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During his stay on earth, the lord performed many
miraculous feats and asserted his divine identity. Lord
Krishna was born to destroy the evil and protect the
good. Once he declared that in Kal Yug(the age we
presently live in) he would dwell in the seaside town of
Puri, in the Indian state of Orissa. Therefore Puri is
accepted by pious Hindus as the abode of Jagannath, the
Lord of the Universe. A beautiful temple, the Jagannath
temple, has long been built in the honour of the Lord.
The great sage Adi Shankaracharya I chose Puri as one of the
Chaar Dham (four sacred abodes). The Char Dham is the
most important Hindu pilgrimage circuit in the Indian
Himalayas.The person who visits these four places is
believed to attain moksha(salvation). Jagannath Puri is
visited by thousands of pilgrims all the year round, but
to be there at the time of the Ratha Yatra is regarded
as holy as a visit to Hardwar and Kashi. That is why,
elaborate arrangements are annually made by the state
government and the local people on the onset of the
Ratha Yatra celebrations. There are numerous
dharmashalas and small hotels for the pilgrims, as well
as five-star hotels.
The temple of Puri is dedicated to Lord Jagannath(Lord
Krishna), his elder brother Balabhadra and their sister
Subhadra. The Sudarshan Chakra (the main weapon of the
Lord) also becomes a deity in its own right here. The
temple is a majestic structure, 65 metres high and
stands on an elevated platform in the heart of the city.
It was built during the twelfth century A.D. in the
Kalinga style.
Usually the deities are worshipped within the temple,
but on the day of Ratha Yatra the idols of Lord
Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and their sister Subhadra are
transported to their aunt' s temple (Gundicha Mandir)
which is situated at a distance of 2 km from their
temple. Gundicha Ghar is supposed to be the home of the
aunt of Lord Jagannath, who was the wife of King
Indradyumna. This temple is located in the middle of a
beautiful garden and is said to have derived its name
from the name of Lord Krishna's aunt, Gundicha. But many
believe that the temple has been named after the King
Indradyumna, who was also known by the name ‘Gundicha’.
This is because he was the one who laid the foundation
for establishment of Gundicha Ghar. Gundicha Ghar is
believed by many people to be the birthplace of Lord
Jagannath. According to a legend, Lord Jagannath once
expressed his desire to visit his birthplace Gundicha
ghar once every year for a week. And so he did. Every
year, along with his elder brother Balbhadra and younger
sister Subhadra, Lord Jagannath spent seven days at this
place.
The entire tradition of Rath Yatra (chariot journey)
owes its origin to this ancient weekly sojourn of these
deities. During the festival, the idols are taken
through the streets of Puri on beautifully decorated
wooden chariots resembling temple structures, so that
everyone can have the fortune of seeing them. The
journey ends at the Gundicha mandir where the idols of
the deities are dismounted from the chariots and taken
inside. After a week, the deities are returned back on
chariots to their original abode, the Jagannath temple.
Chappan
Bhog of Lord Jagannath
Daily Mahaprasad of Lord Jagannath
Life style
of Puri people
The Kitchen of Srimandir, Biggest in the World.
History of the Narendra Tank
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