Here is your short paragraph on puri:

This is one of the four ‘dhamas’, the ‘abodes’ of the gods. In the east, on the coast of Bay of Bengal in Orissa, is Puri, where the great Krishnaite temple of Jagannath is situated.

Popularly known as ‘Jagannatha Temple’, this is one of the largest in India, its sanctum with its various subsidiary pavilions and kitchens covering an entire city block.

It houses the blockish, wide-eyed, brightly coloured images of Krishna Jagannath, with is brother Balarama and sister Subhadra, images that show the ancient roots of these deities in the folk traditions of Orissa.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

One of India’s most vibrant melas take place in Puri, that occurs on the second day of the waxing fortnight of Ashadha, just on the monsoon rains are about to begin.

The images of the Jagannatha deities are taken out on their own pilgrimage (yatra) on giant chariots (ratha) some forty-five feet high. The mela is called the ‘Ratha Yatra’, the ‘Chariot Pilgrimage’, and it attracts tens of thousands of people to Puri each year.

Home››Place››