MAIN EVENT. A Good Place to Get Started --- a.k.a "Table of Contents"
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MAIN EVENT. A Good Place to Get Started --- a.k.a "Table of Contents" |
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In Search Of a Golden Triangle - The sea! the sea! The open sea! The blue, the fresh, the ever free! India is mystical! mystical is India? Her rich traditions, culture, heritage, history, mythology, religious sentiments & scientific temperament makes her unite. There is a lot to discover from the soul of India.Ancient"Kalinga" and present-day ORISSA is an eastern, coastal, mineral state of India, situated by the Bay of Bengal where traditions live in their true colours. Here God, Nature and Men live in a perfect harmony. Here may be poverty & illiteracy but a faith in SELF & GOD makes the essence of life bloom here.
The Golden Triangle of Orissa consists of PURI- KONARK- BHUBANESWAR the main heartland of Orissa and God's own land mythologically.
Puri or Jagannathpuri is one of the four most sacred, religious & auspicious places: "DHAM" of Hindus where Lord Jagannath, Balbhadra & Subhadra live.
Jagannath temple is a marvelous piece of Kalinga style 12th century architecture. Large verandahs, beautiful carvings and the Temple structure is 65 meters high. It stands on an elevated platform in the main city.
The sanctum sanctorum, "garbh griha," of the temple is believed to give inner peace, spiritual feelings and to teach a sense of devotion & detachment from this materialistic world. Daily Pujas(prayers) are performed by hundreds of priests called "Pandas" by the chanting of "mantras". A huge quantity of "Prasad"(Lord's food) is prepared consisting of rice, dal, sweetdish, malpua, etc. A large section of society is engaged in all these religious activities of the Lord and hence, it is believed, The Lord gives a livelihood and means of earnings to His people.
The World's Magazine: g21.net
Event # 204: THE SHAPE OF MY HEART
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The world famous annual RATH YATRA FESTIVAL(Festival of Chariots) begins in monsoon months in which the lacs of devotees take place. These are the main tourist months.
Puri has one of the nicest beaches: golden sands which extend for miles. The blue ocean of tranquillity lies here in a majestic mood. Here sunrise and sunset are amazing. Local fishermen can be seen catching prawn, fish and pomfret.
The Grand road of Puri is full of handicrafts typical of the Orissa style; miniature stone sculptures, patta paintings, woodcarvings, seashells, coloured applique work. Good shoppings can be found here.
Puri is directly linked to roads and trains, the nearest airport is 60 K.M. from Puri at Bhubaneswar. There are many nice hotels and resorts(Panth niwas is of Govts.) for a comfortable stay at the beach. For budget and pilgrim tourists "Dharamshalas" & Lodging houses are available.
Local tour operators and Govt. owned O.T.D.C. operates daily one day sight seeing tours by luxury coaches/cars (AC/nonAC). The main tours are:
- Dolphin tour
- Chilika tour
- Konark, pipli, Shanti stupa, Udaigiri caves, Bhubneswara.
The Dolphin tour is a tour in SATPADA (50 Km.from Puri.) Here in the sea dolphins can be seen and it's also a good spot for bird watching.
The Chilika is India's biggest inland lake, spread over 1100 sq. km. It joins the Bay of Bengal through a narrow mouth forming a lagoon of brackish water. It has beautiful islands: Honeymoon island, Breakfast island etc. Chilika also is known for its wealth of aquatic fauna: jelly fish, prawn, crab etc. There is a sanctuary for migratory birds here, many of them coming from as far away as Siberia. This sanctuary is enriched by hills along its arched shape.
The Konark-Bhubneswar tour is superb. Pipli is on the way, famous for its colourful applique work.
Konark is famous for its 13th Century Sun Temple --- also known as Black Pagoda --- made on geometrical patterns & listed on the World Heritage list. It has beautiful carvings, sculptures depicting scenes of love(many of them are erotic in nature ), war, trade and court scenes. The Sun temple, according to legend, was originally a massive chariot taking the Sun to the sky. The annual Konark dance festival is held here.Really a place worth seeing.
Chandrabhaga or Konark beach is another piece of nature where splendid beauty can be seen. The Sea Turtle Research Centre at Balighai is 20 km. from here and unique of its kind in India.
Shanti Stupa at Dhauli, built by the Japanese, depicts the famous Kalinga war. History tells us that after this great battle the Emperor Ashoka followed peace and converted to be a follower of BUDDHA.
The caves of Udaigiri are famous for their Jain inscriptions, sculptures and relics.
Bhubneswara is the state capital of Orissa. It had a thousands temples at one time some of which still remain. Thus, it is known as "the Temple City." A magnificent temple of Lord Lingraj(Bhubneswara) stands nearly 54 meters high --- a great record even for Kalinga architecture.
Nandankanan is a biological reserve where one can find a unique environment in conformity with nature that supports a lion and white tiger safari and largest number of white tigers in India.
The languages spoken over the region is Oriya and Hindi. The main food is Dal(pulses)-Rice-Fish. The people are God fearing, religious, honest and hospitable. The society is mainly agrarian and fishermen. The best season to travel is during Rathyatra, but is very hot, humid and crowded. The other best season is in winter, from October to February, but then the area is generally flooded with Westerners.
After my search for the Golden Triangle I only can believe that, "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen."
Best to all !!!
And enjoy a Happy Journey.
Piyush Kumar - is a 33 year old male Advocate (attorney) and inveterate traveler who lives in Muzaffar Nagar, India. He believes in God and Destiny. He hopes to become a regular contributor to G21: The World's Magazine. This is his debut article.
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