Puri Rath Yatra
My several visits to Odisha or Orissa are always reminiscent of the sound of foamy waves crashing along the beach at Puri, the dolphins dancing in the Chilika Lake, the stunning Sun temple in Konark, followed by visits to temples, Buddhist caves and the region’s rich handicrafts. There is much more as you keep discovering the hidden nuggets of its culture, culinary diversity and creators of exquisite
textiles. The bright hot sun remains your constant companion.
Walking on the Sea
Orissa can be very hot in summer; but again, Puri or Gopalpur or even the smaller seaside in Chandipur, along the Orissa coast are the spots to visit for the spectacular sunrises, sunsets and sea bathing. In Chandipur (Balasore district) there is a quiet sea that disappears for some time leaving you to walk on its bed. The sea retreats in the morning and afternoon during low tide, when you can safely walk on the seabed. The sea breeze along the coast, especially during the early mornings and late evenings, almost blows you off your feet. With the sea salt brushing your face, and the soft sand beneath your naked feet as they are washed by the thin line of frothy white waves that strike the shore to recede again, you feel truly relaxed, especially during the late evenings under a clear star-studded sky.
The beaches can get crowded but there is always a secluded spot. Visiting during the rainy months is a no-no as parts of the state are prone to cyclones. We decided to give Chandipur a pass this time and chose the famous golden triangle – Chilika, Konark and Puri – to enjoy this eastern state.
A well-known Hindu pilgrimage spot, Puri is a must for several reasons. Not just the beach, the Lord Jagannath Mandir attracts devotees all time of the year. It holds a festival in which the three deities of the temple, Jagannath, (considered to be an avatar of Lord Vishnu) Balaram and Subhadra are brought out in a chariot for a procession along the temple route. Known as the rathyatra, it happens during July-August and attracts millions.
Or you may like to visit the place during the first week of December during the Konark Dance Festival. To cover a few places in Orissa, keep either Bhubaneswar or Cuttack as the entry point, which can be accessed by rail, air and road from anywhere in India.
Lingaraja Temple surrounded by other smaller temples in Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar delights
For me, the options were touching down at Bhubaneswar airport, or travelling on the chair car from Kolkata. I chose the latter to enable me to enjoy the verdant countryside and catch up on some reading. Reading up about the place one goes to visit makes sense. Then go knock yourself out and soak in the colour, smell and our rich heritage.
Bhubaneswar, a well-laid out metro offers an array of local dishes and plenty of shops to cater to your taste. We tasted some local cuisine, a fish curry made with khenga fish from the sea, followed by the dessert of channapora.
The Lingaraja temple in Bhubaneswar, dedicated to LordShiva, is one of the oldest of the region. The temple represents the features of Kalinga architecture; that is, a structure of four layers or the deula style that has four components – the inner sanctum, the assembly, festival and the making of the offerings
Chanapora delicacy
After a couple of days, we set out one early morning for Puri, enroute Chilika. In between, we squeezed a day’s visit to the Buddhist caves. To back-track a bit into history, it was earlier in the third century that the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka of Patliputra (grandson of Chandragupta Maurya), waged a bloody battle with
Kalinga that left thousands dead. He subsequently converted to Buddhism and sent emissaries to Sri Lanka and South-east Asia to espouse non-violence. The Kalinga region therefore has many relics of Buddhism.
The Buddhist ruins at Sisupalgarh once the capital of ancient Kalinga
Buddhist relics
The Buddhist influences are strong in ancient Odisha. There are numerous Buddhist caves and monasteries. Ratnagiri, (not the one in Maharashtra) is an ancient site of what was once a Buddhist monastery. It is located on a hill wedged between rivers Brahmani and Birupa.
Sisupalgarh is another Buddhist site in the Kharda district, carved out of Puri. It was the capital of ancient Kalinga and during the Buddhist phase, the ruins are remnants of the vihara or Buddhist monasteries; the brick edifices have been removed and only the pillars now remain. These are in contrasting shades of blue-green and plum.
The site of Sisupalgarh excavated in 1948, revealed post-Gupta period style sculptures in bronze and brass. The architecture of the various monasteries during this period was marked by the stupa, courtyard, the cells in which lived the monks, and a huge statue of Buddha right at the centre. The
Buddha statues are large and are crafted out of brass. The Gupta dynasty was Hindu but under it, both Buddhism and Jainism flourished. In these monasteries lived the Buddhist scholars just
as they did in Nalanda, Bihar.
For it was in Bihar that the religion of Buddhism started and spread to elsewhere in the country. The various monasteries in Orissa were constructed between the fifth century and the thirteenth century, peaking between seventh and tenth centuries.
The religion, thereafter, underwent several changes and branched into various sects and sub sects and ceased to be the primary Indian religion that it had become. The lotus motifs were very common on the carvings on the pillars they can be discerned even today on temple panels, textiles and handicrafts,
as a throwback of that period.
So after alternating between Hindu temples and The Buddhist ruins at Sisupalgarh once the capital of ancient Kalinga
Intricate carvings on the walls of the monuments in the
Sun Temple premises
Buddhist caves, marveling at our religious diversity, we set off early next morning for Chilika. After about a couple of hours, stopping only for some refreshing sweet green coconut water and malai, the pristine sight of the boats anchored looked like a painting out of a frame. A few hours of boating on the lake, towards which much bargaining had to be done (despite of rates being fixed by Odisha Tourism Department) left us hungry for lunch, so we headed towards PurA couple of steps help you ascend further up. From here there are stone stairs to take you to towards the first rampart sections of Madhugri fort. Here and there you will see few secular buildings and lime mortar walls. The structure is beautiful but is sadly defaced with crude writings.
Puri potpourri
Puri never disappoints. The pandemic notwithstanding, this seaside town which suffered great damage in the severe cyclone Fani has now been rebuilt with a few changes. The Lord Jagannath Temple’s open arcade has been widened, but taking the help of a panda or a pandit is necessary and helpful because he knows the ropes and leads you to the right places to help you place the offerings and collect prasad. The temple once referred to as the White Pagoda by seamen sailing over Bay of Bengal, was built in the 12 th century. This was much later than the Lingaraja temple in Bhubaneswar, one of the oldest temples in the state.
So after a hearty lunch of prawn curry and rice at the iconic BNR Hotel, we went to greet the sea. There are several hotels — big and small — to suit all pockets. There are newer restaurant options to choose from as well. We planned a day each to pay our obeisance to Lord Jagannath and visit to nearby
Gajasimha mounted on the elephant at the entrance of the
Nata Mandir
Konark, both over in a few hours in the morning, leaving us to enjoy the beach for the rest of the day.
The Sun God
The Konark Temple dedicated to Lord Surya or Sun, is just about an hour’s drive from Puri. The temple gets its name from kona – corner and arka or sun. It was constructed in way to receive the sun’s rays, like a lamp. Carved out of a single stone it was built in the thirteenth century by King Narsimhadeva 1 of the
Ganga dynasty. It is in the shape of a chariot pulled by horses. Referred to as Black Pagoda by European sailors (for its high shikara or main tower), the temple acted as a pointer to seamen over Bay of Bengal. The erotic sculptures and reliefs on the temple panels co-exist with the gajasimha figures in stone.
It is shaped like a chariot with wheels and driven by horses. Undoubtedly, a piece of engineering marvel, the temple was salvaged in bits and pieces and put together by ASI. In fact the temple today is said to be the entrance to the real temple as it existed then.
The gajasimha is a recurring motif in Odisha. Since the region was part of the Kalinga Empire, a historical region straddling northern Orissa with parts of Andhra Pradesh, Hinduism and Buddhism ruled here in turns. While Buddhism reigned in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth centuries, Hinduism made a comeback and started dominating so its animal sign, the
Fishermen casting their net at Chilika Lake
lion (simha) is depicted striding the elephant (gaja), which signifies the Buddhist animal symbol. The gajasimha figure is found in the premises of Konark Sun Temple, as it was, after all, a Hindu temple. It also features on saris, known today as the gajasimha sari.
Rich Culture
Orissa has a very rich culture. Its culture is an influence of the devoutness of Hinduism and the gentle ways of Buddhism. The classical dance form of Odissi showcases, apart from the performing art, the State’s rich silks accompanying filigreed silver jewellery. Odissi originated in the temples of Orissa and traditionally is a part of a dance drama, with music, devotional poems to convey a spiritual message through various movements of the torso, eyes and hands.
Hopefully after these two years of the pandemic, the Konark Dance Festival will be held in the first week of December. And if you time your visit with the Konark Dance Festival, you will be in for a treat. Held in an open auditorium that overlooks the Konark Sun Temple, the Festival was started in 1986 and the last one was held in 2019. Well-known classical musicians and dancers from the rest of the country perform here too during this time. The entire heritage of Orissa is displayed through its beautiful handicrafts and souvenirs at the International Sand Art Festival, usually held at the Chandrabhaga Beach nearby.
Apart from stone carvings of deities and patachitra in vivid
Patachitra depicting folk art
colours depicting folk art, the state is known for palm leaf paintings, papier mache work, wooden toys that are results of a very creative and artistic people. The beautiful lacquer work – coasters and jewellery boxes – are crafted by the Hindu women of Nowrangpur and Baleshwar districts.
Patachitra on clay wall plates, delicate filigreed silver jewellery and attractive metal (dokra) tribal jewellery are definitely worth buying to take some home. If the silver jewelry is very refined, the tribal metal jewelry is ethnic class. Beautifully strung, they almost resemble antique gold.
Every state has its own special cuisine to boast. The chanapora is one of its signature delicacies. This cottage cheese cake type of sweet dish is melt-in-the mouth, with a slight burnt taste. Thus the name chana (cottage cheese) and pora (burnt), almost giving it a crème brule type of taste. There is of course a variety of fish and prawn preparations that reign supreme; the catch from the rivers and sea is as fresh as it can get, before getting prepared into curries.
Khandua silk – fit for the gods (sari pix by Manjira Manjumdar
Poetry in textiles
Indian textile and fabric of each state is unique. The sheer texture and feel is seductive. Handloom saris whether woven with cotton, silk, tussar and sometimes, all three, are available in a mind-boggling range in Orissa. So go ahead and plan your itinerary. You may wish to visit the natural parks, forests and
The Bichitrapuri sari is known for its chessboard designs
waterfalls. But once you have visited, it will gently beckon you to return.
There are a variety of local weaves which have different names depending on the way these are woven and dyed. The colours are all very striking with beautiful contrasting borders and pallu. These two are woven as well. But what makes the saris stand out are the beautiful motifs which are woven in as well.
Orissa is famous for its hand-woven sarees in cotton, silk and tussar
In addition to the buttis on saris there are the popular motifs — flowers, birds and animals. The saris represent the local culture. For instance, the chakra of the Konark temple that was also on Ashoka’s edicts, is popular, and so is the gajasimha motif. The skilfully woven borders and pallu have other wonderful motifs such as birds, peacocks, sun, moon, lotus flower, the conch shell and also temple spires. Each piece can become a collector’s item.
The ikat sari of Orissa is very popular too. It has an elaborate dying process that is also popular as pochampalli in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. In Orissa, the different patterns are dyed and binded into thread before it is woven.
Another popular weave is the Bomkoi saris woven in a village in Bomkoi in Ganjam district. So depending on the village or region, these saris take on the name such as Sambalpuri, Bichitrapuri, etc. Bomkoi saris are of thick weave, perhaps because an extra warp in border and an extra weft in body. The pallu of the Bomkoi is extraordinarily intricate and beautiful. The Bichitrapuri sari is known for its chessboard designs. The saris are also tied-dyed are now woven in various parts of the State. The pasapali handloom among this weave stands out for their gambling or square chess board patterns.
What actually stands out among all the weaves and are a must buy from Orissa is the khandua sari. This is the actual “kataki” sari. It is worn by women during weddings and often have zari work on it. What is unique is that Lord Jagannath is adorned with this fabric and it sometimes, has texts and illustrations and verses from Geeta Gobinda on it. These are known as kenduli khandua. The colour is mostly an auspicious
red or orange but today various designs and colours are experimented with. The khandua is woven mostly in all of Orissa today but the ones woven in Nuapatana, near Cuttack, stand out for certain specific motifs like the elephant which again shows Buddhist influence. The borders of these saris are usually plain.
Manjira Majumdar
Manjira Majumdar is an independent journalist & researcher. She combines writing with teaching journalism and is the author of three children’s books.