Tag: Gundicha Temple

Puri Tours

Travelling to Puri? You will need a guide to help you plan out your stay and make your trip an unforgettable one. Need not worry! We have an entire list of things that you can do while you’re at Puri.

But first, let us give you a quick read-through about Puri, one of the most stunning spots in Odisha. It is a city in the state of Odisha, situated on the Bay of Bengal, 60 kilometres to the South of Bhubaneswar, the capital of the state. It covers an area of 16.33 square kilometres and is famous for the Jagannath Temple, a revered pilgrimage destination or as they call it, a Char Dham temple and the long sandy Puri Beach.

Now, let’s move on to our travel guide on the top things to do in Puri which will help you discover the best shopping destinations, eateries, adventure and fun activities in Puri.

  1. Lord Jagannath Temple

When in Puri, one cannot miss the opportunity of visiting the Lord Jagannath Temple. It is located in the heart of the city and is the visitors’ total favourite! Here you’ll be able to learn about the culture and history of Lord Jagannath and the architecture of the temple will leave you spellbound. If you visit Puri in the month of June-July, you can also see the world famous chariot festival of Lord Jagannath, the Rath Yatra.

If you book a room in a hotel in Puri that’s near to the temple, you wouldn’t have to spend much time travelling.

  1. The Puri Beach

A holiday in Puri is incomplete without visiting the royal golden beach. You can sit back and relax all day and enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of the spot. Sunsets at this point look magical! The sparkling waters will convince you to get up and get playing. Trust us! It is the perfect spot to relax and have a fun time with your family.

There are many luxury hotels in Puri facing the beach. So, if you choose to stay in any one of them, make sure your Puri hotel booking includes a sea-facing room. You’ll enjoy the view no matter what time of the day it is.

  1. Gundicha Temple

Known as the Lord Jagannath’s Garden House, the Gundicha Temple is located just 3 kilometres away from the Jagannath Temple at the end of Bada Danda, the pathway for Rath Yatra. The temple has huge walls made of sandstones that are grey in colour. It is famous for the garden that is built in its middle which is known as God’s Summer Garden. The insides of the temple and the garden are so beautiful you’ll always want to come back.

Some Puri holiday hotels include special trips to the Lord Jagannath and Gundicha temples. So, you can always use that opportunity to travel to these attractions. Puri Beach Resort is one of the luxury hotels in Puri that tend to the visitors in the best way possible. You can look for this particular hotel if you want a Puri resort booking for your holiday.

  1. Narendra Sarovara

The sacred lake located to the North-East of Lord Jagannath Temple is considered to be very special to the followers of Lord Jagannath. It has an island in the middle of the lake dedicated to the three deities, Lord Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra. The lake is famous for Chandan Yatra, wherein Lord Madan Mohan takes a ride on a boat called Chapa. This festival is usually held in April-May on the day of Akshaya Tritiya. On this very day, the construction of the chariots for the three deities for the festival of Rath Yatra begins.

  1. Sudarshan Crafts Museum

Visiting the Sudarshan Crafts Museum must anyhow be in your to-do list when you’re in Puri. It was started in 1977 by the famous sculptor and artist Shri Sudarshan Sahoo and is located on the Station Road. Inside the museum, you’ll find the sculptor’s works like wood carvings, stone works fiberglass works, paintings, handicrafts and more.

Shri Sudarshan Sahoo and his wife also run a Gurukul system to teach budding artists how to fine-tune their skills and showcase their talent in the entire world. This is one of the must- visit locations in Puri.

  1. Chung Wah

If you’re wondering where to eat when you’re in Puri, you need to worry no more. Chung Wah is a restaurant in Puri that’s the most popular eatery out there. It is a Chinese restaurant and serves delicacies that speak directly to your heart. No doubt you’ll find a restaurant in Puri that serves good food, but Chung Wah is class apart!

  1. Main Market

Are you a shopaholic? You must head to the Flea Market or the Main Market in Puri. There are innumerable numbers of shops lined in the Main Market. You’ll mostly find religious items, handicrafts, soft wood items, sea shells, mythological paintings, traditional textiles and more. The market is usually crowded because of the amazing items on sale. You’ll love the experience of shopping at the Main Market in Puri.

Whenever you visit Puri, make sure you include trips to these tourist attractions to make your stay memorable.

Stay Tuned with Hotel Holiday Resort at www.puriholidayresort.com to gather all the information about Puri.

Gundicha Temple

Puri is one of the most fabulous places to enjoy the vacations and also seek blessings of Lord Jagannatha. Apart from the main Shree Temple, there are number of other temples that hold special significance and one such temple is Gundicha Temple, and is also known as Garden House of Lord Jagannatha.

This temple is located at the end of Grand road about three km north east of Jagannth temple and is marvellous piece of architecture with intricately carved structure all over in light-grey snadstone.

Relation to Lord Jagannath and Rath Yatra

It is during the Rath Yatra, that this temple becomes the centre of attraction as Lord stays in this temple for 7 days during Rath Yatra time. For rest of the year, the temple remains empty and can be visited by tourists.

Gundicha Mandira is also called the “birthplace” of Jaganantha Swami because here on a special platform called the mahavedi, a celestial carpenter carved the daru that manifested the Deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra during the reign of King lndradyumna. This temple is named after King Indradyumna’s wife, Gundicha Maharani. In this area King Indradyumna performed one thousand ashvamedha yajnas.

During Ratha Yatra, Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva and Subhadra Devi, along with Sudarsana, leave Jagannath Mandira for nine days: one day for traveling to Gundicha, seven days spent there, and one day to return home. This Journey is known as to Gundicha Yatra, Nava Dina Yatra (“nine days Journey”), or Ghosa Yatra. It is most auspicious to have darshana of Lord during this time. Every year the Rathayatra culminates at this temple which is surrounded by lush gardens and tall cooling coconut trees. Fragrant flowers and shady trees create a Vrindavan atmosphere which Lord Jaganantha enjoys for 7 days before returning to Sri Mandira.

The cleansing of the Gundicha Temple – Gundicha-marjana – takes place the day before the Rathayatra festival as mentioned in Chaitanya-Charitamrita. Darshan of Jagannatha during His stay at Gundicha temple is known as Adapa Darshana. It is said in scripture that darshan of the Lord Jagannatha at Gundicha temple is equal to ten darshan at Nilachala Temple (main temple).

The place where Gundicha temple is situated is known as Sundarachala. Sundarahcala is compared to Vrindavana, and Nilachala, where Jagannatha recides, is compared to Dvaraka. During Ratha Yatra, Lord Jagannatha comes to Vrindavana, as the devotees are in the mood of residents of Vrindavana, begging the Lord to return with them.

Goddess Gundi

Some folklore suggests that main deity of the temple is Goddess Gundi, an avatar of Goddess Durga, who cures chicken pox.

Apart from these legends, there are few versions as well. Whatever the story may lie behind, but today the fact is that Gundicha Temple is one of the major attractions in Puri and also a must visit.

For more such interesting places and legends, stay tuned with Hotel Holiday Resort – visit us at www.puriholidayresort.com