Shri Jagannath Temple (Puri)

The sacred Jagannath Temple at Puri in Odisha is one of the four cardinal Char Dhams established by Adi Shankaracharya. Here, Lord Jagannath resides alongside his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra in vibrant neem-wood murtis that are ritually renewed during Nabakalebara. The temple contains the Rosaghara, the largest traditional wood-fired kitchen in the world where 56 varieties of delicacies (Chhappan Bhog) are cooked in earthenware pots stacked one above the other—miraculously cooking from top to bottom first by divine grace of Goddess Mahalakshmi. Every year, millions converge for the world-famous Ratha Yatra, where the divine Lord leaves his throne to mingle with ordinary devotees on the streets.