Puri, with its celebrated Jagannath temple and beautiful coastline, has its fair share of visitors. But around Puri you may find less populated attractions. There is Balighai beach, eight kilometres away, where a casuarina-fringed river flows into the sea.
Balighai is also a nesting site and research centre for Olive Ridley Turtles. But Piya Bose, a young lawyer and travel writer, highly recommends Raghurajpura, a village that’s a 20-minute drive from Puri. It stands serenely on the banks of the Bhargavi, amidst rice fields and groves of palm, betel vines and mango. Art and nature, too, marry well in this artisan village where every family is involved in some form of traditional art or craft. “Pattachitra, the art of palm leaf painting and etching, has been passed down for generations,” says Piya, “Artists also paint on paper and cloth with plant and mineral pigments that are entirely natural. The walls of their houses and temples glow with colourful murals.”
Raghurajpura has one other claim to fame. This village is the cradle of the sensuous Odissi dance form. In fact, one of its greatest exponents, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra was born and initiated into their ancient dance tradition here.
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