Incredible India
7 Things to Do in Puri, Odisha's Temple Town on the Bay of Bengal
Home to the Jagannath Temple and the annual Rath Yatra, Puri pairs a major pilgrimage centre with a long Bay of Bengal beach, a UNESCO sun temple nearby at Konark and a brackish lagoon famous for its dolphins.
By BigTravel.in Editorial Team · · 3 min read
Puri is one of India's char dham, the four sacred pilgrimage sites Hindu tradition holds should be visited in a lifetime, built around the Jagannath Temple and its wooden deities. But the town's draw extends well beyond pilgrimage: a long, easily walkable beach, a UNESCO World Heritage sun temple a short drive away, and a heritage crafts village that has kept a centuries-old painting tradition alive. Here are seven ways to spend time in and around Puri.
1. Jagannath Temple
The 12th-century temple, dedicated to Lord Jagannath, a form of Krishna, dominates the town both physically and in its rhythms of daily life. Entry is restricted to Hindus, but the temple's soaring spire and the surrounding lanes of Grand Road are worth taking in even from outside.
2. Watch or join the Rath Yatra, if the dates align
Puri's annual chariot festival, held around June or July depending on the Hindu calendar, draws vast crowds to pull three enormous wooden chariots carrying the temple's deities down Grand Road. It is one of the largest religious processions in India and worth planning a trip around if the timing works.
3. Puri Beach at sunrise
The Bay of Bengal shoreline along Puri is broad and largely flat, and is at its best in the early morning before the day's heat, when fishing boats come in and the beach is at its quietest.
4. Day trip to the Konark Sun Temple
Around 35 kilometres up the coast, the 13th-century Konark Sun Temple is designed as an enormous stone chariot for the sun god Surya, complete with carved wheels and horses. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is one of the most significant surviving works of medieval Odisha temple architecture and an easy half-day trip from Puri.
5. Chilika Lake and its Irrawaddy dolphins
South of Puri, Chilika Lake is Asia's largest brackish-water lagoon and a major wintering ground for migratory birds, as well as home to a resident population of Irrawaddy dolphins, best spotted on a boat trip out of Satapada.
6. Raghurajpur heritage crafts village
A short drive from Puri, Raghurajpur is a designated heritage village where generations of artisans have practised pattachitra, an intricate traditional style of scroll painting on cloth, alongside palm-leaf engraving and other crafts, with many households open to visitors.
7. Odia thali and Bay of Bengal seafood
Puri's food culture draws on both temple-kitchen vegetarian traditions and the coast's seafood; an Odia thali, typically built around rice, dal and a rotating set of vegetable preparations, is worth seeking out alongside the fresh catch sold along the beach road.
Traveller tips
- Bhubaneswar's Biju Patnaik International Airport, around 60 kilometres away, is the nearest airport with regular flight connections.
- Puri also has its own railway station with direct trains from Kolkata, Bhubaneswar and other major cities.
- Rath Yatra dates shift each year with the Hindu calendar; check the current year's dates well in advance if planning around the festival.
- Non-Hindus cannot enter the Jagannath Temple's inner sanctum, but the Raghunandan Library rooftop nearby has historically offered a view over the temple complex.
Where this is
Puri, Odisha
