We reached Puri station by 10 o' clock in the morning and took a cab to our hotel which is by the main seashore. The view is majestic as you can hear the sound of waves submitting itself to the sand. The breeze refreshed our night long journey in few minutes making us energised for the day.
Around 2pm, we hired a car and went to Konark where the famous Konark Sun Temple stands tall. The temple is a 13th-century CE sun temple at Konark about 35 kilometres northeast from Puri on the coastline of Odisha, India. The temple is attributed to king Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty about 1250 CE.
Dedicated to the Hindu God Surya, what remains of the temple complex has the appearance of a 100-foot (30 m) high chariot with immense wheels and horses, all carved from stone. Once over 200 feet (61 m) high, much of the temple is now in ruins, in particular the large shikara tower over the sanctuary; at one time this rose much higher than the mandapa that remains. The structures and elements that have survived are famed for their intricate artwork, iconography, and themes, including erotic kama and mithuna scenes. Also called the Surya Devalaya, it is a classic illustration of the Odisha style of Hindu temple architecture. The tour of the temple takes about two hours.
There's a beautiful beach on the way to Konark known as Chandrashekhar beach. The beach has as ecstatic view where there are facilities of water sports.
Later, after returning from Konark, we went by the seashore to have tea which tasted like heaven. Don't forget to try the "jhalmurhi" which is basically puffed rice mixed with salt, peanuts and mixture. If one is not tired enough, one could give a stroll to the market which is located by the shore itself.
The next we had to wake up early in the morning, around 6 o' clock to visit the Jagannath Temple. Since photography is prohibited inside the campus of the temple, you have to capture the view through the eyes of your mind. Hundreds of Hindu people come from all over to India to offer votive prayers and seek blessings from Lord Jagannath. When you step inside the main temple, you instantly feel a relief from the outside world. You become connected to spirituality and your mind calms down. May be that's the reason why they do not allow cellphones or any kind of gadgets inside the campus. To be mentally calm, one cannot get distracted by worldly pleasures. The whole process of touring the campus and votive offerings take place for around three hours after which you return to the main seashore and have your breakfast. You could have the "kacchoris" which will cease your hunger in a second.
After having our breakfast, we went to the beach to have sea bath. The tides are huge and forceful so one has to stay by the shore to not lose balance.
Having bathed for about two hours, we went to our hotel and got fresh. We used to have our meals at the hotel restaurant itself. But there are other good restaurants as well where they provide delicious sea food like "promphret fry".
In the evening, we went to the beach for having tea. There we saw an artist making a sand statue. It's a little earning according to them. They make money by pleasing the eyes of the tourists.
After having tea, we went to the market. The market mostly has clothes of cotton base. It's not too gorgeous but way too comfortable to wear. Though the sarees sold there have beautiful handworks.
Having explored the local market, we returned to our hotel.
On Day 3, we went to the Golden beach by hiring an auto around 11 o' clock in the morning. Located about 7kms from the main Puri beach, the beach gives a brilliant view of sunset and sunrise. The locals make money out of camel rides to the tourists on the beach. The beach is clean and there are resorts located by the beach. When we went to the beach, the weather was cloudy giving us a different view of the nature. The sky became bluer than the sea and we could clearly see the rains approaching us slowly. We had coconut water which tasted sweeter than most handmade juices.
One suggestion: Wear shorts to this beach as you wouldn't be able to resist yourself from the sea.
Later, in the evening, we had our train from Puri station at 8pm. With our minds refreshed and innumerable moments in the numbered days, we returned with contented from our trip.
