Tag: Lord Jagannath

Bhabakundalesvara Temple

A village named after Manika, a milkmaid who had supposedly sold yogurt to Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra when they were on their way to Kanchi. The word ‘Manikapatna’ is a combination of two words ‘Manika’ and ‘Patana’. ‘Manika’, the name of the milkmaid and ‘Patana’ means ‘Village’.

Manikapatana, alternatively spelt as Manika Patna, is located in the Puri district. It is quite close to the mouth of the Chilika lake.

Manikapatana, one of the Excavated Archeological Sites of Puri district, is in Krushnaprasad block from which the remains at mediaeval period are found. This village is also famous for Bhabakundalesvara Temple.

Bhabakundaleswar temple is located on the left side of the National Highway 203 leading from Puri to Satpadabranching at a distance of 3.3 kilometers from Dahikhia square and situated at a distance of half kilometer from the Bay of Bengal. It is located around 44 kilometers from Puri. The temple is facing towards east and the presiding deity is a Siva Linga made of black chlorite stone. Festivals like Sivaratri, Kartika Purnima, Ekadasi, etc are observed in this temple with great devotion. Marriage, thread ceremony, engagement, etc are also observed here.

One of the most popular stories related to Lord Jagannath is that of kanchiavijana (or journey to Kanchi). Once the King of Puri, Purusottama Deva in the Gonga Dynasty, went to the South India and reached a kingdom called Kanchi. There he met the daughter of the King of Kanchi – Padmavati and both came to know each other. Later the King of Puri was invited by the King of Kanchi who, along with his queen was very pleased with Purusotama Deva and offered marriage proposal for their daughter. Pursottama Deva was very happy with the proposal and accepted gladly. Later the King of Kanchi sent his minister to Pursottama Deva with an official proposal for Marriage. It was the time of RathaYatra (Car Festival), so King Pursottama Deva asked the Minister to stay for few more days so that he can enjoy the Famous RathaYatra of Puri. The Minister was quite happy to see the same. On the Rathayatra day thousands of people gathered to see the festival.

The Minister of Kanchi saw that King Pursottama is standing in front of the chariot with a broom in his hand. After sometime he started sweeping the area where the chariots were kept. The Kanchi minister felt very bad by seeing this activity. He was very angry with this act of the king and returned back to Kanchi immediately and said everything to the king, stating that how can we put the hands of our princess in the hands of a sweeper who sweeps the road.

The King of Kanchi without understanding the situation agreed to the minister opinion and decided that he would certainly not give the hand of his daughter in marriage to one who performs the vile work meant for an untouchable. After this the King of Kanchi organized a Swayambara ceremony where he invited every suitable man from everywhere except King Pursottama Deva. Hearing this Pursottama Deva felt very bad and decided to challenge the King of Kanchi for a war.

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Kakatpur is a small village in Puri District and is situated at a distance of 50 kms from Puri, on the Puri-Astaranga road. Situated on the bank of river Prachi, this temple is famous for Goddess Mangala. Goddess Mangala is the presiding deity of Kakatpur and is worshipped in this temple.

The Folklore

There is a famous story behind the evolution of the name of the deity as ‘Kakatpur’ Mangala and believed by the local people. Goddess Managla kept herself hidden under the deep water of river Prachi. Once a boatman was sailing his boat across river Prachi. At that time, the river was outpouring and flooded so he was unable to sail his boat to the middle of the river. He spent whole day and night but not able to sail his boat and during early morning, before the dawn, Goddess Mangala came in his dream and asked him to recover her from the water and to establish her in nearby Mangalapur village. The boatman dived into the water and able to find the deity from the bed of the river. Then as per the direction of the Goddess he established the figure of the deity in a temple in Mangalapur village. After this the boatman saw a black crow dived into the water and did not come out of the water for hours and days, the crow detained inside the water of river Prachi exactly in the same place from where he recovered the figure of Goddess Mangala. In local Odia language ‘Crow’ means ‘Kaka’ and ‘Detained’ means ‘Atka’. So by combining the two words it becomes ‘Kaka-Atka’, so during the course of time the Mangalapur village is known as ‘Kakat’ (Kaka-Atka) pur and the Goddess is known as KakatpurMangala.

Relation With Jagannath Temple

KakatpurMangala temple has a close relation with Lord Jagannath temple of Puri during the Navakalebara(Renovation of the Deities) festival. Old deities are buried under earth at the dedicated place inside Jagannath templeand new idols are created for Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra. The new idols are created from a sacred wood known as ‘Daru Brahma’ in local language. Nobody knows from where to find the sacred wood to create the new idols, so as per the tradition the priests of Lord Jagannath temple come to KakatpurMangala to pray the Goddess to help them to find the sacred wood. The priests sleep in front of the Goddess with their face down and then Goddess Mangala come in their dream and tell the exact location of the three sacred trees for the three deities. This custom has been performed from years together without any deviation. This shows the power and energy of Goddess Mangala and her blessings for her devotees.

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Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath, is one of the richest places when it comes to the presence of some ancient, age old and important sacred temples. The temples are not only significant from religious point of view, but also lend traditional, cultural and historical importance.

One of the sacred tourist destinations of Puri, Barala is a village of religious importance where a famous Shiva temple is located. Barala is 11 kilometers from Sakhigopal, which is 22 km from Puri, on the Puri-Bhubaneswar National Highway 203 branching at Pattanayikia chowk, ahead of Chandanpur. This Shiva temple is knwon as BaralaBalunkeswar Temple or BaralaBalunkeswar Shiva Temple. This temple is one of the most important Shaiva shrines of Puri. The exact geographical location of the temple is LONGITUDE 850 50’ 52” E LATITUDE 190 58’ 29” N.

Barala Shiva Temple

Balunkeswar Shiva Temple is facing towards the east. The innermost chamber of the main temple preserves a Shiva Linga which is the presiding deity of the temple. Lord Shiva is worshipped here as Lord Balunkeswar. Flowers, sandal paste, milk, Curd (yoghurt), honey, beetle leaves, coconut water, bilva leaves, etc. offered to Lord Balunkesvara throughout the year. This temple also houses 25 small shrines enshrining of images of Durga, Khshetrapala, Vairabhi Annapurna, Ardhanariswara, Damodara, Gopal, Narasimha, Ambika, and Parshwanath (Jain) images. Famous Festivals like Mahashivaratri, Sitalasasthi, Sankranti, Ekadasietc are observed here with great devotion. On the day of Mahashivaratri thousands of devotees from far and near arrive at the temple to offer their prayer to Lord Balunkeswar to get His blessings. Marriage ceremony, thread ceremony and engagements are also observed in this temple.

The architecture of the Balunkesvara Temple is novel with Vimana (Main Temple), Jagamohana (Entrance Hall) and Natamandapa (Dancing Hall). The temple is surrounded by a high wall with Sinha dwara (Lion’s Gate) on the east. There is another entrance on the southern side of the temple. Images of Goddesses Ganga and Yamuna are carved on the main door of the dancing hall. Lord Ganesha image is found on southern entrance of the jagamohana. Lord Narasimha and Lord Hanuman images are also available in the temple. The temple is under the care of Endowment Department of Government of Odisha.

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Alarnath Temple

Lord Alarnath temple in Brahmagiri, around 25 km from Puri, is not a big tourist destination but a famous religious place for all Krishna devotees. It is explained that in Satya Yuga, Lord Brahma came and worshipped Lord Vishnu here on top of a hill. One day Lord Vishnu appeared and said, “I am very pleased with your worship. Make a four-armed Deity of Me holding shankha, chakra, gada, and padma (conch shell, disk, club, and lotus). The Deity should be made from a piece of black stone. Also install a Deity of Garuda”. Lord Vishnu also said, “This place will be called Brahmagiri (Brahma’s hill) because you have worshipped me here”. According to mythology, the rulers of Alwar in Rajasthan had established the temple here. The temple was later known as Alwarnath or Alarnath.

Long yesrs back (in 1610 A.D) Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stayed at Alarnath during anavasara period of Lord Jagannath. Anavasara is the two weeks period when Lord Jagannatha take rest in isolation from the rest of the world after suffering from fever due to the annual bathing festival (Snana Yatra). Lord Chaitanya claimed that he visualised the appearance of Lord Jagannath in Alarnath and spent a long period in worshipping the deity here. It is believed that those who can not worship Lord Jagannath during his stay in the sick chamber can get the blessings of the deity if they visit the Alarnath temple. During this period the temple servitors offered holy porridge (rice pudding sweetened by jaggery), known as ‘Kheer’ in local language, to the lord. During anavasara period of every year thousands of devotees visit Alarnath temple to get the blessings of Lord Alarnath and to taste a pot of famous holy ‘Kheer’.

There is a beautiful myth about the ‘Kheer’ bhog. One day a child devotee prayed to the lord with great devotion and offered hot kheer. The lord in hurry dipped his fingers to take pleasure of the kheer and his upper right hand’s fingers got burn. It is clearly visible and on your request the Priest will also show you the brunt fingers. plain

n this temple Lord Vishnu is worshiped as Lord Alarnath. The deity has four arms. He holds chakra in his upper right hand, Lotus in his lower right hand, Conch in his upper left hand and club in his lower left hand. Lord Vishnu’s carrier eagle, known as Garuda, kneels at the feet of the deity with his hands folded in prayer position. The deities of Lord Krishna‘s queens Rukmini and Satyabhama are also find inside the temple. Deity of Lord Chaitanya is also found inside the temple. There is a stone slab in front of the deity which bears impressions from Lord Chaitanya’s body. When Lord Chaitanya first lay in full respect in front of Lord Alarnath, the stone below Lord Chaitanya melted from His blissful touch. There is a lake behind the temple where ChandanYatra (Sandalwood Festival) is celebrated for 21 days every year.

There is Goddess Lakshmi temple inside the Alarnath temple compound. The Goddess has four arms and looks very beautiful. Drashan of Goddess Laxmi gives a sense of inner peace.

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Gundicha Temple

Puri is one of the most fabulous places to enjoy the vacations and also seek blessings of Lord Jagannatha. Apart from the main Shree Temple, there are number of other temples that hold special significance and one such temple is Gundicha Temple, and is also known as Garden House of Lord Jagannatha.

This temple is located at the end of Grand road about three km north east of Jagannth temple and is marvellous piece of architecture with intricately carved structure all over in light-grey snadstone.

Relation to Lord Jagannath and Rath Yatra

It is during the Rath Yatra, that this temple becomes the centre of attraction as Lord stays in this temple for 7 days during Rath Yatra time. For rest of the year, the temple remains empty and can be visited by tourists.

Gundicha Mandira is also called the “birthplace” of Jaganantha Swami because here on a special platform called the mahavedi, a celestial carpenter carved the daru that manifested the Deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra during the reign of King lndradyumna. This temple is named after King Indradyumna’s wife, Gundicha Maharani. In this area King Indradyumna performed one thousand ashvamedha yajnas.

During Ratha Yatra, Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva and Subhadra Devi, along with Sudarsana, leave Jagannath Mandira for nine days: one day for traveling to Gundicha, seven days spent there, and one day to return home. This Journey is known as to Gundicha Yatra, Nava Dina Yatra (“nine days Journey”), or Ghosa Yatra. It is most auspicious to have darshana of Lord during this time. Every year the Rathayatra culminates at this temple which is surrounded by lush gardens and tall cooling coconut trees. Fragrant flowers and shady trees create a Vrindavan atmosphere which Lord Jaganantha enjoys for 7 days before returning to Sri Mandira.

The cleansing of the Gundicha Temple – Gundicha-marjana – takes place the day before the Rathayatra festival as mentioned in Chaitanya-Charitamrita. Darshan of Jagannatha during His stay at Gundicha temple is known as Adapa Darshana. It is said in scripture that darshan of the Lord Jagannatha at Gundicha temple is equal to ten darshan at Nilachala Temple (main temple).

The place where Gundicha temple is situated is known as Sundarachala. Sundarahcala is compared to Vrindavana, and Nilachala, where Jagannatha recides, is compared to Dvaraka. During Ratha Yatra, Lord Jagannatha comes to Vrindavana, as the devotees are in the mood of residents of Vrindavana, begging the Lord to return with them.

Goddess Gundi

Some folklore suggests that main deity of the temple is Goddess Gundi, an avatar of Goddess Durga, who cures chicken pox.

Apart from these legends, there are few versions as well. Whatever the story may lie behind, but today the fact is that Gundicha Temple is one of the major attractions in Puri and also a must visit.

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Vimala Temple Puri

Puri holds a prominent place as a Hindu Pilgrimage site. With Lord Jagannath residing here, Puri attracts a lot of ardent devotees from all over the world to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath. However, Puri is not just one among the Char Dhams, but it is also regarded as an abode of Hindu Goddess Vimala, and therefore is highly regarded as Shakti Pitha.

Who is Goddess Vimala?

Goddess Vimala is regarded as tantric consort of Lord Jagannath and is therefore believed to be another form of Goddess Laxmi. It is believed that she guards the temple complex and devotees should pay visit to Goddess Vimala before seeking blessings of Lord Jagannath.

The importance of Goddess Vimala becomes instantly visible by the tradition of temple, which is based on an age-old legend- Food offered to Jagannath does not get sanctified as Mahaprasad until it is also offered to Vimala.

The Shrine

The temple of Goddess Vimala is located in the south-west corner of the inner enclosure of the Jagannath temple complex and on the western corner of the tower of Jagannath, next to the sacred pond Rohini kunda. Facing towards east, the temple is constructed of sandstone and laterite in typical Deua style of architecture.

Significance as Shakti Pitha

The Vimala Temple is considered to be one of  the most Shakti Pithas. The Shakti Pithas are the most sacred temples dedicated to Hindu Goddesses, and are ainly identified with Goddess Durga and Goddess Parvati.

A Wikipedia article dedicated to Goddess Vimala states that

“In Goddess-oriented worship, Vimala (Bimala) is regarded as the presiding goddess of the Purushottama (Puri) Shakti Pitha. Jagannath, a form of the god Vishnu/Krishna (Krishna is generally regarded as an avatar of Vishnu), is worshipped as the Pitha’s Bhairava. This is a departure from the usual tradition of Bhairava as a form of Shiva. So, in this temple complex, Vishnu–one of the Hindu trinity – is equated with Shiva, another of the trinity; this is interpreted to convey the oneness of God. In this regard, Vimala – generally associated with Shiva’s consort – is also considered as Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu. Conversely, Tantrics consider Jagannath as Shiva-Bhairava, rather than a form of Vishnu.”

Vimala Temple

The shrine may not be a palatial one, but certainly holds a crucial significance and is revered by Goddess-oriented Shakta and Tantric worshippers.

Festivals

Durga Puja and Vijayadashami are the two main festivals celebrated to revere Goddess Vimala

History of The Temple Complex

The present structure is believed to date back to 9th century, with the central icon dating back to 6th Century CE. Based on the architecture of the temple it seems to build under Eastern Ganga Dynasty. However, there are indications that a shrine would have been situated before the present structure, which somehow got destroyed and it’s the renovated version of the shrine. At some places, like the sculptures, especially the parshvadevatas (attendant deities), as well as the background slab of the central icon, reflect the Somavashi style and may be part of the original temple, on whose ruins the new temple was constructed.

The temple was renovated around 2005 and is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, Bhubaneswar Circle.

Those were the key features and interesting facts of Vimala Temple, situated in Jagannath Temple. Make sure to seek Goddess’s blessings while in holy town of Puri and stay tuned with Hotel Holiday Resort for more such updates of abode of Lord Jagannath.

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Ratha Yatra, also referred as Ratha Jatra or Chariot Festival is the most famous festival celebrated in Puri. It is the oldest Ratha Yatra taking place in India and the World, whose descriptions can be found in Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, and Skanda Purana and Kapila Samhita and takes place annually on Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya (second day in bright fortnight of Ashadha month.)

The festival commemorates Jagannath‘s annual visit to Gundicha Temple via Mausi Maa Temple (aunt’s home) near Balagandi Chaka, Puri. The significance of this annual festival can be known from the preparations that start well in advance as a huge crowd gathers in Puri on this holy day to catch the glimpses of their beloved Lord Jagannath.

Procession

The idols of Lord Jagannath along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra steps out the temple sanctum and are placed in three richly decorated Rathas. From the main temple they are taken to Gundicha or Mausi Maa temple, where they stay for 9 days, before returning back to Shree Mandira. The whole procession is carried out in a joyful mood with loud music, devotional songs, and chants praising Lord Jagannath. The devotees flock Puri from all over the world to participate in this auspicious festival with earnest desire to pull the chariots of deities and even the hot and humid weather could mar their spirits of rejoicing the annual festivity. Sudarshan Chakra is also part of the procession.

Different kinds of sevaks are employed to offer various services to Lord and his siblings.

rath yatra 2018

The Rathas or Chariots

The chariots used to pull the deities are also considered very auspicious and every year new chariots are carved from wood of specified trees like phassi, dhausa, etc. They are customarily brought from the ex-princely state of Dasapalla by a specialist team of carpenters who have hereditary rights and privileges for the same. The logs are traditionally set afloat as rafts in the river Mahanadi. These are collected near Puri and then transported by road.

The chariots are richly decorated as per the prescribed and followed for centuries stand on the Bada Danda, the Grand Avenue. Covered with bright canopies made of stripes of red cloth and combined with those of black, yellow and blue colours, the huge chariots are lined across the wide avenue in front of the majestic temple close to its eastern entrance, which is also known as the Sinhadwara or the Lion’s Gate.

Lord Jagannath’s chariot is called Nandighosha. It is forty-five feet high and forty-five feet square at the wheel level. It has sixteen wheels, each of seven-foot diameter, and is decked with a cover made of red and yellow cloth. Lord Jagannatha is identified with Krushna, who is also known as Pitambara, the one attired in golden yellow robes and hence the distinguishing yellow stripes on the canopy of this chariot.

The chariot of Lord Balarama, called the Taladhwaja, is the one with the Palm Tree on its flag. It has fourteen wheels, each of seven-foot diameter and is covered with red and blue cloth. Its height is forty-four feet.

The chariot of Subhadra, known as Dwarpadalana, literally “trampler of pride,” is forty-three feet high with twelve wheels, each of seven-foot diameter. This chariot is decked with a covering of red and black cloth – black being traditionally associated with Shakti and the Mother Goddess.

Ratha Yatra 2018

This year, Ratha Yatra is falling on 14th July 2018. If you are interested in attending this grand procession in Puri, then it is advisable to make bookings in advance and collect all the necessary information before-hand so that you do not face any problem later on. As it is a very popular and grand festival, thousands of people travel to Puri. During this time of the year, Puri becomes one of the most crowded places in Odisha. Therefore, we at Hotel Holiday Resort offer the best services to our guests and make all the necessary arrangements for their visit to Puri during Ratha Yatra festival.

Hotel Holiday Resort makes sure that your stay during this time of the year is comfortable and enjoyable too. Contact us for any further query regarding the festival, tour and accommodation facilities and services. We would be happy to welcome you during Ratha Yatra 2018 and cater all your needs on your stay in Puri.

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Puri is one of the majestic places. The serene land is ornamented with gorgeous beaches, rolling surf of Bay of Bengal, and the temples, which make Puri one of the sacred places.

The Shree temple is quite known to the world. With Lord Jagannath adorning the throne of the Shree temples with his siblings, it is one of the most sought after pilgrimage site in India. However, along with this, there is another famous temple- Mausi Maa Temple.

Mausi Maa Temple Puri

It is situated in the midway at Grand Road in Puri, the temple is dedicated to Mausi Maa. The literal meaning of Mausi means ‘Aunt’ (mother’s sister) and ‘Maa’ means mother. This could be stated that it is the temple of Aunt mother of Lord Jagannath.

There is another name for the Goddess Mausi Maa- Ardhasini. According to a tale, she drank half of the seawater to save Puri from drowning in floods. And therefore got the name Ardhasini. According to another belief, Ardhasini along with Kapalmochna Shiva are the day and night guardians of Shree Temple and Puri Town.

Mausi Maa Temple Puri

The temple is closely associated with Rath Yatra or Chariot Festival. Mausima temple is facing towards south and closely associated with the Car festival of Lord Jagannath. As per the rituals of Car Festival, on the day of Bahuda Jatra (return car festival day), the chariots of Balabhadra and Subhadra are pulled directly to the Singha Dwara (Lion’s Gate of Jagannath Temple), whereas the chariot of Jagannath stops in front of Mausima temple for a while. Here, Lord Jagannth accepts his favorite rice cake known as ‘Poda Pitha’ from his aunt.

Other festivals like Mahasaptami, Mahasaptami, Mahanavami are also observed in Ardhasini temple.

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