Puri

Chakratirtha

Temples, heritage and monuments

Chakratirtha is situated in Puri at a distance of about 3 km from the famous Jagannath Temple. It is a village of fishermen. In this village, there is a temple known by various names like Chakra Narasimha Temple, Chakra Nrusingha Temple, and Chakra Narayana Temple. A large Chakra of lord Vishnu is being worshiped in this temple. The Chakra is made up of granite stone. The Chakratirtha temple pays homage to three forms of lord Nrusingha. They are Abhaya Nrusingha, Laxmi Nrusingha, and Chakra Nrusingha. Abhaya Nrusingha represents lord Balabhadra, Laxmi Nrusingha represents Goddess Subhadra, and a Chakra Nrusingha represents lord Jagannath.

People believe that once, during a cyclone in Puri, the Neelachakra situated on the top of Jagannath temple was displaced from its place, flown away in the air, and finally fell at Chakratirtha. From that time, the place gained spiritual importance. The major festival of this place is the Narasimha Janma Festival. A large number of devotees visit the temple on this day to pay homage to the deities. The Chakratirtha temple pays homage to three forms of lord Nrusingha. They are Abhaya Nrusingha, Laxmi Nrusingha, and Chakra Nrusingha. Abhaya Nrusingha represents lord Balabhadra, Laxmi Nrusingha represents Goddess Subhadra, and a Chakra Nrusingha represents lord Jagannath. People believe that once, during a cyclone in Puri, the Neelachakra situated on the top of Jagannath temple was displaced from its place, flown away in the air, and finally fell at Chakratirtha. From that time, the place gained spiritual importance. The major festival of this place is the Narasimha Janma Festival. A large number of devotees visit the temple on this day to pay homage to the deities.