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The Puranas present elaborate accounts pertaining to the origin of Jagannatha in an atmosphere of mystery and divine inspiration. Prominent among the Puranas are the Skanda Purana, the Brahma Purana, and the Narada Purana. 

Even in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, there are references to  Puri Jagannatha. The Pandavas of the Mahabharata are believed to have come here and worshipped Jagannatha.

Historically speaking, the antiquity of Jagannatha can be taken to the second century B.C., when Kharavela was the emperor of Kalinga (the ancient name of Odisha).

The main temple in Puri is surrounded by about 30 temples, small and big. They were built in different periods of history by different kings.

Jagannatha is not the only deity worshipped in the temple, though it is known as the 'Jagannatha Temple.' 

Along with Jagannatha, two others, namely, Balabhadra, and Subhadra, are also worshipped here. These three constitute the basic and fundamental Trinity and are considered the forms and manifestations of the omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent supreme power.

 It is said and believed that He takes His bath at Rameswaram, meditates at Badrinath, dines at Puri, and retires at Dwaraka. Therefore, a lot of importance is given to the temple food, i.e., Mahaprasad (not simply prasad) here at Puri.

According to Skanda Purana, Lord Jagannath redeems the devotees by permitting them to partake in his Mahaprasad, to have His darshan, and to worship him by observing rituals and by offering gifts. Mahaprasad is treated here as 'Anna Brahma.'

Originally, Jagannatha was worshipped as Nila Madhava by an aboriginal chief secretly at this spot, while it was covered with dense forest. 

The story goes, there was a king in Malwa in central India, Indradyumna by name. He was a great devotee of Visnu. 

 Indradyumna had the desire to see Vishnu in his most perfect form on the face of the earth. He had a dream that Vishnu could be seen in his best form in Utkala (another name of ancient Odisha). So, he deputed Vidyapati, the brother of the royal priest, to find out the place where Vishnu had such a manifestation and to report his findings to him.

Accordingly, Vidyapati visited Odisha and, after a laborious search, came to know that Vishnu, known by the highly connotative name of Nila Madhava, was being worshipped somewhere on a hill in a dense forest. This was also an idol of extraordinary luster. Vidyapati could also know that Nila Madhava was the family-deity of Visvavasu, a Savara (an aboriginal tribe) chief. 

So great was the secrecy maintained about the location of Nila Madhava that Visvavasu refused on request to show Vidyapati the place of his worship. Later still, this Brahmin married Lalita, the daughter of the aboriginal chief, but even then, he was not shown the deity. At last, at the request of his beloved daughter, he took his son-in-law blindfolded to a cave on a hillock where Nila Madhava was being worshipped. 

As Vidyapati was made to go through the forest on foot, he could somehow manage to drop mustard seeds on the ground. As the seeds germinated after a few days, Vidyapati could easily trace the way to the lonely cave of Nila Madhava.

Thereafter, Vidyapati returned to Malwa and described his experiences to Indradyumna, who immediately set out on a pilgrimage to Odisha. But, when he reached this holy land, he found that Nila Madhava had miraculously disappeared. When he was thus in a state of deep sorrow, he received a divine direction to go to the sea-shore at Puri and to draw ashore a log of wood that would be floating on the waves. 

From this divine log, the body of Jagannatha, who is none other than Vishnu himself, was to be fabricated in a befitting manner. All this came to pass as per the divine indication, and the log of wood brought from the sea was ready for fabrication of the image of Jagannatha.

But there was none to be entrusted with the work since nobody could say that he had seen Vishnu and could convince the king how Vishnu could be fabricated in his best form out of a log of wood. At last, Vishnu took pity on his great devotee and appeared before him as an old carpenter.

After some discussion, he could evoke confidence in the king about his capabilities. As per his suggestion, it was decided that he should be allowed to remain in a closed room with a log of wood for 21 days to do the needful. He gave a severe warning that under no circumstances should he be disturbed or the door be opened within the specified date. 

The story goes, after 15 days, Gundica, the queen, being very kind-hearted, persuaded the king to open the door as she was apprehensive that the carpenter might have died by then, as no sound of any kind was heard from within.

Thus, when the door was opened at the king's command, no trace of the carpenter could be found, and all that could be seen as a set of four wooden images in incomplete form, i.e., the form in which we see and worship the images of Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarsana at present.

It has been already stated that the bodies of the deities of the Puri temple have been fabricated out of the logs of wood of the margosa tree. Any wooden object is liable to decay after a certain period and needs replacement. 

So the images of Jagannath require a change over to new idols. In the two months of Asadha, this new body change-over ceremony called the Nava Kalevara takes place, when the old images are replaced by new ones. 

Normally, this should take place once in 12 years, but actually, the shortest period has been 8 years, and the longest has been 19 years.

The various steps were taken by the temple authorities to celebrate the festival traditionally are very extensive.

Jagannath is worshipped as Daru 'Brahma. 'Daru in Sanskrit means wood or timber, and ‘Brahma’ means the all-pervading soul, the universal life force, the God of gods. 

What is known as Brahma in Jagannath is something unseen: that is there in his body. In that part of the wood log that represents the substance of the image, there is a cavity wherein a casket containing something unknown has been kept.

 Thus, that Daru or the wooden image containing this Brahma is called Daru Brahma.

The world-famous Car Festival of Lord Jagannath is held on' AshadhaSukla Dwitiya' -i.e., the 2nd day of the bright fortnight of Ashadha (June- July) every year. This festival is popularly known as Ratha Yatra, Gundicha Yatra, and also Ghosha Yatra.

On the Car Festival day, the deities are taken out of the temple and placed in their respective chariots, kept near the Singhadwar. The deities are carried to the chariots in a traditional ceremonial manner-first Sudarshana, followed by Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Jagannath. Balabhadra and Jagannath are made to swing forward and backward in a manner called 'Pahandi.'

The chariot of Lord Jagannath is known as Nandighosha. It has 16 wheels, and the colors of the fabrics that cover the roof of the chariot are red and yellow. The chariot of Lord Balabhadra is known as Taladhwaja. It has 14 wheels, and the colors of the fabrics are red and green. Subhadra's chariot 'Devadalana' has 12 wheels, and the fabrics are red and black.

Sudarshan is seated by the side of Subhadra in her chariot. Madanmohan, a representative deity of Jagannath, sits in the chariot of Lord Jagannath. So also two other small idols -Rama and Krishna-take their seats in the chariot of Balabhadra. These small idols are made of metal. 

Thus, actually, seven deities, namely Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra, Sudarshana, Madanmohan, Rama, and Krishna, are seated on three chariots and moved to a temple known as 'Gundicha Ghar,' which is at a distance of about 3 km from the Jagannath Temple. The chariot of Balabhadra is pulled first, followed by those of Subhadra and Jagannath.

On the first day, if any chariot cannot reach the Gundicha Ghar, it is pulled on the next day. On a ninth day, i.e., the Return Car Festival day, the deities are brought to the Singhadwar area of the Jagannath Temple. 

Some amazing facts about the temple:

The flag atop the temple has been observed to flap in the opposite direction of the breeze.

Irrespective of where you stand in Puri, it seems to you that the Sudarshana Chakra on top of the temple is always facing you.

Usually, in coastal areas during the day-time, the breeze blows from the sea towards the land, and during evening hours, it blows from the land towards the sea. But in the case of Puri, it is the reverse.

No birds fly over the Jagannath temple in Puri. 

The food cooked inside the temple every day will not go to waste.

After entering the temple from Singha dwara’s entrance, after the first step, you cannot hear any sound produced by the ocean. But, when you exit, it can be clearly heard. This can be noticed clearly during the evening. 

Type - Kalinga Architecture

Creator- Indradyumna

Completed - 1161 CE

Sudarsan, who is supposed to be the fourth important divine manifestation, is also worshipped with the celebrated trio, and these four are known as the Caturdha murti or the four-fold divine images. Besides, Madhava, a replica of Jagannatha, Sridevi, and Bhudevi, is also installed in the sanctum sanctorum and worshipped.

The temple of Jagannatha is one of the tallest monuments in the entire sub-continent of India, and its height is about 214 feet from the ground level. It stands on a raised platform of stone, measuring about ten acres. It is located in the heart of the town and presents an imposing sight. 

The temple is bounded by two compound walls, the outer one known as Meghanada Pracira and the inner one known as Kurma Pracira. The present temple was built in the 12th century A.D. The temple structure is full of excellent carvings and lovely pieces of sculpture and is a fine specimen of the Kalinga style. 

The Puri temple is built on a gigantic raised platform in the heart of the city. The temple complex is enclosed by a wall about seven meters high. The area of this platform is more than 4,20,000 sq. ft. 

The wall is pierced by four gates, facing the four directions. On the east-facing gate, there are stone images of two lions, and it is called the Lions Gate. The north, south, and west-facing gates are similarly known as the Elephant Gate, the Horse Gate, and the Tiger Gate (also called the Khanja Gate). 

At the vast open area in front of the Lions Gate (eastern gate), we see a monolithic pillar about 10 meters high. This pillar is known locally as the Aruna Stambha. In Hindu mythology, Aruna is the charioteer of the Sun-god.

As we cross the main entrance on the east and ascend the flight of steps leading to the main temple, we find on the left-hand side a vast kitchen area of the temple.  It can feed up to one lakh persons with only two to three hours' notice. The preparation method is most hygienic with the traditional process of preparation of food for so many people in so short a time.

The majestic temple is said to have been built by emperor Anangabhimadeva, historically identified as Angangabhima III, belonging to the Ganga dynasty.