Alarnatha Mandira

Alarnatha Temple or Alvarnaatha (Sanskrit:अल्वार् नाथ),(Oriya:ଅଲାରନାଥ) is a temple dedicated to Vishnu and located in Brahmagiri, Odisha, near Puri. It becomes crowded during the krishnapaksha of Ashadha, after the Snana Yatra when lord Jagannath cannot be seen in Puri. During this period, popularly known as Anasara or 'Anavasara' (literally meaning no opportunity to see the lord of Puri), instead of having darshan in Jagannath Temple, peoples believe that Lord Jagannath during this time manifests as Alarnath Dev, at the Alarnath temple in Brahmagiri, which is about 23 km from Puri.

Alarnatha

Historical evidence

The temple is associated with the visit of the Alwar saint Ramanujacharya to Orissa.[1]Chaitanya Mahaprabhu during his stay in Puri used to see Shri Jagannatha daily. During Anavasara when Lord and his siblings were taken to the secret chamber for 15 days, he was unable to see his dear Lord. So as per legend lord directed him to go to Brahmagiri and visit his another temple called Alarnath. Still today the Shila over which Mahaprabhu used to do Samkeertan is there. Many historians opine that Alwars once visited this place, but there is no mention of it in Divyaprabandam.

Temple timings

The temple opens at 6 AM and closes at 9:30PM. Baal Bhoga (breakfast) is offered in the morning. At midday, different kinds of rice, daal, and vegetable curries are offered along with kheeri (rice pudding) as dessert. At night, different kinds of pitha and khichudi with plantain fry is offered. During Anavasara time the Kheeri bhoga offered to Alvarnaath Swami is much hyped and in demand.

References
  1. K.K Kusuman (1990). A Panorama of Indian Culture: Professor A. Sreedhara Menon Felicitation Volume. Mittal Publications. p. 166. ISBN 978-81-7099-214-1.

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