Thursday, October 10, 2013

Jaganath Temple, Puri

Jaganath Temple in Puri is a famous temple dedicated to Lord Jaganath, the Lord of the Universe. The construction of this temple was initiated in the 11th century by the king Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva of Ganga dynasty.



The huge temple complex covers an area of over 400,000 square feet and is surrounded by a high fortified wall. Within the fortified walls there are many more sub-shrines  The temple follows Oriya style of architecture.



The temple tower was built on a raised platform of stone and, it rises to a height of 214 feet above the inner sanctum. The pyramidal roofs of the adjoining halls rise in steps toward the tower like a ridge of mountain peaks.



At the top of the main main tower is the 'srichakra', a eight spoked wheel of Lord Vishnu. It is made out of eight materials and is considered sacrosanct. The temple is a sculptural marvel, but unfortunately photography is strictly prohibited in temple premises.



The central forms of Jagannath, Balabhadra and the goddess Subhadra constitute the trinity of deities in the main sanctum of the temple. Unlike any other temple, the idols here are made from sacred Neem logs.

35 comments:

Our photos said...

Beautiful are the photos of the temple!
Greetings, RW & SK

P.N. Subramanian said...

Beautiful photographs.I was about to provide a link to my own post which is descriptive but then discovered that you have already read it and appreciated it. Thanks.

Teamgsquare said...

Nice temple. But the priests here are highly commercialised .

Jeevan said...

Excellent photos and well zoomed on the marvelous temple tower! Great details rajesh
Thank you

Lowell said...

Very unusual; very striking! Huge, too. Are you allowed to take photos inside these temples?

Steffi said...

Great photos and post for SWF,Rajesh!Have a nice weekend.

HansHB said...

Lovely sky-photos.

Sylvia K said...

What an awesome temple and, as always, your captures are superb!! All of that beauty and wonderful skies as well!! Thanks for sharing, Rajesh! Have a great weekend!

George said...

I really like your first photo with the white structure rising to meet the tower. Very beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Magnificent sky and temple shot ~ happy weekend.

Carver said...

Beautiful temple and I like the colorful flags.

Photo Cache said...

incredible detailing.

Anonymous said...

What intricate domes on the temples.

Heather said...

What an interesting shape and texture to that tower. While you focued in on some of the statues at the very top, it's the characters jutting out from the side of the brown tower that caught my eye. My Skywatch

DeniseinVA said...

Fantastic photos!

The Mukhtiars said...

Beautiful Clicks

Leovi said...

Exquisite photos! Really very nice this temple!

Irene said...

Wow, what a building, so beautiful! I'm also impressed, the architecture and constructions are awesome!

Irene

Kim, USA said...

Wow the old tower is huge too and much taller than the new temple. But they both are awesome great shot!

Thanks for the visit! Happy SWF!!
Kim,USA

Wayne said...

The colorful flags are very festive, it's amazing how large it is.

Joop Zand said...

Fantastic pictures..... really nice photographed.

Al said...

What an amazing temple - I can only wonder what it looks like inside.

Arija said...

You do bring us so many architectural wonders of your worl that it takes my breath away. Sometimes, in a sacred place, it is good to have en embargo on photography so that people can connect with the deities without constant clicks and flashes and hopefully, loud tour guides.

Rajesh said...

Thank you all appreciating this craftsmanship.
Lowell, Arija: The photography inside the temple complex is not allowed. I had take this shots from outside the temple premises. In reality the sculptural work on the temple which I could not photograph are mind-blowing.

Betty Manousos said...

i love india and its great heritage. the architecture is truly stunning!

great shots!

Andrea @ From The Sol said...

You remind me that that is so much to learn about other times, other cultures and other religions. This is magnificent photography and very interesting dialog ... I wish I knew if I was pronouncing the names correctly ... they are very complicated. Thank you Rajesh for sharing your India with us.

Andra @ From The Sol

Arnoldo L. Romero, MLA said...

That's truly an outstanding piece of architecture, and you captured it beautifully. Blessings!

Karen said...

Wonderful carvings!

R Niranjan Das said...

Beautiful facade! Nice captures.

http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in/2013/10/the-backpacker.html

Anita Sabat said...

This is a sacred dham of India.
Serves awesome prasad & still follows ancient customs for Lord Jagannath- the Lord of the Universe.
Lovely you shared this, Rajesh.

Unknown said...

There are so many beautiful stories of this temple. I was very fortunate to go thanks to a close one who made this possible and it's the best experience of my life. Beautiful pictures and write up Rajesh.

Deepa Gopal said...

A place that I long to visit (like many other!!!)
Wonderful :)

Ranjana's craft blog said...

I always love the photos you share , these take me to the places in my wish list

Balaka Basu said...

Lovely post on Puri temple. We used to visit this temple every year.

Budget Travel Talk said...

The whole area looks amazing!