Puri, Odisha - Fishermen, beaches, and temples

 


Smiling faces and other colourful murals greeted me when I arrived in Puri, Odisha, but I didn't recognise the city at all. I stayed in Puri in late 2000, and I still have a few low resolution photos from that trip, and fond memories. But, as it turned out on my last day, I was trying to find the old Puri I knew in the right place. With the help of locals, I located the hotel I stayed at last time and the shop that was named "Yes Boss". 


Everywhere you go there are many murals, some of them also with an educational aspect. I wasn't focused on street art, so there are only a few photos. 








I found a hotel down from this Hare Krishna temple towards the beach. 




The Sea Queen Inn is not perfect, and the staff are absolutely uninterested in you or anything, except a tip at the end for doing nothing, but the price was good for such a room with a private terrace and sea views. Internet only worked on the balcony, but I had an issue with a quite large male monkey.












One early afternoon when I opened my eyes from a nap, I saw a big monkey in my room smelling the washing powder. I chased him away and he joined his friends. But he didn't give up. The next day, I was focusing on my work and when I looked up, the monkey was sitting next to me on the balcony's rail. I chased him away again, by sprinkled water on him. That was a mistake. Two days later he came again, and pissed right where I normally worked. So what I learned is that monkeys are revengful creatures, and smart at it, and that it is better not to mess with them. Maybe I should have given him a buiscit or something, and we could have been on friendly terms. 



The fishermen's village is what I remembered clearly and it was easy to find it. But today, although it still looks a bit dubious and run down, the village consist of brick houses. In the past, most people lived in tents made of sticks and plastic sheets, and some in simple bamboo huts. The scenes on the beach, however, were very much the same; sunset, boats, fishermen bringing in the catch, and some of the less attractive sights. I talked to one of the fishermen, and also someone who knows them, and they confirmed that these boat people are still seminomadic, sailing down to the tip of India and back regularly. They are Hindus, but some converted to Christianity; and indeed, you can see a church among the Shri Ram flags. My source said it is run by foreign missionaries. Why do some people think they are entitled to tell others what to believe and how to live?















A cow waits patiently in front of a restaurant's door. 




The beach near my hotel. 























The most important site in Puri for Hindus is the Shree Jagannath Temple. In the eastern part of India, Jagannath is believed to be the "Lord of the Universe", the creator of everything. 




A long, wide road leads to the Shree Jagannath Temple, but non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the complex.














Streets between the Jagannath Temple and Puri's main beach.







The main beach of Puri. (Some call it Golden Beach, others use this name for the whole length of the beaches in Puri.)


























Temples in the area where I stayed.




Searching for old villas - in the past, Puri consisted of buildings like these. 




And finally I found the hotel where I stayed at last time, and the shop that used to be called - until about 2019 - Yes Boss. It used to sell printed cars; today it's a hairdresser. And in the past, the beach started right on the other side of the road; today there are two more streets with hotels before you reach the sand. 






Friendly people of Puri.



With Rana and Babu.


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