Puri is a coastal town and municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Puri district and is located in the Bay of Bengal, 60 kilometers (37 mi) south of the state capital, Bhubaneswar. It is also known as Sri Jagannatha Dhama, after the 12th century Jagannath temple in the city. It is one of the original Char Dham pilgrimage sites for Hindus.
Puri has been known by different names since ancient times and was locally known as "Sri Kshetra" and the Jagannath temple is known as "Badadeula". Puri and the Jagannath temple were invaded by Muslim rulers 18 times, starting from the 7th century AD. until the beginning of the 19th century, with the aim of looting the temple's treasures. Odisha, including Puri and its temple, was part of British India from 1803 until India achieved independence in August 1947. Although there are no princely states in India today, the heirs of the House of Gajapati still perform the temple ritual duties. The temple town has many Hindu religious monasteries or mathas.
Puri's economy depends almost 80 percent on the religious importance of the Jagannath temple. The 24 festivals, including 13 major ones, celebrated every year in the temple complex contribute to the economy; Ratha Yatra and its related festivals are the most important and are attended by millions of people every year. Sand art and appliqué art are some of the most important crafts in the city.
Puri has been chosen as one of the heritage cities for the Heritage Cities Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) program of the Government of India.
Puri is an important part of the "Krishna pilgrimage circuit" that also includes Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana, Gokula, Govardhan, Kurukshetra and Dwarka.
