PURI JAGANNATH TEMPLE- NAGARA STYLE ARCHITECTURE

PURI JAGANNATH TEMPLE

Puri is in the state of Odisha on the eastern coast of India and is home to the Jagannath Shrine, a significant Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath, a manifestation of Vishnu and one of the trinity of supreme divinities in Hinduism. Anantavarman Chodaganga, the first ruler of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, started construction on the current temple in the 10th century on the site of other temples in the compound but not the primary Jagannatha temple.
The annual Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival, at the Puri temple is well-known for featuring the three main deities being hauled by enormous, ornately decorated temple cars. The picture of Jagannath, which gave rise to the English word "juggernaut," is made of wood and ceremoniously replaced every twelve or nineteen years by an exact replica, in contrast to the stone and metal symbols found in the majority of Hindu temples. One of the Char Dham pilgrimage locations, 
All Hindus hold the temple in high regard, but Vaishnavas mainly do. The Govardhan Math, the residence of one of the four Shankaracharyas, was founded by Adi Shankaracharya and Ramanuja next to the shrine. It also holds special significance for Gaudiya Vaishnavism adherents, whose founder Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was drawn to the deity Jagannath and spent a significant amount of time in Puri.

GOD AND GODDESS IN SHRINE

Deities Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are all revered at the temple. Along with statues of Sudarshana Chakra, Madanmohan, Sridevi, and Vishwadhatri, the inner sanctum of the temple houses statues of these three Gods carved from holy neem logs known as Daru seated on the embellished platform or ratnabedi. Depending on the season, the gods are dressed differently and have different jewelry. The worship of these deities may have started in an old tribal shrine since it predates the temple's construction.

STORY OF THE TEMPLE

History claims that Lord Jagannath was a tribal deity who was worshipped by the Sabar people as a representation of Narayan. According to another mythology, he is Nilamadhava, an Aboriginal figure of Narayana carved out of blue stone. Along with Balabhadra and Subhadra, he was taken to Nilagiri (blue mountain) or Nilachala and installed there as Shri Jagannath. It is also asserted that the wooden representations have a distant relationship to the vanvasi (forest dwellers) custom of worshipping wooden poles. The three deities were later identified as representing the Jain culture's triple gems of Ratnatraya, or Samyak Darshan, Samyak Jnana, and Samyak Charita, which when assimilated bring about omniscience and moksha (salvation).

CHARDHAM

One of the holiest Hindu Char Dham (four heavenly sites) locations, together with Rameswaram, Badrinath, Puri, and Dwarka, is the temple. The Advaita school of Hinduism, which Sankaracharya advocated and who founded Hindu monastic institutions all over India, claims that the Char Dham originated with the seer, even though the roots are unclear. The four monasteries are spread out over India's four corners, and the accompanying temples are the Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram in the south, the Dwarakadheesh Temple in Dwarka in the west, the Jagannath Temple in Puri in the east, and the Badrinath Temple in Badrinath in the north. The Char Dham pilgrimage is an all-Hindu event, notwithstanding the temples' theological division between the Hindu faiths of Saivism and Vaishnavism. Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri are the four places in the Himalayas known as Chota Char Dham (Chota means tiny). They are all located at the foothills of the mountains. In the middle of the 20th century, Chota was added to distinguish it from the original Char Dhams. Hindus who aim to visit these temples once in their lives view the journey across India's four cardinal points as sacred. According to custom, the journey begins at Puri's easternmost point and travels clockwise, as is customary when circumambulating Hindu temples.

NAGARA STYLE  ARCHITECTURE

     structure over 400,000 square feet (37,000 m2) in size, the enormous temple complex is encircled by a high defensive wall. Meghanada Pacheri is the name of this 6.1 m (20 feet) high wall. The main temple is surrounded by a second wall known as kurma bedha. At least 120 temples and shrines can be found there. It is one of the most spectacular monuments in India due to the diversity of its sculptures and the fluidity of the Oriya style of temple design. The temple is divided into four distinct sections, as follows:

 1. Deula, Vimana, or Garba griha, which houses the triad deities on the Ratna Vedi (Throne of Pearls).

2.Mukhashala (Frontal porch),

3.Nata mandir/Natamandapa, also called the Jagamohan (Audience Hall/Dancing Hall), and

4.Bhoga Mandapa (Offerings) are all structures of the Rekha Deula style.

The main temple is a curved structure, and Lord Vishnu's "Neelachakra" (an eight-spoke wheel) tops it off. It is made of Ashtadhatu and revered for its sanctity. The Shri Jagannath Temple is the highest among the existing temples in Orissa. The temple tower, which was constructed on an elevated stone platform and rises 214 feet (65 m) above the inner sanctum where the deities live, is the dominant feature of the area. Like a ridge of mountain peaks, the pyramidal roofs of the nearby temples and adjacent halls, or mandapas, climb in stages toward the tower. 

SINGHADWARA ENTRANCE

The Singhadwara

One of the four gates that make up the temple's main entrance is the Singahdwara, which translates to "The Lion Gate" in Sanskrit. Due to the two enormous statues of crouching lions that stand on either side of the entrance, the Singhadwara received its name. The idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are removed from the temple through this gate just before the start of the Rath Yatra. They have to ceremonially appease Goddess Mahalakshmi, whose figure is sculpted atop the door, after leaving the Gundicha Temple because they forgot to bring her along on the Yatra. The Goddess doesn't let them into the temple until after that. In front of the main entrance is a spectacular sixteen-sided monolithic pillar known as the Aruna Stambha. On top of this pillar is an idol of Arun, the charioteer of Surya, the Sun God. Arun Stambha's previous location in the Konark Sun Temple makes it noteworthy. Later, Maratha master Brahmachari Gosain moved this pillar from Konark.

There are three other entrances to the temple in addition to the Singhadwara, which serves as its main entrance and faces the north, south, and west. They were given their animal guardian sculpture names. The Hathidwara, also known as the Elephant Gate, the Vyaghradwara, or the Tiger Gate, and the Ashwadwara, or the Horse Gate, are the other entries.

SAKTHI PEETA

Within the Temple complex, there are various smaller temples and shrines where active devotion is frequently held. The location of the Goddess Sati's navel is marked by the Vimala Temple (Bimala Temple), one of the most significant Shaktipeeths. In the complex of temples, it is situated next to Rohini Kund. Food given to Jagannath is not regarded as Mahaprasad until Goddess Vimala receives it.

An essential part of the main temple's rituals is played by the Mahalakshmi temple. According to legend, Mahalakshmi oversees the production of naivedya as an offering for Jagannath. The Uchchhishta Ganapati is honoured at the Kanchi Ganesh Temple. According to legend, the idol was a gift from the King of Kanchipuram (Kanchi) when Gajapati Purushottama Deva married Padmavati, a Kanchi princess, in ancient times. Muktimandap, Surya, Saraswati, Bhuvaneshwari, Narasimha, Rama, Hanuman, and Eshaneshwara are some of the other shrines.

RATH YATRA AT PURI JAGANNATH TEMPLE

The Jagannath triad are typically worshipped in the sanctum of the Puri temple, but once during the month of Asadha (Orissa's rainy season, which typically falls in the months of June or July), they are brought out onto the Bada Danda and transported (3 km) to the Shri Gundicha Temple in enormous chariots (ratha), allowing the general public to have darshan (Holy view). Rath Yatra, which refers to the chariots' trip, is the name of this celebration (ratha). The Rathas are enormous wooden wheels that are created from scratch each year and dragged by worshippers. The construction of Jagannath's chariot, which is around 45 feet high and 35 feet square, takes about two months. The wood-carved charioteer and horses, the painted inverted lotuses on the wall behind the throne, the painted flower petals and other decorations on the wheels, and the decorated cars are all the work of the artists and painters of Puri. The English word "juggernaut" derives from the enormous chariots that Jagannath dragged during the Rath Yatra. The Shri Gundicha Yatra is another name for the Ratha Yatra.

The chhera pahara is the most important ceremony connected with the Ratha-Yatra. With great devotion, the Gajapati King sweeps the road in front of the chariots with a broom with a gold handle and sprinkles sandalwood water and powder. The Gajapati King still performs the lowly service to Jagannath as per tradition, despite being the most exalted person in the Kalingan empire. This rite served as a reminder that under the rule of Jagannath, there is no distinction between the most pious devotee and the mighty sovereign Gajapati King. On the first day of the Ratha Yatra, the deities are carried to the Mausi Maa Temple's garden house, and on the second and final days of the festival, the goddesses are ceremoniously brought back to the Shri Mandir.

 the three chariots halt at the Mausi Maa Temple and the deities are offered Poda Pitha, a kind of baked cake which are generally consumed by the Odisha people only.

The Puranas are when the Jagannath Rath Yatra first began to be observed. Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, and Skanda Purana all provide vivid depictions of this occasion. Rath Yatra is also mentioned in the Kapila Samhita. King Ramsingh of Jaipur, Rajasthan, is credited with arranging the Rath Yatra in the 18th century during the Moghul era as well. The Rath Yatra was being organised by the Kings of Mayurbhanj and Parlakhemundi in Orissa, but Puri hosts the largest and most well-attended festival.

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