Lord Jagannatha Dham is located at Puri in the state of Odisha in INDIA. It is situated on the sacred Mahadodhi (Presently known as the Bay of Bengal) on the Eastern Part of India. It is one of the most revered pilgrimage site out of four sites in Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism).

The name JAGANNATHA is a Sanskrit word the means " Lord of the Universe". It's made up of two words: JAGAT means "Universe" and NATHA means " Lord or Master". 

The temple of Lord Jagannatha constructed by King Indradyumna is considered to be the tallest monument of the world with 1000 cubits high and also the m​ost beautiful Temple for Lord Vishnu.

History of the Legendary Lord Shree Jagannatha:​

Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladeva and Maa Subhadra are worshipped on the Ratnavedi along with Sudarshan chakra. The four deities are carved out of dark coloured Neem wood, which is considered auspicious for all castes. This also signifies that Jagannath is beyond space and time and , symbol of universal love and brotherhood. This depicts the uniqueness of Shri Jagannath deity unlike other deities in Hindu temples, which are carved out of stone and precious metals. The deities are adorned  with different clothing and jewels according to the season.

The well-known  descriptions, as found in the Skanda-Purana, Brahma Purana and other Puranas and later Odia Puranas  state that, Lord Jagannath was formerly worshipped as Shri Neela Madhaba by a Savara king, the tribal chief named Viswavasu.

King Indradyumna was ruling over the Malava Country in Satya Yuga, the age of Truth. He was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. After knowing about the Lord, King Indradyumna directed a Brahmin priest, Vidyapati to discover the deity, who was worshipped secretly in a dense forest by Viswavasu. Vidyapati tried his paramount resources to locate the place, but he failed in the beginning . However, at the end, he managed to convince Viswavasu’s daughter Lalita to marry him. Following the marriage , due to repetitive requests of Vidyapti, Viswavasu took his son-in-law blind folded to a cave where Lord Neela Madhaba was worshipped. Vidyapati was intelligent, in order to identify the path, he dropped mustard seeds on the ground, while he was travelling along Vidyapti . The  mustard seeds sprouted into plants in a few days, which identified the way to the cave later on. On hearing the good news from him, King Indradyumna proceeded instantly to Odra desha, now known as Odisha, on a pilgrimage to visit the Lord. But on arrival  he found the deity was missing. The king felt dejected but was adamant not to return without having a darshan of the Lord . He decided to perform fast unto death at Mount Neela, then a celestial voice cried ‘Thou shalt see him.’

Subsequently the king performed one thousand Ashwamedha Yajna(sacrifice) and built a magnificent temple for Vishnu. The first Murti of Lord Narasimha was brought by Narada which got installed in the temple. Subsequently, during sleep, the king got an image in his dream of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Chakra Sudarshan. A cosmological voice also directed him to bring the massive dark coloured Divine Log of wood floating in the seashore and make idols out of it.

Sage Narada advised to bring the Divine Log of wood to a high altar, presently identified as the Mahavedi. Then Shri Viswakarma, the divine architect emerged in the guise of a wrinkly oldie carpenter and requested the king for giving him an opportunity to carve the wooden idols which were to become deities. The carpenter had made one condition with the king and queen, stating not to open the door of the till 21 days. However, just after two weeks, one fine day, the Queen became very anxious as she couldn’t hear any noise from inside. She assumed the carpenter to be dead and requested the king to open the door. On the 17^thday, the king opened the door, but to their surprise , they found the three idols unfinished with incomplete  hands , and carpenter being disappeared. But a divine voice told King Indradyumna to install these deities in the temple. The king Indradyumna then requested Shri Viswakarma to build a magnificent temple to house the deities, near the Kalpabata. Finally, the deities were installed in the temple by Brahma with divine rituals.​

Lord Jagannath is known as “Darubrahma“. In the 28th Chapter of Skanda-Purana Purushottama-kshetra Mahatmya, Lord Brahma Himself reveals the true identity of Lord Shri Jagannath when he instructs King Indradyumna with these words: “Thinking it is a wooden image, O pre-eminent King, let there not be the idea in you that this is a mere image; this is verily the form of Supreme Brahman (Supreme Omnipresent God). As Param-Brahman takes away all sorrows and confers eternal bliss, He is known as Daru. According to the four Vedas therefore, the Lord is manifest in the form of Daru (sacred wood). He is the Creator of the entire Universe. He has also created Himself.”(Chapter 28, verses 39-41).  

King Indradyumna then introduced the daily and special festive rituals of the Lord, as per scriptures, which continues till date. The temple of Lord Jaganath constructed by King Indradyumna is considered to be the tallest monument of the world with 1,000 cubits high and also the most beautiful Temple for Lord Vishnu.

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