God
Lord Jagannath is the main deity of this temple, who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The temple is home to three deities - Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra, and sister Subhadra - whose substantially sized wooden idols sit on a throne. Balabhadra is six feet tall, Jagannatha is five feet, and Subhadra is four feet tall. Unlike the stone and metal icons found in most Hindu temples, the image of Jagannath is made of wood and is ceremoniously replaced every twelve or nineteen years by an exact replica.
Goddess
Goddess Vimala is regarded as tantric consort, who is an incarnation of Goddess Parvathi.
Interesting Facts
- The world's largest kitchen where the mahaprasad is cooked in clay pots. Apparently, the kitchen produces enough food to feed 100,000 people each day.
- A small museum called Niladri Vihar near the western gate, dedicated to Lord Jagannath and the 12 incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
- Koili Baikuntha, where Lord Krishna was believed to have been cremated after being accidentally killed by hunter Jara Savara. It's in the northwest corner of the temple, between the inner and outer compound wall. During the Nabakalebar ritual, new idols of Lord Jagannath are carved out of wood and the old ones are buried there.
- The flags tied to the temple's Neela Chakra are changed every day at sunset in a ritual that's been going on for 800 years.
Best Season To Visit
The best season to visit the temple is Winter season. The best months to visit are September to February.
Weather
Highest - April to June (45°C during day and 35°C during night)Average - May (35°C during the day and 25°C during night)Lowest - December to February (26°C during day and 21°C during night)Monsoon season - August to October
Dress Code
- For men the dress code is Shirt & Trouser, Dhoti or Pyjamas with upper cloth.
- For women the preferred dress code is saree or half-saree with blouse or chudidhar with pyjama and upper cloth.
- Shorts, mini-skirts, middies, sleeveless tops, low-waist jeans and short-length T-shirts are not allowed.
Do's & Dont's
- Do bathe and wear clean clothes before you enter the temple.
- Do respect ancient customs and co-piligrims while at temple.
- Smoking and drinking is prohibited in this temple.
- Chewing betel leaves, tobacco, gutka and spitting inside temple is strictly prohibited.
- All Types of leather items are not allowed in this temple.
transport connections
| Name | Distance | Contact Number |
|---|---|---|
 Nabarangpur Bus Stand |
1.2 KM | 18004194287 |
 Maligura Railway Station |
36 KM | 139 |
 Airport Bastar Jagdalpur |
81.5 KM | 07587833897 |
Architecture
Jagannath Temple is a very big temple and covers an area of 37000m2. The height of the outer wall is 6.1m. This outer wall surrounds the whole temple and is known as Meghananda Pacheri. The main portion of the temple is also surrounded by a wall known as Kurma Bheda. The temple was built on the basis of Oriya architecture and has around 120 temples and shrines inside. The main temple has curvilinear shape with a chakra of Lord Vishnu on the top. This chakra is also known as Nila Chakra. The tower of the temple has the height of 65m. Hathidwara, Vyaghradwara, and Ashwadwara are the three other entrances from where people can enter the temple. Hathidwara is also known as elephant gate, Vyaghradwara as tiger gate, and Ashwadwara as horse gate. The gates are named so as they are guarded by elephant, tiger, and horse respectively.
Nila Chakra - Nila Chakra is located on the top of the temple and a different flag, each named as Patita Pavana, is hoisted on the chakra daily. The chakra has eight spokes called Navagunjaras. The chakra was made by an alloy of eight metals also known as Ashtadhatu. The circumference of the chakra is 11m and height is 3.5m.
Singhdwara - There are four gates to enter the temple and one of them is Singhdwara which is a Sanskrit word which means Lion Gate. There are statues of two lions one on each side of the gate. People can enter the temple through the staircase of 22 steps which is known as Baisi Pahacha. There is an image of Lord Jagannath which is painted on the right side of the entrance and is known as Patitapavana. This image was made for untouchables who were allowed to pray to the image of the lord from outside but cannot enter the temple.
Arun Stambha - Arun Stambh is situated in front of the Singdwara. The pillar is sixteen-sided and is monolithic. Idol of Arun can be found here who drives the chariot of Sun god. Arun Stambh was previously located at Konark temple but was brought here by Guru Brahamachari Gosain.
Singhdwara - There are four gates to enter the temple and one of them is Singhdwara which is a Sanskrit word which means Lion Gate. There are statues of two lions one on each side of the gate. People can enter the temple through the staircase of 22 steps which is known as Baisi Pahacha. There is an image of Lord Jagannath which is painted on the right side of the entrance and is known as Patitapavana. This image was made for untouchables who were allowed to pray to the image of the lord from outside but cannot enter the temple.
Arun Stambha - Arun Stambh is situated in front of the Singdwara. The pillar is sixteen-sided and is monolithic. Idol of Arun can be found here who drives the chariot of Sun god. Arun Stambh was previously located at Konark temple but was brought here by Guru Brahamachari Gosain.
Mukti Mandapa - Mukti Mandapa is a platform made with granite and its height is five feet. The square-shaped mandapa covers an area of 900 square feet. The roof of the mandapa is supported by twelve pillars out of which four are built in the middle. The roof is 13 feet high while the height of each pillar is 8 feet. Idols of many gods and goddesses have been installed here.
Dola Mandapa - Dola Mandapa is used to make a swing on which idol of Dologobinda is placed. The swing is made during the annual Dol yatra. The mandapa is carved by using Torana and it is the same arch on which the swing is hanged.
Vimala Temple - There are many minor temples in the precincts of Jagannath Temple and Vimala temple is one of them. Hindu mythology says that the feet of Goddess Sati has fallen on the spot where the temple is constructed. The food offered to Lord Jagannath is also offered to goddess Vimala then it is called Mahaprasad. The temple of Goddess Vimala is located in the south-west corner of the inner enclosure of the Jagannath temple complex and on the western corner of the tower of Jagannath, next to the sacred pond Rohini kunda. Facing towards east, the temple is constructed of sandstone and laterite in typical Deua style of architecture.
Mahalaxmi Temple - Many rituals are performed in Jagannath temple and the Mahalaxmi Temple plays an important role because preparation of the food to be offered to Lord Jagannath is supervised by Mahalaxmi. The food is known as Naivedya.
Religious Significance
A legend says that Indradyumna was a king who worshipped Lord Vishnu very much. Once the king was informed that Lord Vishnu has come in the form of Nila Madhava so the king sent a priest named Vidyapati to search for him. While travelling, Vidyapati reached a place where Sabaras were residing. Vishvavasu was the local chief who invited Vidyapati to live with him. Vishvavasu had a daughter named Lalita and Vidyapati married her after sometime. Vidyapati noticed that when his father-in-law returns, his body had a good smell of sandalwood, camphor, and musk. On asking his wife, she told him about the worship of Nila Madhava by her father. Vidyapati asked his father-in-law to take him to Nila Madhava. Visvavasu blindfolded him and took him to the cave. Vidyapati took with him seeds of mustard which he dropped on the way so as to remember the route to the cave. Vidyapati informed the king so he came to the place but, to his disappointment, the deity disappeared. In order to see the deity, he observed fast unto death on Mount Neela. Once he heard a voice saying that he will see the deity so he sacrificed a horse and built a temple and Narada installed the idol of Sri Narsimha in the temple. One night he slept and saw Lord Jagannath in his dream. He also heard a voice telling him about a fragrant tree and ordered him to make idols from it. So the king made the idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra. Along with it, he also made the Sudarshan Chakra. Then the king prayed to Lord Brahma to visit the temple and the deities. Lord Brahma was very pleased when he saw the temple asked about a desire which he (Lord Brahma) can fulfil. The king asked that there shall be no issues in his life and he should be the last one from his family. He also asked that if anybody is left in his family, then he should work for the temple and not the society.
History
Lord Jagannatha temple was built in 1758 by Vikram Dev-I. The present temple was rebuilt from the 10th century onwards, on the site of an earlier temple, and begun by King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva, first of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.
Invasions on the Temple - The temple was invaded by many rulers and the count goes to eighteen. The temple was plundered and looted because of enormous wealth present in it. Due to these attacks, the idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra were transferred to various places in order to save them.
- First Invasion − It was done by Raktavahu in the 9th century.
- Second Invasion − It was done by Illias Shah who was the Sultan of Bengal.
- Third Invasion − It was done by Feroze Shah Tughlaq in 1360.
- Fourth Invasion − It was done by Ismail Ghazi who was the commander of Allauddin Hussain Shah, Sultan of Bengal. The invasion was done in 1509.
- Fifth Invasion − It was done by Kalapahara in 1568AD.
- Sixth Invasion − It was done by Suleman and Osman. Suleman was the son of Kuthu Shah whereas Osman was the son of Isha, the ruler of Odisha.
- Seventh Invasion − It was done by Mirza Khurrum, the commander of Islam Khan. Islam Khan was the Nawab of Bengal. The invasion was done in 1601AD.
- Eighth Invasion − It was done by Hasim Khan in 1608AD. Hasim Khan was the Subedar of Odisha.
- Ninth Invasion − It was done by Kesodasmaru who was a jagirdar and a Hindu Rajput.
- Tenth Invasion − It was done by Kalyan Malla, son of Raja Todar Mall. It was done in 1611AD.
- Eleventh Invasion − It was also done by Kalyan Malla in 1612.
- Twelth Invasion − It was done by Mukarram Khan in 1617AD.
- Thirteenth Invasion − It was done by Mirza Ahmad Beg who was the nephew of Nurjahan, wife of Jahangir.
- Fourteenth Invasion − It was done by Amir Mutaquad Khan in 1641AD.
- Fifteenth Invasion − It was done by Amir Fateh Khan in 1647AD.
- Sixteenth Invasion − It was done by Ekram Khan, the Nawab of Odisha. The invasion was launched in 1699.
- Seventeenth Invasion − It was done by Muhammad Taqi Khan in 1731.
- Eighteenth Invasion − It was done by the followers of Alekh religion in 1881.
Temple Timings
| Day | Timings |
|---|---|
| All Days | 05:00 AM - 11:00 PM |
Sevas
Pooja
Tours
Airports
| Airport Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Shamshabad | 40 KM |
| Lorem Ipsum | 12 KM |
Railway Stations
| Railway Station Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Secunderabad | 10 KM |
| Nampally | 12 KM |
| Begumpet | 6 KM |
| Lingampally | 20 KM |
Bus Stations
| Bus Station Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| MGBS | 35 KM |
| CBS | 28 KM |
| kukatpally | 20 KM |
| Lingampally | 30 KM |
| Uppal | 35 KM |
Private Transports
| Transport Name | Distance | Contact Number |
|---|---|---|
| Private Transport | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
| Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
| Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
| Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
| Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
Local Transports
| Transport Name | Distance | Contact Number |
|---|---|---|
| Local Transport | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
| Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
| Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
| Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
| Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
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