Jewels of Odisha | Travel Guide to Odisha

Jai Jagannath!
Locals would greet you when you are in Odisha. Jagannath is a diety in Jagannath Temple at Puri, Odisha. This temple is also part of the Char Dham pilgrimage site. Odisha offers a variety of places for tourists/devotees/explorers/historians such as great architectural temples, clean beaches, national parks, scenic road journeys, good food, handicrafts, and many more.

Odisha is still among the less explored places in India.

Trip Itinerary

Day 1 – Explore Puri

Travel to Puri and seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath.

It’s good to keep a few things in mind while visiting the temple.

• Restrain from paying money to the pandits for special queues in the temple. It will take 30-40 minutes for darshan.
• Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple.
• Carry your adhar card and proof of vaccination. Although there is a free facility to keep mobile and bags on temple premises it’s always better to carry less.
• Be patient while in a queue, don’t create chaos.

If you have more time in the day then club day 2 with day 1.

Day 2 – Explore the beach and indulge in shopping

Visit nearby temples in Puri –

• Narendra Pushkarni.
• Narsimha Temple
• Gundicha Temple
• Loknath Temple
• Ram Mandir
• Sasural of Lord Jagannath
• Bedi Hanuman
• House of Subhadra
• Isckon center
• Samadhi of Haridas Thakur

Where to eat in Puri?

Puri – We liked eating at The Grand located near the temple. You can also eat Mahaprasadam inside the temple.
Bhubneshwar – Hare Krishna

Whatever we ate, we felt a slight sweetness in it. If you enjoy spicy food, then carry homemade snacks along.

• Spend some time at Golden beach
• One can’t resist shopping when there is a huge variety of handicrafts and handloom materials.

Day 3 – Explore nearby places

• Drive to marine drive road – It will be a memorable ride.
• Spend some time at Chandrabaga beach – The beaches of Odisha are very clean, you will enjoy that.
• Konark Sun Temple – Great architecture.
• Nandankanan Zoological Park – The first zoo in the World to breed White tigers and Melanistic tigers.

In 1984, the Konark Sun temple of Orissa was added to the world heritage site by UNESCO. The structure of the temple is similar to a huge chariot with 12 pairs of wheels. These wheels are also known as dhoopgadi because they are capable of telling the current time of day. There are 7 horses which are considered as 7 days of the week. The lions and elephants are guardians of the temple and deliver an important message. The lion is a symbol of pride and the elephant are related to wealth, both of them kill human.

It would take around 3 hours to see the Sun temple, and museum. It was highly crowded during our visit.

You can also plan to watch the light and sound show at the temple.

Nandankanan zoological park has a variety of animals, birds, reptiles, etc. You can book a caddie car and explore the park and botanical garden.

Day 4 – Explore Bhubneshwar

• Visit Lingaraj Temple
• Mukteshwar Temple

However, if you want to stay longer in the state here are some places you can pick.

• Chilka lake for bird watching and dolphins.
• Udaiyagiri and Khandagiri Caves
• Chandipur beach
• Raghurajpur – A village of artists.

Some Delicacies of Odisha

• Chenna Poda
• Chenna payas
• Rasbali
• Rabdi
• Khaja
• Dalma
• Chuda kadamba and many more.

I was recovering from food poisoning (Pakhiralay, Sunderbans) and fever but with the association of both of our parents, I enjoyed each and every day of this trip. Also, the cities and beaches are very clean.

It is advised to drink mineral water during the trip and consume food at good restaurants.

How to reach Bhubneshwar and Puri?

To reach Bhubneshwar, book a flight ticket for Biju Patnaik Airport/Bhubneshwar Airport. Bhubneshwar and Puri are well connected with trains and buses.

To explore nearby places, we booked a cab through a local tour company.

Beware of auto drivers in Puri, they charge 2 to 3 times of actual cost.

Best weather to visit Odisha?

Winter – October to February.
In summer, Odisha is hot and quite humid which makes it difficult to explore places during the day.
Monsoon – Beautiful waterfalls are only active during the rainy season.

Where to stay in Odisha?

Bhubneshwar – Ratna Resort Bhubneshwar, near the airport.
Puri – Assam Jatri Niwas is situated at West Gate(of Lord Jagannath Temple), Lalmohria Assam Panda.

Bhubneshwar and Puri provide luxurious stays as well as budget-friendly, feel free to choose a hotel of your choice. Some options are The Presidency Hotel, Ginger Bhubneshwar, MAYFAIR Lagoon, and OYO Crystal

Happy Travelling 🙂