[Points: The name of the place—its attraction—people hotel—conclusion.]
I am just back from a trip to Puri. As this is my first visit to the place, I enjoyed it very much. The chief attractions of Puri are the Temple of Jagannath and the sea-beach. The former is famous for its size and architecture, besides its sacredness to the Hindus. Thousands of devout Hindus flock to it to have darshan of the God and offer their homage at His feet. The sight of so many people-men and women, boys and girls, rich and poor speaking different tongues and wearing different dresses All joining together in the common worship of the Lord is a sight worth seeing. It has a purifying and ennobling effect upon the soul.
The sea-beach at Puri is known as the best in India. I passed about an hour or more every day in having my bath in the sea. In the afternoon, I strolled along the beach. The cool refreshing breeze soothed the body while the sight of huge foamy waves breaking upon the shore, and the sun dipping slowly in the western horizon charmed the eyes and the mind.
The place has a few other attractions. At the shrine of Lord Gouranga people may see some of the things used by the Lord. The Gundichabari is the place, about a mile from the temple of Jagannath, where every year on the occasion of the Rathajatra,the Lord and His Brother and Sister, Balarama and Subhadra, are taken in their chariots for a week's stay. Narendra Sarobar and the ashramas of Bejoy Krishna Goswami and his disciples are three other noted places in the town.
There is a large number of good hotels on the beach. The charges are very moderate. There are many dharmasalas in the heart of the town where the pilgrims can put up for a couple of days free of charge. The local people, though poor, are honest and friendly. Almost everybody can speak and understand Bengali. From Puri, I visited Konarak, Bhubaneswar, Udaigiri and Khandagiri. Puri always draws maximum tourists from Bengal.
Indeed, Puri is a unique place, particularly to a Hindu. A visit there satisfies his religious hunger and also his hunger for natural beauty and the need for physical improvement. This is why people from different parts of India flock to this place for the greater part of the year, particularly during September to June and at the time of Rathajatra.
