Holy Destinations of India
Jagannath Dham - Puri (Orrisa)
The holy city of Puri, 60 km from Bhubaneswar, is one of the four holiest points of pilgrimage for Hindus.
The reigning deity of the city, Lord Jagannath, whose temple was built way back in the 12th century, is not only of great religious significance to the people of Orissa but is revered by thousands of pilgrims who seek His blessings from every part of the country. This intense veneration of Jagannath, or the Lord of the Universe, reaches its zenith during the annual rites of the Rath Yatra in the months of June July, when the images of Lord Jagannath, His sister Subhadra and brother Balbhadra are transported through the Grand Road (Bada Danda) of Puri in traditionally decorated massive chariots that are dragged by thousands of devotees to the Gundicha Ghar where they sojourn for a week. The process is repeated when they are returned amidst intense religious fervor to the temple. Though the temple is closed to non-Hindus, the activities of the Jagannath Temple are so immense that they create enough colour and interest for tourists to participate in the bazar element of the proceedings outside the temple precincts. The other important feature of the town is its beautiful beach which, for centuries, has offered pleasure to both pilgrims and swimmers. This picturesque beach is one of the most delightful white beaches in the country and is becoming a pleasure haunt for tourists from all over the globe. Though the surf here is pretty exciting, the under-current can be a bit tricky, so tread carefully... The areas both within and outside Puri offer excellent shopping and the nearby artist villages of Pipli (for the famous appliqué work), Raghurajpur (for pata and palm-leaf paintings) and Balakati (for bell-metal work) bring shoppers directly in contact with the craftsmen at work. It can be quite an experience.
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Photos of Jagannath Dham - Puri (Orrisa) |
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HISTORY
The city is known by various names such as Nilanchala, Nilagiri, Niladri,
Purusottama Kshetra, Srikshetra, Sankha-Kshetra, Jagannath Kshetra (Dhaam)
and Pirisptta, Puri. These names have been mentioned in the Puranas and
ancient sacred literature like Mahabharata, Kurma Purana, Narada Puran,
Padma Puran and Skand Purana. Similarly, the other literary works like
Rudrajamala, Tantrajamala, Kalika Purana etc., also refer to Purusottama
Jagannath. It is the seat of Jagannath is worshipped as Lord Vishnu - the
most benign among all the deities in the Hindu Pantheon. Puri is thus, the
seat of Vishnu, the Purusottama Dhaam and Martya Vaikuntha again is the Home
of Vishnu on earth, elaborately described in a literery work called Niladri
Mohodaya. The historical evidebces are available with literery works as well
as inscriptions and archaeological remains show that Puri has been the seat
of Vishnu Kshetra since 9th century A.D., when Sankaracharya (78-820 A.D.)
had paid a visit to Puri in the early part of the 9th Century A.D. and
established one of his four Pithas here namely Gobardhan Pitha or Matha near
Swargadwar. Anargharaghavam Nataka by Murari Mishra, a literery work of 9th
century also records the deity of Purusottama Kshetra. Again, in 10th
Century A.D., the Mahiar inscription mentioned that one Damodar had
undertaken piligrimage to Purusottam Kshetra and drowned in the Sea-Mahodadhi.
However, scholars agreed that the present temple of Lord Jagannath was
initially started its construction by Somavamsi King Yayati. The Ganga King
Ananta Varma Chodaganga Deva (1078-1150 A.D) towards 1147 A.D. rebuilt it
with a massive tower and again Ananga Bhima Dev II (A.D. 1170 to 1194) 4th
successor to Ganga throne also enhanced it. The Ganga dynasty ruled Orissa
from 1078 to 1434 A.D. and made Puri a cultural centre. Puri was regarded a
celebrated Pitha, and the saints and seers paid their visit to Puri. In
course of time Saint Ramanuja (1056-1136 A.D.) the advocate of Visistadaita
philosophy, saints like Nibark, Vishu Swami and Madhabacharya paid their
visit to Puri and established their monasteries. The great poet Jaydev of
Orissa in 12thy century, composed the famous work Gita-Govindam, dedicated
to Lord Jagannath as Krishna - Madhava. In 13th century Narasimha Muni, a
follower of Madhavacharya preached Vaisnavisim in Orissa and Puri became the
centre of Vaisnavism under the patronage of the Ganga - Kings.
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Barring the high temperatures in May and June,
Puri is a year-round destination. The Puri Beach Festival in November
welcomes the onset of winter, and till March and early April, Puri remains a
pleasant place to visit.
WHERE TO STAY
1.Puri Hotel,Sea Beach........223810,222744
2.Hotel Hans Coco pams, Baliapanda......230952,230262,230038
3.Pullin Puri,Sea Beach.........222360,229247
4.Ocean View Hotel......223352
5.Sagarika Hotel......224063
6.Hotel Samudra,Sea Beach.......228654,222705
7.Sterling Resort,Baliapanda.......230090,230391
8.Victoria Hotel,Sea Beach.......222005,222583
9.Hotel Milli,Chakratirtha Road.........
10.Hotel Tourist Home Chakratirtha Road........223020,223330,224449
11. Hotel Raj Chakratirtha Road........230767,231183
12 Hotel Sea Hawk ,Chakratirtha Road........223168
13.Hotel Holiday Inn, Chakratirtha Road....223782,224363
14. Hotel Golden Palace Beach.......223192,223534,228400
15. Hotel Sea View,Sea Beach......223417
16.May Fair ,Sea Beach.........224041,224042
17.Bijoy International,Sea Beach...........223705,222702
18.Holiday Resort,C.T.Road........222440,223968,222172
19.Sankar International,Chhakratirtha Road.........222696,223637
20.Bay View Hotel,,Chhakra Tirtha Road.........
21.Hotel Rupasa,Sea Beach........224073
22.Hotel Sonali,Sea Beach.........226275,223545
23.Hotel Lee Garden ,Chunguhaw,Subhash Bose Chhaka........223397,229986,223647
24.Basanti Hotel Station Road.........
25.Laxmi Hotel,Narendra kona........222337
26.Sriram Hotel ,Medical Chhaka........222896,222897
27.Paradise,Grand Road.......222278,223701
28.Hotel Subhadra, Grand Road......223686,224570
29.Birla Guest House,Grand Road......231311
30.Hotel Love & Life,Chakratirtha Road........
31.Hotel Park,Sea Beach.........222040,223366
32.Swagatam Lodge,Narendra Kona..........225039
33.Hotel Manisha,Kacheri Square........229190,229191
34.Hotel Jagadish,Post Office Square.........229206
35.Hotel Padma,Station Road........228081,228082,224515
36.Gochhikar House,Sea Beach........
37.Hotel Basu,Sea Beach.........228586
38.Lodge Gopinath...........231467,227889
39.Hotel Baby,Gopalballav Road......222923
40.Hotel Rani, Swargadwara.......231427,231425
41.Hotel Park Beach Resort,Sea Beach.........221166
42.Hotel Rupam, Balia Panda......230650,231222
CIRCUIT HOUSE
Special Circuit House,Puri is situated near Sea Beach with three massive buildings consisting of 37 rooms including 5 V.I.P. rooms.1st building is 100 years old ,2nd building was constructed during the year 1964 and the 3rd building is newly constructed in the year 1996.V.I.P.s namely governor, Union Ministers ,Chief Ministers and Ministry of Chief Justice & other Justice of Orissa High Court and other states,Judges of Supreme Court,senior officers of central govt. and state govt. are staying here and other dignitories are also staying in the circuit house .They all are coming on official visit.State guests are also visiting state & sight seeing purpose.They all are visiting puri to see world famous temple of lord jagannath and world's best sea beach at puri and also visiting konark sun temple.Minimum facilities are available at minimum price by the govt. of Revenue Dept. of Orissa. It is controlled by the Dist. Magistrate,puri(fax no._223939 , tel no._222033, circuit house no._222036).It is managed by the manager with 24 other staffs.
PLACES TO VISIT
Raghurajpur
The artists village of Raghurajpur, 16 km from Puri, is famous for its
patachitras created by traditional chitrakaras, who have, for centuries,
also churned out palm-leaf etchings with exquisite detail. Quite a few of
the craftsmen are winners of national awards.
Satapara
Satapara, a retreat in nature on Chilika Lake, is opened up to the tourists.
For its location near the confluence of the lake with the ocean and
proximity to Puri (48 km), it is an ideal spot to enjoy Chilika. The
thrilling sight of dolphins round the year and abundance of migratory and
resident birds in winter make it a preferred place for a vacation with
nature.
Choudwar
Choudwar, a growing industrial area was once the capital of Somakuli Keshari
Kings of Orissa. Eight prominent Siva pithas were established by the Keshari
dynasty in the vicinity of Choudwar which is now in ruins. Tradition records
that it was the capital of Virat, the brother-in-law of Kichaka. The five
Pandava brothers with their consort Draupadi took shelter in Choudwar in
their secret exile.
Chhatia
Popularly known as Chhatiabata, Chhatia is a sacred place of pilgrimage. The
shrine of Lord Jagannath at Chhatia is a modern piece of Orissan temple
architecture. Nearby one can find the archaeological remains of Amravati-Kataka,
one of the five important forts of Chodaganga Deva. Amaravati with the back
drop of the hill "Dhania" presents an attractive sight.
Jajpur
Otherwise known as Vaitarani Tirtha, Jajpur with Goddess Viraja (Durga) as
its presiding deity is one of the sacred places of pilgrimage in Orissa. The
place has its unique importance in India as Navigaya Kshetra where pinda is
offered for the satisfaction of the ancestors. The shrine of Sweta Varaha
(the white boar incarnation of Vishnu) along with hundreds of other shrines
here made Jajpur a Tirtha par excellence. The "Dasavamedha Ghat", the flight
of steps leading to the Vaitarani where the ten horse sacrifices were
performed is a great sanctified spot for the Hindus.
Ansupa
Ansupa the small but picturesque lake holds a prominent position in the
tourist map of Orissa and offers an asylum to the migratory birds in winter.
The play of the shadow of Saranda mountain and surrounding bamboo and mango
groves on the rippling waters of Ansupa make it a real thing of beauty. One
can have a boat journey or go for fishing in the lake.
Ansupa is 70 kms from Cuttack and 20 kms from Raja-athagarh station,
connected with regular bus service.
Ratnagiri Lalitgiri Udayagir
These three hills comprise a remarkable buddhist complex. Hieun-T'sang, the
Chinese pilgrim found it to be the seat of a flourishing Buddhist University
called "Puspagiri". Extensive ruins of brick pagodas, sculptured stone
portals and esoteric Buddhist images testifying its ancient glory have been
unearthed. Ratnagiri is the gem of this complex. The magnificently carved
door jambs of the Vihar and superbly finished Buddha images from perhaps the
greatest concentration of Buddhist sculpture of the post-Gupta period.
Ratnagiri is 70 kms, Lalitgiri is 55 kms and Udayagiri is 60 kms from
Cuttack.
Dhavaleswar
A small island in the Mahanadi, the temple of Dhavaleswar is situated on a
hillock. Though a new structure, sculptures of 10 / 11th century A.D. are
found in the temple premises.
TEMPLES
It is the earliest Ganga monument of Orissa, but it
must be noted that the ganga temples of much earlier dates are still to
traced in the Andra regions, the original seat of power of Gangas. There is
adefinite mention in all the later copper plate records of the successor of
Chodaganga that he was the bulider of this great temple at Puri. According
to some evidence sources that Chodaganga had began this huge structure and
one his successor Ananagabhimadev III completed it or added the Jagamohan to
it. The height of the Jagannath temple of Puri as calculated as 215 feet 8
inches. It is therefore the loftiest religious edifice of Orissa. At present
the thick coat of plaster which had covered the structure for centuries has
been removed.
As is usual in all great temples of the period, the monument stands on a
high platform which is connected with the ground level by a height of 22
very very big steps. The edifies is masive and strong and is a product of
accummulated experience of the past in temple architecture and this factor
has enabled it to with stand the ravages of time.
Rath Yatra
Once every year, in the months of June-July the famous Rath Yatra or car
festival is held at Puri. It celebrates Lord Jagannath’s legendary return to
his kingdom on earth. The beach festival is celebrated in the later part of
March or early April, and showcases the best of Orissa’s folk and classical
dance forms, music and handicrafts. Nava Kalebara is a local festival of an
immensely significant religious ritual, when the three temple deities Lord
Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra change their external forms. New idols
are carved out of specially sanctified sandalwood trees, following certain
regulations.
HOW TO REACH
The nearest airport is Bhubaneswar, 60 km.
Reaching Puri through Rail - Puri is a terminus on the East Coast
Railway having direct express and super fast train links with New Delhi,
Mumbai, Kolkata, Okha, Ahmedabad, Tirupati etc. Some important trains are
Kolkata (Howrah) Puri Howrah Express, Jagannath Express; New Delhi;
Purushottam Express. Khurda Road Station, 44 km, from Puri is convenient
rail head for train to Chennai and Western India.
The station is about one km North of the town. Cycle rickshaws and auto
rickshaws compete aggressively to get you to a hotel.
Reaching Puri through Road - The bus stand near the Gundicha Temple
provides connections to Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, service every 10-15
minutes. Minibuses to Konark leave every 20-30 minutes and also from
Jatiababa Chhak. There are direct buses for Kolkata and Visakhapatnam.
For Getting around puri - cycle rickshaws are available all over
town. Auto rickshaws are also available but every few in numbers. Bicycle,
moped or a motorcycle can be hired easily from several outlets on the
Chakratirtha (CT) Road for trips to the coast and to Konark. Most travel
agents in the city provide this service.
FESTIVALS
DOLA YATRA
This is Celebrated from the tenth day of the bright fortnight of Falguna up
to the full moon day. The representative deities Dologobinda, Bhudevi and
Sreedevi are taken in a procession to Dolabedi located outside the outer
compound wall of the main Temple and special rites are performed.
CHANDAN YATRA
This Takes place in the month of Vaisaksha and continues for long 42 days.
But, generally speaking it is a Festival of first 21 days only.The first
period of 21 days is known as "Bahar Chandan"or outer Chandan. During this
period,the representative images of Rama,Krushna, Madanmohan,Sridevi and
Bhudevi are taken in a procession to Narendra tank.The images of Siva from 5
Siva Temples known as "Pancha Pandavas" also accompany them to the Narendra
tank, At Narendra tank the images play in well decorated boats and are
worshipped. The second period of 21 days known as "Bhitar Chandana" is
celebrated inside the Temple. The rites observed on this period are not
popularly enjoyed.
SNANA YATRA
This Festival takes places in the month of Jestha. it is popularly known as
the Deba Snana Purnima.This is the first occasion in the course of a year
when the deities Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra along with Sudarsan and
Madanmohan are brought out from the Temple and taken in procession to Snana
Bedi located in the North East corner of the outer compound.The deities are
bathed there with 108 pitchers of water drawn from a well near the Northern
Gate. Here,Jagannath and Balabhadra are dressed like Lord Ganesh of the
Purans with the head of an elephant
RATHA YATRA (Chariot Festival)
The most splendid of the
innumerable festivals celebrated round the year in the holy city of Puri ,
the Ratha Yatra is the grand culmination of a series of celebrations spread
over the summer and the monsoon months. Akshaya Trutiya tithi marks the
beginning of the construction of the Rathas (chariots) for the ceremonial
journey and sojourn of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra at the
Gundicha Temple for a week. On the full-moon day of the month of Jyestha
(May-June) in the Snana Yatra, the Bathing Festival,when the three deities
move in colourful processions to a platform in the outer enclosure of the
temple, the Snana Vedi, the bathing platform, where they bath with one
hundred and eight pitchers of perfumed water drawn from a temple well once a
year. After the ritual bath, the deities assume the special elephant form,
recalling the legend of the Lord's affection for a devotee, whom He proved
that he was in fact another manifestation of Lord Ganesha. At the end of the
Snana Yatra day, the holy triad,supposedly afflicted with fever, do not
return to their pedestal in the sanctum.they stay away from the public view
for a period of fifteen days,called Anasara,after which they appear in their
Navayauvana Vesha,literally a renewed youth, on the new moon day of
the Month of Ashadha.During this fortnight the icons get a fresh coat of
painting which gets washed out on the day of the Bathing Festival. During
this period the deities eat only fruits other restricted diet and soft
drinks.Cloth paintings. representing the deities called Anasara Pati, are
displayed beyond the enclosures hiding the deities from the devotees to see
and worship. Finally comes the Ratha Yatra on the second day of the bright
fortnight of the month Of Ashadha, when the three deities come out of the
temple in a specacular procession called Pahandi. The deities, which are
colossal wooden statues, adorned with giant floral crowns, called Tahias,
are literally pulled, pushed and dragged in rhythmic movement to the
accompaniment of the beat of cymbals, drums and chanting of their names in
chorus by devotees in frenzied ecstasy. After all the deities are seated in
their respective chariots starts the Chhera Pamhara, the ritual of sweeping
of the chariots with a golden broom by the Gajapati King of Puri,the
foremost servant of God,the Adya sevaka of Lord Jagannath. The King comes
from his palace on a richly decorated palanquin. Chhera Pamhara is a
symbolic rite which proclaims that the King, like others, is but an humble
servant of the real sovereign, Lord Jagannath. The most exciting part of the
Rath yatra is the pulling of chariots by thousands of people who lay their
hands on the sturdy ropes and drag the massive structures along the
Bada-Danda,the grand road. The chariot of Balabhadra moves first, followed
by those of Subhadra and Jagannath. The chariots grind forward slowly until
they reach the Gundicha temple and the three deities rest for a night at the
entrance on their own chariots. They enter the Gundicha temple on the next
day in the usual Pahandi style and stay there for seven days.
Godess Laxmi,who gets angry for being left out at the temple, proceeds to
the Gundicha temple to meet her Lord, Jagannath , on the Hera Panchami
day,the fifth day of the fortnight. After having a stealthy look at her
Lord, she returns to the temple, damaging a part of Jagannath's chariot in
anger and disgust. The deities, after the seven-day stay at Gundicha temple,
their garden house, commence their return journey. It is called Bahuda Yatra
held on the tenth day of bright fortnight of Ashadha. The return of the
chariots takes place in the same order as in the Rath Yatra. Balabhadra’s
chariot moves first, followed by those of Subhadra and Jagannath. On his way
back,Jagannath stops for a while at Ardhasani temple, popularly called Mausi
Ma temple or the temple of Aunt.
He accepts from the aunt His favourite rice cake, Poda Pitha. The three
chariots pulled by thousands of devotees,reach back the Simhadwara in the
late afternoon of the Bahuda day and the deities remain seated on their
chariots. On the next day known as the Bada Ekadasi,the three deities, are
attired in costumes of glittering gold and are worshipped by thousands of
devotees. This form of the deities is known as the famous Suna Vesa. On the
Dwadasi day, the three deities go back to their original place,the Ratna
simhasana, literally the jewelled platform,with the usual fanfare and the
Pahandi style.Their arrival into the Sanctum sanctorum marks the end of the
Ratha Yatra the grand festival of chariots.
NAVAKALEVARA
As a man discarding worn out clothes takes other new ones,so also the
embodied soul, casting off worn out bodies enters into others which are
new.In the light of this truth of the Bhagavat Geeta, Navakalevar can be
interpreted as a ceremony for entering into new bodies, when Lord Jagannath,
Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan cast off their old bodies and take new
ones. It is called Navakalevar. The year which has two months of Ashadha is
regarded auspicious for Navakalevar ceremony.It usually occurs in 8,11 or 19
years. The new bodies of the deities are made out of the newly cut Yeem
trees. The previous navakalevars were held in 1733,1744,1752, 1771,1790,
1809,1828, 1836,1855,1874,1893,1912, 1931,1950, 1969,1977 and 1996.