Gundicha Temple
| Gundicha Temple | |
|---|---|
Gundicha Temple
|
|
 Gundicha Temple
Gundicha Temple
|
|
| Name | |
| Devanagari | गुंढिचा मंदिर |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 19°38′59.63″N 85°50′23.52″E / 19.6498972°N 85.8398667°ECoordinates: 19°38′59.63″N 85°50′23.52″E / 19.6498972°N 85.8398667°E |
| Country | India |
| State/province | Odisha |
| District | Puri |
| Locale | Badashankha |
| Culture | |
| Primary deity | Jagannath |
| Important festivals | Rath Yatra |
| Architecture | |
| Number of temples | One |
| History and governance | |
| Temple board | Shri Jagannath Temple Administration, Puri |
| Website | http://www.jagannath.nic.in/ |
Gundicha Temple (Odia: ଗୁଣ୍ଡିଚା ମନ୍ଦିର), is a Hindu temple, situated in the temple town of Puri in the state of Odisha, India. It is significant for being the destination of the celebrated annual Rath Yatra of Puri. While it remains vacant most of the year, the temple is occupied by images of the deities of Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra for seven complete days (total 9 days including the start and concluding day of Ratha Yatra) every year during the annual Rath Yatra festival.
Known as the Garden House of Jagannath, the Gundicha temple stands in the centre of a beautiful garden, surrounded by compound walls on all sides. It lies at a distance of about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the Shrimandira, the main temple of Jagannath. The two temples are located at the two ends of the Bada Danda (Grand Avenue) which is the pathway for the Rath Yatra.
The temple is built using light-grey sandstone and architecturally, it exemplifies typical Kalinga temple architecture in the Deula style. The complex comprises four components: vimana (tower structure containing the sanctum), jagamohana (assembly hall), nata-mandapa (festival hall) and bhoga-mandapa (hall of offerings). There is also a kitchen connected by a small passage. The temple is set within a garden, and is known as "God's Summer Garden Retreat" or garden house of Jagannath. The entire complex, including garden, is surrounded by a wall.
The sanctum features a plain raised platform (4 feet (1.2 m) high and 19 feet (5.8 m) long) made of chlorite called Ratnavedi, where the deities are placed during the annual festivities. The temple has two gates. The western gate is the main temple gate, through which the deities enter the temple during Ratha Yatra. The eastern gate, known as Nakachana gate, is used for the departure of the deities.
...
Wikipedia