Alarnatha Mandira or Alvarnaatha Mandira (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: अल्वार् नाथ), ( Odia: ଅଲାରନାଥ) is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

dedicated to

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

and located in

Brahmagiri, Odisha Brahmagiri is a semi-urban town in Puri district, Odisha, India. Geography It is located at at an elevation of 10 m above MSL. Major Attractions Brahmagiri is famous for the Alarnatha Mandira. Hundreds of pilgrims visit the shrine here duri ...

, near

Puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...

. It becomes crowded during the krishnapaksha of

Ashadha Ashadha or Aashaadha or Adi () is a month of the Hindu calendar that corresponds to June/July in the Gregorian calendar. In India's national civil calendar, this month is the fourth month of the year, beginning on 22 June and ending on 22 July. I ...

, after the

Snana Yatra The Snana Yatra (), also spelt Snana Jatra, is a bathing festival of deities celebrated on the ''purnima'' ( full moon day) of the Hindu month of Jyeshtha. It is the auspicious birthday of Jagannath. It is an important festival for Hindus. Thi ...

when devotees are not allowed to see the central icon of

Jagannath Jagannath (; formerly ) is a Hindu deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India as part of a triad along with (Krishna's) brother Balabhadra, and sister, Subhadra. Jagannath, within Odia Hinduism, is the supreme god, '' Purushot ...

(a form of Vishnu) in his Puri temple. During this period, popularly known as ''Anasara'' or 'Anavasara' (literally meaning no opportunity to see the lord of Puri), instead of having

darshan Darshan, a Sanskrit word meaning "sight" or "viewing", may refer to: Ceremony and religion * Darshan (Indian religions), the auspicious sight of a divine image or holy person; also a school of Hindu philosophy * Darshan (Judaism), a Scriptural ...

in the Puri temple, devotees believe that Jagannath during this time manifests as Alarnath Dev, at the Alarnath Mandira in Brahmagiri, which is about 23 km from Puri. It is considered one among the ''108

Abhimana Kshethram Abhimana Kshethram or Abhimana Sthalam are a list of 108 sacred Vishnu temples apart from the other 108 Divya desams. ''Abhimana desams'' or close abodes, these temples are the most significant temples in the Vaishnavism, Vaishnavite tradition ...

'' of Vaishnavate tradition.

Historical evidence

The temple is associated with the visit of the saint

Ramanujacharya Ramanuja ('; Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmānuja; 1077 – 1157), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and social reformer. He is one of the most important exponents of the Sri Vaishnavi ...

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; ), born Vishvambhara Mishra () (18 February 1486 – 14 June 1534), was an Indian Hindus, Hindu saint from Bengal and the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna with bha ...

during his stay in

used to see the deity form of

daily. During Anavasara when Jagannath and his sibling deities were taken to the secret chamber for 15 days, he was unable to see the Lord. So as per legend, Jagannath directed him to go to Brahmagiri and visit the Alarnath temple. Still today the Shila over which Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to do Sankirtana is there. Many historians opine that

Alvars The Alvars () are the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused '' bhakti'' (devotion) to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, in their songs of longing, ecstasy, and service. They are venerated in Vaishnavism, which regards Vishnu as the ...

once visited this place, but there is no mention of it in Divyaprabandam. But still the temple is considered one among the 108

of Vaishnavate tradition.

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 Pithas () are a variety of food similar to pancakes, dumplings or fritters, originating from India and Bangladesh. Pitha can be sweet or savoury, and usually made from a dough or batter, which is then steamed, fried or griddled. Very few varieties ...

and khichudi with plantain fry is offered. During Anavasara time the Kheeri bhoga offered to Alvarnaath Swami is much hyped and in demand.

References

info about templehistory of the lord of Alvars
{{Hindu temples in Orissa Vishnu temples Hindu temples in Puri district Abhimana temples of Vishnu