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If you ever decide to visit the alluring city of Bhubaneswar, visiting the city of Puri should definitely be on your to-do list. You could book a Bhubaneswar to Puri Taxi and head over to explore the marvellous pilgrim city of Puri. Puri is famously known for its Jagannath temple but if you’re looking to find some beautiful handmade gifts to take back home, you are in the right place. Home to several artisanal traditions and unique handicrafts, you are bound to find some true gems here.
Unique Handicrafts in Puri
The craftspeople have been practising their art here for generations, working their magic and presenting the finest products. These span across various mediums, artistic styles, and colours. Here are a few such examples of the beauty of Puri’s art scene:
Palm Leaf Engravings
The stunning illustrations on palm leaves are a specialty of Puri, ranging from simple engravings on oblong palm leaflets to detailed paintings with colors and embellishments. Bound together, sometimes these leaves tell a story of the gods. They make for great keepsakes or even wall decorations. You can head to Raghurajpur to find the best of these.
Stone Carving
Stone carving is an ancient form of art practiced by artisans in Puri for generations. Walking through the temples in Odisha will have you wowing at the ornate carvings on the stone walls – take home a piece of Puri with you, with the intricate stone carvings sold in Pathuria Sahi, where the descendants of the original temple carvers reside.
Pattachitra
The chitrakars of Raghurajpur still preserve the centuries-old tradition of painting cloth with a chalk-gum mixture made from tamarind seeds, which makes the surface smooth and leathery. These paintings are made with bright primary colors. The pattachitra is a folk painting style that usually portrays Radha-Krishna and other Hindu folklore stories.
Terracotta
You can take back a piece of Puri with you if you purchase a beautiful terracotta sculpture from Kumbharapara. Kumbharapara is the area of the city where the tradition of earthen pot sculpting still lives through generations of artisans. These earthly sculptures, made in gleaming hot kilns, make a great addition to every living room. Terracotta toys are also great gifts to children in your family.
Handmade Masks
Even though these aren’t exactly the kind of masks you can wear around, the beautiful shaping and painting of each one’s surface will make it a topic of conversation at every party. Made from sola pith and paper mache, these pith decorations are used specifically for festivals and special occasions. The same artisans also make beautiful toys, often with detachable parts.
Applique Work
Festivals in Odisha are usually held under the sweltering sun, which is why the making of canopies and umbrellas is all the rage in the city of Puri. With gorgeous appliques and designs made in Pipili and Puri, painted with bright reds, blues, and blacks, emboldened with golds and silvers, these can make beautiful tapestries for your home. Some of these appliques are exported and sold at exorbitant prices, but you can buy some for yourself and see the hereditary craft being practiced in front of your eyes.
Puri is a place everyone must visit at least once in their lifetime. The serenity and tranquility will most definitely win over your hearts. To get back to the central city of Bhubaneswar from Puri, you can opt for a reliable taxi booking service and take a picturesque and scenic road trip.
