Puri is a city and a Municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India.
It is the district headquarters of Puri districtand is situated on the Bay of Bengal, 60 kilometres (37 mi)
south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is also known as Sri
Jagannatha Dhama after the 12th-century Jagannatha Temple located
in the city. It is one of the original Char Dham pilgrimage sites for Hindus.
Puri
is known by several names since the ancient times, and was locally known as
"Sri Kshetra" and Lord Jagannatha temple is known as
"Badadeula". Puri and the Jagannatha Temple were invaded 18 times by
Hindu and muslims rulers, from the 4th century AD
till the early 19th century with the objective of looting the treasures of the
temple. Odisha, including Puri and its temple, were part of British India from 1803 till India
attained independence in August 1947. Even though princely states do not exist in India
today, the heirs of the Gajapati Dynasty of Khurda still perform the ritual duties of
the temple. The temple town has many Hindu religious mathas or
monasteries.
The
economy of Puri town is dependent on the religious importance of the Jagannatha
Temple to the extent of nearly 80 percent. The 24 festivals, including 13 major
ones, held every year in the temple complex contribute to the economy; Ratha Yatra and its related festivals are
the most important which are attended by millions of people every year. Sand art and applique art are some of the important
crafts of the city.
Puri
has been chosen as one of the heritage cities for Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY)
scheme of Government of India.
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