Puri Tours & Experiences

Things to do in Puri

Darshan at the Jagannath Temple

Only Hindus may enter, through the Lion's Gate, for darshan from about 5.30 am to about 9 pm, paused for rituals. Come bathed and in clean clothes, and keep silent inside. Phones, cameras, umbrellas, leather and footwear must stay outside, and there are temple-run stands for shoes and phones beside the gate. Our Jagannath Puri temple tour confirms the current rules before you travel.

Sunrise on Golden Beach

Golden Beach, 2.5 km from the temple, has Blue Flag certification, lifeguards, watch towers and changing rooms. Come for the sunrise and the fishermen at work, and stay for the camel rides and sand art.

Grand Road and the temple festivals

In the Rath Yatra, on the second day of the bright fortnight of Ashadha, three chariots are pulled about 3 km along Grand Road to the Gundicha Temple, returning on the tenth day; people of all faiths can see the deities then, and at Snana Purnima, their public bathing. From Akshaya Tritiya, the Chandan Yatra rows their stand-ins round Narendra Tank in decorated boats.

Pattachitra in Raghurajpur

Raghurajpur, 14 km away, is a heritage crafts village where almost every household paints or carves. Between 9 am and 6 pm, walk its mural-covered lanes, watch pattachitra and palm-leaf engraving being made and buy from the artist.

Konark and Chilika

Konark's 13th-century Sun Temple, 35 km up the coast, is our temple tour's optional day trip, and its light and sound show runs after dark. Boats from Satapada on Chilika Lake, by way of Brahmagiri, look for Irrawaddy dolphins from October to March.

Choosing between our tours and experiences

Our Jagannath Puri temple tour is a tour package with a private vehicle and guide, planned round whether you can enter the temple: darshan if you can, a guided view from outside if not, then the old town and the beachfront. It suits Hindu pilgrims and visitors of other faiths alike; experiences, single activities, are listed apart. See all Puri tour packages, and our Puri travel guide for the sights.

When to go for these

Odisha Tourism gives October to March for Puri and October to February for its beach, and suggests early darshan and evening walks on the sand from March to June. Chandan Yatra starts at Akshaya Tritiya, in April or May; Snana Purnima falls in June, and darshan then stops for about 15 days; the Rath Yatra, in June or July, needs booking well ahead.