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| Sun Temple (UNESCO) Konark, Odisha |
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| Chandrabhaga Beach, Konark, Odisha |
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| Indian Navy Rehearsal, Puri Beach |
Day 19 Monday Dec 2 2024 (Puri, Odisha) Part 2 - my dream of seeing the Sun Temple in Konark has been fulfilled this morning, also on my return bus journey from Sun Temple to Puri, I had a glimpse of Chandrabhaga Beach so 2 ticks off the list of a Day Tour Package promoted by local travel agencies in Puri & Bhubaneswar. In the afternoon & evening, I made a solo visit to Puri Beach & the timing of my visit coincided with an India Navy holding a rehearsal in conjunction with the Navy Day on Dec 4 2024 - what a lucky day for me seeing a number of war ships, fighter jets, helicopters, marine commandos, paratroopers participating in this naval exercise. In the evening, I had an enjoyable walk along the Grand Road of Puri - seeing the best of downtown Puri & Shree Jagannatha Temple by night - one of the holiest cities in India ! In free & easy travelling, you win some you lose some but today it was a big win for me having seen the Kornak Sun Temple, Chandrabhaga Beach, Shree Jagannatha Temple & downtown Puri by night & an unexpected Navy Rehearsal event in Puri Beach !
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| Puri Bus Stand > Konark Sun Temple (35km) |
1) In Puri or Bhubaneswar, major travel agencies offer day tour packages covering 8 popular touristy places in these two cities as depicted in their tour brochures. The 8 places of interests are Konark Sun Temple, Chandrabhaga Beach, Lingaraj Temple, Dhauli Hill Shanti Stupa, Mukteshwar Temple, Kandankanan Zoo, Udayagiri & Kandgiri Caves.
My 3 days & 5 days stay in Puri & Bhubaneswar together with my travel buddy & with a little planning, we managed to show up & visited the 8 touristy places with considerable ease (perhaps due to our adventurous & can do spirit) using public buses & auto rickshaws & no doubt our mental & physical strength !
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| Day Tour Package (Puri & Bhubaneswar) Itinerary covering 8 touristy places |
1) Bus ride (Rs100 = Rm5.40) from Puri Bus Stand > Sun Temple (UNESCO), Konark, Odisha, approx 35km.
2) Arriving at the Sun Temple (UNESCO), Konark - a short walk from the bus stop from the main road to the temple ticketing counter passing a row of food & souvenir stalls along the way.
3) Sun Temple (UNESCO), Konark, Odisha - a 13th century CE Hindu Sun temple at Konark located about 35km northeast of Puri city, Odisha, the temple is attributed to King Narasingha Deva 1 of the Eastern Ganga dynasty about 1250 CE
Sun Temple, Konark - front entrance, ticketing counter & entry gates, admission fee for foreigners Rs600 = Rm32.40 = US$7.40.
4) Sun Temple (1,250 A.D), Konark - a UNESCO World Heritage site.
5) The mighty simha-gajas welcome the visitors at the front porches
6) The walls of the Sun Temple contains superb carving of divine & semidivine human (male & female musicians & dancers), animal (elephants), aquatic, birds figures, legendary creatures, Hindu deities, amidst floral & geometric ornamentations.
7) Brick Temple (10th > 11th A.D.), Sun Temple, Konark
8) Aquatic figure, Sun Temple, Kornak
9) Stone Colossal lion, Sun Temple, Kornak
10) Stone Elephants, Sun Temple, Kornak
11) Stone Horses, Sun Temple, Konark
12) The 24 carve stoned wheels (12ft diameter) are pulled by 7 stone horses, Sun Temple, Kornak
13) The Chariots - the Sun Temple is designed in the shape of colossal chariot with intricately carved stone wheels, pillars & walls, its 24 wheels are decorated with symbolic designs & it's led by 6 horses.
14) Chhayadevi Temple (1100 > 1200 A.D.), Sun Temple's Compound, Konark - dedicated to the wife of the Sun God.
16) Ancient Kitchen site, Sun Temple, Kornak
17) Garden, greenery & century old trees, Sun Temple, Konark
18) Iron Beam, Sun Temple, Kornak
19) Exiting the Sun Temple, Konark - after spending close to 1.5 hrs in this UNESCO site.
20) Bought fresh chicken fillets & eggs (Rs160 = Rm8.60) from a local chicken stall near a bus stop prior to my bus ride from Sun Temple > Puri Bus Stand.
21) Bus ride (Rs100 = Rm5.40) from Sun Temple Bus stop (main road) > Puri Bus Stand
22) Chandrabhaga Beach, Konark, Odisha - our bus from Sun Temple > Puri made a 5 minutes brief stop in front of the Chandrabhaga Beach thus I was able to catch a glimpse & take a few pictures of this beautiful & clean beach in Konark. A Sand Art Festival event was held from Dec 1-5 2024 on the beach.
23) Auto rickshaw ride (Rs100 = Rm5.40) from Puri Bus Stand > Grand Road near Shree Jagannatha Temple - a short walk back to our hotel for a well earned rest after the Sun Temple outdoor visit.
24) Small Eat - my home cooked prepared meal (late lunch) in our hotel room - stir fried chicken marinated with roasted sesame sauce + sliced fresh cucumber, tomatoes & lime + Basmati rice; yummy yummy taste, simple & delicious !
25) My solo visit to Puri Beach - the timing of this visit happened to coincide with a Naval Rehearsal of navy warships, fighter jets & navy helicopters roaming the sky, marine commandos & paratroopers stunt exercises etc hence a number of beaches ie Blue Flag Beach & Niladri Beach were closed to the public, but I managed to follow the local crowd to a public beach located a bit further from these two beaches ! What a great day for a traveller like me abled to witness an Indian Navy Rehearsal in celebration of the Naval Day which falls on Dec 4 2024. Lady luck was with me on Dec 2 2024 in this holy city of Puri !
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