Jagannath Puri, is the abode of Lord Jagannath or Purushotham, the Lord ofthe Universe or the Supreme Personality of the Universe.Jagannath Puri Dham or Jagannath Puri or even Puri as it is called, is situatedon the sea shore of the Bay of Bengal in the State of Orissa (India). It is one of thefour Holy Kshetras of India including temples at Rameshwaram, Dwaraka, Badrinath and Puri. The Annual Rathayatra festival is the high point of all the Festivals celebratedand has been attracting lakhs of devotees and pilgrims since time immemorial. To see the Lord on the Chariot on the Rathayatra day is to secure salvation from the cycles of birth and death.Jagannath Puri, is the abode of Lord Jagannath or Purushotham, the Lord ofthe Universe or the Supreme Personality of the Universe.Jagannath Puri Dham or Jagannath Puri or even Puri as it is called, is situatedon the sea shore of the Bay of Bengal in the State of Orissa (India). It is one of thefour Holy Kshetras of India including temples at Rameshwaram, Dwaraka, Badrinath and Puri. The Annual Rathayatra festival is the high point of all the Festivals celebratedand has been attracting lakhs of devotees and pilgrims since time immemorial. To see the Lord on the Chariot on the Rathayatra day is to secure salvation from the cycles of birth and death.Jagannath Puri, is the abode of Lord Jagannath or Purushotham, the Lord ofthe Universe or the Supreme Personality of the Universe.Jagannath Puri Dham or Jagannath Puri or even Puri as it is called, is situatedon the sea shore of the Bay of Bengal in the State of Orissa (India). It is one of thefour Holy Kshetras of India including temples at Rameshwaram, Dwaraka, Badrinath and Puri. The Annual Rathayatra festival is the high point of all the Festivals celebratedand has been attracting lakhs of devotees and pilgrims since time immemorial. To see the Lord on the Chariot on the Rathayatra day is to secure salvation from the cycles of birth and death.Three Rathyatra Carts - Puri temple in the backgroundJagannath PuriMany wonderful pastimes of the Lord and his many devotees have taken place in this holy city.India is divided into four holy dhams or abodes of the Lord. In the north is Bhadranath Dham, in the south Rameswaram Dham, in the west Dwarka Dham, and in the east Puri Dham, also known as Purusottam or Jagannath Dham.Badrinath Dham originated in Satyua Yuga when Lord Jagannath was in deep meditation.Rameswaram dates to the Treta Yuga, when Lord Jagannath was taking His bath.Dwarkanath Dham stems from the Dwapara Yuga, when the Lord's activity is sleeping or taking rest.Puri Dham in Kali Yuga is where Lord Jagannath is engaged in eating.Therefor, Badrinath is called the place of meditating, Ramswaram the place of bathing, Dwarka the place of sleeping and Puri the place of eating.Puri is boarded by the sea, and embraced by sandy beaches. It is said that one obtains 'moksha' from the cycle of birth and rebirth, if one stays here for three days and nights.Puri beachPuri Dham, known by many names over the centuries - Nilgiri, Niladri, Nilachal, Purushottam, Sankhakshetra, Srikshetra, Jagannath Dham, Jagannath Puri.Even before one enters Puri, the 65-metre high temple makes its presence felt. The 12th century temple built by Chodaganga, to commemorate the shifting of his capital from South to Central Orissa, stands in a compound on the Nilgiri Hill, and is surrounded by a 20 foot high wall, within which lie several smaller shrines. A traditional porch, shrine, hall of offerings and a pillared hall of dance, form the rest of this temple.To one end of the road that leads to the temple is Gundicha Mandir, Lord Jagannath's summer temple, within a walled garden at the far end of Grand Road, where the deity of Jagannath rests for a week on a simple throne. Like the Lingaraja in Bhubaneswar, Puri's Jagannath main temple is not open to non - Indians, who must be satisfied worshiping God from a distance.Lions gate - Jagannatha puri templeInteresting Places to Visist:Gundica Mandir - The garden house, the smaller sanctum, that houses the deities during the Rath Yatra. The walls enclose a garden, in which the temple is built.Puri Beach - Sunrise and sunset on the seas of Puri are awesome, and visitors can ride the waves and play watersports in the holy ocean water.Satyabadi (Sakshigopal) - The shrine of Lord Sakshigopal is only 20 kms away from Puri. The sacred feet of Shri Radha can however be only seen on 'Anala nawami' day.Mathas ( Temples ) and Asramas.Festivals:The Chandan Yatra celebrates the Vedic New Year. The Snana Yatra, celebrating Lord Jagannath's ritual bath is held on the day of the full moon in June (Jyestha). The original deities are taken out for public viewing. During the Jhulana Yatra, proxy images of the deities are carried out in grand processions for 21 days, to cruise in beautifully decorated boats in the Narmada Tank.Baladev - Subadra - KrsnaAnd, of course, the prime attraction for tourists from all over the world is, the Rath Yatra, which falls in the month of June- the ideal time to visit Puri. Lord Jagannath with his sister Subhadra and brother Balabhadra take an annual vacation to the 'Gundicha Ghar', a smaller temple, 2 kms from the main temple. This journey constitutes the Rath Yatra Festival. The three deities, in separate raths (wooden chariots), are pulled by devotees to the Gundica temple.Gundica templeThe rath carts are elaborately dressed in a variety of colors. The colors symbolize the significance of each deity.Rath Yatra FestivalThe Rath Yatra and Nava Kalebara are the famous festivals of Puri. Both these events are related to the reigning deity, Lord Jagannath. The Nava Kalebara festival is an immensely significant religious ritual, wherein the three deities - Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra - change their external forms. New dieties are carved out of specially sanctified Chandan-Neem trees. Strict rules and regulations are followed to complete the carving and installation. The 'daru' (wood) used for the carvings are transported to the temple with great pomp and fan fare.At this point the Vishwakarmas (wood sculptors) step in and work for 21 days and nights in strict secrecy, giving final shape to the deities. The new deities are then enshrined after transferring the 'Spirit' within each diety into their new form. This is again done in strict accordance to the religious norms.Puri Beach Festival is celebrated annually in early November, in Puri.Orissan craft, cuisine and cultural evenings are the highlights of the event.Puri's main road located in the heart of downtown "Grand Road"Shopping Areas:Bada Danda - An ideal site for some extensive shopping.Ananda Bazar - The largest food market in the world.
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