People enjoy rath yatra in Puri along with a day out on the beach

It was the annual festival of Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra in Puri and devotees made a beeline for the beach to enjoy the day as the real sea turned out to be a hangout zone for tourists and people of all age groups. The weather was pleasant following overcast skies in the pilgrim city.
There were plenty of makeshift kiosks smelling a variety of products including a kiosk for taking selfies.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 26 June 2017.

The camel rides was a major attraction especially for the children. Apart from these attractions, there were plenty stalls of food and sweets. As per records, nearly 1.5 lakh people visited the beach today and around 500 coastal lifeguards and six platoons of police were deployed on the beach to ensure law and order.


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Puri beach carnival to be held for the first time from January 20 to 26

Puri beach carnival, on the lines of Goa Carnival, to be held for the first time from January 20 to 26. Undoubtedly, Puri is fast changing into a cultural destination from being just a beach paradise.The Puri beach carnival would offer a fete of art, music, theatre, poetry and many more.
The event will be a week-long affair of fun and frolic and will be organised on the entire stretch of the beach from Hotel Mayfair to Swargadwar.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 7 January 2017.

The carnival will be hosted by Odisha tourism, Puri district administration and an event management company, it will start with a parade, where local communities will take part in their traditional outfits. Various stakeholders of the Puri tourism industry, including hoteliers, restaurant owners and tourist guides, will don colorful attires at the event. Tourists will also be encouraged to join the carnival procession.
There will also be a sand art exhibition by Sudarsan Pattnaik will be the highlight of the event and, also, beach and adventure sports like beach karate, beach kabadi, volleyball, malkhamb, judo, para sailing. A tattoo workshop has been planned as well.
There will be a boat rally with around 50 decorated boats that will sail on the sea.
In addition, the Pallishree Mela, a sort of fair will also be there - beach vendors will showcase their artworks like stone carving, appliqué work, woodcarving, mask making and palm leaf engraving. And then, of course, there will be plenty of seafood.


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21st annual Puri beach festival takes off with innumerable events

The 21st annual Puri beach festival took off with innumerable cultural performances and adventurous water sporting events lined up. The event started with a vedpath (chanting of vedic hymns), sankhadhwani (blowing of conch) and a display of fireworks.
In the three-day fest, there will be artistes from across the country performing their acts.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 26 November 2016.

The cultural evening began with a performance by Mahari dancer Rupashree Mahapatra and her team - the Odissi recital narrated the relationship between Lord Jagannath and his disciple. Incidentally, Mahari began in the Jagannath temple in Puri and was a ritual dance for the deities and has laid the foundation of the classical dance form of Odissi.
Then there was dances performed by artistes from Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra's Odissi school Srjan. Also performing was Kathak dancers of Arpana Rao and troupe from Mumbai apart from several folk dance forms. Melody troupes enthralled the audience with chart-buster songs from Bollywood. Against the backdrop of the scenic beach, the performances were extremely blissful.
Apart from cultural activities, there are a number of beach and adventure sports planned like beach karate, beach kabadi, volleyball, malkhamb, judo, and para sailing.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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20 hotels operating in Puri without approval to be closed down in first phase

Odisha has taken tough measures for hotels in Puri that are flourishing without obtaining necessary approval. The Odisha State Pollution Control Board has issued closure notices to 20 hotels in the city that were operating without its approval.
During an inspection, the pollution watchdog discovered more than 100 such hotels and, for a start, they have identified 20 hotels and have served them closure notices.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 3 August 2016.

These hotels are to be sealed within a week. Under sections of the air pollution and water pollution prevention laws, hotels must mandatorily obtain consent of the Odisha State Pollution Control Board for establishment and operations. Environmental activists have alleged that many hotels in Puri were contributing significantly to the air and water pollution because they release wastewater directly into the sea thereby polluting the beach.
Incidentally, the pollution control board had issued closure notice last year also to some hotels in Puri that were operating without its consent. A few hoteliers had challenged the order in Orissa High Court and the court had granted a stay on the closure. Subsequently, the court dismissed the case and vacated the stay order. AS a result, action has been have taken and another chance has been given to the hoteliers to apply for getting the necessary consent.


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Odisha showcases its khadi products and handicrafts on the occasion of Rath Yatra

Odisha is taking advantage of the Rath Yatra festival to promote khadi products. Therefore, the Odisha Khadi and Village Industries Board is hosting a fair in Puri where it is endorsing merchandise made by rural artisans of the state. The venue is the beach at Mochi Sahi Square and the fair is labeled as "Khadi Haat". It aims to promote the traditional crafts and fabrics of the state among tourists who have gathered in the holy city for the annual festival.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 8 July 2016.

The exhibition has around 50 kiosks that showcase khadi apparel, fabrics and saris apart from cottage-industry products which include a wide repertoire of stylish garments made from traditional fabrics of the state such as ikkat and kotpad. Weavers and craftsmen from Mayurbhanj, Kalahandi, and Koraput have taken part in the fair to promote their art forms.
The fair has provided people an opportunity to buy khadi items and village products that are not available easily available outside Odisha. Moreover, various tribal jewellery as well as home décor items, including dokra craft and items made of lacquer and bamboo, are attracting tourists. There are also handicraft items made from horns, straws, brass and wood - these are also a hit with buyers.


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Foreign tourists give Puri a miss - drop in arrivals a matter of concern

Odisha is faced with a problem of drop in arrival of foreign tourists. Apparently, big-ticket events such as Nabakalebar of the Trinity in Puri is unable to attract foreign tourists to the state in expected numbers. It seems the foreign tourist footfall has declined in 2015, when the Nabakalebar was held, as compared to the previous year.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 29 May 2016.

As per statistics, a total of 71,426 foreigners visited the state in 2014 and it came down to 66,971 the next year when Nabakalebar was organised with great fanfare. The festival was witnessed by around 23,000 foreigners - this is around 35 per cent of the total foreign tourist footfall of the year. This is in spite of tall claims made by the state government that they had showcased the event in a manner that it created a global appeal.
Last year, only 0.83 per cent of foreigners, who visited the country, came to Odisha and this does not paint a happy picture. There are accusations that the state lacked in setting up foreigner-friendly tourist amenities. Moreover, the government's imposition of restriction on the visit of foreigners and researchers to the state's tribal areas have also had a negative effect and have played spoilsport.
Many tour operators felt that the foreigners are keen on exploring areas beyond the Puri-Konark-Bhubaneswar triangle. Obviously, the tourism policy needs to be modified since the state has only been highlighting these three places. Tourists would want to explore other areas like the handloom clusters and tribal zones. But, there are no government packages for tourism in such areas.


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