Jagannath Temple, Puri
श्री जगन्नाथ मंदिर, पुरी
📍 Puri, Odisha
The great temple of Puri enshrines Jagannath, 'Lord of the Universe', with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra. It is one of the Char Dham and home of the world-famous Rath Yatra.
पुरी में जगत के नाथ — भाई बलभद्र और बहन सुभद्रा के साथ; चार धाम और विश्वप्रसिद्ध रथयात्रा।
इतिहास History
The present temple was begun in the 12th century by King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva of the Eastern Ganga dynasty and completed by his successors. Its spire rises about 65 m.
The wooden deities are renewed in the Nabakalebara ritual, held once every 12 to 19 years; the most recent was in 2015.
कथा The legend
King Indradyumna was guided to build the temple. The divine carver agreed to make the deities only if no one opened the door until he finished. When the anxious queen opened it early, the carver vanished, leaving the deities in the unfinished form worshipped to this day.
दर्शनीय Don’t miss
- Rath Yatra: three giant chariots built new every year
- Mahaprasad cooked in clay pots in one of the world's largest temple kitchens
- The flag on the Neela Chakra, changed every day by a priest who climbs the spire
- Puri beach and the Gundicha temple
उत्सव Festivals
मंदिर दर्शन Temple story
The secrets of Jagannath, from our YouTube series.
▶ Watch all 18 Temple Stories on YouTubePhoto: Prachites · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons