Jagannath Temple, Puri: History, Timings & Visitor Guide

Jagannath Temple is open every day, usually from early morning to late evening with a break in the afternoon. Darshan and aarti timings change with the season and on festival days.

• MorningOpens early morning (around 5 to 6 AM)
• AfternoonShort break around midday at many temples
• EveningEvening aarti around sunset, closes by about 8 to 9 PM

Check the exact timings on the official website before your visit.

Dress Code & Temple Rules

• DressModest, traditional clothes covering shoulders and knees
• FootwearRemove before entering; use the shoe stand
• PhotographyNot allowed inside the sanctum
• Not AllowedLeather items, tobacco, alcohol, non-veg food
• QueueFollow queue lines and staff instructions on festival days

Literary and epigraphic evidence indicates that the site of present-day Puri (also known in early sources as Purusottama Kshetra or Nilachala) had religious significance prior to the construction of the current Jagannath temple by Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva in the 12th century CE. The Skanda Purana's Utkal Khanda has a dedicated section to Puri called the "Purushottama Kshetra Mahatmya", while the Narada Purana and Matsya Purana also refer to Purusottama Kshetra as a sacred location dedicated to Vishnu. The Prabodha Chandrodaya Nataka (c. 11th century CE) of Krishna Mishra also mentions a devayatana (temple or shrine) of Purusottama, indicating an established shrine before the Ganga period. Traditional accounts also record the visit of Adi Shankaracharya to Puri in the 8th-9th century CE, during which he established the Govardhana Matha, further supporting the presence of an active pilgrimage centre before the 12th century architectural phase.

The earliest major reconstruction of the Jagannath Temple complex at Puri is attributed to Anantavarman Chodaganga of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, who ruled c. 1078-1150 CE and established the foundational structure of the present temple around the early 12th century. This is supported by the Kendupatna copper-plate inscription of his descendant, Narasingha Deva I, and inscriptions from Rajendra Chola's maternal side. Anantavarman was originally a Shaivite, and became a Vaishnavite sometime after he conquered the Utkala region, in which the temple is located, in 1112 CE. A 1134–1135 CE inscription records his donation to the temple. Therefore, the temple construction must have started sometime after 1112 CE.

Anantavarman's successor Anangabhima Deva III (r. c. 1211-1238 CE) formally dedicated the kingdom of Utkala to Jagannath and issued copper-plate inscriptions describing himself as the Rauta (servant) of the deity rather than a sovereign ruler. During the 15th-16th centuries, the Gajapati kings of Odisha, such as Kapilendra Deva and his successors, institutionalised the temple as a major state-supported religious centre under the Gajapati monarchy.