Puri is a coastal district in Odisha, India, located along the Bay of Bengal. It is renowned for its religious and cultural significance, particularly as the home of the famous Jagannath Temple, a major Hindu pilgrimage site. The district is known for its annual Rath Yatra, where Lord Jagannath, along with his siblings, is taken out in a grand procession on chariots. Puri is also celebrated for its beautiful beaches, including the popular Puri Beach, and the nearby Chilika Lake, one of the largest brackish water lagoons in Asia. The district has a rich tradition of handicrafts, including Pattachitra paintings and wooden carvings. Its economy is driven by tourism, fishing, and handicrafts. Puri is well-connected by road, rail, and air, making it a key hub for visitors and pilgrims alike. The district`s climate is tropical, with hot summers, a rainy monsoon season, and mild winters.
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The Jagannath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Jagannath, a form of Vishnu in Hinduism. It is located in Puri in the state of Odisha, situated on the eastern coast of India. As per temple records, King Indradyumna of Avanti built the main temple of Jagannath at Puri.
The present temple was rebuilt from the tenth century onwards, on the site of the pre-existing temples in the compound, but not the main Jagannath temple, and begun by Anantavarman Chodaganga, the first king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.
Many of the temple rituals are based on Oddiyana Tantras which are the refined versions of Mahayana Tantras as well as Shabari Tantras which are evolved from Tantric Buddhism and tribal beliefs respectively. The local legends link the idols with aboriginal tribes and the daitapatis (servitors) claim to be descendants of the aboriginals.
The temple is one of the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of the Vaishnavite tradition.
The Sakhi-gopal temple is located in a town named Sakshi-gopala, 20 km from Jagannatha Puri, on the Puri-Bhubaneshwar highway. This town is near Sakshi-gopala railway station. The temple looks like a miniature version of the Puri Jagannatha temple. The Deity of Gopala here had originally been installed by King Vajra, the grandson of Lord Krishna in Vrindavana long ago. Later the Deity walked all the way from Vrindavana to a place called Vidyanagara in South India to end a dispute between two brahmanas by being a witness.
Thus, the Deity here came to be known as Sakshi (witness) Gopala. The story of this wonderful historic incident is as follows: There lived two brahmanas, one old and one young, in a place called Vidyanagara in Odisha. Once they went to visit Vrindavana on a pilgrimage. It was a long journey with many hardships. All along the way, the young brahmana assisted the elderly brahmana during their travel. After visiting many holy places, they finally reached Vrindavana.
The old man was very much pleased with the service of the young man and wanted to reward him suitably. They entered a temple and had darshan of Lord Gopala Krishna. In front of the Deity of the Lord, the old man revealed his mind before the young man about giving him a reward. But the young brahmana did not agree to accept any reward saying that it was his duty to serve the old brahmana who was just like his own father. But the old man insisted and promised to give his young daughter to him in marriage.
The Alarnatha temple is situated at Brahmagiri, a hilly area, at a distance of 24 km from Jagannatha Puri. Lord Alarnatha (or Alalanatha) here is a four-handed Deity of Lord Vishnu showing Abhaya-mudra in His right hand.
According to the history of this temple, Lord Brahma worshipped Lord Narayana on this hill in Satya-yuga and later carved a Deity of the Lord. Therefore, this hill is called Brahmagiri. Since Alarnatha was earlier being worshipped by the Alwars of South India, He came to be known as Alvarnatha which later became Alalanatha. It is said that Ramanujacharya, a great spiritual teacher in the Sri Sampradaya visited this temple in the past.
Alarnatha’s consorts, Sri and Bhu accompany the Lord. At the feet of the Lord is Garuda with his hands folded in prayer. There are also small Deities of Rukmini and Satyabhama here. The temple was built by King Madan Mahadev in 1128 AD.
The Konark Sun Temple, a stunning monument; a masterpiece of architecture of religious significance is at Konark. King Narasimhadeva-I of the Ganga dynasty built this temple with the help of 1200 artisans in a time span of 12 years. The temple is designed in the shape of a huge chariot drawn by seven horses with 12 wheels, carrying Surya, the sun god, across the heavens. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is one of the architectural wonders of India. It is about 35 kms from the Jagannath temple in Puri and 65 kms from Bhubaneshwar, the capital city of Odisha.
The name Konark is an amalgamation of 2 words — Kona means corner and Arka means the Sun. Which means to convey that the Sun god worshipped in Ark Kshetra is called Konark. Legend has it that after vanquishing the demon Gayasura, Lord Vishnu placed His belongings at several places to celebrate the victory. He placed the conch at Puri, Disc at Bhubaneshwar, Mace at Jajapur and finally the Lotus at Konark.
The temple was an important landmark for European sailors and it was named by them as ‘The Black Pagoda’. Mythology says that Lord Krishna’s son Samba had leprosy due to a curse. He undertook severe austerities for twelve years at the confluence of Chandrabhaga River with the sea at Konark and succeeded in pleasing Lord Surya, the healer of all skin ailments. To show his gratitude for being cured, he erected a temple in honour of Lord Surya at Konark.
Maa Mangala is a Hindu goddess who is one of the manifestations of SHAKTI. In ancient times, Buddhist monks used to symbolize Maa Mangala as goddess Tara. Now the deity worshiped as one of manifestations of Goddess Durga in the hymn of the goddess Vanadurga. Maa Mangala is the symbol of qualities like of peace, power, happiness, love, purity, knowledge & truth.
