Orrissa

About Orrissa

The Jagannath Temple of Puri is a sacred Vaishnava temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath and located on the eastern coast of India, at Puri in the state of Odisha. The temple is an important pilgrimage destination and is particularly visited by devotees of Supreme lord Sri Krishna and is one of the Char Dham pilgrimages that anyone is expected to make in one's lifetime. The major construction of Jagannath temple was initiated by King Chodagangadeva (known for also building the Sun temple of Konark and several major Shaivism temples). It was completed by his grandson Anangabhimadeva in the late 12th century. The temple is famous for its annual Rath Yatra, or chariot festival, in which the three main temple deities are hauled on huge and elaborately decorated temple cars. Since medieval times, it is also associated with intense religious fervour. Even though the icons of most Hindu deities that are worshiped are made out of stone or metal, the image of Jagannath is wooden. Every twelve or nineteen years these wooden figures are ceremoniously replaced by using sacred trees that have to be carved as an exact replica. The temple is sacred to all Hindus and especially the Vaishnava traditions and saints Adi Shankar Acharya , Ramananda & Ramanuja were closely associated with the temple. Ramanuja also established the Emar Matha near this temple. The Govardhan Mutt which is the seat of one of the four Shankaracharyas is also located here. It is also of particular significance to the followers of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism whose founder, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was attracted to the deity, Jagannath, and lived in Puri for many years.