Lokanath Temple, Puri

Lokanath Mahadev sits in central Puri, a short ride west of the great Shri Jagannath Mandir. The shrine is the principal Shiva-linga of Puri and is held by long-standing tradition to have been installed by Shri Ram himself during his lifetime — in some accounts, before his expedition to Lanka, and in others, after his return. The Shiva-linga is held to be partly submerged in water year-round; the inner sanctum is below the level of the surrounding floor, and tradition holds that the linga emerges only on Pankoddhar Ekadashi in Magha, shortly before Maha Shivaratri, when the water is ritually drained.

The shrine is a beloved bridge between the Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions of Puri. Pilgrims completing the Jagannath darshan often visit Lokanath the same day; the Shaiva pilgrim coming for the Pankoddhar Yatra also visits Jagannath. The bhav of Lokanath is of mutual reverence between Shiva and Vishnu — the very dharma that the Skanda Purana's Puri Mahatmya proclaims.

Pankoddhar Yatra

The most beloved festival at Lokanath is the Pankoddhar Yatra (Pankoddhar Ekadashi, three days before Maha Shivaratri) — once a year, the water inside the sanctum is ritually drained, the Shiva-linga is fully revealed, and pilgrims have direct darshan. The Pankoddhar ceremony is led by the Mahant of Lokanath with assistance from Shri Mandir pandits; the cooperation between Shaiva and Vaishnava priests during this rite is itself the great Vaishnava-Shaiva synthesis-tradition of Puri.