Devotees throng Alarnath temple as Lord Jagannath remains in anavasara at Puri Srimandir

Today marks the ninth day of Anavasara, the sacred fortnight during which Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra remain in seclusion at Anasara Ghara in Puri Srimandir following the Snana Purnima ritual. 

In this period, the faithful devotees flock to the Alarnath Temple at Brahmagiri, about 23 km from Puri, believing the Lord manifests here as Alarnath Dev.

On Friday morning, devotees thronged the shrine to seek the divine darshan of Lord Alarnath. Tradition holds that performing darshan here during Anavasara grants blessings equivalent to seeing Lord Jagannath in Puri. 

“As there is less crowd today, we have a very good darshan of Lord Alarnath. I come here every year and feel very blessed,” said a devotee.

Echoing the same, another devotee said, “I came from Cuttack and I feel very fortunate for such a divine darshan at the temple.”

About The Shrine

The Alarnath Temple, a centuries-old shrine built in classic Kalinga style, houses a striking black stone Vishnu idol with four arms holding conch, discus, mace, and lotus. At His feet sits Garuda.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the revered Vaishnava saint, played a pivotal role in the site's spiritual prominence. Deeply distressed during Anavasara, he received a divine vision directing him to the Alarnath Temple, where he performed ecstatic worship. His body reportedly left an imprint on a stone slab inside the temple, still venerated today.