'Puri' is a city in the east
Indian state of
Orissa. The city is famous for its
Jagannath temple. The temple was built in the late eleventh century. Puri is one of the oldest cities in the eastern part of the country. It is situated on the coast of
Bay of Bengal and is a popular beach resort, positioned in a unique place that both sun set and sun rise can be viewed from the beach.
Name
The word "puri" in
Sanskrit Language stands for 'Town or City' but, in this case, it is derived from Jagannath Puri. Another belief is that the name Puri is derived from Purushottama (one of 108
Shatktipeethas,Puroshottama). It is the only shrine in India, where Goddess ( Also referred as
Durga,
Sati,
Parvati) abode here with Lord Krishna who is Jagannatha.

The Puri beach
History
Puri is the site of the
Govardhana matha, one of the four cardinal institutions established by Sri
Adi Shankaracharya, the others being those at
Sringeri,
Dwaraka and
Jyotirmath.
Puri is also famous for its annual
Ratha Yatra, or "Festival of
Chariots", when the deities
Jagannath,
Baladeva, and
Subhadra, are brought out of the temple, and placed in a chariot procession. This festival occurs on various dates of the Gregorian calendar, typically in the month of July.
The town if famous for its many Mathas (monasteries of the various Hindu sects). It also houses the relics of many Hindu saints as traditionally it is seen as a holy place to die in or to get cremated in. As a result, it has had a disproportionate number of widows. Like other old Hindu religious towns it has a lot of character that is difficult to be glimpsed by a casual visitor.
Why PURI is it important ?
★ The beautiful sea beach .
★ The world famous Jagannath Temple(BADA DEULA).
★ The gate way to Heaven(as per Hindu mythology - SWARGA DUAAR).
★ One of the four cardinal institutions established by Sri
Adi Shankaracharya - PURI DHAM
★ Ratha Yatra.
★ Gateway to famous Sun temple at
KONARK
★ Legally available Marijuana and Opium available at Government Shops for Shivite followers and others
Geography
Puri is located at
[1]. It has an average elevation of 0
metres (0
feet).

The Puri beach
Demographics
As of 2001 India
census[2], Puri had a population of 157,610. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Puri has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 70%. In Puri, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Tourism
Puri has very wide sand beach.The sea waves are very big here.It attracts many domestic and international tourists because of its long beach and Jagannath Temple
References
For more information on Puri Orissa
1. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Puri
2.
External links
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for more information on Puri