Alarnath Temple, Puri

Alarnath Temple, which is around 25 km from Puri in Brahmagiri is a popular pilgrimage destination for devotees of Lord Krishna. It is believed that during the Satya Yuga, Lord Brahma worshipped Lord Vishnu on a hill top, and pleased with him asked him to build a four-armed deity of Lord Vishnu from a single piece of black stone holding a conch shell, disk, club and lotus.

At the Alarnath Temple, Lord Vishnu is worshipped as Lord Alarnath. Garuda, Lord Vishnu’s eagle, can be found kneeling at the feet of the deity with hands folded in prayer. Rukmini and Satyabhama who are Lord Krishna’s queens, as well as an idol of Lord Chaitanya are found inside the temple.

A stone slab bearing impressions from Lord Chaitanya’s body is present in the temple and it is believed that the stone below Lord Chaitanya melted when he first lay in front of Lord Alarnath.