PURI/Puri (8 PFs)

पुरी

ପୁରୀ I پوری

Track: Double Electric-Line

Overall Tip
So in my whole trip series
This place was best
I came here in night by Jaganath Mail as i didn't get any better place for sleep
So i thought going...
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to puri might help me atleast i can sleep here as i know last time in 2011 i came here station has better amenities...
So i booked UTS ticket went to 2S and reached PURI
I was so tired of continuous 25 hours of travel without having proper meal and rest . . .. thereby i was looking for waiting room and TTEs were checking tickets i told him that "mujhe neend aa rhi h waiting room btao.. ticket subha check kr lena" 😹
He said ticket dikhao phle mene uts khola aur ticket dikhaya fir bola ki udhar h waiting room.. then i went in waiting room it was empty, peaceful with cool temp.. no smell no garbages.. neat and clean.. slept on marble made sitting area and directly waked up at around 8-9 am..
So here are few things to tell u all... Specially for solo travelers
1. IRCTC Food Track available and it was open in Night as well, however food are limited in nights.. and outside station few shops were opened i didn't went to main road but shops were open as it can be easily visible from the exit/entrance
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2. Waiting Rooms available and was in very Good Condition... Washrooms were neat and clean .. even in morning i at 9 am after used by lots of people still it was neat and clean...
As in evwry 6 hours they came for cleaning
So waiting rooms are best, dont know about retiring room but booking was closed online so no idea about that.. however hotels in the town is available at good rates being religious tourist city u can find hotels of any budget
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3. Autos/E-Rickshaw available outside station and also govt bus also available for going to beach and Temple.. fare for beach was 5 rs only.. i have attached the Bus timing pic.. however for beach auto takes Rs 20 (i m talking about Golden Beach)
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4. It is well known tourism based city which has most famous temple under char dham.. everyone knows that, apart of it there are many places related to Religion and Historical also bio diversity..
However i must say you must visit Golden Beach which is under India's Top 10 Cleanest & Finest Beaches.. feels like goa with no liquor... But for family its best, no crowd at all entry fees rs 20 and for bath entry fee rs 50..
It is covered and has entry / exit points . .. i have attached pics of beach
It has life guard available who are here to safeguard you for any issue in sea water
There are showers available here seperate for men & women and also changing rooms...
This was best thing 😌
Bath in Sea fresh my mood.. i had train at 11 am so i have to go early else i will spend 2-3 hours more here
A perfect Nap on sand 😴
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5. Water vending machine available here and it works
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6. Jaganath Temple Trust counter at entrance is available also with souvenir shopee
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What i Dont like is that the platform height is very low, very difficult to sr citizen pax and divyangjans
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So overall rating is 4.5/5

Thanks
#TouristerDKG_TravelTips

BOOKING PREFERENCE FOR PASSENGERS FROM COASTAL ODISHA TO CHHATTISGARH(Only included trains via SBP)
1. 12994 Puri-Gandhidham Weekly SF Exp: This train must be the first priority while booking from Odisha to any state it serves, be it Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra or Gujarat. Cleanliness is excellent, Due to less number of halts and being a weekly train, rush of unreserved passengers in SL is very much low. Though there's no pantry car present, one can opt for IRCTC e-catering at BBS, there are a lot of options available. However, for those who board from the stations beyond BBS should bring their own food from home or better have their dinner and board the train, as it arrives at DNKL/ANGL/TLHD at relatively late hours, beyond...
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dinner time. The only disadvantage about this train is that, it is a weekly train and departs from PURI on Monday so weekend travellers can't take it. Ticket availability is not that great.
2. 22827 Puri-Surat SF Weekly Express: This is train shares the slot of Puri-Gandhidham SF. It has more no. of coaches than 12994 and thus tickets are easily available. As compared to 12994, this train's maintenance is a little bit lower. However, the difference is not that much. During my last trip on this train, the only thing that I didn't like was that the windows in the AC 2-tier were dirty and throughout the journey, they remained unattended. Regarding food, the advice is same as that of 12994.
3. 20813 Puri-Jodhpur SF Weekly Express: This train takes the route via Bilaspur and is the only overnight train to Chhattisgarh on that route. Tickets are easily available and maintenance is great too. However, it runs only on wednesdays. Pantry car is available in this train and the food offered by it is decent. Dinner is served within SBP. They start taking orders after departing DNKL mostly. E-catering can also be opted. For those going on official purposes, this one has the best timings of all as its arrival at Raipur is the earliest of all.
4.22866/12880:Puri-LTT weekly/BBS-LTT bi-weekly: Almost everything is the same about these 2 trains including their slots, so I ranked them jointly. Maintenance is good, tickets are easily available, great for railfanning. However, these are day time trains and that too not on weekends and hence not very useful for those going on official purpose and those preferring overnight travel to CG. Lunch will be served within SBP.
5. 18425 Puri-Durg(Intercity) Express: This is the dedicated train to Chhattisgarh. Maintenance and cleanliness is great. However, it has a large number of halts, after Sambalpur, it halts at almost all the stations. Unreserved passengers do board the SL class. Their presence is significant in S1,S2 and S4, most of them are MST holders. Some unreserved pax may bribe the TTE to board the 3A. However, they are only given the seats, that are vacant and almost no disturbance is caused. Almost all the unreserved pax get down within Sambalpur. Pantry is not available, however IRCTC e-catering can be opted and also one can carry his/her own food. Time table is also quite convenient and being daily is also an advantage.
6. 18405 Puri-Ahmedabad Weekly Express: This is the only LHB train to Chhattisgarh/Maharashtra/Gujarat from Odisha. This train is quite well known by the people of Odisha and thus, tickets are not that easily available within a short time. However, in some UR coaches, flushes of the toilets were not working during my last trip on this one. Another issue about it is that its a weekly and goes on Wednesdays. Pantry car is available on this train and the food offered is fine.
7. 12146 Puri-LTT Weekly SF Express: This train has great maintenance. The only reason for its relatively lower ranking is because of it's late departure from Odisha. So its a no go for those going for official purpose as it arrives at Raipur at noon. Ticket availability is good.
8. 18407/18422 Puri-Sai Nagar Shirdi/Puri-Ajmer Express: They are ranked low in the list because of their very late departure from Odisha. Tickets are easily available in these trains, however these two also arrive at Raipur at noon time.
As I have not travelled by the trains taking the Vizianagaram-Raygada route, I have not included them. Again the trains not going to Raipur are not included as well, these include 14710 Puri-BKN Express, 22910 Puri-BL SF Express and 18507 Hirakud Express, these trains run on basically use the same slot as that of 12880/22866 till Bilaspur. Those going to Bilaspur can consider these trains. However, tickets are not that easily available on 22910.