Puri: The holy trinity - Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, along with Lord Sudarshan had a lavish bath on Snana Purnima to beat the summer heat. Subsequently, as per the traditions, they fall sick with a fever, for the next 15 days. The siblings are then transferred to Anasara Ghara and become unavailable for a darshan. During this time, they are treated with herbs, flower and root extracts etc., just like human beings to cure the ailment.
The servitors follow secret rituals and perform the duties with proper care to rejuvenate the Lords. After Snana Purnima in Jagannath temple, the devotees start thronging to Alarnath temple located in Brahmagiri of Puri district to have a glimpse of Lord Alarnath, who is believed to be the avatar of Lord Jagannath.
It is widely believed that the Holy Trinity manifests itself in the 13th century Alarnath temple and darshan of this shrine during Anasara of deities bring same fortune and wellbeing.
The temple was established by the royal Alwar dynasty of Rajasthan and was named Alwarnath, which later became Alarnath with due course of time. It houses Lord Alarnath, the standing idol of four-armed Lord Vishnu, made of black chlorite.
It is believed that devotees have the blessings of Lord Jagannath after having darshan of Alarnath. They also get ‘Mahaprasad’ like the one in Jagannath temple in Puri. This apart, Alarnath’s favourite 'Pudding' (Khiri Prasad) is also available at the Ananda Bazaar here.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Dr Sarat Mohanty, Servitor, said, "There is a legend behind naming the temple after Lord Alarnath. Once during the ‘Anasara’ period, a devotee Alabandacharya could not see Lord Jagannath and while returning with deep mental agony he decided to commit suicide by jumping into the sea. The Lord could know the internal feeling of his devotee. He fulfilled the desire of his devotee by appearing before him in the form of Lord Narayan (Lord Vishnu) with four hands at Brahmagiri, located south of Puri at a distance of ‘Sata Kosha’ (Approximately 15 km). The image of Lord Narayan became famous at Alarnath after the name of the devotee Albandacharya. Likewise, the divine personality of Sri Chaitanya was overwhelmed with joy and became emotional after seeing Lord Jagannath in the image of Lord Alarnath."
"Visiting the temple makes you realise the omnipresence of the Lord. You feel that Lord Jagannath is present in this temple. It is believed that devotees going to Alarnath temple during the Anavasara period get the same feeling of satisfaction as seeing the Trinity at Jagannath temple. It is believed that Lord Jagannath, impressed with Saint Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's devotion, appeared in his dream and advised him to visit Alarnath temple in Brahmagiri. Accordingly, he went there to get a view of the Lord," Dr Mohanty added.
Likewise, there is another mythological story that the creator of the universe, Lord Brahma had come down to earth to consecrate the Sri Jagannath temple at Puri. The place where Lord Brahma landed first on earth became known as Brahmagiri in the subsequent period.
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