The Jagannath Puri Temple is built on a big platform inside the center of the metropolis. There is an excessive wall across the temple that is tall as a person. The platform itself is super large, covering an area bigger than a football field. The wall has 4 doors that face the 4 different directions. The door on the east aspect has stone carvings of lions and is known as Singh Dwar.
The temple’s gates are named after animals: the Elephant Gate is at the north side, the Horse Gate is on the south facet, and the Tiger Gate is on the west side. There’s another special gate called the Lion Gate, which is used for the Lord when new wooden statues are brought into the temple during a special ceremony. Each of the four gates has a pyramid shape on top of them.
History of Jagannath Temple
King Chodaganhadeva constructed the Jagannath Temple in Puri during the 12th century. He also constructed Konark’s Sun Temple. In the twelfth century, his grandson Ananga Bhimadeva finished building the temple. Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are placed in the Rath.
Puri is city in Odisha popular for Jagannath Temple. Many people come to city to visit the temple as it is one of Char Dham Yatra. The Jagannatha Temple was attacked 18 times by Muslim rulers wanted to capture its treasures. Apart from Jagannath Temple, there are many temples in Puri travellers can visit.
Architecture of Jagannath Temple
The Jagannath Temple is a huge temple spread over 37,000 rectangular meters. The outer wall is 6.1 mtr. high. This outside wall, called Meghananda Pacheri, encircles the entire temple. Kurma Bheda, or the main wall, encircles the major part of the temple.
There are about 120 temples and shrines inside the temple, which was constructed using Oriya architectural principles. The main temple is shaped like a curved triangle, with Lord Vishnu’s chakra perched atop. Nila Chakra is another name for this chakra. The temple’s tower is 65 meters high.
Nila Chakra
The Nila Chakra is situated atop the temple, and every day, a new flag called Patita Pavana is raised atop the chakra. Navagunjaras are the eight spokes that make up the chakra. The chakra is made of Ashtadhatu, an alloy inclusive of 8 metals. This circle is 3.5 meters long and its circumference is 11 meters.
Singhdwara
There are four doors to get into the temple, and one all them is referred to as Singhdwara, this means Lion Gate because there are lion statues status on each side. To pass in the temple, people can walk up the stair that has 22 steps, and this staircase is known as Baisi Pahacha.
There is a picture of Lord Jagannath on the right side of the entrance. It’s called Patita Pavana. This picture was created so that people who couldn’t go inside the temple could still pray to it from outside.
Arun Stambha
The Singhdwara is directly in front of Arun Stambha. The pillar is monolithic and has sixteen sides. This is the location of the idol of Arun, who controls the Sun God’s chariot. It was Guru Brahamachari Gosain who brought Arun Stambh here from the Konark temple.
Hathidwar, Vyaghradwar and Ashwadwar
There are three further entrances to the temple: Hathidwara, Vyaghradwara, and Ashwadwara. It is also known as the elephant gate at Hathidwara, the tiger gate at Vyaghradwara, and the horse gate at Ashwadwara. The gates get their names from the fact that horses, tigers, and elephants, respectively, defend them.
How to reach Jagannath Temple
Puri is a small place there may be no airport. The airport is Bhubaneswar, from 60 km away. But you can easily Puri by bus from different cities.
By Air
There is no airport Puri city, but about 60 km from Bhubaneswar airport. Bhubaneswar has the airport, additionally known as Biju Patnaik Airport. Domestic flights arrive the airport Terminal 1, while international flights arrive Terminal 2.
By Train
Puri has a few trains that visit to places in India, like Ahmedabad, Kolkata, and New Delhi. It is a very important railway station from where many trains start their journey. From here, Shatabdi, Garib Rath superfast mail and express trains operate.
By Road
The Puri Bus Terminal, from where direct buses may be taken to Kolkata and Visakhapatnam, is located to the Gundicha Temple. Additionally, buses are available to Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. From here, buses go to the Konark temple, which is close by.
Nearest places of Jagannath Temple
· Konark Sun Temple
· Suna Goswami Math
· Atharnala Bridge
· Puri Beach
· Gundicha Ghar Temple
· Chillka Lake
Conclusion
The Jagannath Puri temple reveres Lord Jagannath, brother Lord Balabhadra, and sister Devi Subhadra. For Hindus, Lord Jagannath represents Lord Vishnu in people. Jagannath Temple is one of the four pilgrimages that Hindus make to the Char Dham. The Rath Yatra held annually at the temple is an excellent occasion.
FAQ
Q.1. What is the importance of Jagannath temple?
Ans.1. The temple is very vital to Hindus because it’s miles one of the special places they visit on their spiritual journey known as the Char-Dham Pilgrimages.
Q.2. What is the specialty of Jagannath temple?
Ans.2. The Jagannath temple has been constructed in a special way so that its shadow never falls on the ground. The large circular enclosure at the top of the temple is 20 feet high and you can see it from all around the city.
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