Context
The Odisha Government is expected to soon lay the foundation stone of the much-awaited Puri heritage corridor, which is being developed at a cost of Rs 800 crore.
About Puri heritage corridor
- Conceived in 2016, the Puri Heritage Corridor Project was unveiled in December 2019 to transform the holy town of Puri into an international place of heritage.
- The project includes redeveloping major portions of the holy town and in the vicinity of the Jagannath temple for visitors and tourists.
- The project will include
- Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) building redevelopment
- a 600-capacity Srimandir reception centre
- Jagannath cultural centre including Raghunandan library, integrated command, and control centre, Badadanda heritage streetscape, Srimandir amenities improvement, Sri Setu, Jagannath Ballav pilgrim centre, multilevel car parking, municipal market development, Swargadwar development, Pramod Udyan, Gurukulam, Mahodadhi market, beachfront development, Puri lake, Musa river revival plan, Atharnala and housing for sevayats.
- The project is a part of the Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA) scheme for developing Puri as a world-class heritage city.
About Lord Jagannath Temple
- The Jagannath Temple of Puri is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath, a form of Vishnu located on the eastern coast of India, in the state of Odisha.
- It is believed to have been constructed in the 12th century by King Anatavarman Chodaganga Deva of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty.
- Anantavarma Chodagangadeva is also known for building the Sun temple of Konark and Puri is considered as the cultural capital of Odisha.
- Jagannath Puri temple is called ‘Yamanika Tirtha’ where, according to the Hindu beliefs, the power of ‘Yama’, the god of death, has been nullified due to the presence of Lord Jagannath.
- This temple was called the “White Pagoda” and is a part of Char Dham pilgrimages (Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri, Rameswaram).
- There are four gates to the temple- Eastern ‘Singhdwara’ which is the main gate with two crouching lions, Southern ‘Ashwadwara’, Western 'Vyaghra Dwara' and Northern ‘Hastidwara’. There is a carving of each form at each gate.
- In front of the entrance stands the Aruna stambha or sun pillar, which was originally at the Sun Temple in Konark.
- The temple is famous for its annual Rath Yatra, or chariot festival.
- Images of all the three deities Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Lordess Subhadra are ceremoniously brought out of the inner sanctum (Garbhagriha) from the chief temple in Jagannath Puri. They are placed in a chariot which is then pulled by volunteers from Jagannath puri temple to Gundicha Temple.
- For this festival, special chariots are built each year.
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Other Important Monuments in Odisha
- Lingaraj Temple
- Konark Sun Temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- Udaygiri and Khandagiri Caves
- Tara Tarini Temple
