Puri Jagannath Temple

The Jagannath Mandir in Puri is one of the four holy pilgrimage centres in the Char Dham abodes, which are highly sacred to the Hindus. Moreover, this magnificent temple is an abode to the Lord of the world, Jagannath, Lord Vishu himself.

Historical Background

As per ancient history, King Indradyumna first constructed the temple for the Lord, which was covered in sand for thousands of years. Later, King Chodaganga Deva of the Ganga dynasty started the present-day temple construction work completed in 1174 by King Anagabhimadeva.

The deities in all the temples are usually created from stone or metal. However, Lord Jagannath in Puri Mandir is carved out of wood, known as Daru, or tree. As per scriptures, the all-powerful Jagannath in Puri manifested himself in four daru forms: Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Chakra Sudarshana. The scriptures say that Jagannath can see without eyes, hear without ears, and grab and walk without hands and feet.

Quick Facts:

Address: Grand Rd, At post, Puri, Odisha 752001, India

Opening Hours: 7 am to 9 pm, seven days a week

Established in: 1161 CE by Indradyumna

Festivals Celebrated: Rath Yatra, Chandan Yatra, Janmasthami

Location

Jagannath Temple is located in Puri in the eastern state of Orissa. Puri is about 2 hours from the state capital Bhubaneswar where the nearest airport is situated. You can get to Puri from Bhubaneswar by bus. You can book in advance from the redBus app or website and conveniently travel by taking any of the numerous buses available. However, everyone keen to visit Puri Mandir has to know that only Hindus are allowed entry to this temple.

Few astonishing facts about the temple

• The flag atop the dome flows in a direction opposite to the wind.
• The 45-meter tall temple casts no shadow ever at any time.
• The big Sudarshan chakra at the top looks the same from any angle.
• No birds fly over the temple dome, and no planes are allowed to fly over it.

Main festivals in Puri

• Puri Jagannath Ratha Yatra: This is the most important event of the year when Lord Jagannath leaves the temple abode. This is unlike all other temples where only more miniature replicas of the deities, the Utsava Murtis, are taken out of the temple. Instead, the deity rides in a spectacularly crafted and decorated rath to give darshan to the pilgrims and residents as it is pulled around the city. Interestingly, the English word juggernaut is derived from this event, inspired by the massive effort in pulling this mammoth rath. Millions of pilgrims throng Puri to participate in this mega festival to seek the Lord’s blessings. This takes place in June/July.

• Nabakalebara: This is the elaborate ritual carried out once in 12 or 19 years. Here the deities are replaced with exact replicas from expertly handcrafted wooden tree barks. Vedic pandits carefully selected the trees per the sacred scriptures based on their colour, location, and many other signs. This ritual is based on Agama Shastra, which specifies that deities in wooden forms need to take on new bodies after a certain period. The last such ceremony was held in the year 2015.

Other temple events

Festivals are celebrated for the Lord throughout the year. Some of them are:

• Snana Yatra on Purnima in June
• Sayana Yatra during Ashada masa or the month the Lord is put to sleep after an elaborate ritual.
• Dakshinayana
• Uttarayana
• Dola Yatra
• Chandan Yatra marks the commencement of the construction of the magnificent Rathas, or chariots.

Other Places of Interest near Puri

• Chilka Lake, a saltwater lagoon famous for bird watching, water sports, and fishing
• Pipili, famous for its handicrafts
• Chandrabhaga is a gorgeous beach for relaxation.
• Konark, where you can visit the extraordinary sun temple
• Satapara, a famous coastal town for dolphin sightings
• Raghurajpura for lovely heritage crafts

How to Reach Puri Jagannath Temple by Bus

Puri Jagannath Temple in Odisha is one of the sacred Hindu temples dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Lord Vishnu. You will see statues of three deities—Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra—being worshipped in the inner sanctum and given prominence during the yatras held in the temple.

You can catch a flight to the nearest airport at Biju Patnaik Airport, Bhubaneswar to get to the temple. The airport is 56 km away from Puri and is accessible by car or bus. Buses are considered the primary transport mode despite having regular trains to Puri.

How to reach Puri Jagannath Temple from Bhubaneswar Airport?

You can hail a cab or take a local bus to Puri from Bhubaneswar airport—Biju Patnaik airport. A taxi is the fastest way and costs around INR 750-1000 for the trip. As buses are far cheaper to travel and take over an hour to reach the destination, this is also a very convenient mode of transport. OSRTC has three buses that leave from Bhubaneswar to Puri. The fares range from INR 80-100. The buses depart at 3 am, 5.30 am and 7.30 pm.

How to reach Puri Jagannath Temple from Hyderabad?

There is no direct transport to Puri from Hyderabad. You will have to take a flight to Bhubaneswar and then board a bus to Puri or catch a train to Santragachi junction and then board a bus. The distance between Hyderabad and Puri is over 1000 km, and it takes about a day’s worth of travel to reach the destination. Thus, taking a flight, train or bus can be convenient.

Although many private operators provide direct buses from Hyderabad to Bhubaneswar, the fastest bus timings covered is about 20 hours. You can compare and book the travel through redBus.

How to reach Puri Jagannath Temple from Visakhapatnam?

The distance between Visakhapatnam and Puri Jagannath Temple is about 415 km. By car, the journey should take just over 9 hours. However, one direct train to Puri from the city is not operational daily. So, the economical way to travel is to take a bus to Bhubaneswar and then another to Puri, as there are no direct buses to Puri.

Some of the popular routes to Puri temple are listed out here:

• Calcutta to Puri
• Bhuvaneshwar to Puri
• Durgapur to Puri
• Bhanjanagar to Puri
• Asansol to Puri
• Cuttack to Puri

There are multiple bus operators running bus services to Puri from various destinations. You can make online bookings to visit the Puri Jagannath Mandir using the redBus app or website, which brings hundreds of bus operators across the country on one platform.

Major bus operators

• OSRTC, the state government operator
• Greenline Services
• Mohapatra Travels
• Khusboo Travels

Bus dropping and boarding points in Puri

• Puri bus stand
• Mashir bari
• Bata Mangala
• Pipili

Concluding notes

Have a great darshan of Lord Jagannath in Puri Mandir by partnering with redBus. Make plans for the trip with advance online booking for the Puri temple visit using the reliable redBus app or website.