Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha

Settled amidst the picturesque views of the eastern coast of India lies the beautiful state of Odisha which is mostly reckoned for spreading spirituality through its several temples, Jagannath Temple is one of those immensely auspicious temples that find its great place in the city of Puri. Being an important part of the Char Dham Yatra in India, Jagannath Temple attracts thousands of tourists towards itself who love admiring the magnetic and spiritually bounding temple and also seek blessings from Lord Jagannath, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Liberation from the cycle of birth and death is what everyone living on the earth strives for and paying a visit to the Jagannath Temple in Puri is one of the best places to attain liberation and salvation. If you have never been to this wonderful pilgrimage then check out Jagannath Puri Tour Package to make it a successful trip and also to dip yourself in the immense spiritual ambiance of the city. 

The Religious Significance Of Jagannath Temple, Puri

There are various other deities idolized inside the temple including goddess Radha, Lakshmi, Durga, Shakti, Sati, and Parvati. Rath Yatra is an annual grand celebration where a chariot procession is being carried to Sri Gundicha Temple from the Jagannath Temple after covering a total distance of 3 km. In this chariot procession ceremony, the idols of Goddess Subhadra and Lord Balarama (siblings of Lord Krishna) are also carried away.  The ceremony holds huge significance in Hinduism and this can be witnessed by considering the tourism rate as a huge number of crowd visits this shrine to take part in this auspicious occasion. some of the devotees are so blind and dipped in spirituality that they come under the wheels of the chariot as they take it as a divine vehicle.

Govardhana Matha, one of the four sacred “Maths” established by Adi Shankaracharya, a great Hindu saint is another striking and impressive religious site in Puri where thousands of devotees pay their offerings to the deity. Sringeri, Jyotirmath, and Dwarka are the other popular Maths established in different directions of the country. Also, how can we forget to talk about the Sun Temple of Konark, another gorgeous site in the city?

History

Earlier the city was not named Puri and was popular with the name “Charitra” as mentioned by the Chinese pilgrim but the interpretation is quite open to speculation and doubt. It is believed that Chodaganga Deva built the shrine of Lord Purushottam Jagannath where the presiding deities are Lord Krishna and his brother and sister this is how the place was named Purushottam Puri or Purushottam Kshetra and then the name got shortened and finally, the city was named as Puri.

Another exciting feature of this pilgrimage is that it is believed to be one of those places that was selected as a monastery where the teachings of Adi Shankaracharya were scheduled to be delivered. Also, it is the city known for several works done by saints here and so people who are keen to know about Advaita Vedanta love visiting Puri at least once in their lifetime.

Religious Texts And Traditions In Jagannath Temple

However, Jagannath Temple has been marked with various other traditions and customs in the past but the pilgrimage is now identified more with the Vaishnav tradition. The exciting theories of Vaishnav origin rely on the typical presence of the triad of deities and the iconographic details and this is something that tribal, Jain, and Buddhist origin found difficult in coherently explaining. The scholars of the Vaishnava origin link a theory related to color i.e. black-colored Krishna and white-colored Balarama.

Best Time to Visit Jagannath Temple, Puri

However, the city experiences cool and pleasant weather throughout the year but the maximum number of Devotees throng to this pilgrimage between the months of April and June. Also, if you don’t want to bear any climatic issues like in summer months, the region becomes hot due to the scorching heat coming out of the sun's rays and during the monsoon months, the climate becomes humid, so the best time to explore the wonders and charm of the temple is between the months October and February.

How to Reach Jagannath Temple In Puri?

The city houses its own railway station and is pretty well connected to various other major cities in the country and the pilgrimage can also be accessed by airways.

By Airways: Although Puri doesn’t have its own air base but at a distance of almost 68 km there is an airport in Bhubaneshwar, the capital city of Orissa. Also, Biju Patnaik International Airport welcomes frequent flights flying from different cities of the country.

By Railways: As the city lies on the Calcutta-Chennai line, a majority of the trains stop here, and hence it is easy to reach Puri Railway Station via railways.

By Local Transport: Traveling within the city is facilitated by different modes of transport including cycle-rickshaw, hired motorbikes, and auto-rickshaw, and among all cycle rickshaw is the most economical transport that one opts for. If we talk about the charges of the hired motorbikes then it costs you around 400-500 per day and if you think of hiring an auto-rickshaw then you need to be expert in bargaining skills as the meters of the auto-rickshaws generally don’t work.

Places To Visit In And Around The Pilgrimage

Chilika Lake: The Largest saltwater lake in Asia, Chilika Lake is believed to be a true paradise on earth for both nature lovers and bird watchers. This pear-shaped lake is adorned with some small islands and has beautiful salt pans around the shore. This gorgeous lake is also believed to be the most accommodating ecosystem in the world i.e. a great number of flora and fauna species are spotted here. So, if you are excited to spot different species of birds then visit this glimmering lake that showcases a myriad of avian charms in all different colors and hues, ranging from flamingoes to white-bellied and then from sandpiper to golden plovers and a number of migratory birds are also found along with them. 

Puri Beach: One of the finest and most glimmering coastlines in East India, Puri Beach borders the gorgeous Bay of Bengal and is established at a distance of just 35 km from the popular Sun Temple. The destination attracts a huge crowd with its impressive views and charismatic aura and is believed to be an ideal holiday destination for beach lovers. Being located closer to Jagannath Temple, the devotees flock to this beach too to take a holy dip into this water stream to purify themselves either before or after they pay homage to Lord Jagannath.

However, the destination is worldwide popular for its unrivaled spirituality yet there are several enigmatic activities that catch the eyes of travelers coming from far across the world, and below enlisted are a few of the mind-boggling facts about Jagannath Temple.

01. The Climb And Flag Hoisting

There is a custom of changing the flag of this gorgeous temple every single day and to change the flag, the priest scrambles the walls of the shrine to reach the top of this 45-storied religious building and this ritual is being followed since the date of its construction. The most interesting part of this custom is that this practice is done by the priest without any protective gear and it is believed that if this flag-changing ceremony gets skipped for a single day then the temple will be closed for the next 18 years.

02. The Mystery Of The Sudarshana Chakra

There are two exciting mysteries represented at the top of the shrine in the form of the powerful Sudarshan Chakra. The first mystery revolves around the fact that how this heavy weighing hard metal chakra gets fixed up there and that too without the usage of any machinery and only human power was used. The second mystery is associated with the design of the Chakra as it looks in the same pattern and in the same appearance from every side.

03. Nothing Flies Above This Holy Shrine As Nothing Is Greater Than God

The sky is considered to be the bird domain and we all spot birds flying, hopping, or sitting on the rooftop of the buildings all the time but this bird-watching activity is missing here as the area is restricted, and not even a single bird can be spotted here. Also, not even a single airplane can be spotted hovering over the temple as it is believed that the deity Jagannath doesn’t want the glory and charm of this holy site to be disturbed.

04. The Food Is Never Futile Here

Wasting food is considered a bad sign in Hindu mythology and the temple crew follows the same custom the total number of people visiting this holy mansion ranges between 2,000 and 2,00,000 and the miraculous fact is that the prepared foods never get wasted i.e. not even a single bite. Some count this fact as an effective management skill of the temple authority whereas some count it as the Lord’s will.

We have enlisted all the required information about the holy mansion of Jagannath Temple and if you like this post then do support and motivate us by sharing this post with your near and dear ones. Also, share your views about it in the comment box below as we would love to see your positive response and also the suggestions (if any).