Sri Kshetra or Puridham or Puri, the holy city in the state of Odisha in eastern India, has been an important pilgrimage destination for the Hindus since time immemorial . It is also known as Jagannath Dham, Purusottama Dham, Nilachala, Nilagiri, Niladri, Purusottama Kshetra and Sankha Kshetra. It is one of the Char Dham (Char=four, Dham=abode) which the Hindus consider to be the most sacred of all pilgrimages. The other three are Dwarka in the west, Badrinath in the north and Rameswaram in the southern part of India.
This is an extract of Skanda Purana which depicts the importance of “Chaturmasya Vrata” along with the procedure to observe the rituals before and after it. The word “Chaturmasya” basically suggests “Four Months” specifically the period from 11th day of the bright fortnight of the month of “Ashaadha” to the 11th day of the bright… read more »
The glory of Puri Dham or the ancient Purusottama Kshetra is vividly described in the Utkal Khanda of Skanda Purana. The story of Rishi (Sage) Markandeya discovering this Kshetra at the time of Pralaya (Dissolution of the Universe) can be found there. The story goes like this- Once at the time of Pralaya, when everything… read more »
Nilgiri or the “Blue Mountain” in Purusottama Kshetra was the abode of Lord Nilamadhava [Purusottama], a divine form of Lord Vishnu. The first Sri Jagannath Temple is believed to have been built on this mountain. The age of Nilgiri is unimaginable. It existed even before the Satya Yuga and the secret of this place was… read more »