A very small village in the eastern coast of Orissa, has an importance distinctive place in the cultural representation of India. The village is renowned for incredible artistic work on cloth, dried palm leaves or paper. Almost every house in the village is engaged in the fantastic art. The village has also a picturesque background, set on the southern bank of river Bhargavi and surrounded by coconut, palm, mango, jackfruit groves and other tropical trees. The vast paddy fields and betal vines embrace the landscape, the huts are clearly arranged in two neat rows, facing each other. Not only that there are few ancient temples dotted the landscape. There are various temples dedicated to different lords, Radha Mohan, Gopinath, Raghunath, Laxminarayan, Gouranga and the revered village goddess, Bhusuni.



The coconut-palm shaded village has a distinctive character and different from other villages of Orissa. Round the year foreigners from different parts of the world come here to see the unique and rich traditional Orissan arts and crafts. The artists here creates poetry on palm leaves, cloths and paper, they make different crafts such as patta paintings, stone carvings, papier mache toys and masks, tussser paintings, wooden toys and even toys made up of cow dungs. This small village is an excelent congregation of various art forms of India.

Sights And Activities

Sakhigopal
Located about 19km from Puri on the way to Bhubaneshwar, this village is one of the sacred places in Orissa and also has historical importance. Also numerous coconut trees make the place famous for coconut industry. But the place is mostly renowned for Sakhigopal temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna and one of the famous Krishna temples of the country.

Siruli
Apart from Lord Jagannath, who is the prime deity of Orissa, Lord Hanuman is also widely worshipped in Orissa. Siruli Mahavir is most prominent place for worshipping Lord Hanuman. The temple is located about 33km northeast of Puri. The small but beautiful temple is an important shrine of Orissa and immense relegious significance. Inside the sanctum, a mammoth figure of Lord Hanuman is enshrined. This standing image is carved out of a single piece of stone, holding a short dagger in left hand and 'gandha mardan' mountain on his right hand.

Pipli
Pipli is small vilalge, located 35km from Puri, on the way from Puri to Bhubaneshwar. The village is renowned for its beautiful applique craft that is a decorative design made of one material sewn over another. Most of the villagers are engaged in this traditional art form. It is a heriditary art form. The most popular ones are samiana (canopies) and chatris (umbrellas). Brightly colored patches of fabric, cut into animal and flower shapes are sewn onto bed covers, cushions, wall hangings etc. The art form typically depended on four basis colors; red, white, black and yellow.