| 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. |
| Don't know where to go? pablo@business-standard.com |
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