The famous Shiva temple of
Puri, Loknath Temple is only 1 km west of the
Jagannath Temple. Built around the 11th century, the
shivling of this temple is believed to have been installed by
Lord Ram. The shivling of this temple always remains under the water. It is believed that
Goddess Ganga flows as a stream over the head of the shivling, playing the role of Ganga.
The important festival is ‘Saranti-Somobar-mela’. Devotees visit here to seek darshan of Lord Loknath in order to get relief from the disease that they are sufferring from. They offer flowers, sandal paste and Bilva-patra, to the deity.
The temple is on the outskirts of the city. Puri is 50 km from Bhubaneswar by road and 35 km from Konark on Marine Drive. It has direct trains from Kolkata, New Delhi, Tirupati and Ahmedabad.
