East India Golden Triangle tour, you get to visit the
most auspicious temple of Lord Jagannath in Puri where you are bestowed with
the blessings of the Lord. You will also get the opportunity to participate
in the Rath Yatra if visiting during the Yatra time. It is also a great
experience to be in Konark as here you get to see the Sun temple, now the
World Heritage Site whose walls are ingrained with innumerable sculptures of
Gods and Goddesses along with two massive elephants carved out of huge
rocks. So, carry your cameras as there is great opportunity of photography
in this place. The 5th day at Bhubaneshwar is going to be a heritage journey
full of historical sites and ancient monuments that brings reminiscence of
the Kalinga war, rock cut caves, so be prepared for a hectic day where you
will get the vast synopsis of Indian monumental heritage. The final visit to
Kolkata gives a sterling end to this package with the historical tour of the
Victoria Memorial, the Racecourse and Howrah Bridge. The East India Golden
Triangle tour highlights three destinations viz Kolkata, Puri and
Bhubaneshwar so you can really spend time concentrating on major tourist
attractions of these places.
Day 01 : Arrive Kolkata - Puri
(Overnight Train) 
On arrival to Kolkata, you are taken to the hotel. Have your lunch and rest
for a while. In the evening, we take you to the Railway Station for
Overnight train to Puri. The departure is in the evening hours and overnight
is in the train.
Day 02 : Arrive Puri
Upon arrival in the morning, we transfer you to the hotel. This ancient
city is along the coast and is 55 kms from Bhubaneshwar. This holy city of
Lord Jagannath is famous for its Rath Yatra. The Puri beach is a fine
stretch of white sand and pilgrims from all over the world are seen to
throng this place. After your arrival we take you for a half day city tour
paying visits to the Lord Jagannath temple and later to the seashores.
Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 03 : Puri
Morning after breakfast, we take you to the beach where you engage yourself
in various sports in the vast beach. This is an ideal place for swimming and
surfing. We also take you to the Lord Jagannath temple to offer Puja. If
traveling during the Rath Yatra, this tour becomes even more joyous and it
is a marvelous sight to see the Chariot ride. It is believed that holding
the rope of the Rath (Lord's Chariot) bestows blessings of the Lord to the
devotees.
Day 04 : Puri Konark - Bhubaneshwar
Morning after breakfast, we drive you to Bhubaneshwar. En route visiting
Konark - famous for its sun temple where you get to see two huge
stone-carved Elephants. On arrival to Bhubaneshwar, we take you to the hotel
for a check-in. Bhubaneshwar - the temple city of India, is the capital of
Orissa. The evening is in the hotel that is followed with the overnight
stay.
Day 05 : Bhubaneshwar
Morning after breakfast, we take you for a full day city tour of
Bhubaneshwar. We drive you to the twin hills of Khandagiri and Udagiri that
is known for its rock-cut caves. We continue drive to Dhauli hill that
brings back the memories of the historic Kalinga War. We continue drive to
Lingaraj temple and the ruins of Sisupalgarh. Later, we drive you to Hirapur
to see the magnificent Hypaethral temple with its sixty four Yoginis. We
then return back to the hotel for overnight stay.
Day 06 : Bhubaneshwar Kolkata (Overnight Train)
Morning after breakfast we take you on an adventure trail, where you will
indulge in some adventure activities like para-gliding and hot air
ballooning in Bhubaneshwar under the guidance of Aero Sports consultants.
Afternoon is at leisure, this is the time you can utilize at your own
choice. If interested you can go for shopping of famous artifacts of Orissa
like Piple work of art or can explore the beach side. In the evening, check
out of the hotel and board the train back to Kolkata. Overnight in the
train.
Day 07 : Arrival Kolkata
Upon arrival to Kolkata, we take you to the hotel. Then we drive you for
sightseeing of Kolkata. We take you to Victoria Memorial, Race Course, Birla
Planetarium, Indian Museum and Howrah Bridge. Later in the evening, check
out from the hotel and you are driven to the airport that takes you back
home.
I am a doctor by profession and so it becomes
impossible for me to leave my patients unattended for a long duration of
time. But, the monotony of my job sometimes compels me to take a short break
as it really refreshes my mind. So I took up The East India Golden Triangle
tour as it is a very compact package and it easily took my attention. When I
started with this tour, I found it to be very soothing, as it is a short
duration package of 7 days, covering four places - Puri, Konark and
Bhubaneshwar and Kolkata. The spell in the Puri beaches is exhilarating and
relaxes the mind and body. The cuisine served in Puri, is delicacies
comprising of both rich and plain cuisine. In fact, it was the stay in Puri
that oozed out all tension out of me. I loved Puri for it has the roaring
sea, the Jagannath temple and offers simple cuisines. I was impressed by The
Sun temple complex, which was in chariot form carved out of stone, I have a
photograph of mine in-front of the huge wheels of the chariot. Moreover, in
Puri, the hotels are along the coastline and so they offer an enthralling
view of the surrounding sea. The East India Golden Triangle really satisfied
me as it catered to places beyond Orissa and later on culminated in Kolkata.
Thanks Indian Travel.
---- Dr. Henry Shepherd from Isle of Man.