Gundicha Temple

Gundicha Temple is a Hindu temple located at the northern end of Grand Road (Bada Danda) in Puri, Odisha, about 3 km from Shree Jagannath Temple. Built in Kalinga architectural style, it serves as the destination of the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra. The deities Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra stay here for nine days. The temple is set within a walled garden complex and remains largely empty outside the festival period.

Visitors can expect a walled temple complex set in a garden enclosure at the end of Grand Road. The complex includes a main temple built in Kalinga style with a vimana and jagamohana, surrounded by courtyards, boundary walls and small shrines. Outside the annual Rath Yatra period the sanctum is empty. During the festival the area is crowded with chariots and pilgrims. Visitors can walk around the outer compound, view the architecture and gardens, and observe daily worship when the temple is open.

Gundicha Temple is traditionally associated with Gundicha, the queen of legendary King Indradyumna, founder of the Jagannath Temple. The present structure is built in the Kalinga style and has been maintained as the garden temple for the Jagannath deities. It is historically significant as the ritual destination of the Rath Yatra, a tradition observed for centuries in Puri.

The temple holds major religious significance in the Jagannath tradition. During the annual Rath Yatra, the wooden deities of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are carried on chariots from Shree Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple where they reside for nine days. The stay symbolizes a visit to the deities' birthplace and aunt's house, and is marked by rituals, darshan and return journey known as Bahuda Yatra.