Puri Dham- Four Shrines that Shows the Way to Salvation

Jagannath Puri temple is one of the main attractions of Puri. Not just as a tourist destination but this place has huge significance in Hinduism. Located in Bhubaneswar district of Odisha, the temple is of utmost relevance as it is one if the char dhams of Moksha. The huge number of travelers flock to the place not just for its magnificent but a lot of other enigmatic activities

Mythological History

Jagannath temple has a vast history about King IndraDyumna who in his pursuit to find the deity Nila Madhava did a lot of efforts. He asked different brahmanas to go find the deity which only Vidyapati was able to find. According to hindu mythology, king Indradyumna constructed a temple for Lord Brahma and was asked to wait to call architects to carve out figures of deities. As he was anxious about meeting the lord, he opened the doors of the temple before time and saw that the figures had incomplete limbs and fingers. Feeling bad about his anxiousness, he decided to end his life by staying on grass and fast unto death. By seeing his zeal to meet the lord, lord Jagannath came to his dream that night freeing him of all his offense.

The Architecture

The temple is characterised by Oriya architecture and is constructed in a curvilinear shape and has about 120 temples and shrine inside. On the top of a temple is a flag and a chakra. The flag has this peculiarity of flowing in the opposite direction of wind defying the scientific theories.

Inside the temple

This classical style temple has a shikara i.e. the tower above the inner sanctum where deity resides. Temple surrounded by walls with each side having a gopura or a gate over which a pyramid shape roof rises. It is one of the largest temple in the region and has a mammoth kitchen inside as well. The outer enclosure of the temple is called Meghnada Prachira, while the inner enclosure is called Kurma Bedha

Best Time to Visit

Thinking about visiting the shrine is July is a complete no. It is not the recommended time. As it is too humid and hot during June and July, it is often recommended to visit the temple during October till the end of February. In summers the temperature lie between 26 degrees till 30 degrees but it usually too humid because of presence of sea. In winter, the temperature soars to as low as 17 degrees till 22 degrees.