Famed for the
Jagannath temple, the holy city of Puri is located in the state of
Orissa on the coast of
Bay of Bengal and is 60 km south of
Bhubaneswar. Mentioned in Skanda Purana as the resting place of Lord
Vishnu, it is one of the four sacred pilgrimage centers for Hindus and is also known as Jagannath. Puri forms the Golden Triangle of Orissa together with Bhubaneswar and
Konark.
Chilka Lake, the largest inland salt-water lagoon and
Chilika Wildlife Sanctuary are near Puri. Gundicha Ghar,
Puri Beach, Temple of Child Krishna at Indradyumna Tank, Museum and Sudarshan Workshop, Markandeswar tank and Atharnala Bridge are the other attractions.
Puri Beach Festival, held in November of every year, is a major draw. Raghurajpur, Satapara, Pipli, and
Jajpur are the nearby attractions.
Sun Temple of Konark is about 34 km east.
The annual
Rath Yatra (car festival) associated with the Jagannath Temple held during the month of June/July is thronged by thousands of Hindu pilgrims. The major industries of Puri are handicrafts, fish curing and rice milling.
The nearest airport is Biju Patnaik Airport at Bhubaneswar.
Puri Railway Station is well connected to all the major cities of India. There are two bus terminuses one at Baramunda and the other, opposite the Ashok Hotel and connects Puri to Bhubaneswar, Konark, Kolkata and nearby towns.
