Home Away From Home: Lord Jagannath's 92-Year-Old Temple In Ajmer Where Devotees Pray With Same Faith And Tradition
Ajmer’s Jagannath Temple follows Puri’s sacred traditions, where Lord Jagannath enters a 15-day seclusion after His annual ceremonial bath before Rath Yatra, reports Priyank Sharma.
Published : June 30, 2026 at 11:37 AM IST
Ajmer: More than 2,005 kilometres away from Jagannath Dham in Puri stands a temple in Ajmer, where devotees immerse themselves in faith and tradition with as much fervour as they do at the Srimandir in the pilgrim town of Odisha. On Snana Purnima, held here too on Monday, the Trinity of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra was given the ceremonial bath in a manner similar to the rituals followed in Puri and then taken into seclusion for a period of 15 days after falling ill.
As devotees here say, the relationship with the Divine is not distant or symbolic, it is deeply personal. The Lord laughs, travels, rests, falls ill and recovers, allowing devotees to serve Him with the same affection they would offer a loved one, they believe.
Ever since the Shri Jagannath Temple in Ajmer came up 92 years ago, it has preserved every major ritual and tradition of the revered Jagannath Temple in Odisha. At the time, it was Rajasthan’s only temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath. Before the shrine was built, the sacred idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Sakshigopal were brought from Puri, ensuring that not just the deities but also the soul of Puri’s traditions found a home in Ajmer.
Nearly 300 devotees visit the temple every day, while hundreds more gather on Ekadashi and other important religious occasions.
This year, from June 30 to July 15, Lord Jagannath, believed to be suffering from fever following His annual ceremonial bath, will remain in seclusion for 15 days, away from public darshan. During this period, the temple priests lovingly care for Him as one would for an ailing member of the family - offering herbal Ayurvedic decoctions, light porridge and constant care until He is believed to have recovered.
A legacy built on devotion
Temple Trust Committee President Sanjay Kandoi says the temple was founded over 92 years ago by Ajmer industrialist Ram Richhpal Siriya, who purchased the land and built the shrine. For many years, Siriya and his family personally looked after the temple and its daily worship before entrusting its management to the Shri Agrawal Marwari Panchayat Dhada, which continues to preserve its religious traditions.
The temple’s official records document nearly 90 years of history. Kandoi says the idols have remained the same since the temple’s establishment. Unlike Puri, where the sacred idols are periodically replaced through the Nabakalebara ritual, Ajmer follows a different custom.
“In Puri, Lord Jagannath’s idols are replaced, but here only the colour of the idols is renewed during the month of Ashadha. The next extra lunar month of Ashadha will come in 2034. We will try to replace the idols then, and they too will be brought from Puri.”
The sacred bath that leads to seclusion
Kandoi explains that on June 29, the deities were ceremonially brought out of the sanctum sanctorum amid traditional music and celebrations. A grand four-hour abhishek was performed using fruit juices, fragrant substances, Panchamrit, water from sacred pilgrimage sites and holy rivers, and the Lords were bathed with water from 1,008 consecrated pots.
Going by the traditions of the Puri Srimandir, after the ceremonial bath the deities fall sick and remain in seclusion for the next 15 days. On the 16th day, they emerge for darshan and then begins the majestic Rath Yatra. They spend seven days at their maternal aunt’s home, where grand religious celebrations continue before He returns to His temple.
Four generations in the Lord’s service
Temple priest Pandit Bharat Sharma says he belongs to the fourth generation of his family serving Lord Jagannath. He recalls the stories passed down by his ancestors. “We have always heard from our forefathers that saints and sages brought these idols from Puri to Ajmer. As per Puri traditions, from June 30 to July 15, devotees will not be able to have darshan of the Lord. On July 16, the Lord will once again bless devotees with His darshan. Nayanotsav will be celebrated that day, and the Rath Yatra will begin,” he explains.
For devotee Mahendra Gehlot, who has visited the temple every day for the past two years, the ritual is much more than a tradition. Before he began visiting the Ajmer temple regularly, he had travelled to Jagannath Puri, where he first witnessed the Lord’s 15-day seclusion.
He recalls hearing a story that has stayed with him ever since. “I got to know that the Lord took a devotee’s suffering upon Himself, and this tradition of falling sick for two weeks began. For those 15 days, when the Lord suffers, devotees cannot have darshan of Lord Jagannath. Imagine the connection between the deity and the devotee,” he says.
Describing the feeling inside the temple, he pauses and says, “There is an extraordinary spiritual feeling here. It feels as though you are sitting beside Thakur Ji.”
He believes there is no difference between Ajmer and Puri. “Whether a devotee visits Jagannath Puri or comes to the Jagannath Temple in Ajmer, the experience is exactly the same,” he adds.
And perhaps the temple’s greatest lesson is contained in his final words. “The belief here is that if you keep your deeds righteous, Lord Jagannath blesses you according to your karma,” he says.
In an age where faith is challenged by distraction, Ajmer’s decades-old temple reminds believers of something timeless. For 15 days every year, devotees willingly surrender the joy of seeing their Lord so that they may instead serve Him in His moment of need. It is a tradition that transforms worship into compassion. In the eyes of His devotees, even Lord Jagannath is family.
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