Five Tirthas of Jagannath Puri In Which One Must Take A Bath

Pilgrimage to the vibrant city of Puri is not merely a ritual or darshan of Lord Sri Jagannatha – it is a soul’s journey of surrender, purification, and to attain moksha, or liberation. Taking a punya snana in these five tirthas allows a soul to detach from worldly attachment and sins and move closer to the divine lotus feet of Lord Sri Jagannatha. Just as the presence of Lord Sri Jagannatha in the Sri Mandir sanctifies the entire region of Puri, the surrounding tirthas carry the divine grace of Lord Sri Jagannath Himself.

When you take a step towards Lord Sri Jagannatha, it is considered a spiritual milestone in a person’s life, marking it as an individual’s soul journey to receive god’s grace and seek eternal peace.

One gets immense punya by doing snana, dana, and devara darshan at these five places. These five tirthas are located in the surroundings of Sri Jagannatha Temple.

This Indradyumna Sarovara is formed when King Indradyumna performed 100 ashvamedha yagna and donated 1000 cows to brahmanas, as an act of charity. When cows were tied in a shed, their repeated action of hooves making a depression in the earth created this beautiful sarovara.

The water of this Kunda is known as ‘Karana Water’, since this water is the origin of creation. Besides this Kunda, there is a stone image of Nabhi Chakra and a four-foot-tall crow, Bhusandi Kaka.

According to the Skanda Purana, Bhusandi Kaka is a legendary sage crow who was cursed by the sage Lomasa. Aware of his impending death, Bhusandi Kaka flew towards Shankha Kshetra, looking for shelter for Lord Jagannatha, and also took a bath in Rohini Kunda.

Perched on the sacred Kalpabata, a sacred wish-fulfilling banyan tree, prayed to Lord Sri Jagannatha to liberate him from this curse. Unexpectedly, he fell from the tree into the Rohini Kunda. And transformed into a four-armed devotee of Lord Narayana. Still, this divine crow is worshiped here as Bata Narayana.

Besides this temple, there is a small temple dedicated to the worship of Swetha Madhava and Matsya Madhava.

Having the darshan of Markandeshwara after taking Punya snana in the holy waters Markandeya Sarovara, one obtains punya of performing Rajasuya Yajna and Ashwamedha Yajna.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the greatest Vaishnava devotee, after the demise of Haridasa, led a procession carrying His body.  Since he immersed the body of Haridasa Thakura, and bathed him in the sea, the Bay of Bengal, he declared it to be the greatest pilgrimage site.

Any devotee who visits Puri to have the darshan of Sri Jagannatha must know the importance of taking a bath at these five sacred tirthas.

Narasimha Temple: This ancient temple, located in Puri, Odisha, is dedicated to the worship of Lord Narasimha Swamy, also known as Yagna Narasimha.

Jagannath Temple: It is also known as Sri Mandir and is world famous for the annual Ratha Yatra conducted. Lord Jagannatha, Balabhadra, and Subhadra Devi are worshiped here.

By Railway: Jagannath Puri Railway Station is the nearest railway station. From here, taxis or cabs, auto rickshaws, and cycle rickshaws can be hired. Even bus facilities are also available to reach the temple.

By Road: OSRTC – Odisha State Road Transport Corporation runs regularly from various cities like Bhubaneswar, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Kolkata, Cuttack, Vizag, etc.