char dhamon men se ek bhagvan shrikrishn ki nagri jagannath puri apni mahima aur saundarya donon ke lie jagat vikhyat hai. shrikrishn yahan jagannath ke rup men apne bhai balram evan bahan subhadra ke sath vidyaman hain. har sal jun evan julai mah men ayojit ki jane vali rathyatra pure vishva men prasiddh hai. puri ke anek nam hain. ise purushottamapuri tatha shankhakshetra bhi kaha jata hai, kyonki is kshetra ki akriti shankh ke saman hai. shakt ise uddiyan pith kahte hain. yah 51 shaktipithon men se ek pith sthal hai, yahan sati ki nabhi giri thi. puri ke jagannath mandir ka nirman 12 vin shatabdi men hua. mandir 40 lakh varg fut par bana hai. yahan sthit anya mandiron ki bhanti, yah bhi paranprik uriya shaili men bana hua hai. mandir ke char dvar hain- sinh, ashva, vyaghra evan hasti. mandir ke charon or 20 fut unchi chahardivari ki gai hai. vishva ki sabse bari rasoi bhi yahin hai, jahan rath yatra utsav ke dinon men pratidin ek lakh logon ke lie bhojan banta hai aur samanya dinon men 25 hajar logon ki rasoi taiyar hoti hai. kaha jata hai ki pahle yahan nilachal namak parvat tha jis par nil madhav bhagvan ki murti thi jiski aradhna devta kiya karte the.
bad men yah parvat bhumi men chala gaya aur bhagvan ki us murti ko devta apne lok men le gae. isi ki smriti men is kshetra ko nilachal kaha jata hai. shri jagannath ji ke mandir ke shikhar par lage chakra ko ‘nilachchatra’ kaha jata hai. is nilachchatra ke darshan jahan tak hote hain vah pura kshetra jagannathpuri kahlata hai. puri ke udbhav ke vishay men katha ati hai ki ek bar dvarika men shrikrishn ji ki patraniyon ne mata rohini ji ke bhavan men jakar krishn ki braj lila ke prem-prasang ko sunane ka agrah kiya. mata ne is bat ko talne ka bahut prayatn kiya magar patraniyon ke agrah ko vah tal n sakin. prem prasang sunate samay krishn ki bahan subhadra ka vahan rahna uchit nahin tha. islie mata rohini ne unhen dvar ke bahar khare rahne ka adesh diya taki koi andar n ane pae. subhadra bahar khari hi thi ki isi bich shrikrishn aur balram padhar gae. vah donon bhaiyon ke bich men khare hokar donon hath failakar unko bhitar jane se rokne lagi. is upakram men band dvar ke bhitar se braj prem varta bahar bhi sunai de rahi thi. use sunakar tinon ke hi sharir dravit hone lage. usi samay devarshi narad vahan a gae aur tinon ke prem dravit rup dekhakar unse isi rup men yahan virajman hone ki prarthana ki. shrikrishn ne apni sahmti de di.
snan mahatmya: puri men mahoddhi, rohini kund, indradyumn sarovar, markandey sarovar, shvet ganga, chandan talab, loknath sarovar tatha chakratirth in pavitra ath jal tirthon men snan ka bahut mahatmya mana jata hai.
prasad mahatmya: shri jagannath ji ke mahaprasad ki mahima charon or prasiddh hai. kaha jata hai ki is mahaprasad ko bina kisi sandeh evan hichkichahat ke upvas, parva adi ke din bhi grahan kar lena chahie. prasad grahan ke vishay men ek ghatna ka ullekh bhi milta hai. aj se kai sau sal pahle shri ballabhacharya mahaprabhu jab puri ae to ekadshi ke vrat ke din unki nishtha ki pariksha karne ke lie kisi ne unhen mandir men hi mahaprasad de diya. ballabhacharya ne mahaprasad hath men lekar uska stavan praranbh kiya aur ekadshi ke pure din tatha ratri men stavan karte rahe. dusre din dvadshi men stavan samapt kar unhonne prasad grahan kiya. is prakar unhonne mahaprasad evan ekadshi donon ko samuchit adar diya.
rathyatra: shri jagannath ji ki rathyatra puri ka pradhan mahotsav hai jiska ayojan asharh shukla ki dvitiya ko kiya jata hai. is dauran yahan ke mandiron ki saj-sajja kar unhen vishesh rup diya jata hai. rath yatra ke lie tin vishal rath sajae jate hain. pahle rath par shri balram ji, dusre par subhadra evan sudarshan chakra tatha tisre rath par shri jagannath ji virajman rahte hain. sandhya tak ye rath gundicha mandir (vrindavan ka pratik) pahunch jate hain. dusre din bhagvan se utarakar mandir men padharte hain aur sat din vahin virajman rahte hain. dashmi ko vahan rath se lautte hain. in nau dino men shri jagannath ji ke darshan ko ‘arapadarshana’ kahte hain. jagannath ji ke is rup ka vishesh mahatmya hai. puri dham ke anya mandir evan math: puri ke as-pas shankracharya math aur ganbhir math sahit anek math hain. gundicha mandir, kapal mochan, loknath, beri hanuman, chakra narayan, kanavat hanuman adi mandir darshaniya hain.
aspas ke darshaniya sthala:
bhuvneshvar: urisa ki rajdhani bhuvneshvar desh ke vyavasthit shahron men se ek hai, jo apne prachin mandiron aur shilpa-kala ke karan desh-videsh ke paryatkon ke lie mukhya akarshan bana rahta hai.
rajya sangrahaly: yah sangrahalay ek navinatam dijain ki imarat men bana hua hai. yahan puratatvik vastuon ka sangrahalay hai. yahan 12 vin shatabdi ki buddh ki murti, sangit ke vadya yantra, hathiyar evan paranprik vastra adi mukhya hain.
ravindra mandp: yahan pratidin sangit, nritya evan natak sanbandhi gatividhiyan ayojit ki jati hain.
vir pratappur evan ganga naraynpurah nariyal ke peron, dhan ke kheton, jhilon, nadiyon aur chote-chote mandiron se ghira yah khubsurat sthal puri-bhuvneshvar rod se lagabhag 10 se 13 kimi ki duri par sthit hai.
konarka: vishvaprasiddh konark surya mandir puri se 40 kimi uttar men sthit hai. yahan sat ghoron aur 24 nakkashidar pahiyon vale rath par surya dev savar hain.
chilka jhil: yah eshiya ki sabse bari jhil hai jo yahan ane vale paryatkon aur desh-videsh ke pakshiyon ki pasandida sthali bhi hai. inke alava raja-rani mandir, mukteshvar mandir, lingraj mandir, bindu sagar adi darshaniya sthal hain.
kab jaen:
rathyatra ke samay jun, julai, aktubar se lekar aprail tak.
kaise jaen:
puri ka nikatatam havai adda bhuvneshvar hai. vahan se 56 kimi ki duri par puri hai. bhuvneshvar se niyamit rel evan basen puri ke lie jati hain. puri relve steshan desh ke bare shahron se jura hua hai.
kahan thahren:
puri men kai math hain jahan yatriyon ke thahrne ki suvidha hai. iske alava yahan suvidhasanpann hotlon ki bahutayat hai jahan se puri ke aspas ke naynabhiram drishya dekhe ja sakte hain.