Log in
Join travelers community
Your Profile
Logout
In the morning I hired a taxi (800 Rupees/ $17.00) for a day trip to Puri. It is said to be one of the four holiest places in India.
India 2002 - Part Two: Bhubaneswar, Puri & Konark
Dougburnett2003-11-24 11:56:59
Displayed times (last time: )
Rating: 5.00 out of 5.00. 1 members have rated this article
a warm, dry wind blowing in the window, on my way to see some interesting places, and my favorite country songs playing. I make a new tape for each of my trips. When I play the tape again at home it brings back memories of the places where I listened to it.
Despite the music, riding in India can be pretty nerve-racking. The roads all seem to be too narrow and when you meet an oncoming vehicle both must pull a little off the road to avoid hitting. Drivers usually wait until the very last moment to make this move. That’s the nerve-racking part: watching a huge truck or bus lumbering straight at you. Sitting in the front only makes it harder to ignore. Luckily Dusasun was a pretty cautious guy and pulled off with plenty of time, but still riding in Indian is rarely relaxing.
In a little less than an hour we arrived in the busy town of Puri and headed directly to the famous Jagannath Mandir, a marvelous temple that is sadly closed to non-Hindus. We parked on the wide main street and Dusasun led me to the library where, for a fee, we climbed to the roof for a view of the temple.
I had been a little unsure why I was going to Puri. After all I couldn’t enter the main temple and Bhubaneswar had lots of temples, so why bother? From the roof of the library I could see why. First, even from a distance the temple was magnificent: tall multi-layered stone towers rose majestically and there was activity everywhere. But the real sights were in the streets. I could see hundreds and hundreds of small vendors and colorfully dressed pilgrims in a swirl of activity along with rickshaws, cars and cows.
After looking at the temple for a few minutes, Dusasun suggested we take a walk around the temple and see the four entrances gates. Great idea. Down in the street vendors selling flower sat next to others selling plastic statues of Hindu gods. Food was being cooked, bought and eaten. Beggars lined
...
See photographs from:
India Gallery
