Vimala Temple Durga Puja and Durga Madhav Yatra

A devotional image of Goddess Bimala (Vimala). The uploader does not name the shrine, and photography is not allowed inside Srimandir. Photo: Satya Narayan Baral, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Durga Puja at Vimala Temple

विमला मंदिर में दुर्गा पूजा

Page 6 of 7. Checked 17 October

Durga Puja is the biggest festival at Vimala Temple. Puri keeps it with rites that few other temples have. Exact dates and timings change every year and we could not find an official schedule. This page tells you what the sources say and how to plan.

Quick answer: At Vimala Temple the festival includes the Sola Puja, a worship of 16 rites, and the Durga Madhav Yatra, when the festival deities go out in procession. Dates follow the Hindu calendar and change every year. Ask SJTA or watch the official YouTube channel before you travel.

Last verified: 17 October 2026. Timings, rules and facilities at Srimandir can change. Please confirm with the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration before you travel.

Festival	Durga Puja, linked with Navratri
Special rites	Sola Puja (16 rites, per ISKCON and Bhakti Bharat) and the Durga Madhav Yatra
Dates	Follow the Hindu calendar. They change every year, so check the current year with SJTA
Crowds	Heavy. Plan for the morning
Check first	SJTA website, its official YouTube channel, and local news

What Happens at Vimala Temple

विमला मंदिर में क्या होता है

ISKCON's pages and a Bhakti Bharat article describe the Sola Puja at Vimala Temple. They say it has 16 rites. Both are third-party pages, so treat the details as reported, not as temple rules.

The Orissa Review (2005) describes the Durga Madhav Yatra. It says Durga and Madhava are taken together in a chariot to the Narayani temple on the ninth day of Dussehra. Madhava is the Vaishnava deity who joins the festival on behalf of Lord Jagannath. The article says the festival continues for nine days. Its own account of when the festival begins is not consistent, so we do not state a date.

Wikipedia's article on Vimala Temple adds that the Durga Puja at Vimala lasts 16 days in the month of Ashvin and ends on Vijayadashami. On that day the Gajapati king is said to worship Vimala as Durga. It traces the oldest record of Durga-Madhava worship on Vijayadashami to the Konark stele of King Narasimhadeva I. This is one reference work, so treat it as reported, not as a temple notice.

Why this matters: Tantric tradition calls Jagannath the Bhairava of Vimala. See Vimala Temple Puri History and Shakti Peetha Story. The festival shows both sides of Puri's worship together.

Navratri and Durga Puja Dates

नवरात्रि और दुर्गा पूजा की तिथियाँ

Navratri dates come from the Hindu calendar, so they move every year. Our posts on Navratri and Navratri Day 6, Katyayani cover the nine days. Odisha can keep Dussehra on a different day from other states, and local temples fix their own ritual days. We could not verify the temple's own schedule, so check with SJTA.

A travel site, Hindutone, lists temple schedules across India for these days. Treat it as a guide. SJTA's own notice is the one to trust.

Plan Your Visit in Festival Days

उत्सव के दिनों में यात्रा की योजना

1. Check the SJTA website and the official YouTube channel a week before you travel.
2. Book your train and room early. Festival days fill Puri.
3. Go in the morning. Ritual closures in the evening are common, as in Vimala Temple Puri Timings, Rules and Live Darshan.
4. Wear the dress code clothes, and leave your phone at your stay.
5. Do not pay for a special line. SJTA says there is no VIP darshan.

The Jagannath Temple area at night. Photo: Alfrieak, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Tips for Seniors and Families

बुज़ुर्गों और परिवारों के लिए सुझाव

• Take a helper. Crowds are heavy and the one-way system may be in use.
• Wheelchairs are reported as not allowed inside. The ramp and volunteer-assisted darshan pilot is not confirmed to be running.
• Keep children close and agree on a meeting place.

Beware

सावधान

• Fake sites that sell festival puja or darshan in the temple's name.
• Touts who offer special entry. There is none.
• Hotel sites with prices that look too low.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers

When is Durga Puja at Vimala Temple?

It follows the Hindu calendar and moves every year. We could not verify the temple's own schedule. Check SJTA.

What is the Sola Puja?

ISKCON and Bhakti Bharat call it the Sola Puja and say it has 16 rites. Wikipedia says the festival lasts sixteen days, and the Orissa Review puts it at nine days. None of these is a temple notice, so confirm with SJTA.

What is the Durga Madhav Yatra?

The Orissa Review describes Durga and Madhava going together in a chariot to the Narayani temple on the ninth day of Dussehra. Madhava joins on behalf of Lord Jagannath.

Is there special darshan during Durga Puja?

There is no VIP darshan, as per SJTA. Public darshan may be paused for rituals.

Can I watch the festival online?

The official SJTA YouTube channel streams from Srimandir. Whether it shows festival rites on a given day is not certain.

Is the temple very crowded in the festival?

Yes, crowds are heavy. Go in the morning and keep time in hand.

Is Dussehra on the same day in Odisha?

Not always. Odisha can differ from other states. Ask the temple.

Maa Vimala Temple - Complete Guide (7 pages)

• Page 1: Complete Guide (Hub)
• Page 2: History, Story and Scripture
• Page 3: Timings, Rules and Live Darshan
• Page 4: How to Reach Vimala Temple
• Page 5: Places to Visit Nearby
• Page 6: Durga Puja and Durga Madhav Yatra (you are here)
• Page 7: Fact Check, True or False

Plan your Puri trip

Book Flights (search Bhubaneswar)Book Bus (search Puri)Book Hotels (search Puri)

Affiliate links - booking through these links supports Dekho Dham at no extra cost to you. They open general search pages, so enter your own city and dates. Never pay anyone for a "darshan booking" through these or any other site.

Sources and further reading

• Orissa Review (Government of Odisha), July 2005: Saktism in Purusottama Kshetra
• Wikipedia: Vimala Temple
• ISKCON Desire Tree: Rohini Kunda
• Bhakti Bharat: Solapuja at Vimala Peeth, Puri (third party)
• Hindutone: Navratri and Dussehra schedules at India's temples
• Hindutone: Dussehra and Durga Puja in Odisha (third party)
• Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (official website)
• Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration, Puri - official YouTube channel
• OdishaBytes: No VIP darshan at Puri Jagannath Temple, SJTA files FIR
• All India Radio News: one-way darshan system at Srimandir

Have a question, or spotted something we should verify? Ask in the comments and we will check it against official sources and correct the post. See how we source information.