Jagannath Temple

The Jagannath Temple is located in Puri, a coastal town in the Indian state of Odisha. The literal meaning of the word ‘Jagannath’ is ‘Lord of the Universe.’ Jagannath temple is one of the most popular Hindu pilgrimage destinations in the world. It is also one of the four dhams on the famous Char Dham Yatra. According to the various scriptures in Hindu religion, touring the four dhams at least once in a person’s lifetime is essential to qualify for enlightenment.

Every year, millions of Hindu devotees throng to the Puri town and seek blessings of the presiding deity of the temple. In the state of Odisha, almost every tourist is headed to Puri.

The temple in its present form was built about one thousand years ago in the 11^th century by King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva, the ruler of Kalinga state and King Ananga Bhima Deva. For centuries, the worship at the temple continued until the year 1558 when the town was attacked by a foreign army general from Afghanistan.

The temple has a total of 4 gates and each one has been named distinctly after tiger, lion, elephant and horse. The temple deity is offered bhoga 6 times every day.

Every year, a chariot festival completely immersed in religious flavor and mystic charm is held in Puri. On this occasion, 3 major deities, namely Jagannath, Balabhadhdra and Goddess Subhadra housed by the temple come out and tour around the town in huge temple cars decorated by jewels and flowers.

On the East Coast Railway, the Puri town has a terminus and therefore, tourists can reach here in a number of fast trains from various Indian cities. Frequent buses ply from Puri to all major towns in the region. The nearest airport is located at Bhubaneswar (60km), the capital of the state of Odisha. Daily flights from all major Indian cities are available to this city.