Location :
Puri has the Bay of Bengal and the rice-growing alluvial plain on its east, Khurda district on its west, Sambalpur on its south and the state capital Bhubaneswar on its northern side. The forest area lying to the west of Puri provides bamboo and sal. The district of Puri encompasses most of the Chilka Lake, Asia’s largest freshwater lake.

Climate:
Temperature (deg C): Summer - Max.38, Min.27.1
Winter : Max.28.2, Min.15.2
Rainfall : Mid June-September 60 inches (152 cms)
Best season : October to March

Site to Visit:

Lord Jagannatha Temple
The temple of Lord Jagannatha or Jagannath temple ('Lord of the Universe') at Puri is one of the most sacred pilgrimage spots in India, one of the four abodes ('Dhamas') of the divine that lie on the four directions of the compass. The present temple structure was built in the 12th century by the 'Ganga' King 'Choda Ganga Deva', replacing an earlier structure, which probably dated to the 10th century.

Gundicha Mandir (Temple)
This temple is located at the end of Grad road (the main road) about 3-km northeast of the Jagannatha temple. At the time of the 'Ratha-Yatra' festival, Lord Jagannatha goes to the Gundicha temple and stays there for one week. After one week He returns to His original temple. It is said that the wife of 'Indradyumna', the king who originally established the temple of Jagannatha, was known as "Gundicha". The cleansing of the Gundicha temple takes place the day before the Ratha-Yatra festival as mentioned in "Chaitanya-Caritamrita".

Chilka Lake, the largest freshwater lake of Asia (65 km long, 8–20 km wide, about 2 m deep), is situated just a few kilometers away from Puri and is a place worth visiting.

Besides these, Brahmagiri, a holy shrine; Satyabadi, another shrine and temple; and Baliharachandi are some of the sites to visit near Puri.

How to Reach:
The nearest airport is at Bhubaneswar (60 km), the state capital. Private buses and minibuses to Puri are also available from Bhubaneswar, Konark, Berhampur, Taptapani, Sambalpur and Kolkatta. Puri is also linked to other cities in Orissa and the country by train.

The Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) has its information offices in the tourist places all over the country where one can get all the information required for a comfortable visit to this place.

Major Hotels

• Hotel Toshali Sands
• Hotel Nilanchal Ashok