6 Must Visit Temples in Puri

Puri is one of the most important pilgrimage places in India, located on the east coast, overlooking the Bay of Bengal. It is the eastern Dham among the four dhams in four directions. Adi Shankracharya chose it to set up his Rig Vedic Math, making it a seat of Shankracharya. Puri is famous for Jagannath Temple, which is the crown jewel of this Purushottam Kshetra.

# Panch Tirthas of Puri

Any ancient pilgrimage place in India is full of sacred Tirthas or water bodies. These ponds, lakes, step wells, rivers, and seashores are the oldest living as well as worshipped parts of the land. The city though located right on the seashore has five important and ancient Tirthas. One of which is the sea itself.

# Markandeshwar Temple

A big Shiva temple called Markandeshwar temple with a big Shivalinga is located just on the edge of the pond. It is a lovely temple in Kalingan Triratha style but I wish it was kept clean. The temple was established by Rishi Markandeya, implying that it pre-dates the Ramayana. Crack in the Shivalinga is from the time Shiva appeared to protect his devotee Markandeya. The present temple is at a much lower level than the road, though dates back to 8th CE. It is one of the earliest Shiva temples in the holy city and one of the Ashtashambus protecting the city.

# Saptamatrika Temple

Located on the edge of Markanda Sarovar, this temple is a legacy of Shakti worshippers in the region that is known as Uddayan Peeth. It was built by King Bhimakesari or the Kesari dynasty. Seven Matrikas holding babies in their laps are carved in large black stone along with Veerbhadra, Shiva, and Ganesha. This was the second Saptamatrika temple I saw after a big one in Jajpur.

# Bata Mangala, Puri

Bata Mangala is a small Mangala Devi temple that you first see as you enter the town. You can see her right from the road.She is a four-armed, three-eyed form of Vaishnavi Thakurni sitting on a lotus. Her upper hands hold conch and trident. She is a kind of gatekeeper sitting on the edge of the land of Jagannath. Belief is that one should visit her before going and meeting the Jagannath.

The story goes that at the beginning of the creation Brahma Ji came down to visit Jagannath, he lost his way and it was Bata Mangala who showed him the way to the lord. This happened on a Tuesday of Chaitra month, on these days now women perform a Puja at the junction of two or more roads.

# Atharnala

This is an ancient bridge on the nearly dry river Musa. The origin of the bridge has roots in the story of King Indradyuman. It is believed that 18 sons of Indradyuman had to be sacrificed to build this bridge. The current bridge dates back to 18th CE. Athar Nala means eighteen streams of water. It finds a mention in songs of pilgrimage of Jagannath.

# Chakra Tirtha

Chakra Tirtha is located at the end of Chakratirtha road, where a lot of good hotels are also located. Many holy places associated with Vishnu like Dwarka and Ayodhya have a Chakra Tirtha. Chakra or discus as we know is one of the weapons of Vishnu. Here, there is an ancient well and a small temple dedicated to Jagannath, Balbhadra, and Subhadra. They represent Lakshmi Narsimha, Abhay Narsimha, and Chakra Narsimha respectively.