Lord Jagannath Temple

The Temple

 Situated on the eastern coast along the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal, Orissa offers to magnificent temples, sunny beaches, colourful wildlife, traditional tribal culture and a rich heritage. While several temples have vanished or have declined in importance, the great temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri is still a living and vibrant temple. The temple is famous for its annual Rath Yatra, chariot festival where huge and elaborately decorated chariots are used for the procession of the three main temple deities.

This temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri is one of the most sacred pilgrimage spots in India, one of the four abodes (dhamas) of the divine that lie on the four directions of the compass. The temple is an important pilgrimage destination for many Hindu traditions, particularly worshippers of Krishna and Vishnu.

Lord Jagannath
Lord Jagannath, the symbol of universal love and is worshiped in the Temple along with Balabhadra, Subhadra, Sudarshan, Madhaba, Sridevi and Bhudevi on the Ratnabedi or the bejewelled platform. The Deities, Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Chakra Sudarshan are made of margosa wood.

The Architecture
The temple of Jagannath Puri is a rekha dwell with curvilinear tower on a pancha ratha plan and was built by Ananta Barma Chodaganga Dev during 12th century A.D. and was completed by Ananga Bhima Dev. This temple is one of the tallest monuments in the country, height is about 214 feet from the ground level. It stands on an elevated platform of stone measuring about 10 acres, which is located in the heart of the down town and presents an imposing sight. The temple has four gates at the eastern, southern, western northern midpoints of the Meghanad Prachir and are called Lions gate, Horse Gate, Tiger Gate and the Elephant Gate respectively.

Maha Prasada
Maha-prasada is pure vegetarian spiritual food offered to Lord Jagannath. Just by eating this maha-prasada one makes great spiritual advancement. Every day, fifty-six varieties of prasada are offered to Lord Jagannath. The temple has over 6000 priests, along with 14000 other employees serving as their assistants and attendants waiting on the Jagannath deity, as well as pilgrim guides.

When to visit Jagannath Puri - Best time to visit is from October to April.

Ho tow reach Jagannath Puri

By Air:

Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa has the nearest airport, about 60 kms from Puri.

By Rail:

Puri is a rail terminus on the southeastern railways and is well connected to other parts of the country through the rail network.

By Road:

Puri is well connected to other parts of the country through the road network. There are daily bus services from Calcutta, Ranchi, Raipur, Durgapur, Visakhapatnam.