Srilokanath Temple
This is the famous Siva Temple of Puri located about 1 Km away from the Jagannath Temple towards the western end. There is a popular belief that Lord Ram had installed this lingam with a Lauka or Pumpkin. The Temple was built during 10 - 11th century A.D. The devotees come here to see Lord Lokanath in order to be cured from any kind of disease. There are certain festivals observed in this temple out of w2hich ‘Saranti-somabar-mela’ is the important one. There is a stream on the heal of Savalinga playing the role of the Ganges and Linga’ itself remains under the water. The flowers, Sandal paste, ‘Bilva-Patra’, etc. offered to the God remain decomposed in that water emitting a special smell and taste being medicated as a whole. People take it as ‘Prasad’ in order to be cured from the disease that they suffer for. Here the level of the plinth of the Temple is much below like as in Manikarnika. The festival of Sivaratri is observed in the temple of Lokanath with great devotion. A meeting of Siva and Vishnu takes place on the day. The adjoining pond is known as Parvati Sagar. The environment is very beautiful. Lokanath highly venerated by the local people and regarded as one of the important Siva pithas of Srikshetra. Girnaribanta - Beyond Lokanath Temple Girnaribanta - an Ashrama has a picturesque ambience and little ahead the Sankareswar Siva temple and a garden of Chaitanya is also worth seeing.
