The Puri Jagannath Temple, located in Odisha’s coastal town of Puri, is one of India’s most revered Hindu temples, dedicated to Lord Jagannath, a form of Vishnu. It stands as a significant part of the Char Dham pilgrimage and is renowned for its majestic Kalinga-style architecture. The temple is known for its wooden deities of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra, which are replaced every 12-19 years in a sacred ritual called Nabakalebara. The temple’s annual Rath Yatra, where the deities are paraded in massive chariots, draws millions of devotees. Puri’s temple kitchen, one of the largest in the world, prepares the famous Mahaprasad, and the temple is shrouded in mysteries, including the peculiar behavior of its flag, which always flutters against the wind. The temple remains a central part of Odisha’s spiritual and cultural heritage.
