Puri, the holy abode of Lord Jagannath, is one of the four Dhams (religious centres) of India. The sunny beach at Puri is one of the finest beaches in India. Watching the sun and the crimson glory surrounding it and just the opposite side the full moon and a star along with it still visible is a celestial experience.Puri is one of the most popular sea-side resorts where visitors can comfortably relax. The cool wave of breeze makes one more energetic and refreshed.Puri is endowed with one of the best beaches for swimming in India and is therefore also a popular beach resort, especially as it is positioned geographically so that both sunset and sunrise can be viewed from the beach.

Chitrakars or folk painters of
The palmleaf illustrations are mainly of two types, simple engravings or illustrations in pure line on palmleaf and engravings with colour fillings. The majority of the illustrations are in the line only. Plamleaf illustrations are executed on oblong palmleaf. When these are intended for a manuscript they are bound together with a thread, passing just through the middle of the leaves. Palm leafs are also used to draw pictures of different Gods and Goddesses. These are joined lengthwise with the help of threads to form a rectangular or square format. These could be folded and opened or could be hung on the wall.
In the ornamentation of the hundreds of temples,monasteries and other works of stone which were built in the course of many centuries in orissa,the carvers acquired the most extraordinary technical skill in architectural decoration.The work of stone carvers of today does not fall much behind the high artistic excellence reached by their predecessors. At present a few families still continue to follow the age-old tradition of creating artistic figures and images on stones of various quality. Most of them work on soap-stone and some on sand-stone and hard-stone.
Pathuria Sahi in
Samiana (Canopies) and Chhatris (umbrellas) that bear mafnificent appliques and designs of great artistic skill are manufactured at Pipili and
The wood carving of
Thermocool does gain its proficiency in the hands of the traditional dexterous artisans.In every religious function craft of thermocool are used for decorating the platforms.Especially on Jhulana yatra,the mukti mandap or the platform where the deities swing as a part of yearly rituals is decorated with thermocools in different forms.Similarily in Dussehera the idol of Goddess Durga is given a colourful shape by using thermocool for its necklaces,embroderies etc.Even during the annual Ratha yatra when the deities used to come out of the main temple for a ten days holiday to gundicha temple,use the same called as 'Tahiya' which is supplied by Raghava Das matha of
Terracota is an art form universal in its scope,yet emblazoned with the distinct imprint of the native soil.The art of kiln burnt ware,graceful and harmonious,provides the perfect counterfoil to the amazing legacy of stone sculpture.
There is one particular section of pepole,skilled enough,follows the footprint set by their ancestors.Apart from supplying the earthern pot for the daily requirements in the temple the Kumbharas dedicate their entire time in carving out different images from clay.These category of pepole reside in a particular area called the 'Kumbharapara'.
Various types of decorative articles including masks are produced from Sola pith and papier-mache. The pith decorations are traditionally used to decorate the images during various festivals. Beautiful toys with detachable limbs like nodding tigers, other animals and different types of masks are made in papier-mache by the folk painters of
Sea shell is a gift from the
Coircraft is a range of eco-friendly products made from coconut fiber to serve a variety of purposes but are also biodegradable. Coir is a totally natural, eco-friendly and exceptionally tensile fiber extracted from the nuts of coconut.
The coconut palm has been praised as 'Kalpvriksha' the all giving tree in the classics of India. The use of coconut throughout India makes it a symbol of national unity. Woven glory is what you see in a coir product. Coir or coconut fibre is used very artistically to make a wide range of eco-friendly toys, wall hangings, key rings, pen stands and other home decoratives. Coir products are 100% natural.