The
magnificent Sun Temple at Konark is the culmination of Orissan
temple architecture, and one of the most stunning monuments of
religious architecture in the world. The poet Rabindranath Tagore
said of Konark that 'here the language of stone surpasses the
language of man', and it is true that the experience of Konark is
impossible to translate into words.
One of the four celebrated religious centers of India, Puri, the
abode of Lord Jagannath needs no introduction. According to
tradition Puri was once a thickly wooded hill inhabited by the Sabaras
(Pre-Aryan and Pre-Dravidian tribes of the Austric linguistic
family). The sunny beach at Puri is one of the finest in the world.
Watching the sunrise in a symphony of colours is a wonderful
experience. It is one of the most popular sea-side resorts where
visitors from any part of the globe can comfortably relax.
Dhauli :
With the beautiful Daya River lying in the proximity, you have the
ancient land of Dhauli that lets you know about the enormous battles
that were fought here, the Kalinga War of 261 B.C. Buddhism for
which Dhauli is so well known played a crucial role in transforming
King Ashoka to a diehard Buddha devotee who eventually followed the
preaching of Buddha for the rest of his life.
Dhauli is famous for the edicts related to Buddhism that were
composed from the Brahmi script and used Prakrit language. One can
spot a series of rock cut monuments at this hill. Numerous artifacts
tell us about the urban settlement at this place in the 3rd century
B.C. One finds the image of intricately carved elephant and close to
this elephant, you have a stupa.
Pipali the Art Village : Pipli is the capital of applique
craft in Orissa. Most of the work sold on the street stalls of Pipli
is produced for a growing tourist market, however supurb craftwork
is still produced and available if you have the time to look around.
The villagers of Pipli produce applique art, a process of cutting
coloured cloth into shapes of animals, birds, flowers leaves gods,
goddesses and other decorative motifs and stitching them over a
piece of cloth. These creations are then fabricated into lampshades,
handbags, cushion covers or even garden umbrellas. A famous example
is the enormous appliqué canopies above the reigning deity of Puri,
Lord Jagannath.
The
Temple of Lord Jagannath built during the 12th century A.D. by
Chodaganga Deva dominates the landscape for kilometers around. Being
the tallest temple (65 metres) in Orissa, it is one of the most
magnificent pieces of monuments of India. In front of the main gate
stands a 16 sided monolithic pillar (11 metres high), called Aruna
Stambha which formally stood in front of the Sun Temple and was
brought to Puri during the 18th century A.D. Some of the other
important temples are Gundicha, Lokanath, Sunaragauranga, Daria
Mahabir and Tota Gopinatt. There are also a number of holy tanks
like Narendra, Markandeya, Sweta Ganga and Indradyumna. There are
many Monasteries locally known as Mathas also of touristic interest.
