It was a long time wish of my parents, to visit Jagannath Temple, Puri.. The idea of being to a heritage site right next to the sea-shore intrigued me as such, as also the fascinating facts about the Jagannath Temple Puri. We took this trip in Feb 2009, and back then, little did I know, that, I would be blogging some day..I sincerely wish I had more photos for my posts but that’s a lesson I have learnt over time, to keep memories of the places I traveled. Here’s the some memorable accounts of my journey!!

We decided to put up at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, Puri instead of a hotel for many reasons. For one, it was just 3 mins walk away from The Jagannath Puri Temple, and second, it was also close to the beach.

The Ashram is heavily booked during the festive seasons, and often is available only for its members to book an accommodation. Since my parents happen are members with The Ramakrishna Mission, it was easier for them to reserve an accommodation here.

In our two days trip in Puri, we were to visit most of the Pilgrimage places in Puri, especially the Jagannath Puri Temple. 

This particular incidence is very close to my heart, as we took a cycle rickshaw ride on the road near the seacoast, enjoying the sunsets.

It was evening time and we were back from the visit to Jagannath Puri Temple. It was time to explore the area around, so we decided to take a stroll near the beach first, then do some souvenir shopping around.

The beach was jam-packed in the evening with travelers, visitors, and people playing around at the beach. The beach has a huge market for sale of variety, shapes, sizes and colors of sea shells, This peculiar shaped conch shell drew my attention  and I decided to take a look at it. Sleek, smooth, and compact with a clear sound, I blew through it. And I decided to add this to my inventory of souvenirs.

The sunset was near by now, and the coast was preparing for another golden sunset. At this moment, missing a drive along the coast would have been criminal. It was a long time that we had tried a cycle rickshaw trip, so we hired two-cycle rickshaws and hopped in to explore the area around the beach.

We started our ride and passed along the busy streets, slowly, enjoying every moment of the sunset. As the rickshaw moved through the street gently, for a moment, I realized how ‘fast paced’  life had become for us. No moment to ‘live’ the happiness fully. Today, as I took that ride, I felt that life, for a moment, had slowed down and I realized slow is good, especially, in these moments, when we want more out of our really limited time, and we want so much that the time slows down, although, the clock has its own rules.

I could recollect my childhood days when cycle-rickshaws were a popular conveyance system. I was just carried away by the nostalgia and was about to miss out this ‘Million Dollar Smile’ on my parents’ faces. I came back with a sudden jolt, and flashed the camera for this fabulous pic.

Inside my heart, I was happy that I had been able to fulfill their long-cherished dream. I was somehow not able to make it happen for a long time, and often had a doubt whether I will ever be able to fulfill their wish. But, there it was, the opportunity somehow just manifested and created itself, silently.  I think the greatest moments of life happen slowly with time.. All we need to have is a strong belief. And when they happen, they create a masterpiece. So was this moment for me…