Travel to Alarnath

Tripoto
15th May 2018

On one fine morning, Daddy told us to plan for a visit to Alarnath. It is plus 19 kilometers away from Puri and is famous during the period between Bath Festival of Lord Jagannath and world famous car festival. During this time fever catches Lord and then he takes rest for 14 days. During that time public darshan of the Lord is not allowed and for this people reach to Alarnath to see him.

He is considered as Lord jagannath and when people see him it is considered as pious and according to supreme religious thinking it is one of the holiest occasions one can find more fruits of seeing Lord during time of his fever. It is part of the greatest feelings of humans which no one could ever deny of. We have planned a visit there and hire a cab and that car owner is known to us and for this it is extremely critical for us to observe this wonderful occasion. It is 19 kilometers from the home town and reaching there the roads are very good and newly laid roads give us extremely wonderful piece of peaceful driving all across there.

We moved towards Narendra pond which is famous for religious understandings and from there we move towards the road that leads to brahmagiri. From there, we could be moving slowly towards the path to Alarnath who is considered as jagannath, the Lord of Universe. The road is serpentine and driving through this road takes caliber as there are many villages nearby and most of the time their markets grow beside main roads. Many villagers have to throw raw rice on the road in order to dry it out and then they would be collecting those rice from there. It is sort of one such tradition which they think would generate more interests among various new visitors.

As during these 14 days of years visitors used to flock into this territory to see Lord and for this all these areas of 19 kilometers are now filled with many devotees who are reaching here through various means. That day was Sunday and for these schools and colleges are closed and that is why a slightly lesser population there. More and more people are flocking there from different directions to see Lord Alarnath. Slowly, we reached there by reaching sub-divisional township of Brahmagiri. It is now slowly seeing the fruits of development as their member of the legislative assembly (MLA) is now a minister. Many new constructions and other developmental signs are there all around and people there have been rejoicing in this of their never grown up in stature.

Now, the cab reached at the taxi stand, and this year they have been taking money for a taxi and it is 20 rupees for cars. It is fine as it goes on to show how; some young individuals are getting employed as a result of this. It is kind of temporary arrangement of employment and hopes no politics is getting overlooked there. Hope there should not be risk of collecting money from cars in the future and the amount of money they collect should be a reasonable amount not to hurt the common people.

We reached at the back side of the temple and from there we have decided to reach the temple without footwear as it is perceived among many devotees to reach the temple without footwear as this can make them close nearer to Lord itself. It is a wonderful feeling which even soils reach to us as if they want us to calm down before reaching nearer to the Almighty. We have put all footwear inside the cab and the driver is there and he says he would be there and there is no danger to footwear.

From home, we have taken all necessary objects like incense sticks, ghee, flowers, coconuts, bananas in order to offer Lord. There is a cordon and everywhere there is the policy so as to keep these areas completely secure. There are rope divisions everywhere so people would reach the temple with a row from different directions.

First, we washed legs and hands from a stream of taps and then we reached the altar of the Lord by going through short rows. Luckily, while we have reached at the temple premises, at that time there are lesser people and we reached inside altar of Lord Alarnath and offered prayer there and luckily with the gracious of the Lord, there were fewer people. As we belong to Lord Jagannath inner Brahmin servitor class, for this we feel enchanted to see Lord there and it gives immense satisfaction to see Lord in front of us.

It has been immeasurable satisfaction to see Lord Alarnath’s temple and small shops have been flowered nearer to temple premises. Similarly, Lord is being offered famous rice and milk mixed food which is very nice and renewed and it is available inside Ananda Bajar (food market of the Lord) where many people having reaching there in order to get humble pie of the Lord. It is a matter of great pride to reach there and we all of these and then bought one for the driver and then one big Prasad of the Lord for sibling’s in-laws home.

As it is a matter of great pride for us to take the plate of Prasad to in-laws home and give it to her so that they can serve these Prasad and unite with Lord’s extremely graceful blessings. We moved from there and then daddy told us that from 19 kilometers from here famous Bali Harachandi temple which is famous for Goddess Harachandi, and the temple is above a hill top and one has to go with a slight ghat road in order to reach there. surprisingly the road there is full of nice new patched version and some part of roads is still under-construction.

Day 1

The road is nice and new and driving inside that roads must have been a great pleasure to driver. For several years, I have traveled all around but not able to visit nearer nice places such as Lord Alarnath’s temple at Brahmagiri and Bali Harachandi temple of Goddess Bali Harachandi, where the road ends. What a beautiful scenario it has been and how this has changed my beautiful perception about my birth place.

https://mohanmekap.com/2015/06/travel-to-alarnath/