Jagannath Temple

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Puri (Orissa)

Jagannath Temple is Puri's forerunner cult in Orissa, which saw the flowering of several temples dedicated to Lord Jagannath all over the Orissa. The original image of Lord Jagannath was found at the foot of a fig tree, in the form of a Blue Jewel. The idol of Lord Jagannath was intending to discover by the King Indradyumna, of Malwa, performed severe penances, as it was instructed to the king by Vishnu to go to the Puri seashore, and look for a floating log, and fashion an image from its trunk. The huge temple complex occupies an area of over 4 lacs Sq. feets, and is totally bounded by a 20 feets high-fortified wall. This overall complex contains about 120 temples and shrines. Structurally the temple has four chambers. The outermost chamber is the Bhogmandir, the next chamber is the Nata-Mandir pillared hall for music and dance, the next chamber is the Jagamohana where all the devotees gather for worship and the last chamber is the Sanctum enshrining the deities.

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