As soon as we hear beach, our mind visualizes men and women having fun and sun-tanning themselves with the least amount of clothes on their bodies. Prefix the term beach with Puri and the visualization transforms into a sacred venue with hundreds and thousands of pilgrims paying homage to Lord Jagannath.
Although the place is famous among religious people rather than fun-lovers one can visit Puri beaches for the sole purpose of enjoyment too. Due to a large number of beaches, the crowd gets scattered but be sure to book hotels in Puri as too many people keep visiting the place all over the year for worshipping and joining the annual festivals.
Here are top 5 beaches that everyone must see regardless of their purpose of visiting Puri.
Puri Beach – It is among the most tourist attracting centres of Puri. This is an important place from the religious point of view and the choppy water makes it ideal for surfers too. Nature has gifted the beach with spectacular beauty that increases at sunrise and sunset beyond imagination.
The first five days of November every year brings much more liveliness to the beach with the annual Puri Beach Festival. The festival each year witnesses flood of people pouring from all over the world.
Apart from the beauty and liveliness of the beach, there’s one more attraction – Sudarshan Pattnaik, the world-renowned sand artist. His splendid sand sculptors did not only earn him a name but also famed the Puri Beach in the whole world.
Beleswar Beach – The Shaivite shrine and Shiva temple has always attracted Lord Shiva’s worshippers to the Beleswar Beach. The number of devotees increases here many times during the Mahashivratri festival.
But, in the recent years, the beach is also gaining popularity among the newlywed couples as a romantic honeymoon destination. Hotels here can be booked online for the period of Puri visit. The stunning beauty and the sparse crowd on the beach attract couples.
Being just 4Km off the Marine Drive Road of Puri and Konark, the Beleswar Beach is very easy to reach. The place is also surrounded by forest cover that makes the place more splendid.
Golden Beach – As the name suggests the beach has an abundance of golden sand. Visitors of the golden beach are more interested in sitting and playing with the sand. This is the best choice for going with small children as the beach is uncluttered and alcohol prohibited.
The magnificent sunrise and sunset scene are no doubt captivating but the changing colour of the water and the sand during the course of the day also keep visitors glued to the place.
Balighai Beach – Just 8Km away from the renowned Puri Beach is the untouched terrains of Balighai Beach. Unlike the Puri and other famous beaches, the stream of water at Balighai Beach is very calming. The flow of water is very gentle here that flows slowly into the Bay of Bengal. There are many activities like water skiing, parasailing and boat-riding that visitors enjoy.
The beach is also known for Olive Ridley turtles and green casuarinas trees with the background of white sand spread in a vast stretch. People visiting the beach must also not miss the Sea Turtle Research Centre and the Balihirana Deer Sanctuary.
Swargdwar Beach – As it is evident by the name this beach has religious significance. The place is named ‘Swargdwar’ i.e. the Door to Heaven as according to a Legend Sri Chaitanya Dev merged into Lord Brahma and ascended to heaven from this place only. Devotees take a dip in a place here that is named as ‘Mahanadi’ as it is believed to open the doors of heaven once again.
The serenity of the place coupled with the warm atmosphere makes it irresistible also for the tourists who are not Hindu believers.
The beaches of Puri are unique with their natural serenity and religious significance.