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| Puri |
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Situated on the eastern coast of Orissa, Puri is a splendid beach resort with golden sunshine, miles of yellow sand, blue waves and white surf. Sit under an umbrella, sip coconut water, swim in the shallow sea or surf ride the huge waves or check out the fishing village of the Nolia community. |
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| Jagannath Temple |
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The Jagannath Temple dedicated to Krishna is one of the four dhams or holy places venerated by Hindus and mandatory pilgrimage for the devout. This temple complex was built during the 12th century A.D. by Anantavarman Chodaganga as a place to offer prayers to the God Vishnu. The main features of the temples are its sculpted figures from Hindu mythology and its tapering 65m high spire.
The Jagmohan, the inner sanctum has images of the black hued Jagannath ( an incarnation of Vishnu, the god Krishna), his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra. It is said that the prasad or the sanctified food served at the temple is the tastiest morsel cooked in Puri. The temple is strictly off limits for non-Hindus. |
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| Rath Yatra |
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Puri's annual "Car Festival", the Rath Yatra is held in the full moon phase of the Oriya month of 'Jestho’ - June/July in the Gregorian Calendar. Then, the town is chockfull of pilgrims who come to celebrate the return of the three gods to their mother’s home, a journey through the streets of Puri on a colossal wooden chariot/car hand pulled by king (the erstwhile Raja of Puri) and commoner alike. The more secular visitors include thousands of tourists who come to observe the procession of the colossal Jagannath chariots.
The festival rituals begin with Chandan Yatra, when special replicas of the three temple deities are taken to the Narendra Sagar, a sacred pond, where they are rowed around in a traditional, swan-shaped boat and anointed with sandalwood paste (chandan) for twenty-one days. After this the holy trio take a dip in the tank in a ceremony known as Snana Yatra following which they take fifteen days to prepare for the Rath Yatra in solitude. |
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The chariot festival begins during the full moon phase when about five thousand devotees drag the `raths’ to the Garden House or Gundicha Ghar, the gods’ summer retreat. The gods take a nine day holiday after which in a repeat yatra, the gods get back to the temple to 'perform their dutuies of listening to the people and granting them their heart’s desires'! |
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The area surrounding the temple complex is fairly interesting with the Raghunandan Library, directly opposite the main gate of the Jagannath Temple. This library houses a dusty and neglected collection of rare palm leaf manuscripts and religious texts. Towards the south lies one of the most auspicious cremation grounds for Hindus, the Swargadwar or the gateway to heaven. |
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Other temples in the town are the Gundicha, the Lokanath, the Sunaragauranga, the Daria Mahabir and the Tota Gopinath temples. Puri is also dotted with holy tanks like Narendra, Markandeya, Sweta Ganga and Indradyumna. |
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