Puri

Puri is a famous centre of pilgrimage situated in the state of Odisha, which lies on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. “Puri” refers both to the temple town, which is the district headquarters and the district. At different points of time, the town was known variously as Purushottama Kshetra, Shrikshetra, Jagannath Puri, and as only Puri, which means a city. The abode of Lord Jagannath, Puri is one of the four dhams sacred to Hindus. The coastal town is a railway terminus and is the summer residence of the governor of the state. The municipality of Puri, comprising an area of 16.84 square kilometers, was formed on 1 January 1881. According to the 2011 census report the population of the Puri town is 200,564. One finds a description of Purushottama Kshetra in the “Vaishnava Khanda” of the Skanda Purana. Here it is mentioned that Purushottama Kshetra is located in the land of Utkal (a part of modern Odisha), which is famous for its many shrines and places of pilgrimage. Although the monumental edifice dedicated to Lord Jagannath is the most famous temple of the place, the town and its neighborhoods are dotted with numerous temples, big and small. These include the five major Shiva temples—Lokanath Temple, Markandeshwara Temple, Jambeshwara Temple, Banambara Temple, and Kapalamochana Temple. In Puri, people offer worship to a number of goddesses, who include Batamangala, Baseli, and Basantei. Several colorful festivals are celebrated in the town year-round, drawing a large number of people from other parts of the state and the country. The most famous among these is Ratha Yatra or the Car Festival. Several sects have established mathas (monasteries) in the temple town, including Gobarddhan Matha, Ramanuja Kota, Emar Matha, Satalahadi Matha, Kabir Choura Matha, Mangu Matha, and Nandini Matha. Notable among the temples in the neighborhood of Puri are Alarnath Temple, Baliharchandi Temple, Sakshigopal Temple, and Ramchandi Temple. Tanks sacred to the pilgrims in Puri include Indradyumna Tank and Narendra Tank. The temple town is surrounded by sixteen shasana villages, brahman settlements founded by the kings of Odisha, and brahmans from these villages are entitled to take part in the proceedings of the Muktimandap, an assembly of pandits located in the premises of the Jagannath Temple. The unique ethos of Puri has inspired creative writers and travelers alike. Therefore, several poems, plays, novels, stories, and travel narratives are set in the temple town portraying its fascinatingly multilayered culture. As a separate entry is devoted to Jagannath Temple, we have chosen to throw light on different aspects of life in the town surrounding it.