Puri, June 25: During the third day of the 'Anasara' or quarantine period of Lord Jagannath, devotees flock to the Alarnath temple in Puri, Odisha. Following the Trinity's retreat to the Anasar Ghar due to high fever after the Snana Jatra, thousands of devotees depart Puri for the Alarnath temple in Brahmagiri. Here, they seek glimpses of Lord Vishnu, believed to be an incarnation of Lord Jagannath.
It is widely held that the Holy Trinity manifests itself at the 13th-century Alarnath temple during Anasara, and viewing this deity during the Trinity's illness is believed to bring fortune and well-being.
The temple was established by the royal Alwar dynasty of Rajasthan and was named Alwarnath, which later became Alarnath with due course of time. It houses Lord Alarnath, the standing idol of four-armed Lord Vishnu, made of black stone.
It is believed that devotees have the blessings of Lord Jagannath after having darshan of Alarnath. They also get ‘Mahaprasad’ like the one in Jagannath temple in Puri. This apart, Alarnath’s favourite 'Pudding' (Khiri Prasad) is also available at the Ananda Bazaar here.
According to some senior servitors, "There is a legend behind naming the temple after Lord Alarnath. Once during the ‘Anasara’ period, a devotee Alabandacharya could not see Lord Jagannath and while returning with deep mental agony he decided to commit suicide by jumping into the sea. The Lord could know the internal feeling of his devotee. He fulfilled the desire of his devotee by appearing before him in the form of Lord Narayan (Lord Vishnu) with four hands at Brahmagiri, located south of Puri at a distance of ‘Sata Kosha’ (Approximately 15 km). "
It is believed that Lord Jagannath, impressed with Saint Sri Chaitanya's devotion, appeared in his dream and advised him to visit Lord Alarnath in Brahmagiri. Accordingly, he went there to get a view of the Lord", said another senior servitor. Similarly, there is another mythological story that the creator of the universe, Lord Brahma had come down to earth to consecrate the Sri Jagannath temple at Puri. The place where Lord Brahma landed first on earth became known as Brahmagiri in the subsequent period.
Legend also has it that Lord Brahma worshipped Lord Vishnu here on the top of the hill. The 13th century Alarnath temple was built by a ruler of the royal Alwar dynasty of Rajasthan. Then the temple was known as Alwarnath. With the passage of time, the temple’s name changed and it gradually became known as Alarnath temple.
Here in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, the standing idol of four armed Lord Vishnu holding ‘sankha’ (conch shell), ‘chakra’ (wheel), ‘gada’ (mace) and ‘padma’ (lotus) is worshipped. The idol is made of black chlorite. Lord’s carrier Garuda can be found kneeling at the feet of the deity with hands folded in a prayer position.
