The pride of
Ranapur, Jagannath Temple is situated on the banks of the river Mandakini. Built by Shri Uddhab Narandra in 1363, this 90 ft tall, exquisite temple enshrines three images of 5 ft inch each. The image of
Lord Jagannath enshrined here was brought from
Puri. The temple follows the same rituals as that of Puri. The temple premises offer breathtaking views of the Mainaka and Dhanya range of mountains.
There is a fascinating story behind the installation of this temple. Shri Uddhab Narandra, the erstwhile ruler of Ranapur, was an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath of Puri. He used to visit the temple every morning, which was around 65 km from Ranapur at that time. Though the journey was so tiresome, he never failed his journey to Puri. The god was so pleased with his devotion and appeared in a dream of King Pratap Rudra Deva of Puri. He asked the King to deliver one out of the sixteen images of Lord Jagannath in the temple of Puri to the King of Shri Uddhab Narandra, Ranapur.
Ranapur, 30 km south-east of
Nayagarh, can be easily approached after crossing the Jagannath Road. The nearest
railhead and
airport are at
Bhubaneswar, which is around 60 km from Ranapur.
