Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

s consider it essential to bathe in the Pancha Tirtha or the five sacred bathing spots of

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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, to complete a pilgrimage to Puri. The five sacred water bodies are: * Indradyumana Tank is located near the

Gundicha Temple Gundicha Temple (), is a Hindu temple, situated in the temple town of Puri in the state of Odisha, India. It is significant for being the destination of the celebrated annual Rath Yatra of Puri. While it remains vacant most of the year, the te ...

. The

Mahabharat The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succes ...

describes King Indradyumna's Ashvamedh Yagna and the advent of the four deities of the Jagannath cult. It describes how the holy Indradyumna tank was formed by the trodding of ground by thousands of cows donated by Indradyumna to Brahmins. To this day the Indradyumna tank is considered holy by pilgrims.

* Rohini Kunda is a sacred well located inside the

Jagannath Temple The Jagannath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Jagannath, a form of Vishnu in Hinduism. It is located in Puri in the state of Odisha, situated on the eastern coast of India. As per temple records, King Indradyumna of Avanti (reg ...

premises, near the

Vimala Temple The Vimala temple or Mãā Bimåḷā Deuḷå (Odia language , Odia - ମାଁ ବିମଳା ଦେଉଳ) is a Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Vimala or Bimala (ବିମଳା), located within the Jagannath Temple, Puri, Jagannath Temple ...

. The Rohini Kunda is considered the abode of Narayan. The holy banyan tree called the Akshaya Kalpavat located here is also worshipped. As per the

Puranas Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

, the hunter Jara Savara accidentally killed

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

and cremated him. Krishna appeared in Jara's dreams and told him that his remains would transform into a log that would float from the sea to the Rohini Kunda. Indradyumna with Jara's help located the holy log from which the idol of Jagannath was carved. * Markandeya Tank is considered the starting point of pilgrimage, for pilgrims to Puri. The water body is around 4 acres in size with the Markandeshwar Temple dedicated to Shiva situated beside it. * Swetaganga Tank is located to the south of

Nilachal Nilachala, also rendered Niladri is a region corresponding to Puri, in the Indian state of Odisha. Description According to the Skanda Purana, King Indradyumna of Avanti is said to have dreamt of the deity Nilamadhava. The king is regarded ...

. Temples dedicated to the

Matsya Matsya () is the fish avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. Often described as the first of Vishnu's Dashavatara, ten primary avatars, Matsya is described to have rescued the first man, Manu (Hinduism), Manu, from a great deluge. Matsya may be dep ...

Avatar of Vishnu and King Sweta are located on the banks of the tank. * The Sea also called the ''Mahodadhi'' is considered a sacred bathing spot in the '' Swargadwara'' area. The Samudra

arati ''Arti'' () or ''Aarati'' () is a Hindu ritual employed in worship, part of a '' puja'', in which light from a flame (fuelled by camphor, ghee, or oil) is ritually waved to venerate deities. ''Arti'' also refers to the hymns sung in praise of t ...

is a daily tradition started by the present Shankaracharya 9 years ago. The daily practise includes prayer and fire offering to the sea at Swargadwar in Puri by disciples of the matha. On Paush Purnima of every year the Shankaracharya himself comes out to offer prayers to the sea. According to another version the 5 tirthas of Puri are the 5 important places all Pilgrims coming to Puri must visit: # Balarama # The Akshay Vata # Markandeya tank # Indradyumna tank # The Sea

References

{{Reflist Puri district Tourist attractions in Puri district