Puri

Pop: 145,000 Area Code 06752

Puri is one of the four holy dhamas of India (Puri, Dwarka, Rameswaram, and Badrinath), and it is considered that a pilgrimage of the temples of India is not complete without making the journey to Puri. Puri is located 60km from Bhubaneswar, on the coast of the Bay of Bengal.

Puri is called Sri Purusottama Dham (the abode of the Supreme Being) or Martya Vaikuntha, the abode of Lord Vishnu on earth. Other names are Sri-ksetra (best of all sacred centers), Nilachal, and Jagannath Dhama. Puri is about 2km wide and 4km long.

The Jagannath Temple here is one of the most important temples in India. The worship of Lord Jagannath is so ancient that there is no idea how long it has been in existence, and the present temple is only one in a long succession of previously built temples that have been destroyed by time.

Sankaracharya visited Puri and established one of his four main Maths (monastery) here. Sri Ramanuja visited Puri between 1107 and 1117. Vishnu Swami visited Puri during the second half of the 12th century. He too established a Math, the Vishnuswami Math, located near Markandeswar Tank. Nimbarka Acharya came to Puri on pilgrimage, and Srila Prabhupada visited in January 1977.

The main reason Puri is so important to the Gaudiya Vaishnavas is because Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spent so much of his life here. Many pastimes with his most intimate associates took place at different sites in the Puri area.

Non-Hindus (actually, non-Indians) are not permitted to enter the Jagannath temple. This is strictly enforced.

Puri has one of the best beaches for swimming in India. It is popular with young foreign tourist. It is a pleasant place.

Getting Your Bearings
The Jagannath Temple is in the middle of town at one end of Grand Rd, the wide road running to the Gundicha Temple, 3km northeast. The Jagannath Temple is about 1km from the beach, where most of the hotels are located. Most of the foreign visitors stay at the eastern end of the beach, on or near Cakra Tirtha Rd. By the Puri Hotel there is another fairly crowded area of hotels. There are spiritual sites throughout the town, and it is best to have some kind of transportation to get around.

Information
The OTDC Tourist Office (Mon to Sat 10 am to 5 pm) is on Station Rd. There is a 24-hour tourist counter at the railway station.

The GPO is on Kutchery Rd, near the State Bank of India; for poste restante. Use the door on the left side of the building. There is a post office on Temple Rd. Postal code: 752001.

SCB Medical College and Government Hospital are the best hospitals in the area.
You can rent a bicycle at different shops on Chakra Tirtha Road (Rs 25 per day).

Email at Harry's Cafe, Chakratirtha Rd.

Loknath Bookshop, CT Rd, next to Raju’s restaurant, sells and rents used books (Rs 8 per day).

Navadvipa and Jagannath Puri, published by Spiritual Guides, gives a detailed explanation of Puri’s spiritual places.

Money
You can change money at the State Bank of India, VIPR Rd. Changing money here can take an hour or more. The Allahabad Bank on Temple Rd, 250m from the temple, changes money efficiently. The Andhra Bank, Kutchery Rd, accepts Visa and MasterCard. The South Eastern Railway Hotel changes cash and travelers cheques. Trade Wings, opposite the Z Hotel, changes money. At the Hotel Gandhara you can change travelers cheques and obtain cash advances on certain credit cards. They charge a three percent fee.

Weather
Temperatures reach a low of 17°C (62°F) in the winter and a high of up to 32°C (90°F) in the summer. You can swim in the ocean or sunbathe all year round. It is comfortable to swim even in December, although less so in January. Because of the generally temperate weather, Puri is an ideal place to visit during any season. The Ratha-yatra in June-July is held during the rainy season, and it often rains hard.

Tours
There is a daily OTDC Luxury Coach going to Konark, Dhauligiri (Buddhist temple), the temples of Bhubaneswar (Lingaraja, etc.), Khandagiri, Udayagiri, Nandankanan Zoo, and the Shakshi Gopal Temple for Rs 105. It starts at 6.30 am and ends about 7 pm. It makes a long day. This tour can be arranged by the many travel agencies in Puri.

Tours go to Chilka Lake on Mon, Wed, and Fri (6.30 am to 6.30 pm) for Rs 120 by OTDC Luxury Coach. It is the biggest inland lake in the country, and attracts a large number of migratory birds in the winter.

Travel Agencies
Gandhara International (24623) is located by the fishing village on Chakra Tirtha Road, by the hotel of the same name. This is a discount ticket place that can arrange for tickets to most destinations in India as well as international tickets. Om Travels, CT Rd, is a discount travel agency.

Heritage Tours (23656), located at the Mayfair Hotel, is reliable and is recommended by Puri residents. The prices are often higher here than at Gandhara.

Beach
The beach is nice and the swimming is good. There is no shade near the beach, and it is nowhere near as tourist-orientated as the beaches in Goa or Kovalam.

The locals use the beach as a toilet, so be careful where you put your hands in the sand. The fishing village area is the worst. At the east end of the beach near Chakra Tirtha Rd, there is a large sewer flowing into the ocean and it is not advised to swim in this area. The cleanest and most quiet beach area is fifteen minutes east of the fishing village. The west (south) end of the beach, past the Hans Coco Palms Hotel, is a clean, secluded area.

If women sunbathe in the crowded areas on the beach, they can expect to attract a crowd of spectators. Indian women would not even think to sunbathe in public.

Warning The ocean current can be strong in Puri, and drownings are not unheard of. Be careful when swimming.

Gundicha Mandir (Temple)
This temple is located at the end of Grand Road (the main road) about 3km northeast of the Jagannath Temple. At the time of the Ratha-yatra festival, Lord Jagannath goes to the Gundicha Temple and stays for one week. After that, he returns to his original temple.

It is said that the wife of Indradyumna, the king who originally established the Jagannath temple, was known as Gundicha. The cleansing of the Gundicha temple takes place the day before the Ratha-yatra festival as mentioned in Chaitanya-caritamrita.

Non-Hindus are not permitted into the temple building.

Narasimha Temple
This temple is located near the Gundicha Temple. There are two Deities of Lord Narasimha, one behind the other. The Deity in front is called Santa Narasimha (sober). Anyone who sees this Deity will have his anger, frustration, and anxiety vanquished.

The Deity in the back is called Raga Narasimha (angry). He is the internal mood of Narasimha. When the Muslim Kalapahad attacked Puri and was smashing Deities, he saw Santa Narasimhadeva and his anger subsided; hence he could not break the Deity as he had planned. Santa Narasimha’s features are human-like. He has a sharp human nose, a large curly mustache, and an outstretched tongue. Non-Hindus are not permitted in the temple, but the Deities are visible from the door.

Haridasa Thakura’s Samadhi
The samadhi temple of Haridasa Thakur, the nama-acharya (teacher of the chanting of the holy names) is located by the beach in the Swarga Dwara area near the Purusottama Gaudiya Math. If you are walking on the beach, there is a sign for the Sea Hawk Hotel. The Samadhi is right behind this hotel. Many rickshaw-walas know where it is located.

Within the temple, the chapel structure is Haridasa Thakur’s samadhi. There is a nice painting of Haridasa Thakur in the samadhi. On the center altar is a wooden Deity of Sri Chaitanya; on the right, Prabhu Nitya-nanda; and on the left, Advaita Acharya.

Residence of Haridasa Thakura
Siddha Bakula is the bhajan-kutir of Haridasa Thakura, the place where he chanted 300,000 names of God daily. About 30m (100 ft) away in the same compound is the Sri Haridasa-Sadbhuj Temple. There is a Sadbhuj-murti (six-armed form) of Sri Chaitanya on the altar. Beside this Deity is Prabhu Nityananda on one side and on the other side a shorter Advaita Acharya. A murti of Haridasa Thakura is in front, to the side of the main altar. There is also a Deity of Lord Narasimha. You can take pictures at Siddha Bakula for an Rs 51 donation.

Gambhira
Gambhira is located close to Siddha Bakula. There is a sign over the door reading “Shri Shri Radhakanta Math, Gambhira.” It is about half a km from the Lion Gate, going toward Swarga Dwara or the ocean. On the left of the entrance is a small temple with Deities of Radha-Radhakanta (Krishna) and Lalita and Vishaka. Radhakanta was worshiped by Gopalaguru Goswami, the disciple of Vakreswara Pandit. On the far right is a deity of Sri Chaitanya, and on the far left is Nityananda.

This house was once the residence of Kasi Misra. You can look through a small barred window into the room called Sri Gambhira. This is the room where Sri Chaitanya lived. There is a lamp here that is never extinguished. You can see Sri Chaitanya’s original wooden sandals, his quilt, water pot, and bed. Sri Chaitanya lived in this room for twelve years. On a marble throne, a statue of Sri Chaitanya is encircled by a cloth, so that just his face is visible.

Upstairs there are dioramas depicting Sri Chaitanya’s life.

Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya’s House
This house is about 1km south of the Simha-dwara (main gate) of the Jagannath Temple. If you walk out of the Jagannath Temple, turn right and follow the road toward Swarga Dwara (the ocean). Pass the first right, which circles the temple, and walk about another 100m. Make the next right to Sweta Ganga Tank. Sarvabhauma’s house, better known as Gangamata Math, is on the left.

There are Radha-Krishna Deities called Radha-Rasikaraja in this house, said to have been worshiped by Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya. Inside there are paintings of devotional scenes all over the walls.

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura’s Birthplace
This place is located about 1km from the Jagannath Temple on Grand Road. There is a Gaudiya Math temple here, with Jagannath Deities and a murti of Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja. There are also murtis of the heads of the four Vaishnava sampradayas—Vishnuswami, Madhvacarya, Nimbarka, and Ramanuja.

Jagannath Vallabha Gardens
Sri Chaitanya used to meet here with Ramananda Raya. Ramananda Raya used to train girls here to dance for Lord Jagannath’s pleasure. This place is about 1km from the Jagannath Temple on Grand Road. Non-Hindus are not permitted to enter the temple, but are allowed to walk around the gardens. There is a small lake here.

Tota Gopinath Temple
Gaudiya Vaishnavas accept that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ended his manifested pastimes in Puri by entering into the knee of the Tota Gopinath Deity.

On the far left altar are Lord Balarama and his two wives, Revati and Varuni. On the middle altar is Tota Gopinath, accompanied by black deities of Radha and Lalita. Tota Gopinath is in a sitting position. If you come in the morning around 7 am, you can give a donation to see the golden streak on his knee into which Sri Chaitanya entered. On the right altar are the Deities of Radha-Madana Mohan and Gaura Gadadhar. Sri Gadadhar used to worship Tota Gopinath regularly.

This temple is located by a large, white water tower in the Gaurbat Sahi area. It is a five-minute walk from the Chatak Parbat Purushottam Gaudiya Math temple. It is a fifteen-minute walk from Haridasa Thakura’s Samadhi.

Chatak Parbat Gaudiya Math
This temple is in the area where Sri Chaitanya mistook the sand dune hills to be Govardhan Hill. The bhajan-kutir of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja is here, as well as his bed. There is a murti of Veda-Vyasa in the bhajan-kutir.
This temple is near a large white water tower, about a ten-minute walk from Haridasa Thakura’s samadhi. It is a five-minute walk from Tota Gopinath Temple.

Radha Syamasundara Temple
If you ask the devotees at the ISKCON temple they can direct you to the Jagadananda Math. Across the road from the Radha Giridhari Temple, where Jagadananda broke the pot of sandalwood oil is the Radha Syamasundara Deities of Brahmananda Bharati. You may have to ask at the Radha Giridhari Temple to be shown where these Deities are located.

Narendra Sarovara
This is a large tank where the boat festival called Chandana-yatra is held during which Lord Jagannath goes for a boat ride. Since Lord Jagannath is very heavy, the vijaya vigraha (festival Deity), known as Govinda, rides in the boat. Sri Chaitanya and his devotees took part in this festival.

There is a small temple on an island about 30m (100 ft) into the tank, with Deities of Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra.

It is located off Grand Road, on the same side as the Jagannath Temple. To take a picture of the temple in the middle of the tank, you are expected to pay a Rs 5 fee. If you take a picture without paying the fee, a priest will insistently demand payment.

Alalanatha
Alalanatha is also known as Brahmagiri. It is about 25km from Jagannath Puri. There is a temple of Lord Jagannath here, and a large stone slab marked with the impression of Sri Chaitanya’s transcendental body. The stone melted while he lay there in ecstasy. Anyone can view the stone, but non-Hindus are not permitted into the temple.
Sri Chaitanya would often come here during the two weeks when Lord Jagannath remains in seclusion before the Ratha-yatra festival. At the rear of the temple tower is a sculpture of Narasimha with Hiranyakasipu on his lap.There is also a sculpture of Lord Vamana piercing the outer shell of the universe.

Visitors can also visit Ramananda Raya’s house in a place called Benta Pura a few km away, near a rice mill. It is located in a small village on the way back to Puri. The house contains a Deity of Sri Chaitanya with a shaved head, with Ramananda Raya seated beside him in saffron robes. Many of the locals and the Alalanatha temple priests can provide you with directions.

To get to the Alalanatha temple, it is possible to take a minibus at the back of Narendra-Sarovara, to Brahmagiri. The trip takes about one hour. To go there and back by taxi costs about Rs 700.

Atharanala Bridge
This bridge is at the entrance of Puri. It has eighteen arches (athara means “eighteen). This bridge is symbolic of the emotion of arriving or departing from Jagannath Puri. The present bridge is an addition, constructed directly on top of the original brick bridge. From this bridge, visitors can see the temple cakra.

Ratha-yatra Cart) Festival
During this festival, the deities of Jagannath, Balarama, and Subhadra are carried out of the temple and are then placed upon three large chariots, which are pulled with ropes by thousands of devotees.

This famous festival begins on the second day of the bright fortnight of Asadha during June/July. The deities are pulled on their carts the entire length of Grand Road, from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple (about 3km). The deities stay at Gundicha for nine days, then return to the main temple on the tenth day. This is called Bahuda-yatra, or the return cart festival. The festivals—cart and return cart—are the only opportunities in the year for non-Hindus to see the Jagannath Deity.

The chariot of Lord Jagannath, known as Nandighosh, is 13.7m (45 ft) high. It has eighteen wheels and is covered with brightly colored yellow and red fabric. A wheel rests on top of the car. Lord Balarama’s chariot is 13.2m (44 ft) high and has sixteen wheels. It is called Taladwaja, and the fabric on the roof is red and green. It is crowned with a tala fruit. Lady Subhadra’s cart is 12.9m (43 ft) high and has fourteen wheels. It is named Padmadhwaj or Darpadalan and is covered with red and black fabric. There are side deities on each of the carts. With the exception of the kalasa (the pinnacles on top of the chariots), the fourteen side deities, and the wooden charioteers and horses, which are all reused, the carts are newly constructed each year according to strict and ancient specifications.

The Pahandi, or Deity procession from the temple to the carts, is the most colorful part of the festival. First, Sudarsana Cakra is brought from the temple and placed on Subhadra’s chariot. Then Balarama, Subhadra, and finally Jagannath are each placed on their respective carts. The deities are extremely heavy, and it takes many strong men to move them step by step. The king of Orissa then sweeps the street in front of the carts with a golden-handled broom.

There is no steering system for the carts. If a cart does not reach the Gundicha Temple by sundown, the journey continues the next day. Not reaching the destination is common; the streets are so crowded with pilgrims that the journey always takes longer than expected.

When the festival is over, the carts are dismantled and broken into pieces, then sold as sacred relics.

Other Puri Festivals
Chandan-yatra (April) is when the processional Deities are taken for a boat ride in the Narendra Tank after they are bathed in sandalwood (chandan) scented water. The festival lasts forty-two days. The first twenty-one days are called Baha Chandan. During these days Rama, Krishna, Madana Mohan, Lakshmi, and Saraswati are taken on boat rides. The last twenty days are called Bhittara Chandan, and this festival takes place at the temple.

Snana-yatra refers to the bathing of the main deities. This is done on Jyestha Purnim. The Jagannath deities along with Sudarsana are brought to the snana-mandapa in procession, and around midday, 108 pots of water are poured over them. The deities then return to the temple in procession and remain in seclusion for fifteen days, as they are said to have caught a cold during the bathing ceremony and need to recuperate.
The word Anavasara is used when Sri Jagannath cannot be seen in the temple. During his recovery and convalescence, he is removed to his private apartment and offered special healing foodstuffs.

During the Anavasara festival it is said that Lord Jagannath suffers from fever and is offered an infusion of “drugs” in the form of soups and fruit juices.

The body of Lord Jagannath, having been washed, is in need of yearly repainting. This is known as Anga-raga. It takes about two weeks to complete this work. The renovation festival is also called Nava-yauvana, which indicates that the Jagannath Deity is being fully restored to youth.

Nava-kalevara is when Lord Jagannath gets a new body. This takes place whenever a double Asarha occurs in a year. This usually happens every 8, 11, or 19 years (the last one took place in 1996).

ISKCON (Hare Krishna)
There are two ISKCON centers (06752-23740) in Jagannath Puri. One is located in the Swarga Dwara area by Haridasa Thakura’s samadhi. This is where Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s had his bhajan kutir. It has a temple and a small guest house. It also has a restaurant that serves out good cheap thalis.

There is another ISKCON center, located about 5km from the Swarga Dwara area past the Hans Coco Palms Hotel. The land itself is nice, and Gaura-Nitai Deities are installed there. However, there are very few facilities available as of December 2001.

Where to Shop
The main shopping areas are Grand and Temple roads, near the entrance to the Jagannath Temple and on Swarga Dwara Rd, near the beach. These are good places to get Orissan handmade cloth and gift items.

Sudarsana Das Mahapatra at Goldie Photo Studio on Temple Road, has beautiful photos of Lord Jagannath. If you walk out of the main entrance of the Jagannath Temple and continue to walk straight down Temple Road, his shop is about an eight-minute walk on the right.

Sun Craft, run by Gajendra Maharana, has a good collection of Jagannath Deities, stickers, and paintings. It is located on Armstrong Road, not far from the railroad station in the Tini Konia Bagicha area.

The small town of Pipli has many shops selling applique work, including fancy, colorful wall hangings and mirror-work umbrellas. This is where most of the applique items you see in Puri are made. It is located halfway between Puri and Bhubaneswar.

Raghurajpur, 14km from Puri, is famous for Patta Chitra, or leaf paintings. You can get the paintings much cheaper here then anywhere else, but most likely you will need a translator.

Copyright ©2001 John Howley and Spiritual Guides