(Top) Alarnath temple in Brahamagiri near Puri. (Below) Devotees collect khiri (rice porridge) as prasad from the temple. Pictures by Sarat Patra

Bhubaneswar, June 23: The Alarnath temple in Brahmagiri is resonating with the prayers of lakhs of devotees everyday. It may not be the ultimate destination for worship in the state, but followers of Lord Jagannath flock the temple during the fortnight-long hibernation of their deity to get a glimpse of Lord Krishna who resides here as Lord Alarnath.

Apart from the devotional part, the khiri (rice porridge) prepared in the temple as an offering to the deity is immensely popular among visitors. Situated in Brahmagiri, around 25km from Puri, the temple has an interesting legend behind its name.

“According to mythology, the temple has earned its name after the Alwar royal dynasty of Rajasthan. It is said that the shrine was established by one of the Alwar rulers and hence been named as Alwarnath or Alarnath,” said Kedar Sahoo, a devotee.

The deity here has been carved out of black marble and has four arms holding conch, club, lotus and chakra. A unique feature of the temple is that the flower of Lord Vishnu — Garuda —is seen kneeling near the feet of Alarnath here. Lord Krishna’s queens Rukmini and Satyabhama are also worshipped in the temple.

Visitors believe that saint Chaitanya had visited the shrine during the Anavasara period (hibernation) of Lord Jagannath to seek blessings of the deity here.

Thus, the tradition of paying a visit to Brahmagiri during the fortnight before rath yatra has become a norm for lakhs of devotees who can be found waiting patiently in a long queue for their turn outside the temple.

“I have been waiting here for two hours now. But that’s fine since it is important to be patient to seek divine blessings of Lord Jagannath who is missing from the Puri temple, but is here in form of Alarnath,” said Manas Ranjan Palai, a devotee.

The khiri sellers of the temple wait for this period as they make brisk business, with devotees placing huge orders for takeaways.

“We make business worth lakhs within this fortnight when people visit the temple in huge numbers. Though there is a good footfall during the rest of the year, the khiri we prepare, famous all over the state, is in heavy demand at this time,” said a khiri trader of the temple.