The Lord Jagannath at Puri, one of the sacred Char Dhams.
A short glimpse to History
Ancient State of ‘Kalinga’, present day Odisha, overlooking the eastern sea board of India, was a mighty ancient empire. It was a commercial hub connecting northern and southern provinces of Indian Sub-continent and was a major commodities exchange center. Much before the Vikings exploring high seas, Kalinga was a prominent seafarer’s state where-in the wealthy merchants or mariners (Sadhavas) used to trade spices, cotton, handicrafts, ornaments, silk, ivory etc with far away kingdoms (Java, Borneo, Bali, SriLanka – Present day Indonesia, Malaysia etc) using the sea routes.
Coveted Collections
Latest Products
Silver Filigree
Its an art form on Silver metal that is 500 years old and based on Cuttack city, Odisha.
The filigree artists work with an alloy of 90% or more pure silver. First the metal is melted and mounded into a tube which is then made into long thin wires of silver. Next the wires are strung together and twisted and shaped into a design by the artist’s precise fingers. Forms of animals, birds, flowers and even miniature handbags and other souvenirs such as themes on Mahabharat, Konark Wheels, Taj Mahal, Effiel Tower etc are some of the finest art works designed by the highly skilled filigree artisans. We collect the Silver Filigree art forms from renowned artisans of Cuttack.
Wood, Horn, Straw and Tribal Art
Various art forms are carved on natural high class wood - Teak, Rose Wood, Sisham,Gambhari. Some of the most popular wood articles are various figurines of alphabets, animals, bowls and boxes. A variety of images of gods and goddesses are also carved out of wood by the wood carvers of Odisha specially in Puri, Nayagarh, Cuttack and Dhenkanal Districts.
Animal Horn is another base on which beautiful arts are carved by the expert artists especially in Gajapati district of Odisha. Many different types of products are being created in the present day, which include pen stands, house décor, Idols of god, lampshades, combs etc.
The Capital Bhubaneswar
The capital Bhubaneswar, also named as ‘Temple City’ for numerous temples built by the Kalinga rulers, is an ancient city famous for Jainism and Buddhism as evident in the ‘KhandaGiri’ and ‘UdayGiri’ caves. The mighty Ruler Kharavela instituted the Jain Monks in those caves in the 2nd Century BCE which were used by Buddhist monks later on. It is the same Bhubaneswar, on whose outskirts named ‘Dhauli’ situated on the banks of river ‘Daya’, the famous ‘Kalinga’ war happened with King Ashoka of Magadh (Present day Bihar). This the place where King Ashoka witnessed the devastation caused by war and reincarnated himself as a Buddhist monk. His rock ‘edicts’ are preserved in the place called ‘Dhauli’.
Bhubaneswar also boasts one of the oldest and powerful Shiva temples, the 7th Century Lord Lingaraj’s abode.
The Magnificent Sun Temple
60 Kms away from the state capital, on the bay of Bengal, lies another ancient Kalinga architectural marvel – The Konark Sun Temple. An UNESCO World heritage site, the 12th century structure is dedicated to Sun god in the form of a horse driven chariot with 12 wheels, each corresponds to an hour of the day.
The Lord Jagannath at Puri
As one gets awe inspired by the rich heritage of the state, the glimpse of Puri Jagannath temple mesmerizes the human spiritualism and intelligence. One of the revered sacred ‘Char Dhams’ of Hindus, it’s a pivotal place of Sanatana dharma, dedicated to lord Mahavishnu as Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra. Not only the sanctity, vibration of the temple will make one fall in love with the gods instantaneously, the mysteries associated with the temple will make one utterly surprised. Mysteries surrounded such as the temple’s shadow never seen by anyone, the food pot gets prepared from top to bottom in the order, the flag flys opposite direction of wind, no birds seen flying over temple are some of the facts one can personally realize when gets there. Finally the beautiful sea beach of Puri will make you feel the vastness of eternity and will only make your soul enriched with experiences never before.
The Chilka Lake
The largest Lagoon in Asia, the lake Chilka is synonymous to state Odisha, its culture, cuisine, art and literature. The flora and fauna associated with the natural beauty of the lake along with the unique experience it offers within its vast boundaries, are ever lasting memories one can collect. Worth mentioning is best quality sea-food indigenous to the lake that makes it a paradise for food lovers.
The Bhitarkanika Wild life (Salt water crocodile Sanctuary), Serene natural beauty of Koraput, River Mahanadi at Satkosia Gorge are some of the other natural wonders Odisha has to offer among a huge list of visiting co-ordinates.
Sri Jagannath Enterprise takes pride in providing packaged fully customized trips to Odisha and preliminary details are available in our website.
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Brass and Bell Metal Art Forms
Applique Arts
