Jagannath Temple, Puri

High school (ages 12+)
Holidays & Celebrations

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/jagannath-temple--puri

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the age of current temple structure?Construction began in the 11th century under King Anantavarman Chodaganga
2. What is the influential figures associated?Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Adi Shankaracharya, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
3. What is the Jagannath Temple in Puri?The Jagannath Temple is a big, famous temple in Puri, India, where people worship the wooden god Jagannath and his brothers Balabhadra and Subhadra.
4. Why are the idols made of wood?The idols are carved from neem wood and are replaced every 12 or 19 years in a secret ritual called Nava Kalebara, because the wood is seen as a living deity that needs renewal.

Abhimana Kshethram: Sacred pilgrimage sites revered by Vaishnavites, sanctified by the presence of deities.
Nava Kalebara: The elaborate ritualistic ceremony of replacing the wooden deities of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra.
Syncretism: The blending of different religious or cultural beliefs and practices into a new whole.
Aniconic Worship: Worship of deities in symbolic or abstract forms rather than anthropomorphic images.