When Namacharya Srila Haridas Thakur passed away in Jagannath Puri, Lord Chaitanya led a procession carrying the body of Haridas to the sea. Chanting and dancing, Mahaprabhu bathed the body of Haridas Thakur. He then proclaimed that the sea (Mahodadhi) had become a great site of pilgrimage from then on as it had touched the transcendental body of Haridas.Â
haridase samudra jale snana karaila
prabhu kahe – “samudra ei ‘maha-tirtha’ haila”
(Chaitanya Charitamrta, Antya, 11.64)
Like the holy Ganga and Yamuna rivers, the ocean at Puri (Mahodadhi) is a purifying sacred place of pilgrimage. The ocean here is deemed a great pilgrimage site (Maha-tirtha). Every day, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would take bath in the ocean and take darsana of the Nila-chakra of Lord Jagannath’s temple, offering His obeisances to it. He also instructed His devotees to follow His example.
How to Reach :
The sea lies to the south of the Jagannath temple at Puri. Puri beach or the Golden beach lies on the shores of the Bay of Bengal.
Accommodation – One can choose to stay in any of the prominent hotels of Jagannath Puri.
Nearest Railway station – Jagannath Puri Railway Station
Nearest major airport – Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar.Â
At the time of writing this article, there is another airport presently being constructed at Jagannath Puri. However, this airport at Puri has not yet become operational.