PURI
The Abode of Lord Jagannath

It has four gates on four sides and they are called by different names. The Lion's gate on the Eastern side is the biggest, and the others like the Elephant gate on the North, the Horse gate on the South and the Tiger gate on the west come next in size and importance.

The pilgrim entering the temple through the Lion's gate has to ascend 22 steps called the Baisi pahach. In front of the Lion's gate stands a 35 feet high pillar called Anur pillar and it is presided over by the sun's charioteer-Anur. Offering prayers first to it, pilgrims reach the interior part, where there are more than 100 shrines dedicated to almost all the deities found in the Hindu pantheon; and that is the speciality here. As the temple tradition insists on one seeing the principal deities first before circumambulating, let us enter the Bada Deula to feast our eyes with the beauty of the Moola Vigrahas.

[ Back ] [ Up ] [ Next ]