About the Place & what to see :

Just the place to witness and take part in colorful festivals round the year ,Puri is famous for its celebration annual festival of chariots, the Ratha Yatra. Held in the beginning of the monsoon it has been attracting pilgrims and tourists for centuries.Abode of Lord jagannath literally Lord of the World, puri is one of the four holiest places in India. Located on the shores of the Bay of Bengal , it has one of the finest beaches in India . This pilgrimage town is also the home of artisans and craftsmen who produce a wide range of unique handicrafts.

Lord Jagannatha Temple
The temple of Lord Jagannatha or Jagannath temple ('Lord of the Universe') at Puri is one of the most sacred pilgrimage spots in India, one of the four abodes ('Dhamas') of the divine that lie on the four directions of the compass. The present temple structure was built in the 12th century by the 'Ganga' King 'Choda Ganga Deva', replacing an earlier structure, which probably dated to the 10th century.

Gundicha Mandir (Temple)
This temple is located at the end of Grad road (the main road) about 3-km northeast of the Jagannatha temple. At the time of the 'Ratha-Yatra' festival, Lord Jagannatha goes to the Gundicha temple and stays there for one week. After one week He returns to His original temple. It is said that the wife of 'Indradyumna', the king who originally established the temple of Jagannatha, was known as "Gundicha". The cleansing of the Gundicha temple takes place the day before the Ratha-Yatra festival as mentioned in "Chaitanya-Caritamrita".
Chilka Lake, the largest freshwater lake of Asia (65 km long, 8–20 km wide, about 2 m deep), is situated just a few kilometers away from Puri and is a place worth visiting.
Besides these, Brahmagiri, a holy shrine; Satyabadi, another shrine and temple; and Baliharachandi are some of the sites to visit near Puri.

Other Attractions :

BALIGHAI(8 KM)
Sea Beach and Sea Turtle Research Center.
BALIHARACHANDI (27 KM)
Shrine of Harachandi on the desolate sand dunes and a nice picnic spot.
BELESWAR (15 KM)
Shrine of Lord Alaranath, worshipped as Jagannath during "Anavasar"
RAGHURAJPUR (14KM )
Artisan village
SAKSHIGOPAL(20 KM)
Shrine of Lord Sakshigopal and Samadhi of Panchasakha
SATAPADA( 50 KM )
A scenic spot on Chilika, ideal for bird watching & viewing cavorting dolphins.

Approach

Air: Bhubaneswar is the nearest airport- 60 Km. Indian Airlines and Air Sahara has flights from Delhi, Calcutta, Visakhapatnam, Raipur, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai.

Road: The nearest railheads are Bhubaneswar and Puri.