Jagannath Temple, Kanathur, Chennai

Location:

The Jagannath Temple is located in Reddy Kuppam Road, Kanathur, Chennai. The temple around 1 km away from the main road (ECR Road) and comes after the Mayajaal bus stop.

Description:

The Jagannath Temple is dedicated to Sri Vishnu as Jagannath along with Balaram and Subhadra. This temple is similar in appearance to the famous Puri Jagannath temple in Orissa.

Puri Jagannath Temple:

According to a legend, king Indradyumna, a king of Malwa who was a great devotee of Sri Vishnu had a desire to have a darshan of Sri Vishnu in His most perfect form. In a dream Indradyumna had a divine communication that Sri Vishnu can be seen in His best form in Utkala (Orissa). He deputed Vidyapati, the brother of the royal priest to find out this place of manifestation of Sri Vishnu. After an extensive search Vidyapati came to know that Sri Vishnu was worshipped as Sri Neela Madhava, an image of extraordinary lustre, by a Savara (a tribe) king named Viswavasu with great secrecy inside a dense forest. Viswavasu declined to reveal the place. Vidyapati finally managed to marry the daughter of Viswavasu named Lalita. After repeated request, Viswavasu took his son-in-law blind-folded in the cave where Neela Madhava was worshipped. However Vidyapati cleverly dropped mustard seeds while being taken blind-folded which germinated and made the cave traceable. Vidyapati informed king Indradyumna about Neela Madhava. The king immediately set out to visit the deity but it had disappeared. King Indradyumna was desparate to have a darshan. He started observing fast unto death. In dream the king had a vision of Lord Jagannath. Also a divine voice directed him to receive a fragrant tree on the seashore and make idols out of it. Accordingly the king got the image of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Chakra Sudarshana made out of the wood of the divine tree and installed them in the temple.

Shrines and Deities:

Main Shrines:

Sri Vishnu as Jagannath
Sri Balaram
Sri Subhadra

Sri Vishnu:

Sri Varaha avatara
Sri Nrusingha avatara
Sri Trivikrama avatara

Sri Shiva:

Sri Kasi Vishwanatha

Devi:

Devi Vimala (மா விமலா)
Devi Lakshmi (தெவி லக்ஷ்மி)
Devi Kataka Chandi
Devi Rama Chandi

Sri Ganesha:

Sri Kanchi Ganesha (காஞ்சி கனேஷ்)
Sri Batta Ganesha

Bhakta Hanuman:

Sri Bhakta Hanuman

Others:

Sri Brindavati (Tulsi Amman)
Sacred tree with vahanas (Garuda, Nandi, Owl, Peacock, Mouse etc)

Find Temples in Chennai by Locations:

Find Temples in Chennai by Deity Names:

Find Ashrams, Mutts and Temples related to Saints in Chennai:

Find Famous and Special Temples in Chennai:

Chart Temple Routes by referring to Chennai Bus Routes:
Chennai Bus Routes