Alarnath Temple

Getting there

• By air

  The nearest airport is Biju Patnaik International Airport at Bhubaneswar.

• By train

  The nearest railway station is at Puri, and Sakhigopal is also a nearby train station.

• By road

  National Highway 203A passes through Brahmagiri. The temple is about 23 km from Puri.

Why devotees come here

Alarnath Temple is a Vishnu shrine in Brahmagiri, a semi-urban town in Puri district, Odisha. Brahmagiri is famous for it, and it is counted among the 108 Abhimana Kshethrams of the Vaishnava tradition. Hundreds of pilgrims visit, especially during the Anavasara festival.

Alarnath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, in Brahmagiri near Puri. It is counted among the 108 Abhimana Kshethrams of the Vaishnava tradition, and hundreds of pilgrims visit the shrine. Devotees believe that during Anavasara, when Jagannath cannot be seen in Puri, he appears as Alarnath Dev here. The temple also has a shrine to Vishnu's consort Mahalakshmi.

Legend says that during Anavasara, Jagannath and his sibling deities are taken to a secret chamber for 15 days. A devotee who could not see him was directed by Jagannath to visit the Alarnath temple at Brahmagiri. The temple is also linked with a visit to Odisha by the saint Ramanujacharya, and a stone where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu performed sankirtana is still kept here.

Brahmagiri is a semi-urban town in Puri district, which is a coastal district of Odisha. The temple is about 23 km from Puri, the district headquarters. National Highway 203A passes through the town.

Festivals

• Dark fortnight of Ashadha, after Snana YatraAnavasara

  Devotees believe Jagannath appears as Alarnath Dev at this temple, and large crowds come because he cannot be seen in Puri at this time.

Tips for your visit

• The kheeri offered to the deity during Anavasara is much in demand.
• Baliharachandi, another sacred place and tourist spot, lies about 10 km south of Brahmagiri.

Questions people ask