Odisha's Golden Triangle: Bhubaneswar- Puri- Konark

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There are few tourist circuits in the country as enriching and as versatile as the Odisha’s Golden Triangle of Bhubaneswar- Puri- Konark. It has everything- natural beauty, architectural splendors, and cultural extravagance. Let me present a brief plan for visiting the golden triangle in 5 days. For a detailed travel plan of the 'Golden Triangle' circuit, please go through the following link:

https://stampedmoments.com/odisha-enjoy-5-days-in-the-golden-triangle/

The 5-day Plan:

Start your journey at Bhubaneswar; it’s the state capital of Odisha, thus, very well connected with most major cities via flights and trains.

Day-1:
Reaching Bhubaneswar in the morning, check in your hotel. The two visits for the day are: the Odisha State Tribal museum and the Ekamra Haat, a lovely market place with a village-like look and feel. 

Day-2:

Second day starts with a visit to the Ram Mandir. Then head to the Nandan Kanan zoological park, about 12 kms from Bhubaneswar. After coming back from Nandankanan, early evening, visit Khandagiri-Udayagiri caves.

Khandagiri- Udayagiri caves: These fine caves were built for the Jain ascetics more than 2000 years ago, in the first century BCE, during King Kharavela's time. The caves are situated within the precincts of Bhubaneswar. It will take about 2-3 hrs to explore these ancient caves. 

Day-3

Devote day-3 to visiting some of the magnificent temples in the old city- Lingaraj temple, Rajarani temple, Mukteswara temple, Chausathi Jogini temple and Ananta Basudeva temple. 

Once you are done with the temple visits and had your lunch, leave for Puri (63 kms). On the way, your first halt will be at the Dhauli Shanti Stupa (about 8 kms). 

The next stop would be Pipili (14 kms from Dhauli), a small craft village known for its colourful applique craft. Spend about 30 minutes in the village. The next destination on the way would be absolutely amazing- Raghurajpur (28 kms from Pipili), the village of Pattachitra painters.

Puri is just nearby (12 kms away); reach there by the evening; check into your hotel, relax a bit. In the evening, visit the sea beach, maybe just in time for the sunset. 

Day-4

If sunset is magnificent, sunrise is surreal on the Puri sea beach. Unlike the large crowd in the evening, there would be very few people on the beach at sunrise. 

Then visit the great Jagannath temple in the late afternoon. You can have lunch (Prasad) there, at its Anand Bazar. One will need at least 3-4 hours to explore the temple premises.

Jagannath temple:

Jagannath temple is one of the cornerstones of Hindu pilgrimage. The temple was built in the 12th century CE by the King Chodagangadeva. The magnificent temple stands 69 meter tall. 

Leave Puri by 4 PM and drive towards Konark (37 kms). The drive on the Puri-Konark Marine drive route is absolutely scenic with the sea on one side and mangrove forests on the other.

Day-5

The last day of the trip starts on Chandrabhaga beach in Konark during sunrise. You can spend as much time as you wish as per your return journey plans from Bhubaneswar (66 kms away). It should preferably be late in the evening so that you can spend majority of the day in Konark. Plan to visit the UNESCO World heritage site of Konark temple after breakfast. Keep at least 2-3 hrs in hand to explore the temple.

Konark sun temple:

The Konark temple is the high point of Odisha or Kalinga architecture. The temple dedicated to the Sun God was built in 1250 CE by the then King Narasimhadeva-I.  

Reach Bhubaneswar; take your flight in the evening or, next morning.

So, as I said in the beginning, this circuit has everything tourists look for- rich history, heritage, magnificent architecture, great ancient culture- dance, music, art and craft, great pilgrimage, wonderful natural beauty. 

*The article has been re-written in Dec 2021; contains pictures taken over 2009- 2019

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