Jagannath Temple, Puri

Important information

  • Location: Grand Rd, At post, Puri, Odisha 752001, India
  • Festivals: Snana Yatra,Ratha Yatra or Sri Gundicha Yatra,Sri Hari Sayan,Utthapan Yatra,Parswa Paribartan,Dakhinayan Yatra,Prarbana Yatra,Pusyavishek,Akshaya Tritiya,Uttarayan
  • Main Deity: Jagannath
  • Languages: Odia & Hindi
  • Darshan Timings: 05.00 AM To 01.00 PM || 04:00 PM To 11:30 PM
  • Best Season To Visit: October to February
  • Jagannath Temple Contact Number: 06752222002

The greatest attraction of the Puri is one of the world-famous temples of Jagannatha. It is known by many different names, such as the Puri temple, the Srimandira, the Bada deva, or the Jagannatha temple. Then, the temple of Jagannatha is one of the tallest monuments in the entire.

History and Importance

According to the famous legend, Lord Jagannath was worshipped by an aboriginal tribe chief amid deep and also dark forests as Nila Madhava. The aboriginal tribe chief, Vishwavasu kept it a secret and also didn’t spill the beans in front about the place in front of anyone. Away from this spot was a place called Malwa which was ruled by King Indramunya that was an ardent worshipper of Lord Vishnu. The king had a keen need to see the Lord in his foremost form. Much to his surprise, Indramunya saw a dream in which he was conveyed that his desire to see the Lord could be fulfilled in Utkala (Odisha). Without much thought, the king sent the brother of the royal priest, Vidyapati to the land in order to know the place where Lord Vishnu was being worshipped. Upon his arrival at Odisha, Vidyapati learned more about that Lord Vishnu is worshipped atop a hill by the name Nila Madhava who was likewise the family deity of the chief.

Following that, Vidyapati tried to convince the chief to allow him to visit the spot where Lord Vishnu was worshipped yet couldn’t. Later on, Vidyapati married the daughter of the chief but still, Vidyapati could not obtain accessibility to the hidden place of worship. It was when the daughter of the chief asked his father to allow Vidyapati to see the spot that the chief took him however blindfolded. On his way, Vidyapati dropped mustard seeds so as to develop a way just ahead back and also visit the cave again.

Upon collecting sufficient details, Vidyapati made his method back to Malwa and also narrated all that occurred in Odisha to the king. In a snap, Indramunya planned his pilgrimage to Odisha looking for the cave where the Lord was worshipped. As opposed to the king’s expectation, the deity was absent in the cave. Shattered by what just happened, Indramunya was disappointed but was given magnificent instructions to head in the direction of the seashore of Puri where he will certainly discover a log of wood that was to be turned into the image of Lord Jagannatha.

Even when he got the log, one problem still prevailed which was that no one knew exactly how did the divine Lord look. Seeing the king in misery, Lord Vishnu himself came in the type of a carpenter and also asked the king that he would make the image only if he was given complete privacy in a closed room for twenty-one days. After fifteen days, Gundicha, the queen really felt an interest in opening the closed room and was consequently opened up on the orders of the King. Gundicha was also concerned about the carpenter as no sound from the room was heard in the days that went by. Upon unlocking, the king found incomplete images of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Chakra Sudarshan which were sculpted out of the log but no sign of the carpenter. The images were installed in the temple thereafter.

Architecture

The Sub-continent of India and its height is about 214 feet from the ground (road) level. It stands on a raised platform of stone, measuring about ten acres. So, It is located in the heart of the town and presents an imposing sight. The temple is bounded by two compound walls, the outer one known as a Meghanada Pracira & the inner one known as a Kurma Pracira.

Then, the present temple was built in the 12th century. The temple structure is made full of excellent carvings and lovely pieces of sculpture and is a fine specimen of the Kalinga style of architecture. Then it is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. Only the orthodox Hindus are allowed to visit the Temple. However, other religious people can see portions of the enclosure from the top of the Emar Matha building, located near the east-facing gate of the temple.

The Puri temple is built on a gigantic raised platform in the heart of the city, The temple complex is made by a wall about seven meters high -including the 0 height of the platform. The area of the platform is more than 4,20,000 sq. ft. The wall is pierced by the beautiful four gates, facing the four directions.

On the east-facing gate, there are stone images of the two lions and it is called the Lions Gate. After that, The north, south, and west-facing gates are similarly known as the Elephant Gate, the Horse Gate, and the Tiger Gate (it is also called the Khanja Gate) respectively.

Then after the north gate is mainly meant for the God himself in as much as, the logs of wood out of which, the images are fabricated, make their entry into the temple premises through this gate, when the Navakelevara festival takes place. The east-facing Lions Gate is the main gate. Then there are wonderful pyramidal structures over the four gates, which are not very old.

After that when we arrive at the vast open area in front of the Lions Gate (eastern gate), we see the monolithic pillar about 10 meters high. Then this pillar is known as the Aruna Stambha.

Jagannath TemplePuri Darshan Timing and History important of Puri temple1 3 768x480 1

According to the Hindu mythology in purans, Aruna is the charioteer of the Sun-god, The world-famous Konarka temple was designed in the form of a stupendous chariot and this monolithic pillar situated with the beautifully carved Aruna seated on its top was installed right in front of the porch of that temple.

When the temple was abandoned and there was no presiding deity in it, at that time this pillar was removed from Konarka to Puri and was fixed in front of the Jagannatha temple where we can see it now.

Deities

Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are deities worshipped at the temple. The inner sanctum of the temple contains statues of these three Gods carved from sacred neem logs known as Daru sitting on the bejeweled platform or ratnabedi, along with statues of Sudarshana Chakra, Madanmohan, Sridevi, and Vishwadhatri. The deities are adorned with different clothing and jewels according to the season. Worship of these deities pre-dates the building of the temple and may have originated in an ancient tribal shrine.

Place near Puri Jagannath Temple

  • Puri beach
  • Markandeswara Temple
  • Narendra Tank
  • Sudarshan Crafts Museum
  • Konark
  • Pipili
  • Sakhigopal Temple
  • Chilika Lake
  • Bhubaneswar
  • Raghurajpur Artist Village
  • Astaranga Beach

Jagannath Temple Timings

Darshan Timing

Morning TimingEvening Timing
5:00 AM to 1:00 PM4:00 PM to 11:30 PM

Darshan Days:  All days of the week

Jagannath Temple Darshan Timing 1

Pooja, Aarti, and Mantra Timings of Shri Jagannath Temple, Puri

Dwarpitha and Mangala Aarti5:00 AM
Mailam6:00 AM
Aakash6:00 AM to 6:30 AM
Mailam6:45 AM
Sahanamela7:00 AM to 8:00 AM
Beshalagi8:00 AM
Rosha Homa Surya Pooja & Dwarpal8:00 to 8:30 AM
Gopala Balava Pooja9:00 AM
Sakala Pooja (Morning Food Offering)10:00 AM
Madhyanha11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Madhyanha Pahuda1:00 PM to 1:30 PM
Sandhya Aarti5:30 PM
Sandhya Dhupa5:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Mailam and Chandana Lagi8:30 PM
BadaShringar Laga9:30 PM to 10:30 PM
Khata Seja Lagi and Pahuda12:00 AM (Midnight)
Pooja Aarti and Mantra Timings of Shri Jagannath Temple Puri

Jagannath Temple full information Video

FAQ

Name of sea nearest to Jagannath Temple

Puri Beach or the Golden Beach is a beach in the city of Puri in the state of Odisha, India. It is on the shore of the Bay of Bengal. 

What is the name of the wall around the Jagannath temple?

Kurma Bheda

How far is Birla chick from Jagannath Temple?

7 km

In which wood Jagannath idols are made?

Daru (neem tree)

Who is worshipped in Jagannath temple during Bhagwan’s stay at Gundicha temple?

the temple is closed during that time.

How many gods are worshipped in Puri Jagannath Temple?

There are mainly 3 gods named Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are worshipped but Jagannath is considered the combination of 5 Gods Vishnu, Shiva, Surya, Ganesh, and Durga by Shaktas.

Per day how many devotees take darshan to the Jagannath at Puri

More than 30,000 devotees

Distance between Puri Swetanga Pond and Jagannath Temple

600 meters.

5/5 - (3 votes)

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