Category: Jagannath Puri

Markandeya Sarovar is a large water body located southwest of Jagannath Mandir in the Markandeshwar-Sahi area. Markandeya Sarovar is an open structure and it is enclosed within a stone wall made of dressed laterite blocks. Bathing ghats are provided for the tourists on the southern side of the tank. The tank is used for rituals as well as for normal bathing. The great Vaishnava sage Markandeya Rishi resides here worshiping a Shiva Deity named Markandeshvara Mahadeva, one of Puri’s Pancha Mahadevas. Sri Madan Mohan, Jagannath deva’s festival deity, enacts His Kaliya-mardana pastimes (crushing the Kaliya serpent) here in this holy water tank. If one bathes in Markandeya Sarovar, and then takes Darshan of the Markandeswar Shiva linga here, he obtains the pious result of performing both Rajasuya and Asvamedha-yajnas. There is a deity of Markandeya Rishi and Shiva linga named Markandeswara Mahadeva who is worshiped here. This ancient tank along with its yajna vedi in the middle is the oldest among the Pancha tirthas (Sweta Ganga, Indradyumna Sarovar, Markandeya Sarovar, Rohini Kunda, and the Sea) of Srikshetra.

Visakha math is an exalted site of Jagannath Puri that had been established by Sri Narahari Sarkar Thakur, who was the incarnation of Sakhi Madhumati, in Krishna’s Vrindavana pastimes. Beautiful Gaura Gadadhara deities of Narahari Sarkar Thakur are presently worshiped here at Visakha math, in Jagannath Puri. Enchanting deities of Jagannath-Baladeva-Subhadra and numerous Saligram silas also grace the temple altar. 

Bali Math, which is said to have been established by Sri Abhiram Gopal Thakur, the incarnation of Sridama in Lord Krishna’s pastimes, is a medieval temple that lies in ruins today. It is situated in the Markandeshwar Sahi area behind the Bada Oriya Math. Beautiful deities of Radha Krishna are worshiped in this ancient temple. 

Sri Abhirama Gopal Thakur had manifested innumerable heart-melting pastimes here at Jagannath Puri. One of them was his test of Gopal Guru Goswami, the disciple of Vakreshwar Pandita. It was well-known that whoever Abhiram Gopal Thakur paid His obeisances died if that person was not the Supreme Lord or His expansion. Several deities of Bengal had cracked not being able to tolerate the obeisances of Abhiram Gopal. Several sons of Nityananda Prabhu had died for they were not expansions of the Supreme.

Birchandra Prabhu and Raghunandan Thakur, sons of Lord Nityananda and Mukunda das respectively, could endure Abhiram Thakura’s obeisances for they were expansions of the Supreme Lord Himself.

Abhiram Gopal tests Gopal Guru :

So when Abhiram Thakur desired to test Gopal Guru Goswami, Vakreshwar Pandita became anxious. However, when Abhiram Thakur paid His obeisances to Gopal Guru, he remained unaffected. Seeing this all became overjoyed. Abhiram Thakur then affectionately embraced Gopal Guru Goswami. According to some, Gopal Guru Goswami was the incarnation of Tungavidya, one of the eight principal Gopis of Vrindavan.

Although Ahulya Math is a significant Gaudiya Vaishnava site of Jagannath Puri, this place is not that well-known. Lord Chaitanya shifted to Jagannath Puri after His sannyasa initiation, and it became a tradition that devotees from Bengal would visit Him each year on the occasion of the Rath Yatra festival. Ahulya Math is where Advaita Acharya and Nityananda Prabhu stayed during their annual visits to Jagannath Puri.

Situated on Satasana Road, next to Iskcon Bhakti Kuti (Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s house) and Srila Haridas Thakur’s samadhi, one shall locate Sat Asana Mathas, which are actually seven temples that had been established to celebrate the pastimes of seven celestial sages (sapta-rishis) who had once meditated at this place. These seven celestial sages namely Kashyapa, Atri, Vasistha, Viswamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni, and Bharadvaja are glorified throughout the Vedic scriptures. Later many associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had also performed their bhajan at these sacred places. A brief description of these seven temples or asanas is provided below. Out of the seven temples that were previously established, only four remain at present – Giridhari math, Syamasundara math, Madana Mohana math, and Krishna Balaram Math.