Day 6 - Friday, 16 Dec 2022
Sakshi's message on Thu 15 Dec 2022 at 7:45 PM
Hi Everyone,
It’s time to bid goodbye to Puri. We shall check out with luggage from this hotel and return to Bhubaneswar after covering Pipli .
Here is plan for tomorrow (16 Dec) with 50+ Voyagers Travel and Adventure Club.
7:30 AM 9:00 – Enjoy breakfast. Before leaving for breakfast inform reception to bring your luggage down.
08:30 AM - Leave your luggage outside your room
9:15 AM - Assemble at Lobby. Ensure your luggage are in the lobby.
9:15 AM- Board the bus to Pipli ( Appx 1 Hour).
10:30-11:30 PM – Shopping time at Pipli. Then board Bus to Bhubaneswar.
Approx 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM- Check in the hotel and Have Lunch.
2:00-5:00 PM – Vist Udaigiri and Khandagiri. Evening at leisure. You may go for shopping.
8:00 PM onwards : Dinner at Hotel.
9:30 PM : Good Night and Sweet Dreams.
Meals Included: - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
* Time and schedule of above plan is just for reference. Sightseeing order and exact timing may change due to road and weather condition and rush.
* Please carry original ID Card. Wear good shoe and take water bottle ,umbrella/hat if you need.
* Be aware of Monkeys
As instructed by Sakshi the members packed their bags & reached the restaurant for breakfast by 8 AM. Some managed to visit the beach yet one more time before leaving Puri. After breakfast we left in our bus for Pipli which was an hour's drive away.
Pipli is located around 40 km from Puri & is famous for applique and patchwork. Several shops were lined on either sides of the road. We could see colourful umbrellas, handbags, puppets, purses, wall hangings, bedspreads, cushion covers, pillow covers, lampshades, lanterns and many other items. This applique work dates back to ancient times. It involves embroidering and stitching small pieces of cloth with depictions of flowers, animals, village scenes and other traditional designs on a larger cloth that forms the base. Cotton cloth is used for the base as well as for the patches. Different, vibrant colour combinations are conceptualised and then recreated by the village folk.
Almost everyone got out of the bus & started shopping. Forming
groups of 4 or 5 we entered the different shops, picked up what caught
our fancy, bargained with the shopkeepers & filled our bags with
these bright handicraft items, some for our personal use, some for
gifting.
A group of us visited a small tea shop.
From Pipli we reached VITS hotel at Bhubaneshwar and checked into our rooms. A different set of rooms were allotted this time.
After a leisurely
lunch we again boarded the bus and proceeded to the astonishing rock-cut
caves of Udayagiri (Hill of Sunrise) and Khandagiri (Broken Hills).
There are 33 rock cut caves - 18 are in Udayagiri whereas 15 are in Khandagiri, famous for stupendous carvings. In Udaygiri, the largest caves are the Rani Gumpha or the Queen’s Cave and Elephant Cave or the Hathi Gumpha, where you can find the amazing statues of elephants installed on the gate.
These caverns were made somewhere around
the 1st and 2nd Century BC under the commission of King Kharavela of the
Mahameghavahana dynasty that ruled Odisha (erstwhile Kalinga) during
that time. These intriguing caves were built for the Jain monks to
provide them a place to rest and meditate. These twin caves are located
on the two adjacent hills, which are part of the Kumari Mountain range.
Initially,
there were a total of 117 caves, of which only 33 caves can be seen
today. Out of these 33 caves, 15 are situated in the Khandagiri Hills
while 18 of them are located in the Udayagiri Hills. The Archaeological
Survey of India (ASI) maintains the caves of the Udayagiri Hills.
Some of us visited the Digambara Jain temple atop the Khandagiri hill.
After
a long exciting day we all returned to the hotel. Before dinner, a
special get together was arranged to thank Sakshi for the wonderful trip
through which she had guided us in the past 6 days.
Next day
i.e. Saturday 17 Dec 2022, group members started returning to their
respective home towns with their hearts full with the memories of the
trip.
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