely change the look of this city and make for great photographs, but you will not find any sand art during the monsoon season.



Where to stay:

Most places to stay are either located by the Golden beach or near the Puri Jagannath temple. A few larger properties are located in the business district. The hotels near the beaches cater to a wide range of budgets and most of them have their own in-house restaurants. Puri has a weird 8 AM checkout time. Do keep that in mind.



Where to eat:

Puri has many restaurants and street side shops to cater to your eating requirements. There are many hotels with roof top restaurants offering gorgeous views of the Bay of Bengal while serving you delicious food. If you wish to eat some authentic food, most of them can be found in the many small lanes leading to the Puri Jagannath temple. Such shops serve you misti doi, sweets, tea, puri bhaaji, etc. There are many restaurants on the road next to the Golden beach. These places also offer a wide variety of cuisines.



Other nearby tourist attractions:

1) Puri Jagannath temple – an iconic temple and considered one of the Char Dhams for followers of Lord Vishnu

2) 13th century Konark Sun temple – UNESCO World Heritage Site and the sign of a once sexually liberal India

3) Raghurajpur PattaChitra – India’s miniature art honed for over 2500 years

4) Pipili Chandua Artisans – traditionally decorating everything from gods to wedding to products

5) Ravana Chhaya – 6000 year old shadow puppet play of Odisha

6) Gotipua dance of Odisha at Raghurajpur – ancient dance form from the state of Odisha

7) Dhauli Stupa – a peaceful location offering a panoramic view of the Kalinga battlefield

8) Bhubaneshwar Heritage and Temple Walk – lose yourself in 1300 years of temple and cultural magic

9) Tarakasi Silver Filigree work – 500 year old heritage of Odisha

Continue Reading...

Park Beach Resort: Excellent Accommodation on Puri’s Golden Beach

The iconic Jagannath temple, a breezy city, a gorgeous long beach and lots of unique food and culture around, Puri is a gem of a destination that is located on India’s East Coast. After a gap of 25 years, I managed to find my way to this spiritual destination. I was initially planning to stay near the temple area, but upon heavy recommendation from local friends, I ended up staying on the beach side to enjoy the lovely sea breeze. The place that I ended up staying at was the Park Beach Resort and it is located right on the main Golden beach road. This below hotel review is based on this recent experience of mine.



1) Park Beach Resort enjoys prime real estate space. It stares into the Golden beach and the Bay of Bengal. Both of them are like 50 feet away. The Jagannath temple is a easy 10 minute walk away and the bus and train stations are a short auto rickshaw ride away. Puri is a small town so pretty much everything is located close by.

2) Park Beach resort has comfortable rooms with private balconies and most of them face the beach. This means that you can enjoy the strong and cool breeze every evening of your stay.

3) I opted for a standard deluxe room with air-conditioning in it. This cost me INR 2200 inclusive of taxes. They do have non-air-conditioned rooms that are cheaper and larger rooms that are priced higher. All their rooms have hot shower facility and satellite television.

4) The property does not have free wi-fi or any sort of internet connectivity.

5) The hotel has an in-house restaurant that dishes out great Oriya and Bengali food. Personally, I loved their Odiya Thali, Aloo Posto, Parwal Kassa and Puri Bhajji. You should definitely eat one meal here if you wish to taste some delicious local food.

6) The hotel staff are incredibly helpful and always carry a big smile on their faces. Right from the room boys to the restaurant and the front desk, everyone seemed to be service-oriented and that is one thing I dig in any kind of a hotel.



7) As the beach is just a stone’s throw away, you can easily plan for those gorgeous sunrise sessions or an evening swim.

8) The hotel does not have a locker facility, but they are happy to safeguard your valuables (like empty leather wallet, mobile phone, camera, etc.) that are not allowed into the Puri Jagannath temple. I left my camera gear, mobile and wallet with the reception and they happily took good care of it for me while I visited the Jagannath temple.

9) Check out time at the hotel is 8 AM. More or less the entire town has a similar check out policy. This is because most of the visitors arrive on the early morning trains.

If you are looking for a comfortable budget accommodation in the prime sea-facing location of Puri and one that is easily accessible from everywhere in the town, then I would recommend the Park Beach Resort.

Continue Reading...

Puri: Where art, architecture, natural beauty and spirituality come together

One of the significant and the most visited religious sacred sites in India, Puri is a city where the best of art and architecture come together to form an awe-inspiring association. History and heritage are the defining attributes that have significantly contributed to making Puri one of the key centers of tourism in the country. With magnificent and alluring temples and majestic natural beauty, it is a definite treat for locals and tourists alike.

Located in the state of Odisha, the city is also famously known as Jagannath Puri, dedicated to the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The central temple is a massive structure protected on two sides by high walls. The nearly 60 meter spire in the middle has a flag and wheel of Vishnu, and impressively crafted two stone lions and a pillar. The annual Rath Yatra witnesses hoards of devotees and travellers flocking to the temple, where the yatra concludes.



Photo Courtesy: Vishal Bhowmick, Wikipedia (Borrowed under Creative Commons License)

The three main cities of the state – Konark, Bhubaneshwar and Puri – constitute the golden triangle of Odisha. While it undoubtedly finds its significance in the religious context, Puri has grown to become an important industrial hub. Industries like rice milling, fish curing and handicrafts are housed in the city. Additionally, the city’s picturesque beaches highlight its majestic and wonderful beauty, something that tempts travellers and vacationers from the world over.

Places to visit
ITripTo notes several attractions that tourists should visit during their stay in Puri. The first and most important of these, needless to say, is the Jagannath Temple. Enshrining the Lord of the Universe, the temple is more than 1000 years old. It is the only religious site where the sister of Lord Krishna, Subhadra, is worshipped along with her brothers. The temple is also where the famous Rath Yatra, which attracts several devotees and tourists, concludes.

Close to the Jagannath Temple is the Puri Beach, a beautiful stretch of sand and water where tourists and pilgrims come to unwind, relax and enjoy. It is a popular site to fish, with several fishermen that can be spotted here. The beach also houses a line of kiosks that sell food and souvenirs, which adds to the overall charm the city has to offer. While the cleanliness of the place makes it an ideal place for sunbathers, it isn’t advisable to venture too far into the sea because of strong undercurrents.

If you’re looking to relish the innumerable sweets and savoury culinary delights of Puri, one should definitely head to Anand Bazaar. Located just outside the Jagannath Temple, it is essentially a line of shops along the street where one can relish some delightful delicacies. One shouldn’t miss the mahaprasad, served by the deities of the Jagannath Temple. Another lovely delicacy is the khaja, which is prepared from sugar, ghee and flour.

Around 14 kilometres away from the city of Puri is the Raghurajpur Crafts Village. The village is known for Pattachitra paintings, a form of scroll painting traditionally done on dried palm leaves or cloth that depict famous mythological scenes, and is an ideal spot for art lovers and those who want to admire the mesmerising creativity of the state of Odisha.

Weather
The ideal time to visit the city is between the months of June and March. During winters – December and February – Puri experiences cool weather with mercury levels normally ranging between a low of 10 degrees and a high of 18 degrees Celsius. On the other hand, summers, from March to May, are not recommended for a visit as the temperatures have been recorded to reach scorching levels of 45 degrees Celsius. During the monsoons, which last from June to September, the city experiences moderate to heavy rainfall.

Where to stay
Serenity, quaintness and exquisite beauty are what vacationers look for in their accommodations when they visit the spiritual town of Puri. Sterling Holidays’ Golden Sands, located near the Brahma Kumaris Temple, is an ideal accommodation for those seeking a tranquil and sophisticated environment from their stay in Puri resorts. A scenic delight, warm hospitality and luxuriousness round up the mesmerising charm that Golden Sands has to offer.

Guests and members can indulge in a range of activities offered by the resort, including a boat ride to a private beach, playing outdoor sports like cricket, volleyball and table tennis in the club house, and dancing to the latest tunes in the discotheque. A variety of rooms are available for members, including 2 Bedroom Apartment, 1 Bedroom Apartment, and Studio.

How to reach

According to OrissaTourism, Biju Patnaik Airport in Bhubaneshwar is the closest airport to Puri. There are regular flights from major Indian cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai.

Those choosing rail as their most preferred medium of transportation, Puri Railway station serves as the primary railhead for the city, and is connected with major cities across the country, including New Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, etc.

For those taking the bus, the stand close to Gundicha Temple has a well connected accessibility from Bhubaneshwar and Cuttack; with buses plying every 10 to 15 minutes. Direct bus transportation from important cities like Kolkata and Vishakhapatnam are also available.

Continue Reading...