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| Jagannath Temple, Puri | |
|---|---|
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Puri |
| Deity | Jagannath |
| Festivals | |
| Governing body | Shree Jagannath Temple Office, Puri, Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, Puri |
| Location | |
| Location | Puri |
| State | Odisha |
| Country | India |
  Location in Odisha  Jagannath Temple, Puri (India) | |
| Geographic coordinates | 19°48′17″N 85°49′6″E / 19.80472°N 85.81833°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Kalinga Architecture |
| Creator | Indradyumna |
| Completed | 1161 CE[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Temple(s) | 31 |
| Elevation | 65.47 m (215 ft) |
| Website | |
| www | |
| Part of a series on |
| Vaishnavism |
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The Jagannath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Jagannath, a form of Vishnu in Hinduism. It is located in Puri in the state of Odisha, situated on the eastern coast of India. As per temple records, King Indradyumna of Avanti built the main temple of Jagannath at Puri.[2] The present temple was rebuilt from the tenth century onwards, on the site of the pre-existing temples in the compound, but not the main Jagannath temple, and begun by Anantavarman Chodaganga, the first king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.[3] Many of the temple rituals are based on Oddiyana Tantras which are the refined versions of Mahayana Tantras as well as Shabari Tantras which are evolved from Tantric Buddhism and tribal beliefs respectively. The local legends link the idols with aboriginal tribes and the daitapatis (servitors) claim to be descendants of the aboriginals.[4] The temple is one of the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of the Vaishnavite tradition.
The temple is famous for its annual Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival, in which the three principal deities are pulled on huge and elaborately decorated raths, or temple cars. The worship is performed by the Bhil Sabar tribal priests, as well as priests of other communities in the temple.[5] Unlike the stone and metal icons found in most Hindu temples, the image of Jagannath is made of wood, and is ceremoniously replaced every 12 or 19 years by an exact replica.[6] The temple is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites. It is also famous because many legends believe that Krishna's heart was placed here, and the material that it is made from damages the heart, so they have to change it every seven years.[7]
The temple is sacred to all Hindus, and especially in those of the Vaishnava traditions. Many great Vaishnava saints, such as Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Nimbarkacharya, Vallabhacharya and Ramananda were closely associated with the temple.[8][9] Ramanuja established the Emar Matha in the south-eastern corner of the temple, and Adi Shankaracharya established the Govardhan Math, which is the seat of one of the four Shankaracharyas. It is also of particular significance to the followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, whose founder, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was attracted to the deity, Jagannath, and lived in Puri for many years.[10][11]
- ^ Suryanarayan Das 2010, pp. 49–50.
- ^ Chakraborty, Yogabrata (28 June 2023). "পুরীধাম ও জগন্নাথদেবের ব্রহ্মরূপ বৃত্তান্ত" [Puridham and the tale of lord Jagannath's legendary 'Bramharup']. dainikstatesmannews.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Dainik Statesman (The Statesman Group). p. 4. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ Cesarone, Bernard (2012). "Bernard Cesarone: Pata-chitras of Odisha". asianart.com. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
This temple was built in approximately 1135–1150 by Codaganga, a king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty
- ^ Kanungo, Archana (July 2013), Unity in Diversity: The Uniqueness of Jagannath Culture of Odisha (PDF), Bhubaneshwar: Government of Odisha
- ^ Sharma, Dr Chandrapal (21 July 2020). Ank Chakra : Indian Culture and Basic Numbers. Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd. ISBN 978-93-90287-27-7.
- ^ Nugteren, Albertina (2010). "Weaving Nature into Myth: Continuing Narratives Of Wood, Trees, And Forests In The Ritual Fabric Around The God Jagannath In Puri". Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture. 4 (2): 159–172. doi:10.1558/jsrnc.v4i2.159.
- ^ Gautam, Mitali (7 November 2022). "Thus Lord Krishna's amazing heart lived on for posterity". The Statesman. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ Balaram Mohanty (1979). Introducing Orissa. Konarka Prakasani. p. 84.
- ^ Swami B. P. Puri (1 August 2017). Guru: The Universal Teacher. Simon and Schuster. p. 297. ISBN 9781683832454.
- ^ K. V. Raman (2006). Temple Art, Icons and Culture of India and South-East Asia. Sharada Publishing House. p. 138. ISBN 9788188934317.
Similarly, places like Srirangam associated with Ramanuja, Udupi (in Karnataka) with Madhvacharya, Pandharpur with the Maharashtra saints like Jnanesvar and Tukaram and Puri Jagannath with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
- ^ Swami Prabhavananda (9 April 2019). The Spiritual Heritage of India. Routledge. p. 292. ISBN 9780429627552.