Also, during the annual Rath Yatra festival (also known as Chariot Festival or Car Festival) in Puri, the Lord comes out of his holy abode to bless the devotees, and is celebrated with great delight. During this festival, the giant idols of Lord Jagannath, accompanied by his siblings – brother Balarama and sister Subhadra – come out of the temple in decked up chariots (Rathas) to meet their devotees.

As the legend goes, the Lord Jagannath Temple was originally built by King Indradyumna after Lord Vishnu blessed him in his dreams and guided him to find Nila Madhava. Historically speaking, the antiquity of Jagannatha can be taken to the second century B.C. when Kharavela was the emperor of Kalinga (Odisha’s ancient name).

Besides, there are some strange and unique facts about this temple which we have tried to highlight in our piece. Check them out below and be surprised for yourself.

1- Astonishingly, The Flag at The Top of The Jagannath Temple Always Waves in the Opposite Direction in Which The Wind is Blowing: Defying the natural scene, wherein any piece of cloth waves as per the course of the wind, the flag mounted at the top of Jagannath Temple, Puri makes a unique exception of waving in the opposite direction. There hasn’t been any scientific theory until now to back up this process.

2- The Sudarshan Chakra Riddle will Perhaps Always Remain A Mystery:
If you must have ever been to the Jagannath Temple, you must have surely noticed the Sudarshan Chakra. Well, it is believed that the Chakra was brought and installed in this temple around 2000 years back. It is 20 feet in height and weighs about a tonne. One of the mysteries surrounding this Chakra is which technique was used back then to install this Chakra. Was there any machinery used, was it put up there by some human force? Nobody knows! Another interesting fact of this Chakra is that it looks exactly the same from every direction. Now, how can that be possible? Well, we still have no answers to it.

3- You’ll Never Find Anything Flying Above The Temple:
Is it not strange when you find the sky absolutely clear, devoid of any birds, airplane or anything that can fly? That’s exactly the scene above the temple; literally nothing can be observed flying above the temple, not even a single bird. There has been no scientific explanation for it yet, but we would really like to know, and we’re sure you must be curious too.

4- The Climb to Change The Flag:
Every single day, without any fail, a priest of the temple has to climb the temple’s dome which has a height equivalent to that of a 45 storey building, in order to change the flag. No protective gears are used by the priest while climb, and it’s all done using bare hands. In fact, this particular ritual is older than many civilizations, and it’s almost been 1800 years. It’s also said that if the ritual is skipped even for a day, the temple will have to be shut down for a long period of 18 years. What a sight to behold!

5- No Shadow of The Temple:
Have you come across any living being or object that is not supported by their own shadow? Literally, never! But in the case of Jagannath Temple, Puri, it has been reported that the temple reflects no shadow, at any time of the day from any direction. What do you have to say about that? Truly, an architectural marvel and a surprising fact

6- The Temple’s Prasad Never Gets Wasted:
Having visited Jagannath Temple, you can never truly miss out on savoring its prasad, which is cooked in earthen pots using firewood and tastes extremely delicious. One theory of this prasad is that exactly 7 pots are put on top of one another and surprisingly, the top most pot is cooked first followed by the bottom pots in order. Other than that, the food never gets wasted here. The number of devotees visiting on any day in the temple ranges between 2000 to 20,00,000, but the quantity of the Prasad cooked here remains exactly the same throughout the year. Yet none of it goes insufficient or wasted. That’s a strange phenomenon and we’re really inquisitive to know how that happens

7- No Sound of The Ocean Inside The Temple:
You must have missed this out, but do take a note that while stepping into the Simhadwaram (the main door of the temple), you’ll not hear any sound of the ocean waves. And once you leave the temple, you can hear the same. While there’s no scientific explanation for this, it is believed that the phenomenon of sound of ocean waves inside the temple was actually the will of Subhadra, the sister of the two lords who wished for serenity within the temple gates. That’s an interesting will to ask for!

8- The Reverse Breeze:
Any place we visit on Earth, on daytime the breeze from sea comes to land and the opposite occurs in the evening. But surprisingly, that’s not the same in Puri. Here the breeze opts for the exact opposite direction. In the daytime, the breeze blows from land to sea and the opposite happens in the evening.

Apart from all these interesting facts, it’s also believed that the idols of the Lords are buried from every 14 to 18 years, one above another, and are replaced by new ones. Interestingly, these deities are said to be disintegrated on their own. These and many other unique facts revolve around the temple of Lord Jagannath, Puri. So, the next time when plan your Puri tour and visit here, you know exactly what all to observe.

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The post 8 Interesting Facts About Jagannath Temple, Puri Which You Might Not Know first appeared on Best Choice Holiday.

History of the Temple:

Lord Jagannath Temple is been constructed way back in 12th century. Started by the famous Kalinga ruler Anantavarman Chodaganga Dev, it was later completed by the King Ananga Bhima Deva. The temple is home to main three deities, Lord Jagannath, his sister Subhadra and his elder brother Balabhadra. Each one of their wooden idols is present in the temple and sitting on a throne. The idol of Balabhadra is six feet tall, of Lord Jagannath it is five feet tall, and of Subhadra it is four feet tall. Lord Jagannath, also been well known as the Lord of the Universe, is known to be a form of both Lord Krishna and Lord Vishnu. He is the prime and directing deity of Odisha and is worshipped in most of the households throughout the state. Lord Jagannath worship boosts communal harmony, tolerance and peace. Considering the Char Dham, it is believed that Lord Vishnu used to dine at Puri, bathe at Rameshwaram, get sanctified at Dwarka, and meditate at Badrinath. This is the reason that high priority is given to food at this temple in Puri. In fact, as a form of Mahaprasad, Lord Jagannath gives his devotees to eat 56 items that are served to him, as a way of spiritual revival and advancement.

Features of the temple:

There is an 11 metre high towering pillar at the temple’s main gate, also known as Aruna Stambha representing the charioteer of the Sun God. The inner courtyard of the temple could be reached by climbing 22 steps from the main gate and there are about 30 smaller temples around the main temple, and it is believed to visit all of them before visiting the deities of the main temple. Though, if people have less time than they can visit the most important deities in the main temple, along with smaller temples around including Vimala temple, Ganesha temple, Laxmi temple and so. Other interesting feature is that the temple is built in a large 10 acre complex, along with an ancient banyan tree, the kitchen where the Mahaprasad is cooked and it is known to be among the world’s largest kitchen and Anand Bazar where Mahaprasad is sold to all devotees daily in between 3 PM to 5 PM. The kitchen makes enough food that is needed to feed to over 100,000 people every day. Over 20 different rituals are held at the temple on daily basis starting from 5 in the morning till midnight. The rituals reflect everything that is carried out in a day to day routine including brushing teeth, bathing, eating, and getting dressed and so. There is a tradition that is been going on from more than 800 years, which cover the changing of flags tied to the temple’s Neela Chakra during sunset in between 6 PM to 7 PM. The old flags are sold to very lucky few devotees.

How to Visit the temple:

Except cycle rickshaws, any other vehicle is not allowed nearby the temple complex. People need to walk from the car parking and the temple has four entry gates. Entrance is absolutely free of cost. Guides could always be found and are around the temple complex every time and will ask for showing the complex around in about Rs. 200. To enter the inner sanctum and get blessing of the deities, there are two ways to do the same.

•  Do attend the public darshan that is held in the morning daily for an hour usually in between 7 AM to 8 AM, also been known as Sahana Mela after the Abakash Puja referring to the brushing of God’s teeth and bathing routine.
•  From inside the temple complex, buy a Parimanik Darshan ticket that will cost about Rs. 50 and viewers can go in at specific times of the day and covers activities like Mangal Aarti, Sandhay Aarti, Abakash Puja, Chandan Lagi. The timings for the same are 5 AM, 8 AM, 10 AM, 1 PM and 8 PM and make sure to reach 30 minutes prior to buy tickets.
•  Otherwise, people can see the temple and deities from a distance.
•  There is also a provision to view the temple’s kitchen and the ticket costs about Rs. 5 each.
•  Do come with a couple of hours in order to fully explore the temple complex.

Things to make sure while visiting the temple:

•  Try to get early if possible at the temple, like by 5:30 in the morning.
•  Do understand that no belongings are allowed to carry along inside the temple including shoes, cell phones, socks, cameras, leather items and so. At the main entrance, there are facilities available where you can deposit the items for security.

The Famous Rath Yatra Festival:

Every year, once in June or July, the idols are taken outside of the temple and that is what this Rath Yatra festival is all about. Reckoned to be the most iconic and splendid festivals of Odisha, tourists and believers from all corners come to Puri just to get a glimpse of the deities and see the huge arrangement and celebration of this festival. The festival is held for 10 days and during the period, Gods are transported around on towering chariots that symbolize and resemble like temples. The chariot construction is indeed in itself is a detailed and intense process, thus it starts from the January or February month of the year.

Wish to visit the Lord Jagannnath temple in Puri and get the blessing of the divine deity? Let Best Choice Holiday tour organizer, be the one arranging your itinerary this time and do the desired arrangements as per the expectations and wishes so that you can remember it for lifetime.

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