Simplified Laws Guide to Taxation and Legal Concern A 3N/4Days trip to Bhubaneswar – Puri – Konark just ended yesterday. After two years of Corona break, this was our first family trip outside of Karnataka. Odisha was not in our choice of destination. But for the wedding of my colleague, we wouldn’t have gone there at least for now. Having been there, I found the place to be interesting and here is my short travelogue.
We went by IndiGo flight from Bangalore to Bhubaneswar; it takes roughly 2 hours. Once we got into the flying machine, they took us for an airport road trip! From the point of boarding the flight to the point of takeoff, the carrier goes on the runway for almost 15 to 20 minutes! I felt like I was going on a bus trip to Odisha!
Bhubaneswar Airport is small, which you can compare with the old Bangalore Airport with certain makeovers! We hired a vehicle from Patra Travels for our entire trip. The vehicle and service were average, but their software (for paying the bill) is amazing. You can pay them very easily!
A 60 km distance from the Airport to Puri, takes around 90 minutes, the roads are good. Our stay at Hotel Ananya Pride was decent enough, considering that we spent most of the time visiting the places.
Our first visit was to Jagannath Temple. They have a lot of procedures like scanning vaccination certificates, showing the address proof (Aadhar), handing over phone, purse, shoes at the cloakroom before entering the premises. It’s an ancient temple, originally built in the 10th century. A beautiful holy shrine, a must-watch once in a lifetime. Like any other place, this also has shortcomings such as not a well-organized queue system and too much interference by the Priests (called as Panda), as they double as a guide too. They demand money and more money! Maybe the concerned committee should take note of this and regulate it, to give a better experience to the devotees. We had a similarly disappointing experience in Lingaraj, Sakhi Gopal, Ramchandi, and Loknath temples.
If you are on a trip to Odisha, earmark half a day to visit Raghurajpur Art Village, a place around 30 minutes drive from Puri. This colony has around 150 houses that looked old and poor but has a rich heritage and soft-spoken skilled artisans. After visiting this place, I was speechless. When people say, Indian art and culture need to be preserved, I give one of the top slots for Raghurajpur Arts. The entire family does Pattachitra painting, tussar silk paintings, palm leaf engravings, stone carving, wood carving, etc. Maybe you can watch this video to know more https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-O6iEEHuxQ
Before the next-gen kids of their families find a cubicle in a software company, I wish the Government acts swiftly to encourage with adequate rewards and market for their artwork. I am scared where the gizmos of the modern world will wash away the centuries-old art and crafts. If you do visit this place, please buy the paintings and encourage them to continue this tradition.
Konark is a must-watch on our trip to Odisha. This is a historical place like Belur, halebeedu, Somnathpur. Not much traveling, it is located around a 60-minute drive from Puri.
On the way to Bhubaneshwar, you will find another place called Pipli, a lane of shops selling arts and crafts. Not very impressed by this; you can skip if you don’t have much time.
Overall, this trip offered a variety – beaches, caves, temples, arts & crafts, including sand art festival, tasting local food like Khaja. You will find decent places to stay. Go with zero expectation, you will come back with a lot of pleasant memories of the coastal state. Already 600 words, let me stop for now!
Awesome, few travel pictures in between would have enhanced the reading experience.