Odisha culture & coast

What you can do

• See the Konark Sun Temple in the morning, then the museum next to it
• Walk Puri beach at sunrise and visit the Jagannath temple area, noting the Hindu only entry rule
• See the Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves and the Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar
• Add Chilika Lake for dolphins and migratory birds if you have a spare day

Food to try

Odia food is subtle and rice based: dalma, chhena poda baked cheese dessert, macha besara fish and the mahaprasad cooked in clay pots at Puri. Street chhena sweets here rival Bengal's.

Culture & customs

Odisha keeps a strong temple tradition, Odissi classical dance and the Pattachitra painting and Sambalpuri weaving crafts. The Rath Yatra chariot festival in Puri draws enormous crowds in June or July.