Puri Jagannath Temple
The Jagannath Temple in Puri is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath (Krishna) and located in the eastern coast town of Puri along the blue waters of Bay of Bengal in the city Puri of Odisha, India. The name Jagannath (Lord of the Universe) is a combination of the Sanskrit words Jagat (Universe) and Nath (Lord of). The temple is an important pilgrimage destination for many Hindu traditions, particularly worshippers of Krishna and Vishnu, and part of the Char Dham pilgrimages that a Hindu has to be visited in one’s lifetime .The temple is famous for its annual Rath Yatra, or chariot festival, in which the three main temple deities are hauled on huge and elaborately decorated chariots. Since medieval times, it is also associated with intense religious fervour. The temple is sacred to the Vaishnava traditions and saint Ramananda who was closely associated with the temple. It is also of particular significance to the followers of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism whose founder, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was attracted to the deity, Jagannath, and lived in Puri for many years.It is one of the most frequented tourist destinations of Orissa and is known to be the abode of Lord Jagannath. Its beaches and splendid temples form the most important Orissa tourist attractions. Puri is also among one of the four important Hindu Dhams in India and is quite revered by the Hindu pilgrims. The leading attraction of Puri is the Jagannath Temple, one of the most popular as well as the biggest temples of Orissa. This temple is dedicated to Lord Jagannath and was established in the 12th century.Puri, known as the dwelling place of Lord Jagannath, is one of the most visited tourist destinations of India. It is situated on the eastern side of Orissa and lies about 60 km away from the capital city of Bhubaneswar. The major attractions of the city comprise of its marvelous temples and gorgeous beaches. There are four sacred Hindu Dhams in India and Puri is one of them. The city is also known as ‘Jagannath Puri’, ‘Martya Vaikuntha’ or ‘Sri Purusottama Dham’.
