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• Puri

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Indian City  »»  Puri

Puri is a city which is situated in the east India state of Orissa. It is famous for many things. It is situated on the coast of Bay of Bengal which is a popular resort. It is one of the oldest cities in the eastern part of the country. The city is famous for its Jagannath temple. It is the site of the Govardhana matha. It is one of the four cardinal institutions which are established by Sri Adi Shankarcharya and others being those at Sringeri, Dwarka and Jyotirmath. Puri is also famous for its annual Rath yatra. It is also called “Festival of Chariots”. The deities of Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra are brought out of the temple and placed in a chariot procession. This festival occurs on various dates of the Gregorian calendar mainly in July. The town is famous for its many Mathas which are probably the monasteries of the various Hindu sects.

It also houses the relics of many Hindu saints as traditionally it is seen as a holy place to die in or to get cremated in. As a result, it has had a disproportionate number of widows.Puri, though a small temple town, attracts large number of people from different parts of India, many of whom wise to settle down here for its status as the ultimate place of salvation. Normally, Puri people mean the original inhabitants. According to Cunningham the ancient name of this town was Charitra mentioned by the Chinese pilgrim 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 is open to doubt. The importance of the town as a seat of Vaisnavism increased when Chodaganga Deva constructed the temple of Purusottama Jagannath and installed the image of the deities. Thereafter, it become famous as the abode of Purusottama and was popularity called Purusottama Kshetra.

The place is known to up-country Hindus as Jagannath and locally as Purushottam kshetra, the abode of the best of beings, i.e., Jagannath, the lord of the world, whose shrine has, for centuries past, attracted devout pilgrims from all part of India. The name Puri means simply the city and seems never to have been in use before the British conquest of Orissa; it is believed to be merely an abbreviation of Jagannath Puri, the city of Jagannath. Various temples are situated at this place. The festivals are also celebrated with great zeal. There are various festivals which are very popular.The festival of Niladari Mahodaya is celebrated on the 8th day of the bright fortnight of Baisakha. One hundred and eight pots of water is consecrated water are offered to the deities and other nitis are performed.

The crafts of this place are mind blowing. Horn articles of Orissa are mystical and are blended with a superb fashion design. Available in widest spectrum of items like combs, pen stands, cigar pipes, decorative figures, their lively appearance, dynamism and animation vie with the real objects of nature. Lacquer Work is yet another form of handicraft Orissa is famous for. Lacquer, the refuse of an insect gathered by the tribals in the forests, is mixed with colors and applied on small cane boxes and terracotta figures. After several coats of lacquer have sealed the core, the surface is decorated with motifs borrowed from nature, geometric patterns and religious symbols. The visual power of color and design combine to make an ornamental effect.