Temple of the Sun

HIT THE ROAD

35 km apart on the unhyped Orissa coast, Konark and Puri offer two completely different temple experiences.

In Konark, the massive Sun Temple is not just a tribute to the Sun God, modelled after the chariot he rides across the sky every day, it's also a bas-relief of daily life seven centuries ago.

Guides will especially take deadpan delight in pointing out the erotic carvings amidst the palace and battle scenes. You'll have to be content examining things like the giant 24-spoked wheels (which work as sundials), because you can't enter the temple - the Brits sealed it up on safety grounds.

Puri, all congestion and sweat and faith, is a world apart. The Jagannath Mandir, one of the four holy dhams of Hinduism, is situated here.

The Car festival in June-July, when the idols are taken out, attracts lakhs of devotees. Otherwise, it's a serene place - sit at a bar by the beach and ask the wise old sea what it thinks of humanity.

It's a straightforward 480 km down the NH5 from Kolkata to Bhubaneshwar, from where Konark and Puri are an equidistant 65 km down pleasant two-laners. OTDC (Ph: 06752-222562) in Puri offers rooms from Rs. 250 onwards.

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