JUGGERNAUT JAUNT

People travel to Puri, in Orissa, from all over the world to witness one of the most sensationally colourful religious ceremonies in time. The famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jaganath of Puri defies belief, at the gargantuan measures and processes that entail its annual journey. As laid back as Orissa has been as a tourist destination, the kaleidoscopic celebration of Lord Jagannath's rebirth more than makes up for this reserve.

Puri is one of the four-mega pilgrim destinations of the Hindus. The reason of course is that it's the 12th century abode of Lord Jagannath " Lord of the World", one of Hinduism's most revered deities. Orissa's ancient ritual of the chariot festival has certainly not dimmed in colour, or lavish ceremonials with the march of time.

The Puri Temple is host to Lord Jagannath (who is the manifestation of Vishnu) and his two siblings, sister Subhadra and brother Balabhadra. If you find the faces of the deities slightly different from what you've usually seen in divine images in India, you'll hear enigmatic references and legends to his antecedents. That he represents a synthesis of Hindu orthodoxy and strong tribal traditions, maybe even some elements of Buddhism and Jainism, is easy to believe. Check out the legends, which explain his strange form.

BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW THIS

Puri has been attracting visitors in their thousands since long before the hippy trail found its way here in the early 1970s.

HOW TO REACH

By Train
A couple of direct express trains take 32-36hr to link Puri with Delhi, some calling at Varanasi and Agra en route. Avoid the evening Kalinga-Utkal Express; it's much slower and frequently late. The quickest and most convenient train to Calcutta is the Jagannath Express #8410, which leaves Puri at 9.10pm for the 11hr overnight trip.

By Road
Minibuses are definitely the easiest way to travel between Puri and Bhubaneshwar. Services are fast (1hr) and frequent until 5pm, but make sure that it's "non-stop" before you get on. The same applies to Konarak buses, which also leave more or less hourly from the main city bus stand in the east of town, near the Gundicha Ghar. Jeeps ply the same route much more frequently for the same price, departing from the bus stand when full.

GETTING AROUND

Puri is reasonably compact and flat, so cycle rickshaws are the best way to get around, at least when you first arrive - once you've got your bearings, you can rent a bicycle from any one of the numerous stalls in the travellers' enclave. Auto-rickshaws are thin on the ground, though one or two are always hanging around the railway station. Keep an eye out too for Enfield motorbikes, rented out by a couple of travel agents for full or half days and useful for trips up the coast to Konarak. In-house travel agents at the larger hotels can help with all transport arrangements, though the most reliable all-round place for ticket booking, flights, car/motorcycle/bike rental and so on is Heritage Tours, currently based at the Mayfair Beach Resort (23656)

WHERE TO SHACK UP
To Shack up you have a variety of choice to choose:
List of some Hotels:
Hotel Sea Land
South-Eastern Railway Hotel
22063
hanker International
23637
Mayfair Beach Resort
24041
The Seagul
l 23618
Hotel Samudra
22705
Victoria Club
22005
Youth Hostel
22424
Bay View Hotel
Hotel Dream land
24122
Hotel Sea n Sand
23107
Hotel Sapphire International
Pink House
22253

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK
There are many restaurants where you can fill your stomach.
List of some restaurants:
Harry's Café
The Dolphin
Z hotel
Peace Restaurant Xanadu
Hotel Toshali Sands

SHOPPING

Utkalika and the other hand-loom emporiums, just up from the head post office on Temple Rd, stock a good range of local crafts at fixed prices. Surdarshan on Station Rd (close to the OTDC tourist office) is the best place to buy traditional stone sculpture. Holiday Inn and Brady's cafe have some jewellery, textiles and filigree, but are not the cheapest places in town. For reproductions of the Jagannath deity, look in the bazaar around the temple. There's a lively market on the beach off Marine Drive, south of Puri Hotel, every evening until around 10pm.

GENERAL INFO:
STD CODE
06752
Unless you collect outdated leaflets on Orissa, the OTDC tourist office (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; 22664) on Station Rd and the 24-hour counter at the railway station are a waste of time. Travel arrangements are best made or checked directly with the station itself or else through a travel agent.
Puri's main post office is on Temple Rd (Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-noon); for poste restante (Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 4-6pm, Sat 9am-noon), use the side door on the left side of the building.
If you need to change money, the State Bank of India (Mon-Fri 10am-2pm, Sat 10am-noon, Sun 11.30am-1.30pm) is on Dig Barani Chowk, just up the road from the Nilachal Ashok Hotel; the Allahabad Bank on Temple Rd, 200m towards the temple from the head post office, is speedy and efficient.

THINGS TO DO

The best time to be in Puri is in July, when the Rath Yatra follows its course through the people- packed streets of the city. It's one of the most stunning spectacles on earth in,
terms of splendour and religious fervour. The colour, the fanfare, the slow pace of the procession and its attendant significance are a cultural cornucopia.

It doesn't matter if you're not particularly religious- the very scale of this temple ceremony is highly stimulating. You'll need to have your camera at the ready at every juncture. Whether its at the preparatory stage, the streets before the procession starts of, the scene in the temple area, the procession itself and its final destination - there'll be moments you have to capture on film or memory.

There's a hugely festive air in the city and particularly in the temple complex, which spills into the everyday life of its inhabitants. Did you know that over 20,000 people are known to be dependent on the temple's activities for their livelihood? And its not that all these activities are restricted to temple rituals and ceremonies. Just walk around the temple complex and you'll be suffering from culture overload pretty fast. Life here is as rich as any Indian bazaar, in colour, movement, and diversity of product range.

When your bus arrives, the yatri pandas- (priests) will suss you out. They primarily keep tabs on the pilgrimage records - which go back many centuries. Once they've checked out your family name, caste etc. etc. you'll be guided to the appropriate panda who has records of your family history.

The massive scale of his devotion, the mammoth ritual of his rebirth, and the monumental movement of his odyssey amongst his devotees, are symbols of the importance Lord Jagannath holds and how greatly are his devotees in his thrall.

The massive chariot that transports Lord Jagannath covered by massive, bright- multihued umbrellas, through Puri's street from his home to the Gudicha Ghar is over 14 Mts. high and 10Mts. Square, hoisted on 18 huge wheels and is hauled physically by thousands of devotees. (His siblings are hauled separately, each on his/her own chariot). No wonder Europeans watching this gargantuan spectacle coined the term "juggernaut" for this procession. Don't be zapped if you find people chucking themselves in front of the wheels prostrating in an overdose of religious fervour…its quite normal.

Lord Jagannath spends 9 days at the Gundicha Ghar, being given a complete new makeover. Because the images are created out of wood, it is necessary to create them afresh, every 12 years. The hewing of the wood, the painting of the images… the whole cavalcade of minute detail- is loaded with sacred rituals that are not open to the public. Even the priests performing the particular ritual that is their responsibility are not privy to the individual tasks of their colleagues. Once the Nava Kalebara (new embodiment) are ready, the procession then moves back in reverse.

The Puri Temple is itself a vision of impressive beauty and solidarity with the almighty. Searing the skyline, the temple spire is also a symbol of Orissa's artistic vision, unhampered by the paltry measure of mundane life. If you can't make during the time of the Yatra, to Puri, there's enough action in the temple complex to make the visit worth your while.