Alarnath Temple is located in
Brahmagiri which is about 25 kilometers from Puri. It is a special place for the
Krishna devotees and a little lesser known tourist destination than the Jagannath
Temple. Alarnath temple witnesses gathering of devotees during the Ashadha period
which is post Snana Yatra when Lord Jagannath along with family of brother and
sister is bathed with holy water. After bathing with lots of water, the Lord
and his family is taken ill which is known as the Anasara period. The devotees visit
the temple of Alarnath during this Anasara period when they are not allowed into
the sick room of the Lord.
According to mythology, Lord Brahma worshipped
Lord Vishnu on top of the hill during Satya Yuga. One day Lord Vishnu appeared
and told Lord Brahma that he was pleased with the way he prayed and asked him
to prepare a four-armed deity of Lord Vishnu holding the shankha, chakra, gada
and padma (conch shell, disk, club and lotus) and make a shrine on the hill. The
idol was made from black stone and there is another idol of Garuda too. The
rulers of Rajasthan actually established the temple here and started
worshipping the deity which made the people call the place as Alarnath or
Alwarnath.
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| Alarnath Temple |
Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in 1610 A.D. stayed here for 2 weeks during the Anasara period
of Lord Jagannath. He claimed that he could find Lord Jagannath in Lord
Alarnath and since then it has become a popular belief that Lord Jagannath
manifests himself through Lord Alarnath during the Anasara period. Lord
Alarnath is served Kheer made from milk and rice during the Anasara period. Idols
of Satyabhama and Rukmini can also be found inside the temple of Alarnath. Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu is also present inside the temple in idol form. The lake behind the
temple is famous for Chandan yatra celebrated every year.
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