5. ISKCON Puri
Objectives:
Objective 2: To outline the deities worshipped in Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Mandir.
Objective 4: To appreciate the temple as a center for spiritual, cultural, and social upliftment.
Objective 5: To list the major festivals celebrated at the ISKCON Temple, Puri.
Objective 6: To describe the architectural features of the ISKCON Temple, Puri.
Objective 7: To understand the accessibility of the temple for all visitors throughout the week.
Objective 8: To plan a convenient route to reach the ISKCON Temple in Puri and to know the location.
Introduction
Objective 1: To highlight the spiritual importance of the ISKCON Temple in Puri as a center of Bhakti yoga.
The ISKCON temple in Puri (Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Mandir) holds significant spiritual, cultural, and educational value by promoting Bhakti yoga (devotional service) near the sacred Jagannath Dham.
Deities
Objective 2: To outline the deities worshipped in Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Mandir.
The ISKCON Temple in Puri, also known as Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Mandir, is devoted to Lord Krishna. The shrine houses idols of Lord Krishna, Lord Balaram and Devi Subhadra in the main sanctum.
There are idols of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and Sachidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura in sitting posture, next to each other, in the prayer hall. The temple is famous for its sacred Mangal Aarti, performed in the morning and Sandhya Aarti, performed in the evening.
Relationship between Puri and ISKCON
Objective 3: To trace the connection of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu with Puri and its spiritual importance.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, after accepting the order of sannyas, made his headquarters at Puri upon the request of his mother, Sachi Mata. His associate Haridas Thakur also lived there and was given samadhi by Mahaprabhu. So this place is important for his followers.
Bhaktivinoda Thakur worked in Puri, and his son Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur was born there. His disciple was A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
In 1972 A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada expressed his desire to build a grand ISKCON center in Puri. After many years of planning, the ISKCON Puri project actually began on July 17, 2015 with a grand spiritual ceremony which included: Vedic rituals (homas), Installation of Ananta Shesha in the foundation, marking the official start of the ISKCON Puri project.
It is situated on 18 acres of land at Sipasirubuli on the Southwestern side of the town.
Key aspects of the ISKCON Puri Temple include
Objective 4: To appreciate the temple as a center for spiritual, cultural, and social upliftment.
● Devotional Worship: The center focuses on the worship of Radha-Krishna while honoring the traditions of Lord Jagannath.
● “Food for Life” Service: The center serves free, sanctified food (prasadam) to visitors. ISKCON Puri Food For Life is our endeavor where they distribute sumptuous and nutritious food to needy people in slums, schools, and hospitals.
They also distribute food within 10 miles of a circle from our temple as per the instruction of Srila Prabhupada the founder Acharya of ISKCON.
● Cultural and Educational Hub: The planned large-scale project includes a Lord Jagannath Lila Museum, a library, an auditorium, a Vedic school, and an Ayurvedic clinic.
● Spiritual Education: It promotes the teachings of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Chaitanya, focusing on the Hare Krishna mahamantra.
● Visitor Facilities: The center provides a guesthouse for tourists and devotees (Life Patrons), facilitating comfortable visits to the holy city.
Festivals celebrated at ISKCON Temple Puri
Objective 5: To list the major festivals celebrated at the ISKCON Temple, Puri.
A number of festivals are celebrated in this temple including Guru Purnima, Jagannath Rath Yatra, Nityananda Trayodashi, Gaura Purnima, Diwali, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Jayanti, Radhashtami, Ram Navami, Govardhan Puja and many others. Devotees come in large numbers to take part in these festivities.
Architecture of ISKCON Temple Puri
Objective 6: To describe the architectural features of the ISKCON Temple, Puri.
The temple is a three-storey, pink-colored structure with a beautifully crafted entrance door, featuring two intricately-designed pillars. Inside the temple, there is a prayer hall featuring the idols.
At the end of the prayer hall lies the main sanctum. The sanctum is well lit and decorated, with its entrance door featuring golden-colored decorative at the top and on the sides.
ISKCON Temple Puri Timings and Entry fee
Objective 7: To understand the accessibility of the temple for all visitors throughout the week.
There is no entry free to visit the ISKCON Temple in Puri. It remains open all days of the week from 4.30 am till 1 pm and then from 4.15 pm till 9 pm.
Location and How to reach
Objective 8: To plan a convenient route to reach the ISKCON Temple in Puri and to know the location.
The ISKCON Temple in Puri is about 3.8 km from the bus stand and 3.6 km from the railway station.
Puri does not have an airport. The nearest airport is Biju Patnaik International Airport, about 60 km away. From the airport, you can hire a taxi to reach Puri in about an hour.
Alternatively, you can travel by train or bus from Bhubaneswar to Puri.
