Jagannath Puri Temple

Jagannath Puri Temple

About Jagannath Puri Temple

The Puri temple is built on a gigantic raised platform in
the heart of the city, The temple complex is enclosed by
a wall about seven meters high -including the 0 height
of the platform. The area of this platform is more than
4,20,000 sq.ft. The wall is pierced by four gates ,facing
the four directions. On the east-facing gate, there are
stone images of two lions and it is called the Lions
Gate. The north, south and west facing gates are
similarly known as the Elephant Gate, the Horse Gate
and the Tiger Gate (also called the Khanja Gate)
respectively. The north gate is mainly meant for the God
himself in as much as, the logs of wood out of which,
the images are fabricated, make their entry into the
temple premises through this gate, when the
Navakelevara ceremony takes place. The east-facing
Lions Gate is the main gate. There are pyramidal
structures over the four gates, which are not very old.
As we arrive at the vast open area in front of the Lions
Gate (eastern gate), we see a monolithic pillar about 10
meters high. This pillar is known locally as the Aruna
Stambha. In Hindu mythology Aruna is the the
charioteer of the Sun-god, The world famous Konarka
temple was designed in the form of a stupendous
chariot and this monolithic pillar with the beautifully
carved Aruna seated on its top was installed right in
front of the porch of that temple. When the temple was
abandoned and there was no presiding deity in it, this
pillar was removed from Konarka to Puri and was fixed
in front of Jagannatha temple where we see it now.
Immediately after we get into the main gate and
proceed forward, we find ourselves on a flight of steps.
Locally, they are called Baisi Pahaca, which literally
means, twenty-two steps. The history or rather the
mystery of this flight of steps has not been unveiled. It
is interesting to note that great reverence is shown to
this flight of twenty-two steps. The parents bring their
children & make them slowly roll over the steps from the
top to the bottom ones in expectation of spiritual bliss
in as much as countless devotees have walked on the
steps which are believed to be throbbing with spiritual
animation.
As we cross the main entrance on the east and ascend
the flight of steps leading to the main temple, we find
on the left-hand side, a vast kitchen area of the temple.
Some tourists rightly observe that on account of this
kitchen, the Puri temple may be described as the
biggest hotel of the world. It can feed even one lakh
persons with only two to three hours’ notice. The
method of preparation is most hygienic and the
traditional process of preparation of food for so many
people in so short a time, takes many by surprise. To
the right, we have the Ananda Bajara which is the
popular name of the food selling market within the
enclosure. Ananda Bajara literally means, the pleasure
market.

History of Jagannath Puri Temple.

King Indradyumna was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu
and was eager to meet him face to face. Once a
brahmana came to the palace of the King Indrayumna
and told him about an incarnation of Lord Vishnu named
Nila Madhava. The king then sent different brahmanas
out to search for Lord Nila Madhava. They all returned
unsuccessful except a priest named Vidyapati. After
traveling for a while Vidyapati came to an area inhabited
by non-Aryans called sabaras. He stayed at the house
of a local chief, called Visvavasu. When he arrived
Visvavasu was not there, but his daughter Lalita was.
Vidyapati stayed there for some time and eventually
married Lalita, the daughter of the Sabara.
Vidyapati noticed some peculiar behaviour of his host.
Visvavasu would go out every day around noon and
would return back to the house scented with fragrances
of sandalwood, camphor and musk. Vidyapati asked his
wife about this and she informed him that his father
would go daily to worship Nila Madhava. Lalita had
been told by her father not to tell anyone about Nila
Madhava, but she had overstepped that order by telling
her husband. Vidyapati repeatedly requested to see Nila
Madhava. Finally Visvavasu bound Vidyapati’s eyes and
took him to see Nila Madhava. Vidyapati secretly
carried some mustard seeds in his cloth and he dropped
them onto the path as he was walking. When he
reached Nila Madhava, the blind fold was removed and
Vidyapati saw Nila Madhava. Visvavasu went out to
collect some forest flowers to worship and Vidyapati
stayed near the Deity. During this time a crow fell off
the branch of a tree into a nearby lake and drowned. It
immediately took a four armed Vaikuntha form and
started back to the spiritual world. Vidyapati then
climbed up onto the tree and was about to jump into
the lake. A voice came from the sky and said “Since you
have seen Nila Madhava, you should inform King
Indradyumna.”
Visvavasu returned and started his daily worship of Nila
Madhava. Suddenly the Lord spoke to him and said, “I
have accepted for many days the simple forest flowers
and roots offered to me by you. Now I desire the royal
worship offered to me in devotion by King
Indradyumna.” Visvavasu felt cheated by his son-in-
law; therefore, he bound him up and kept in his house.
After repeatedly being requested by his daughter he let
him go.
The brahmana then went to King Indradyumna and told
him about his discovery. By following the mustard
seeds, which had grown into small plants, they were
able to follow the path to Nila Madhava. When they
reached the spot, they could not find him. King
Indradyumna had the village besieged and arrested
Visvavasu. Suddenly a voice came from the sky,
“Release this sabara. On top of Nila hill you should
construct a temple. There I will manifest as Daru-
brahman (the Absolute Truth manifested in a wooden
form). You will not see me as Nila Madhava.
The King constructed a temple. The King wanted Lord
Brahma to consecrate the temple. So he travelled to
Brahmaloka and waited there for him. During this time
the temple became covered by sand. While he was
gone, first Suradeva and then Galamadhava became
king of the area. King Galamadhava uncovered the
temple from the sand. Shortly afterwards, King
Indradyumna return from Brahma’s abode. Indradyumna
claimed that he had built the temple and Galamadhava
also claimed the same thing. There was an old crow in
the nearby banyan tree who was constantly singing the
glories of Lord Rama. The crow had seen the
construction of the temple and said that Indradyumna
had built the temple and that Galamadhava had just
uncovered it. Because he had not told the truth
Galamadhava was ordered by Brahma to live outside
the temple compound on the western side of
Indradyumna Sarovara Lake.
Indradyumna then asked Lord Brahma to consecrate the
temple and the surrounding area, which was called Sri
Kshetra and gives the highest type of liberation. Lord
Brahma told him that Sri Kshetra is manifested by the
Supreme Lord’s internal potency and that the Supreme
Lord manifests Himself. Therefore he could not install
the Lord here, but Lord Jagannath and his abode are
eternally situated in the material world. He said he
would install the flag on the temple and that anyone
who sees this flag and offers prostrated obeisance
would easily be liberated.
After a while King Indradyumna became frustrated with
not seeing Nila Madhava. He decided to lie on a bed of
Kusa grass and to fast until death. Lord Jagannath
came to him in a dream and told him I shall come
floating from the sea in my wooden form as Daru-
brahman at the place called Bakimuhan.
The King went to this place and saw a huge piece of
wood which had the marks of a conch, club, disc and
lotus on it. Many men and elephants tried to move
Daru-brahman, but they could not move Him. That
night Lord Jagannatha spoke to Indradyumna in a
dream and told him to bring Visvavasu, who used to
serve Nila Madhava and bring a golden chariot in front
of Daru-brahman. The king did this and Daru-brahman
easily was placed onto the chariot.
Lord Brahma then performed a sacrifice and established
a Deity of Narasimhadeva on the raised platform of the
sacrifice arena. It is said that the Deity of Narasimha in
the present temple compound, which is on the western
side of the Mukti-Mandapa, is the original Narasimha
Deity.
King Indradyumna had the best sculptors come to carve
the Deity of Lord Jagannath from Daru-brahman. As
soon as they started their chisels broke to pieces. The
Supreme Lord Himself came in Disguise as an old artist
who called Himself Ananta Maharana (According to the
Narada Purana, Visvakarma, the architect of the
demigods carved the Deities by the desire of Lord
Vishnu, who took the form of an old brahmana). He said
that if he was able to work behind closed doors for 21
days then the deities could be carved. The old sculptor
then took Daru-brahman into the temple and the doors
were closed. After 14 days passed, the king could not
hear any sounds of the artist’s tools and he became
fully anxious. The king then personally opened the door
of the temple by force.
The King did not see the sculptor, but instead he saw
the three forms of Lord Jagannath, Subhadra and Lord
Balarama. Their fingers and toes were unfinished.
Thinking himself a great offender the king decided to
give up his life. He then lay on a bed of Kusa grass and
began to fast. Lord Jagannath appeared to him in a
dream. He told the king that He is eternally situated
here in Nilachala in the form of Lord Jagannath as
Daru-brahman. In the material world, I descended in 24
Deity incarnations along with my abode. I have no
material hands and feet, but with my transcendental
senses I accept all the items offered by My devotees.
The fact that you broke your promise is part of the
pastime for me to manifest in the form of Jagannath.
Those devotees whose eyes are smeared with the salve
of love will always see Me as Syamasundara, holding a
flute.
The King prayed to Lord Jagannath that those in the
family of the sculptor who manifested your form will
continue to assist in constructing the three carts. He
also told him that the descendants of Visvavasu, who
served Me as Nila Madhava, should generations after
generations serve Me. They shall be called as dayitas.
The descendants of Vidyapati born from his brahmana
wife should perform the Deity worship to me. The
descendants born from his sabari wife, Lalita, should
cook My food. They shall be known as suyaras.
King Indradyumna then requested Lord Jagannath, that
the doors of the temple should be closed only 3 hours a
day. The King also requested that he would not have
any descendants, so that no one in the future would
claim the temple of Lord Jagannath as their own
property.
It is said in the Narada Purana (Uttara Khanda 52.123),
that the Supreme Lord Narayana told Lakshmi Devi: “In
that great abode known as Purushottama-kshetra,
which is rarely achieved among all the three worlds, the
Kesava Deity, who was fashioned by the Supreme Lord
Himself is situated. If men simply see that Deity, they
will be easily able to come to My abode.”
In Skanda-Purana (Utkala-khanda) it is mentioned that
this most beautiful Sri Kshetra is spread over 10
yojanas (128km or 80 miles) and surrounded by sands.
Utkala is another name of Orissa. Utkala is described in
scriptures as the most holy place on this planet. Utkala
is divided into four parts which represent the weapons
of Lord Vishnu. These four kshetras are known as
Sankha-kshetra (Puri town), Padma-kshetra (Konark),
Cakra-kshetra (Bhubaneswar) and Gada-kshetra
(Jajapura, where the Viraja Devi temple is). Within this
area of 10 yojanas, Puri is known as Sankha-kshetra
because its shape resembles a conch shell. This Puri-
kshetra covers an area of 5 krosa, 3 of which are
immersed under the ocean, and 2 on land. This land is
covered with golden sands and deChorated with a blue
mountain. The Lord Himself in His arca-vigraha form is
residing here on the bank of the ocean atop the blue
mountain. Sankha-kshetra spreads from east to west.
Its head is towards west where Lokanatha Mahadeva
resides.
Puri-dhama is known by different names:
Purushottama-kshetra, Sri Kshetra, Nilachala-dhama,
Jagannatha-dhama, Yamanika-tirtha, Martya
Vaikuntha, Nilagiri, Sankha-kshetra, Dasa-avatara-
kshetra and Narasimha-kshetra . Glories of Sri
Purushottama-kshetra Jagannatha Puri Dhama are
mentioned in different Puranas: Skanda Purana, Brahma
Purana, Vamadeva Samhita, Kapila Samhita, Padma
Purana and Niladri Purana.

General Information

State: Odisha, India
Languages spoken: Odiya(General), Bengali, Telugu,
Hindi, English
Best Season: During Car Festival (June-July),
October to February
Temperature: Summer : Max- 39.9°C Min- 20.0°C,
Winter: Max/ Min-17.1°C

Legend of Jagannath Temple:
According to the legend, Indrayumna, the king of Malava
in Sata Yuga, was a great devotee of Vishnu. Once the
king dreamt of Nilamadhava Vishnu and was curious to
know where that particular form of the Lord was
worshipped. Therefore, he sent his emissaries in four
directions to find this.
Brahmin Vidyapati was sent to the east. He came to
Utkala and entered Savara village where he took shelter
in the house of the Savara King Visvavasu. Lalita,
king’s daughter, fell in love with Vidyapati and the latter
got married to her to extract information about
Nilamadhava.
Visvavasu used to go to the forest every morning to
worship Nilamadhava installed in Niakandara (Blue
cave). Vidyapati thus coaxed his wife to request her
father to allow him to see Nilamadhava. Visvavasu
agreed on the condition that Vidyapati will be taken to
the shrine and brought back from there with a blindfold.
On hearing this, Vidyapati went to his wife and asked
her to make such an arrangement that he may
subsequently know the path. Lalita gave him some
sesame seeds to be scattered on the side of the road he
followed so that he might know the path when sesame
plants grew up during the rains.
Accordingly, Vidyapati was taken to Nilakandara where
he saw Nilamadhava. Later, when Vasu Savara offered
food to the deity, he did not take it as usual to the
king’s dismay. At this, a divine voice was heard. It said,
“we would no longer continue to be worshipped by you.
Oh! Vasu, we will change the present Nilamadhava form
and assume Daru form. We shall be worshipped in the
temple by Raja Indradyumna”.
The king came back from the blue cave with a very
heavy heart losing his deity. Vidyapati too bade farewell
to his wife and father-in-law and started for Malava.
Having heard the story, King Indradyumna started with
his retinue for Utkal to see Nilamadhava. On reaching
Nilakandara, he found it vacant. But a voice from the air
told him to construct a temple on Nilasaila (Blue
Mountain).
Hearing this, the king ordered the construction to begin.
On completion of the temple, the king went to
Brahmaloka to invite Brahma to consecrate the temple.
But, Brahma being in meditation, he had to wait for nine
Yugas. The temple thus got buried in sand in his
absence.
In the mean time, a new dynasty came to rule at Utkala.
Galamadhva, a king of that dynasty, detected the buried
temple. He was considering installing images in the
temple when Indradyumna with Lord Brahma appeared
before him. Both the kings had a tussle over the
ownership of the temple. However, Lord Brahma decided
in favor of Indradyumna and asked him to install deities
in the temple.
Now, the king was at a loss as to where to find the
deities from. Therefore, god told him in his dream that
he would be floating in the sea in the form of a log of
wood. Then Sage Narada assured Indradyumna that
Vishnu would appear to him in the temple form of three
wooden images.
When a big tree, radiant with light was seen floating in
the sea, Narada told the king to make three idols out of
it and place them in a pavilion. Indradyumna got
Visvakarma, the architect of Gods, to build a magnificent
temple to house the idols and Vishnu himself appeared
in the guise of a carpenter to make the idols on
condition that he was to be left undisturbed until he
finished the work.
But just after two weeks, the Queen became very
anxious. She took the carpenter to be dead as no sound
came from the temple. Therefore, she requested the king
to open the door. Thus, they went to see Vishnu at work
at which the latter abandoned his work leaving the idols
unfinished. But a divine voice told Indradyumana to
install them in the temple.
The three idols represent the god Jagannath, his elder
brother, Balabhadra and their sister, Subhadra. The
wooden idols being worshipped are renewed during
special occasions. This wooden idol prepared from a log
of wood floating on the ocean finds a mention in the Rig
Veda, where it is referred to as Purushottama.

Śrī Jagannāthāṣṭastakam

Issued from the mouth of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

श्री जगन्नाथाष्टकम् 

Śrī Jagannāthāṣṭastakam

कदाचित् कालिन्दी तट विपिन सङ्गीत तरलो
मुदाभीरी नारी वदन कमला स्वाद मधुपः
रमा शम्भु ब्रह्मामरपति गणेशार्चित पदो
जगन्नाथः स्वामी नयन पथ गामी भवतु मे ॥१॥
kadācit kālindī-taṭa-vipina-saṅgīta taralo
mudābhīrī-nārī-vadana-kamalāśvāda-madhupaḥ
ramā-śambhu-brahmāmara-pati-gaṇeśārcita-pado
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me (1)
Who sometimes fervently plays His flute on the banks of
the Yamuna river in Sri Vrindavana, who is like a
bumblebee that blissfully tastes the lotus faces of the
Vraja-gopis, and whose feet are worshipped by great
personalities such as Laksmi, Shiva, Brahma, Indra, and
Ganesha — may that Sri Jagannatha-deva be the object
of my vision.
भुजे सव्ये वेणुं शिरसि शिखिपिच्छं कटितटे
दुकूलं नेत्रान्ते सहचर-कटाक्षं विदधते ।
सदा श्रीमद्-वृन्दावन-वसति-लीला-परिचयो
जगन्नाथः स्वामी नयन-पथ-गामी भवतु मे ॥२॥
bhuje savye veṇuṁ śirasi śikhi-picchaṁ kaṭitaṭe
dukūlaṁ netrānte sahacara-kaṭākṣaṁ ca vidadha t
sadā śrīmad-vṛndāvana-vasati-līlā-paricayo
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me (2)
Who holds a flute in His left hand, who wears a peacock
feather on His head and a fine yellow silken cloth around
His hips, who from the corners of His eyes bestows
loving sidelong glances upon His companions, and who
is forever known as the one who performs wondrous
pastimes in the divine abode of Sri Vrindavana — may
that Sri Jagannatha-deva be the object of my vision.
महाम्भोधेस्तीरे कनक रुचिरे नील शिखरे
वसन् प्रासादान्तः सहज बलभद्रेण बलिना ।
सुभद्रा मध्यस्थः सकलसुर सेवावसरदो
जगन्नाथः स्वामी नयन-पथ-गामी भवतु मे ॥३॥
mahāmbhodhes tīre kanaka-rucire nīla-śikhare
vasan prāsādāntaḥ sahaja-balabhadreṇa balinā
subhadrā-madhya-sthaḥ sakala-sura-sevāvasara-do
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me (3)
Who on the shore of the great ocean resides in a palace
situated on the gold-like crest of Nilachala Hill
accompanied by His powerful brother Baladevaji and
between Them, His sister Subhadra, and who bestows
the opportunity to serve Him upon all the demigods —
may that Sri Jagannatha-deva be the object of my
vision.
कृपा पारावारः सजल जलद श्रेणिरुचिरो
रमा वाणी रामः स्फुरद् अमल पङ्केरुहमुखः ।
सुरेन्द्रैर् आराध्यः श्रुतिगण शिखा गीत चरितो
जगन्नाथः स्वामी नयन पथ गामी भवतु मे ॥४॥
kṛpā-pārāvāraḥ sajala-jalada-śreṇi-ruciro
ramā-vāṇī-rāmaḥ sphurad-amala-paṅkeruha-mukhaḥ
surendrair ārādhyaḥ śruti-gaṇa-śikhā-gīta-carito
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me (4)
Who is an ocean of mercy, whose bodily complexion is
as beautiful as a row of blackish rainclouds, who sports
with Laksmi-devi and Sarasvati, whose face is like a
spotless fully-blossomed lotus, who is worshipped by
the foremost demigods, and whose transcendental
glories have been sung in the topmost scriptures — may
that Sri Jagannatha-deva be the object of my vision.
रथारूढो गच्छन् पथि मिलित भूदेव पटलैः
स्तुति प्रादुर्भावम् प्रतिपदमुपाकर्ण्य सदयः ।
दया सिन्धुर्बन्धुः सकल जगतां सिन्धु सुतया
जगन्नाथः स्वामी नयन पथ गामी भवतु मे ॥५॥
rathārūḍho gacchan pathi milita-bhūdeva-paṭalaiḥ
stuti-prādurbhāvam prati-padam upākarṇya sadayaḥ
dayā-sindhur bandhuḥ sakala jagatāṁ sindhu-sutayā
jagannāthah svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me (5)
When Jagannatha’s Ratha-yatra cart is moving along
the road, at every step assemblies of brahmanas sing
His praises. Upon hearing them, Jagannatha, being an
ocean of mercy and the true friend of all the worlds,
becomes favourably disposed towards them — may that
Sri Jagannatha-deva be the object of my vision.
परंब्रह्मापीड़ः कुवलय-दलोत्फुल्ल-नयनो
निवासी नीलाद्रौ निहित-चरणोऽनन्त-शिरसि ।
रसानन्दी राधा-सरस-वपुरालिङ्गन-सुखो
जगन्नाथः स्वामी नयन-पथगामी भवतु मे ॥६॥
paraṁ-brahmāpīḍaḥ kuvalaya-dalotphulla-nayano
nivāsī nīlādrau nihita-caraṇo ‘nanta-śirasi
rasānandī rādhā-sarasa-vapur-āliṅgana-sukho
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me (6)
Who is the crown-jewel of transcendence, whose eyes
are like the petals of a fully-opened blue lotus, who
resides at Nilachala, whose feet are placed on the head
of Sesa, who is blissfully immersed in bhakti-rasa, and
who derives happiness from embracing the rasa-laden
body of Srimati Radhika — may that Sri Jagannatha-
deva be the object of my vision.
न वै याचे राज्यं न च कनक माणिक्य विभवं
न याचेऽहं रम्यां सकल जन काम्यां वरवधूम् ।
सदा काले काले प्रमथ पतिना गीतचरितो
जगन्नाथः स्वामी नयन पथ गामी भवतु मे ॥७॥
na vai yāce rājyaṁ na ca kanaka-māṇikya-vibhavaṁ
na yāce ‘haṁ ramyāṁ sakala jana-kāmyāṁ vara-vadhūm
sadā kāle kāle pramatha-patinā gīta-carito
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me (7)
I do not pray to Jagannatha for a kingdom, nor for gold,
jewels, wealth, or even for a beautiful wife as desired by
all men. My only prayer is that Sri Jagannatha-deva,
whose splendid glories are always sung by Shiva, be the
constant object of my vision.
हर त्वं संसारं द्रुततरम् असारं सुरपते
हर त्वं पापानां विततिम् अपरां यादवपते ।
अहो दीनेऽनाथे निहित चरणो निश्चितमिदं
जगन्नाथः स्वामी नयन पथ गामी भवतु मे ॥८॥
hara tvaṁ saṁsāraṁ druta-taram asāraṁ sura-pate
hara tvaṁ pāpānāṁ vitatiṁ aparāṁ yādava-pate
aho dīne ‘nāthe nihita-caraṇo niścitam idaṁ
jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me (8)
O master of the demigods! Quickly deliver me from this
worthless worldly existence. O Lord of the Yadus! Purge
me of my limitless host of sins. Aho! You have
promised to bestow Your feet upon the fallen and
shelterless — O Jagannatha Swami, please be the
object of my vision.
जगन्नाथाष्टकं पुन्यं यः पठेत् प्रयतः शुचिः ।
सर्वपाप विशुद्धात्मा विष्णुलोकं स गच्छति ॥९॥
jagannāthāṣṭakaṁ punyaṁ yaḥ paṭhet prayataḥ śuciḥ
sarva-pāpa-viśuddhātmā viṣṇu-lokaṁ sa gacchati
One who carefully recites this sacred
Jagannathastakam, upon becoming sinless and
purehearted, will attain entrance into Vishnuloka.
॥ इति श्रीमत् शंकराचार्यविरचितं जगन्नाथाष्टकं संपूर्णम्
॥
iti śrimat śaṅkaracārya viracitaṁ jagannāthāṣṭakam
saṁpūrṇam
Thus ends the eight stanza hymn Jagannāthāṣṭakam
composed by Śrimat Śaṅkaracārya

Wikipedia data of Jagannath puri.

The Jagannath Temple at Puri
The Jagannath Temple at Puri
Location in Orissa
Name
Proper name
Shri Mandira (ଶ୍ରୀ ମନ୍ଦିର), Bada Deula (ବଡ଼ ଦେଉଳ)
Geography
Coordinates
19°48′17″N 85°49′6″E / 19.80472°N 85.81833°E
Country
India
State
Odisha
District
Puri
Location
The Grand Road, Puri
Culture
Primary deity
Jagannath
Important festivals
Ratha Yatra• Chandan Yatra• Snana Yatra • Nabakalevara
Architecture
Architectural styles
Kalinga Buddhist Architecture
History and governance
Date built
1161
Creator
Anantavarman Chodaganga
Website
http://jagannath.nic.in/
The Jagannath Temple ( Sanskrit : jagannath mandir;
Oriya: ଶ୍ରୀ ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ ମନ୍ଦିର Sri Jagannāth Mandir ) in Puri is a
famous, sacred Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath
and located on the eastern coast of India, at Puri in the
state of Odisha .
The temple is an important pilgrimage destination for
many Hindu traditions, particularly worshippers of
Krishna and Vishnu, and part of the Char Dham
pilgrimages that a Hindu is expected to make in one’s
lifetime. [1]
Even though most Hindu deities that are worshiped are
made out of stone or metal, the image of Jagannath is
wooden. Every twelve or nineteen years these wooden
figures are ceremoniously replaced by using sacred
trees, that have to be carved as an exact replica. The
reason behind this ceremonial tradition is the highly
secret Navakalevara (‘New Body’ or ‘New Embodiment’)
ceremony, an intricate set of rituals that accompany the
renewal of the wooden statues. [2]
The temple was built in the 12th century atop its ruins
by the progenitor of the Eastern Ganga dynasty , King
Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva .[3] [4] The temple is
famous for its annual Rath Yatra, or chariot festival, in
which the three main temple deities are hauled on huge
and elaborately decorated temple cars . Since medieval
times, it is also associated with intense religious
fervour. [5]
The temple is sacred to the Vaishnava traditions and
saint Ramananda who was closely associated with the
temple. It is also of particular significance to the
followers of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism whose founder,
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was attracted to the deity,
Jagannath, and lived in Puri for many years.[6]
Deities
The central forms of Jagannath , Balabhadra and the
goddess Subhadra constitute the trinity of deities sitting
on the bejewelled platform or the Ratnavedi in the inner
sanctum. The Sudarshan Chakra , deities of
Madanmohan , Sridevi and Vishwadhatri are also placed
on the Ratnavedi. [7] The deities of Jagannath,
Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan Chakra are made
from sacred Neem logs known as Daru Bramha.
Depending on the season the deities are adorned in
different garbs and jewels. Worship of the deities pre-
date the temple structure and may have originated in an
ancient tribal shrine. [8]
Origins of the temple
Ritual chakra and flags at the top shikhara of Puri
temple of Jagannatha also related to Sudarsana chakra .
The red flag(12 hand or 14 Feet denotes that Jagannath
is within the building….
According to the recently [when? ] discovered copper
plates from the Ganga dynasty, [9] the construction of
the current Jagannath temple was initiated by the ruler
of Kalinga , Anantavarman Chodaganga Dev .[10] The
Jaga mohan and the Vimana portions of the temple
were built during his reign (1078 – 1148 CE). However,
it was only in the year 1174 CE that the Oriya ruler
Ananga Bhima Deva rebuilt the temple to give a shape
in which it stands today. [11]
Jagannath worship in the temple continued until 1558,
when Odisha was attacked by the Afghan general
Kalapahad. Subsequently, when Ramachandra Deb
established an independent kingdom at Khurda in
Orissa, the temple was consecrated and the deities
reinstalled. [10]
Legends
Statue of Aruna the charioteer of the Sun God on top of
the Aruna Stambha in front of the Singhadwara
Legendary account as found in the Skanda-Purana,
Brahma Purana and other Puranas and later Oriya works
state that Lord Jagannath was originally worshipped as
Lord Neela Madhaba by a Savar king ( tribal chief )
named Viswavasu. Having heard about the deity, King
Indradyumna sent a Brahmin priest, Vidyapati to locate
the deity, who was worshipped secretly in a dense forest
by Viswavasu. Vidyapati tried his best but could not
locate the place. But at last he managed to marry
Viswavasu’s daughter Lalita . At repeated request of
Vidyapti, Viswavasu took his son-in-law blind folded to
a cave where Lord Neela Madhaba was worshipped.
Vidyapati was very intelligent. He dropped mustard
seeds on the ground on the way. The seeds germinated
after a few days, which enabled him to find out the cave
later on. On hearing from him, King Indradyumna
proceeded immediately to Odra desha Orissa on a
pilgrimage to see and worship the Deity. But the deity
had disappeared. The king was disappointed. The Deity
was hidden in sand. The king was determined not to
return without having a darshan of the deity and
observed fast unto death at Mount Neela, Then a
celestial voice cried ‘thou shalt see him.’ Afterwards the
king performed a horse sacrifice and built a magnificent
temple for Vishnu. Sri Narasimha Murti brought by
Narada was installed in the temple. During sleep, the
king had a vision of Lord Jagannath . Also an astral
voice directed him to receive the fragrant tree on the
seashore and make idols out of it. Accordingly the king
got the image of Lord Jagannath , Balabhadra , Subhadra
and Chakra Sudarshan made out of the wood of the
divine tree and installed them in the temple.
Indradyumna ‘s prayer to Lord Brahma
King Indradyumna put up for Jagannath the tallest
monument of the world. It was 1,000 cubits high. He
invited Lord Brahma , the cosmic creator, consecrate the
temple and the images. [12] Brahma came all the way
from Heaven for this purpose. Seeing the temple he was
immensely pleased with him. Brahma asked
Indradyumna as to in what way can he (Brahma) fulfill
the king’s desire, since was very much pleased with him
for his having put the most beautiful Temple for Lord
Vishnu . With folded hands, Indradyumna said, “My Lord
if you are really pleased with me, kindly bless me with
one thing, and it is that I should be issueless and that I
should be the last member of my family.” In case
anybody left alive after him, he would only take pride as
the owner of the temple and would not work for the
society.
The episode of the Lord’s grace during a war with
Kanchi
Jagannath and Balabhadra leading the army of King
Purushottama on the expedition to Kanchi
At one time, a king of Kanchi in the down south
remarked that the king of Orissa was a chandala (a man
of very low caste or status) because, he performs the
duties of a sweeper during the Car Festival. [13] When
this news reached the ears of the king of Orissa, he led
an expedition to Kanchi. Before that, he implored the
mercy of Lord Jagannath. The soldiers of Orissa
marched towards Kanchi from Cuttack (earlier capital
city of Orissa, located on the banks of Mahanadi, at a
distance of 30 km from Bhubaneswar . It so happened
that when the soldiers, headed by the king Purusottam
Dev, reached a place near the Chilika lake , a lady, who
was selling curd (yogurt) met him (the king) and
presented a golden ring studded with precious gems and
submitted. “My Lord, kindly listen to me. A little earlier,
two soldiers riding over two horses (white and black in
colour), approached me and said we are thirsty give us
curds to drink.’ I gave them curds. Instead of giving me
money, they gave me this ring and said,’the king of
Orissa will come here, after some time, on his way to
Kanchi. You present it to him and he will pay you the
money.’ So my Lord, you take it and give me my dues.
It took no time for the king to know that the ring
belongs to Lord Jagannath . He was convinced that
Jagannath and Balabhadra were proceeding to the
battle field ahead of him to help him there. To
perpetuate the memory of this great incident, the king
founded a village in the Chilika lake area. As the name
of the lady was Manika, the name given to the village
was Manika Patana. Even to this day, the curds of this
village are famous. [14]
Legend surrounding the Temple Origin
The vimana of the main temple
The traditional story concerning the origins of the Lord
Jagannath temple is that here the original image of
Jagannath (a deity form of Vishnu) at the end of Treta
yuga manifested near a banyan tree, near seashore in
the form of an Indranila nilamani or the Blue Jewel. It
was so dazzling that it could grant instant moksha, so
the god Dharma or Yama wanted to hide it in the earth,
and was successful. In Dvapara Yuga King Indradyumna
of Malwa wanted to find that mysterious image and to
do so he performed harsh penances to obtain his goal.
Vishnu then instructed him to go to the Puri seashore
and find a floating log to make an image from its trunk.
The King found the log of wood. He did a yajna from
which god Yajna Nrisimha appeared and instructed that
Narayana should be made as fourfold expansion, i.e.
Paramatma as Vasudeva , his Vyuha as Samkarshana ,
Yogamaya as Subhadra , and his Vibhava as Sudarsana .
Vishwakarma appeared in the form of artist and
prepared images of Jagannath, Balabhadra and
Subhadra from the tree. [15] When this log, radiant with
light was seen floating in the sea, Narada told the king
to make three idols out of it and place them in a
pavilion. Indradyumna got Visvakarma, the architect of
Gods, to build a magnificent temple to house the idols
and Vishnu himself appeared in the guise of a carpenter
to make the idols on condition that he was to be left
undisturbed until he finished the work.
But just after two weeks, the Queen became very
anxious. She took the carpenter to be dead as no sound
came from the temple. Therefore, she requested the king
to open the door. Thus, they went to see Vishnu at work
at which the latter abandoned his work leaving the idols
unfinished. The idol was devoid of any hands. But a
divine voice told Indradyumana to install them in the
temple. It has also been widely believed that in spite of
the idol being without hands, it can watch over the
world and be its lord. Thus the idiom.
The Rath Yatra in Puri in modern times showing the
three chariots of the deities with the Temple in the
background
Invasions and Desecrations of the Temple
The temple annals, the Madala Panji records that the
Jagannath temple at Puri has been invaded and
plundered eighteen times. [16] The invasion by
Raktabahu has been considered the first invasion on the
temple by the Madalapanji
Ranjit Singh’s will
Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh , had donated massive
amounts of gold to the Jagannath temple. In his last
will, he also ordered that Koh-i-noor , the most precious
and greatest diamond in the world, to be donated to
this temple, but the diamond could never actually make
its way to the temple because the British, by that time,
had annexed the Punjab and all its royal possessions.
Thus, claiming that the Koh-i-noor was theirs. It is
currently a part of British crown jewels and is located in
the Tower of London .
Entry and Darshan
Temple has 4 entrances in all directions.Temple security
is selective regarding who is allowed entry. Practicing
Hindus of non-Indian descent are excluded from
premises, [17] as are Hindus of non-Indian origin.
Visitors not allowed entry may view the precincts from
the roof of the nearby Raghunandan Library and pay
their respects to the image of God Jagannath known as
Patitapavana at the main entrance to the temple. [18]
There is some evidence that this came into force
following a series of invasions by foreigners into the
temple and surrounding area. Buddhist, and Jain groups
are allowed into the temple compound if they are able
to prove their Indian ancestry. [19] The temple has
slowly started allowing Hindus of non-Indian origin into
the area, after an incident in which 3 Balinese Hindus
were denied entry, even though Bali is 90% Hindu. [20]
The temple remains open from 5 am to 12 midnight.
Unlike many other temples devotees can go behind the
idols(go round the idols).All devotees are allowed to go
right up to the deities during the Sahana Mela without
paying any fees . The Sahana mela or the public
darshan is usually following the abakasha puja between
around 7 to 8 am in the morning. [21] Special darshan or
Parimanik darshan is when devotees on paying 25
Rupees are allowed right up to the deities. Parimanik
darshan happens after the dhupa pujas at around 10
am, 1 pm and 8 pm . At all other times devotees can
view the deities from some distance for free.
Cultural Integrity
The Jagannath temple at night
Shrikshetra of Puri Jagannath, as is commonly known,
can verily be said to be a truthful replica of Indian
culture. To understand this culture, one has to have
some idea of the history of this land, which again is
different from that of other countries of the world.
Starting from Lord Jagannath himself, history has it that
he was a tribal deity, adorned by the Sabar people , as a
symbol of Narayan. Another legend claims him to be
Nilamadhava , an image of Narayana made of blue stone
and worshipped by the aboriginals. He was brought to
Nilagiri (blue mountain) or Nilachala and installed there
as Shri Jagannath in company with Balabhadra and
Subhadra . The images made of wood are also claimed
to have their distant linkage with the aboriginal system
of worshipping wooden poles. To cap it all the
Daitapatis, who have a fair share of responsibilities to
perform rituals of the Temple, are claimed to be
descendants of the aboriginals or hill tribes of Orissa.
So we may safely claim that the beginning of the
cultural history of Shrikshetra is found in the fusion of
Hindu and Tribal Cultures. This has been accepted as a
facet of our proud heritage. The three deities came to
be claimed as the symbols of Samyak Darshan , Samyak
Jnana and Samyak Charita usually regarded as Triratha
(of the Jain cult), an assimilation of which leads to
Moksha ( salvation) or the ultimate bliss…
Jagannath is worshipped as Vishnu or Narayana or
Krishna and Lord Balabhadra as Shesha.
Simultaneously, the deities are regarded as the bhairava
with Vimala (the devi or the consort of Shiva) installed
in the campus of the temple. So ultimately we find a
fusion of Saivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism of the
Hindu religion with Jainism and up to an extent
Buddhism in the culture of Jagannath and the cultural
tradition so reverently held together in Shrikshetra .
Acharyas and Jagannatha Puri
The Singhadwara , the main entrance to the temple
All of the renowned acharyas including Madhvacharya
have been known to visit this kshetra. Adi Shankara
established his Govardhana matha here. There is also
evidence that Guru Nanak, Kabir , Tulsidas,
Ramanujacharya, and Nimbarkacharya had visited this
place. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu of Gaudiya
Vaishnavism stayed here for 24 years, establishing that
the love of god can be spread by chanting the Hare
Krishna mantra. Srimad Vallabhacharya visited
Jagannath Puri and performed a 7-day recitation of
Srimad Bhagvat. His sitting place is still famous as
“baithakji.” It confirms his visit to Puri. [22] A famous
incident took place when Vallabhachrya visited. There
was a discourse being held between the Brahmins and 4
questions were asked. Who is the highest of Gods, What
is the highest of mantras, What is the highest scripture
and What is the highest service. The discourse went on
for many days with many schools of thought. Finally
Shri Vallabh said to ask Lord Jagannath to confirm Shri
Vallabh’s answers. A pen and paper were left in the
inner sanctum. After some time, the doors were opened
and 4 answers were written. 1) The Son of Devaki
(Krishna) is the God of Gods 2) His name is the highest
of mantras 3) His song is the highest scripture
(Bhagavat Geeta) 4) Service to Him is the Highest
service. The king was shocked and declared Shri Vallabh
the winner of the discourse. Some of the pandits who
participated became jealous of Shri Vallabh and wanted
to test Him. The next day was Ekadashi, a fasting day
where one must fast from grains. The pandits gave Shri
Vallabh rice Prasad of Shri Jagannathji (The temple is
famous for this). If Shri Vallabh ate it, He would break
His vow of fasting but if He did not take it, He would
disrespect Lord Jagannath. Shri Vallabh accepted the
prasad in his hand and spent the rest of the day and
night explaining slokas of the greatness of Prasad and
ate the rice the next morning. 

About lord Jagannath.

Jagannath
ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ
Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu on his rath(cart).
Devanagari
जगन्नाथ
Sanskrit Transliteration
Jàgannātha
Affiliation
Deva , aspect of Vishnu
Abode
Mount Nila
Mantra
Om Jagannathay Namah (ॐ जगन्नाथाय नमः।)
Weapon
Sudarshana Chakra
Consort
Lakshmi
Mount
Garuda
Jagannath (or Jagannatha ) meaning “Lord of the
Universe”, is a deity worshipped by Hindus , mainly in the
Indian states of Odisha , Chhattisgarh , West Bengal ,
Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam , Manipur and Tripura[1] and by
Hindus in Bangladesh . Jagannath is considered a form
of Vishnu [2] or his avatar Krishna by the Hindus.
Jagannath is worshipped as part of a triad on the
“Ratnavedi” (jewelled platform) along with his brother
Balabhadra and sister Subhadra .
The icon of Jagannath is a carved and decorated
wooden stump with large round eyes and with stumps
as hands, with the conspicuous absence of legs. The
worship procedures, practices, sacraments and rituals of
Jagannath do not conform with those of classical
Hinduism .[3] It is made of wood, which is an exception
to common Hindu iconographic deities of metal or
stone. [4] The origin and evolution of Jagannath worship,
as well as iconography , is unclear and has been subject
to intense academic debate.
Jagannath lacks a clear vedic reference and is also not
a member of the traditional Dashavatara concept or the
classical Hindu pantheon, [5] though in certain Oriya
literary creations, Jagannath has been treated as the
Ninth avatar, by substituting Buddha.[6]
Jagannath considered as a form of the Hindu God
Vishnu, is non-sectarian [7][8][9] and has not been
associated with any particular denomination of
Hinduism in entirety, though there are several common
aspects with Vaishnavism, Saivism , Shaktism, Smartism ,
as well as with Buddhism and Jainism .
The oldest and most famous Jagannath deity is
established in Puri. The temple of Jagannath in Puri is
regarded as one of the Char Dham (sacred Hindu
pilgrimage places) in India .[10]
The most famous festival related to Jagannath is the
Ratha yatra, where Jagannath, along with the other two
associated deities, comes out of the Garbhagriha of the
chief temple (Bada Deula). They are transported to the
Gundicha Temple (located at a distance of nearly 3
kilometres (1.9 mi)), in three massive wooden chariots
drawn by devotees. Coinciding with the Rath Yatra
festival at Puri, similar processions are organized at
Jagannath temples throughout the world.
Etymology
Jagannath on the right, Subhadra in the center and
Balabhadra on the left
“
Jagannatha, according to them is a generic term, not
unique, as much as Lokanatha or Avalokiteswara. ln
fact, the name Jagannatha could be applied to any
Deity which is considered supreme.
”
—Surendra Mohanty, Lord Jagannatha: the microcosm
of Indian spiritual culture [11]
Etymologically, ” Jagannath ” means “Master,
Lord” ( nātha ) of the “World, Universe” ( Jagata). [12] The
word has Sanskrit origin, being a tatsama in Oriya. It is
a relational-case Tatpurusa compound word .
“Jagannātha” is a genitive tat-puruṣa-samāsa, derived
from “‘Jagat (a reduplicated nominal form of the verbal
root √gam [to go]), meaning “[whatsoever] is moving”
and nātha ( Oriya: ନାଥ), meaning “lord, refuge, shelter”,
( Oriya: ଜଗତି). Jagannatha can thus also mean “He the
shelter of the Revolving World” [13][14]
In the Oriya language , “Jagannath” refers to multiple
names, as ” Jagā ” (ଜଗା) or ” Jagabandhu ” (ଜଗବନ୍ଧୁ) (“Friend of
the Universe”). Both names derive from “Jagannath”.
Further, on the basis of the physical appearance of the
deity, names like ” Kālya” (କାଳିଆ) (“The Black-coloured
Lord”, but which can also mean “the Timely One”),
” Darubrahman ” (ଦାରୁବ୍ରହ୍ମ) (“The Sacred Wood-Riddle”),
” Dāruēdabatā ” (ଦାରୁ ଦେବତା “The wooden god”), Chakāākhi (ଚକା
ଆଖି) or ” Chakānayan ” (ଚକା ନୟନ “With round eyes”),
” Cakāḍōḷā ” (ଚକା ଡୋଳା “with round pupils”) are also in vogue.
[15][16][17]
Some scholars have suggested that the word is a
Sanskritization of a tribal word. They have presented
arguments concerning the Jagannath’s tribal origins.
Savaras the early tribal inhabitants of Odisha were tree
worshippers who called their god Jaganata from whom
the word Jagannath may have been derived.[18]
However, the verity of these statements depends upon a
prior knowledge of the verbal origins of the source
languages, and so remains to some extent speculative
and possibly represent political agendas. Still, to this
day, a class of non brahmin priests known as
“Daitapati” claiming origin from original Savara devotee
of Jagannath named Viśvabāsu perform some of the
most important rituals in the main temple at Pūri and
are considered the God’s family. [19]
Metaphysical attributes
The image of Jagannath in the Puri Temple.
While some schools of thought consider Jagannath as
an Avatar or incarnation of Vishnu, others consider him
as Vishnu incarnate[20] or the Avataree i.e. the cause
of the Avatars, and not merely an Avatar of Vishnu. [21]
[22] The incarnations emanate from Jagannath, who is
the cause of all material creation. Therefore, Jagannath
does not have any life stories and lila , in contrast to
Avatars like Parshurama , Rama , Krisna etc. According to
author Dipti Ray in Prataparudra Deva , the last great
Suryavamsi King of Odisha :
“
“In Prataparudradeva’s time Oriya poets
accepted Sarala Dasa ‘s idea and expressed
in their literary works as all the Avataras of
Vishnu (Jagannath) manifest from him and
after their cosmic play dissolute (bilaya) in
him (Jagannath). According to them
Jagannath is Sunnya Purusa, Nirakar and
Niranjan who is ever present in Nilachala to
do cosmic play … The five Vaishnavite
Sakhas [“Comrades”] of Orissa during
Prataparudradeva’s time expounded in their
works the idea that Jagannath
( Purushottama) is Purna Brahman (i.e. god
in toto) from whom other Avataras like
Rama , Krishna, etc., took their birth for lilas
in this universe and at the end would merge
in the self of Purna Brahman[23]
”
Jagannath has been endowed with attributes of all the
Avatars of Vishnu. He is adorned and worshipped as
different Avatars on special occasions. [24] Various
traditions identify Jagannath with different Avatars of
Vishnu. However he is most frequently identified with
Krishna the 8th Avatar of Vishnu. [25] The Puranas
relate that the Narasimha Avatar of Vishnu appeared
from a wooden pillar. It is therefore believed that
Jagannath is worshipped as a wooden idol or Daru
Brahma with the Sri Narasimha hymn dedicated to the
Narasimha Avatar. [26] Jagannath when worshipped
alone is called Dadhi Vaman [27] Sanskrit for the Dwarf
who likes curds. Every year in the month of Bhadra ,
Jagannath is dressed and decorated in the form of the
Vamana avatar of Vishnu. [28] Jagannath assumes the
Vamana Avatar during the annual Rath Yatra.[22]
Jagannath appeared in the form of Rama another avatar
of Vishnu to Tulsidas, whom he worshipped as
Raghunath when visiting Puri in the 16th century. [29]
From the times of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Jagannath
has been strongly associated with Krishna.Jagannath is
identified with Buddha considered the ninth avatar of
Vishnu by Hindus. [30] Attempts to label Jagannath as
the ninth Avatar of Vishnu instead of Buddha is
controversial. [31] Jagannath as the dutiful son offers
oblations in memory of parents of all the Human
Avatars of Vishnu annually.
Jagannath in his Hathi Besha or elephant attire
Caste barriers never existed among the devotees in
Jagannath’s temple. [32] Jagannath is venerated by all
Hindu sects, [24] not just Vaishnavas and has a Pan-
Indian influence. [33][34] Jagannath is considered the
epitome of Tantric worship. [30] Jagannath is venerated
as Bhairava or the Hindu God Shiva the consort of
Goddess Vimala by Shaivites and Shakta sects. [33]
Even the priests of Jagannath Temple at Puri belong to
the Shakta sect, although the Vaishnava sect’s
influence predominates. [35] As part of the triad
Balabhadra is also considered to be Shiva and
Subhadra a manifestation of Durga . [36] Jagannath is
said to assume the form of any God to satisfy his
devotee’s desire. [29] In the Bhagavata Purana the Sage
Markandeya established that Purushottama Jagannath
and Shiva are one. [37] Jagannath in his Hathi Besha
(elephant form) has been venerated by devotees like
Ganapati Bhatta of Maharashtra as the God Ganesh . [29]
Iconography and physical appearance
Raja Ravi Varma lithography of Jagannath, Balabhadra
and Sudarshana.
The most significant of Jagannath’s many shrines is the
temple at Puri, Odisha . In this temple, Jagannath is part
of a triad of deities that includes Balabhadra and
goddess Subhadra. Apart from the principal companion
deities Jagannath is worshipped along with Sudarshana
Chakra , Madhava , Sridevi and Bhudevi on the principal
platform; Ratnavedi (Ratna: Bejewelled, Vedi: Platform/
Pedestal – The bejewelled platform) in the inner
sanctum sanctorum of the temple. [38]
Unlike other deities of the Hindu gods, there is no
anthropomorphic or artistic aspect to the idol of
Jagannath. The idol has not been designed to represent
the image of a human being. The image has a massive
square head, merging with the chest into one piece of
wooden stump without any demarcation of the neck.
The arms have been inserted in a line with the upper
lip. The eyes are very large and round. The waist is the
limit of the body.
It has been hypothesized in the myths and legends that
the idols of Jagannath, along with those of Balabhadra
and Subhadra, are unfinished, as there are no
identifiable hands or legs. [39] Such a state of affairs
mixed with the hearsay led William Bruton, the first
English traveller to Puri in 1633, to mention that the idol
of Jagannatha “is in a shape like a serpent, with seven
heads”. [40] The top upper portions of the deities’ heads
are triangular in shape, evoking the Trimundi (Triangular
head).
The deity of Jagannath is about 6 feet tall (1.83 m). [41]
The colour is predominantly black and the eyes are
round and large. The eyes have three concentric circles
– Red on the outer border, white in the middle, and black
in the centre. The image of Balabhadra in the temple is
also approximately 6 feet (1.8 m) tall. [41] Balabhadra’s
face is white, his eyes are oval-shaped, and his stump-
like arms are at eye level. The Devi Subhadra statue is
yellow in hue and stands about 5 feet tall (1.52 m). [41]
The goddess’s eyes are also oval. The Sudarshana
Chakra is approximately the same height as the two
male deities and is red in colour and is worshipped as
the fourth deity in the Ratnabedi. The Sudarshana
Chakra is represented by a wooden pillar on which a
Chakra is carved and clothed, unlike the traditional
representation as a metal discus. The Sudarshana
Chakra is placed to the left of Jagannath contrary to
the traditional placement to the right of Vishnu
signifying its benign and protective aspect.[42]
The idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and
Sudarshana Chakra are made of neem wood.[43] Neem
wood is chosen because as per the Bhavishya Purana it
is the most auspicious wood to make idols of Vishnu.
The Brihat Samhita and the Vishnu Samhita mention
that if God is worshipped in the form of a Daru (idol of
wood) the worshipper obtains all four aspirations of
man, namely Ayu (longevity), Sri (wealth), Bala
(strength), and Vijaya (victory). [41]
Myths and legends of the origin and emergence of
Jagannath
The legends regarding the origin of Jagannath, which
have been recorded in various sources such as
Mahabharat of Sarala Dasa , Deula Tola of Nilambar
Das, Skanda Purana , Brahma Purana , Narada Purana ,
Padma Purana , Kapila Samhita etc., suggest the tribal
as well as Brahmanical links of the deity in the initial
stages.
It should be noted that, despite repeated references to
King Indradyumna in the Jagannath lore below,
Indradyumna remains a legendary figure and his
historicity cannot be established on any safe ground.
[44] Some have identified him with the Indradyumna of
the Mahabharat and considered him to be quite an
ancient figure of the early Vedic era. Drawing from poet
Sarala Dasa’s Mahabharat , Indradyumna can be
identified with Indraratha, the Somavamsi king of the
10th century AD. But identification of Indradyumna with
Indraratha is at variance with the long-accepted
tradition that Yayati I , the remote predecessor of
Indraratha, built the Jagannath Temple at Puri.
The following principal Puranic legends are associated
with the emergence of Jagannath:
Puranic version
The Puranic text Purusottama Mahatmya [45] of the
Skanda Purana [46] contains the Indradyumna legend
and the origin of Jagannath’s wooden idol at Puri.
According to the legends, in the Satya yuga ,
Indradyumna was a Lunar Dynasty king of Somavamsa
lineage. A traveling pilgrim came before Indradyumna
and described the great God Nila Madhava (Blue
Vishnu) being worshipped at Nilachal (Blue Mountain) in
Odra ( Odisha ). The pilgrim disappeared after telling the
story. At the king’s request, his priest and his younger
brother Vidyapati went in search of the legendary
divinity. Vidyapati reached the forest in Savardvipa on
the banks of the river Mahanadi. The Savara king,
Visvavasu , received Vidyapati and promised to show
him Nila Madhava the next morning. Vidyapati did not
touch food or water before seeing the Lord. Seeing the
eagerness of Vidyapati, the Savara king had him bathed
in Rohini-kunda and seated him under the kalpa tree.
There Vidyapati saw Nila Madhava being worshipped by
the Devas. Then Vidyapati returned to Avanti, the capital
of King Indradyumna.
Nilamadhav Temple, Kantilo
After listening to Vidyapati’s account, Indradyumna set
out for Nila Madhava, along with the priest, Vidyapati,
and his followers. But as it turned out, Nila Madhava
had disappeared on the very day that Vidyapati had
returned to Malava. Upon reaching the spot, they found
the god missing and the entire area covered with the
golden sand of the coast. The shocked king
Indradyumna was apprised of the message of Brahma
by Narada: that the King must worship the deity with
one thousand Asvamedha yajnas .
The divination of Nila Madhava went on:
“In this world I will not give you darshana in the form
of Nila Madhava, but I will manifest in four forms:
Jagannath, Balabhadra , Subhadra , and Sudarshana
chakra. Wait near Chakra tirtha, and a daru would
come afloat. I will manifest in the form of a very large,
fragrant, reddish log, and the signs of shankha, chakra ,
gada , and padma will be seen everywhere on that
form. Go there. Take Me out and make four deities
from that log. Then you will be able to worship Me.”
Upon receiving the devotion of the King, the
Purusottama himself took the form of Visvakarma and
secretly made the idols of daru (wood).Vishwakarma
agrees to carve four idols for Indradyumna, on the
condition that the door of the temple should be shut
and nobody should try to enter the temple or disturb the
carpenter until the idols were ready. Indradyumna
promised to follow these conditions and Vishwakarma
began his work. However, out of curiosity, the King (or
in some versions, Queen Gundicha) could not help
stealing a glance at Vishwakarma’s work. Vishwakarma,
upset at the breach of promise, vanished without
completing the idols. Thus, Jagannath, Balabhadra, and
Subhadra are still represented with incomplete limbs.
Thereafter, Brahma himself established the holy idols on
Vaishakha Sukla, on Pushya star.
The traditional version lacks historical support, as the
identity of Nila Madhava remains unclear. For this
reason, this traditional account of the emergence and
origin of Jagannath worship remains a myth only.
However, in the town of Kantilo in Odisha, there is a
temple dedicated to a deity named Nila Madhava, of
uncertain genealogy.
Vaishnavite version
Carpenters constructing Jagannath’s chariot for the
Rath Yatra at Puri
The Skanda Purana and Brahma Purana have attributed
the creation of the Jagannathpuri during the reign of
Indradyumna , a pious king and an ascetic who ruled
from Ujjain . According to the second legend, associated
with the Vaishnavas, when Lord Krishna ended the
purpose of his Avatar with the illusionary death by Jara
and his “mortal” remains were left to decay, some pious
people saw the body, collected the bones and preserved
them in a box. They remained in the box till it was
brought to the attention of Indrdyumna by Lord Vishnu
himself who directed him to create the image or a murti
of Jagannath from a log and consecrate the bones of
Krishna in its belly. Then King Indradyumna, appointed
Vishwakarma, the architect of gods, a Brahmin carpenter
to carve a the murti of the deity from a log which would
eventually wash up on the shore at Puri. Indradyumna
commissioned Vishwakarma (also said to be the divine
god himself in disguise) who accepted the commission
on the condition that he would not be disturbed till the
carving of the image of the deity was completed, and
the king to this condition. He then began his work in
complete isolation behind closed doors. [47]
Everyone was anxious about the divine work, including
the King Indradyumna. After a fortnight of waiting, the
King who was anxious to see the deity, could not
control his eagerness, and he visited the site where
Vishwakarma was working. Soon enough Vishwakarma
was very upset and he left the carving of the idol
unfinished; the images were without hands and feet. The
king was very perturbed by this development and
appealed to Brahma to help him. Brahma promised the
King that the images which were carved would be
deified as carved and would become famous. Following
this promise, Indradyumna organized a function to
formally deify the images, and invited all gods to be
present for the occasion. Brahma presided over the
religions function as the chief priest and brought life
(soul) to the image and fixed (opened) its eyes. This
resulted in the images becoming famous and
worshipped at Jagannath Puri in the well known
Jagannath Temple as a Kshetra (pilgrimage centre). It
is, however, believed that the original images are in a
pond near the temple. [47]
Sarala Dasa Mahabharata version
Jagannath Theme in Pattachitra painting
Sarala Dasa, the great Oriya poet of the 15th century
while praising Jagannath as the saviour of mankind
considered him both as a form of Buddha as well as a
manifestation of Krishna.[48] According to Sarala
Dasa’s Mahabharata, the mortal remains of Krishna
transformed into a wooden form and floated up to the
Puri sea shore. Jara Savara, an aborigine, picked it and
worshipped it. Subsequently, Indradyumna, the king of
Somavamsa, had three wooden images made out of the
log and established a grand temple for the images.
Origins of the Sect of Jagannath – alternate theories
Vedic origin of Jagannath
In the Rig veda , [49] there is mention of a Daru (log of
wood) floating in the ocean. Vedic prayers have
indicated taking shelter in the Daru.
In spite of the fact that Acharya Sayana , the noted
commentator on the Vedas, has categorically interpreted
the hymn with Jagannath as the daru floating at the
sea shores, [50] some scholars have refuted this
interpretation under the argument that the hymn deals
with “Alaxmi Stava” of Arayi.
Stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharat
It has been claimed that the land by the sea shore
where King Janak performed a yagna and tilled land to
obtain Sita is the same as the area in which the
Gundicha temple is situated in Puri. [51] In the Valmiki
Ramayan it has been said [52] that Ram advised
Hanuman and Vibhishan to worship Jagannath after the
Treta Yuga .
The Mahabharat amply describes King Indradyumna’s
Ashvamedh Yagna and the advent of the four deities of
the Jagannath cult. [51] It describes how the holy
Indradyumna tank was formed by the trodding of
ground by thousands of cows donated by Indradyumna
to Brahmins. To this day the Indradyumna tank is
considered holy by pilgrims.
Buddhist origins
William Bruton, the first English traveler to visit Puri and
to see the Jagannath temple, made a certain counter-
factual observation in 1633 that the image of
Jagannatha “is in shape like a serpent, with seven
heads” and the holy pagoda is “the mirror of all
wickedness and idolatry”. Thus, Jagannath became
known to Europeans as a pagan divinity of monstrous
form. To the Europeans, the iconography of Jagannatha
remained a mystery from the time of Bruton’s visit until
the 19th century. Bernier visited Puri in 1667 and left
the first reliable description of the Car Festival , but
failed to give any account of the image. [53] Jean-
Baptiste Tavernier later described in detail the priceless
jewellery of Jagannatha, which however, he never saw.
[53]
With the more enlightened views of the 19th century,
the problem of the iconography of Jagannath became a
fascinating field for speculation. After the British
occupation of Odisha in 1803, the temple and its priests
received special treatment from the East India Company ,
which decided to protect the institution for economic
and political reasons. Europeans were still excluded
from the great sanctuary and even General Alexander
Cunningham, one of the doyens of Indian archaeology,
had a rather vague knowledge of the appearance of the
Puri images, chiefly based, it seems, on secondary
sources. The restrictions imposed on non-Hindus did
not prevent a number of scholars from observing the
strange rites at Puri, which included the suspension of
caste-rules during the Car Festival, nor from drawing
conclusions concerning the origins of the cult of
Jagannath. [6]
As noted by Jagannath cult researcher, O. M. Starza,
[54] since the complex rites of the Brahmins had given
Christian scholars a low opinion of Hinduism, they
endeavored to explain the enlightened features of the
Jagannath cult by suggesting that it originated in the
noble religion of the Buddha. It was thought, for
instance, that the temple of Puri occupied almost
certainly the site of an earlier Buddhist shrine, without
any real evidence to support this view; while General
Alexander Cunningham’s suggestions that the figure of
Jagannath was derived from the Buddhist symbol of the
triratna (or taurine ) was accepted even by such
authorities as the Sri Lankan Buddhist scholar Ananda
Coomaraswamy.
In the Bhilsa Topes monuments, Alexander Cunningham
has identified the Jagannath triad as the Buddhist triad.
Cunningham argues that the following two points are
sufficient to conclude in favour of the Buddhist triad:
“the suspension of caste during the festival and the
belief that the image contains the relics or bones of
Krishna”. In support of second point he says that “(it) is
also not at all Brahmanical, it is eminently
characteristic of Buddhism.” [55] Cunningham also
asserts that the Brahma Padartha/Mani (Divine Life
material) is nothing but a Buddhist relic (Buddha’s
Tooth). [55]
Along the same lines, noted writers like W. W. Hunter,
[56] A. Stirling, John Beames, N. K. Sahu in the book A
History of Orissa, Harekrushna Mahatab in his History of
Orissa, [57] and Mayadhar Mansingh in his The Saga of
the Land of Jagannatha [58] opine that it is a Buddhist
triad.
In fact, there is no historical evidence of worship of
Jagannath at Puri prior to the 10th century, when
Yayati Kesari was the ruler. The Buddhist King
Indrabhuti’s Jnanasiddhi mentions [6] about the place of
Jagannath. Nilakantha Das has mentioned that the
Savaras were worshipping the image of Jagannath
made of neem wood in a place called Sambal (Samal,
now in Talcher of Angul District) in Oddiyana, the
kingdom of Indrabhuti, which was even prior to the rule
of Yayati Kesari -I. Indrabhuti[59] has described
Jagannath as Buddhist deity in Jnanasiddhi.
In the narrative by Indrabhuti, Jagannath was
worshipped by the Savaras in one of the Budha Viharas.
During the rule of King Sasanka and feudatory chief
Madhav Raj-II, many anti-Buddhist campaigns were
undertaken. Therefore, the Buddhist Jagannath was
shifted before the arrival of Hieun-Tsang and
destruction of the Puspagiri Vihar. In this period,
Indrabhuti emerged as a worshipper of Jagannath in
717. There are various opinions about the place where
the image of Jagannath was lying buried. The Madala
panji (The Temple Chronicles) identifies this place with
the village Gopali of Sonepur district of Odisha. The
Madala panji records a legend of King Yayati recovering
the wooden images of Jagannath from the Sonepur
region, where they lay buried for over 144 years.
Thereafter, King Yayati reconstructed the wooden
images from Sonepur forest tribes.
The book Gyanasidhi written by Indrabhuti, as published
from Baroda , has descriptions about Jagannath
worshipped as Buddha.
Pranipatya jagannatham sarvajinabararcitam |
Sarvabuddhamayam siddhi – byapinam
gaganopamam |
Sarvadam sarvasattwebhyah sarvajna vara
vajrinam |
Bhaktyaham sarvabhaven kakshye tatsadhanam
vajrinam |
“Jagannath is worshipped by the greatest Jainas,
he is in the form the almighty Buddha , full of
wisdom and compared to the sky. He offers
everything to all the living beigs. He is omniscient
and best among the Bajjajanis . I offer my solemn
prayer to that Jagannatha with devotion and tell
the way of his Sadhana”. [60]
Many of the ancient poets of Odisha have also
explained Jagannath as the form of Buddha and
worshipped as Baudhabatara (incarnation of The
Buddha). Sarala Mahabharata:
ସଂସାର ଜନଙ୍କୁ ସେହୁ ତାରିବା ନିମନ୍ତେ
ବଉଦ୍ଧ ରୁପରେ ବିଜେ ଛନ୍ତି ଜଗନ୍ନାଥେ ॥
ବଉଦ୍ଧ ରୁପରେ କଳି କଳାନ୍ତକ ସାଧି
କୁଟାନ୍ତକ ଦର୍ପଗଞ୍ଜ ଅଟ କୃପାନିଧି ॥
Roman transliteration :
saṁsāra janaṅku sēhu tāribā nimantē
bauddha ruparē bijē chanti jagannāthē
bauddha ruparē kaḷi kaḷāntaka sādhi
kuṭāntaka darpagañja aṭa kṛpānidhi
[61]
English translation: (unknown)
Darubrahma gita:
Sastha di sa antarena, pada je pani hela khina |
Baudharupa heba pain, padapani chadile tahi || [62]
Oriya bhagabata:
ଠାକୁରେ ବୋଇଲେ ରାଜା ହୋଇଲୁ କି ବାଇ,
କଳିଜୁଗେ ବସିବୁ ବଉଦ୍ଧ ରୁପ ହୋଇ ॥[6] ( Deuḷa toḷā , Oriya Bhagabata)
ସମୁଦ୍ରେ ମେଲିଣ ପ୍ରଭୁ ଦିଅ ଦେବରାଜା,
କଳିଜୁଗେ ପାଇବେ ସେ ଦାରୁରୁପେ ପୁଜା ॥
ṭhākurē bōilē rājā hōilu ki bāi
kaḷijugē basibu bauddha rupa hōi
samudrē mēliṇa prabhu dia dēbarājā
kaḷijugē pāibē sē dārurupē pujā
[63]
Sunya sanhita: Nija bansa gheni baudharupare nilachale
achi rahi [64]
Ananta guptagita:
Tahun baudharupe bhagabana, rahile purusotama
bhubana |
Baudharupe nilagiri mohi || [65]
The texts of the above prove that Jagannath was
worshipped in Puri by the Oriyas as a form of Buddha
from a long time. Jayadeva , in Gita Govinda also has
described Buddha as one among the Dasavatara.
Indrabhuti, the ancient king of Sambalaka (present
Sambalpur district ) of Oddiyan used to worship
Jagannath as Buddha. This culture also influenced
Buddhism in Nepal and Tibet . That is how Buddha is
also worshipped as Jagannath in Nepal. [66]
Anangavajja, the guru of Indrabhuti (Also described as
Acharjya, Jogi, Jogiswara and Mahacharjya in the
Tengur cannons). Pragyonpayabiniscayasidhi, written by
Indrabhuti and published from Baroda also has
description of Jagannath by Siddha Anangavajja.
Sada parahitascaiva carjayahkampyacetasa |
parjyupasyo jagannatho guruh sarvarthasidhida dah
| [67]
Jain Origins
Hathigumpha inscription of King Khāravela at Udayagiri
Hills
Pandit Nilakantha Das suggested that Jagannath was a
deity of Jain origin because of the appending of Nath to
many Jain Tirthankars. [68] He felt Jagannath meant the
‘World personified’ in the Jain context and was derived
from Jinanath.Evidence of the Jain philosophy like the
concept of Kaivalya which means salvation are present
in the Jagannath cult. [69] O.M Starza [70] discussed
Annirudh Das’s theory that the original Jagannath deity
as influenced by Jainism and is none other than the
Jina of Kalinga taken to Magadh by Mahapadma
Nanda . [71] This theory identifies the Jina of Kalinga
recorded to have been restored to Odisha by Kharvela in
his Hathigumpha inscription with Jagannath.
Tribal origins
Polish Indologist Olgierd M. Starza has reviewed various
theories on the tribal, Buddhist, Jain, or Vaishnav origins
of Jagannath in The Jagannatha Temple at Puri: Its
Architecture, Art And Cult, [72] and has arrived at the
conclusion that ” … several early theories regarding the
origin of Jagannatha have been refuted; only the tribal
theory remains a possibility … ” .[73]
The factors responsible for the acceptance of tribal
origin theories are as under:
1. The structure and shape of Jagannath deity is
commensurate with a pillar. The Savaras, the
earliest tribal inhabitants of Odisha , were tree
worshipers, and their rituals involved dancing and
singing before the Kitung or Jaganata or God. [18]
It has been argued that when the Vedic Aryans
migrated to Odisha, they adopted the local tribal
tradition of Jaganata worship, and effected the
transformation of the tribal wooden pillar Jaganata
to aryanized Jagannath . In fact, among tribals of
Vindhya region, tree or khamba (pillar or post)
worship is prevalent.
2. A deep association of a class of non-Brahmin,
tribal origin servitors, called Daitas, exists with the
worship of the Jagannath deities. These Daitas are
the hereditary servitors of Jagannath. [19] They are
inextricably and exclusively connected with the
funeral rites of Jagannath during the Nabakalevara
(New embodiment/renewal) ritual and bear the
sole responsibilities of Snana Yatra and Ratha-
Yatra. The instances of worship of Jagannath by
Savaras is also mentioned in Darubrahma Gita
written by Jagannath Dasa in the 16th century
and in Deula Tola written by Nilambara Das in the
17th century.
3. The images of the Jagannath triad are built out of
neem wood, as opposed to universal use of stone
for construction of images of all brahminical Hindu
deities. [41]
4. There is no caste distinction in the cult of
Jagannath which is akin to the practices of tribals
and significantly different from classical
Vaishnavism .[74]
A statue of Surya in Chlorite Schist from Konarak
These assumptions state Jagannath with a class of
aborigines, called Savaras, the peculiar shape as a pillar
and typical nature of the wooden icon of the deity and
his associates, Balabhadra and Subhadra; many
scholars have held that Jagannath has originally been a
tribal deity of Savara origin.
Anncharlott Eschmann has pointed out that the
Nabakalevara ritual is the ceremony of periodical
renewal of the body of the deity, is a tribal custom. [75]
Such practices of renewal of wooden deity are found
among the primitive tribes like Savaras and Konds.
British historian William Wilson Hunter in the first
volume on the British province of Odisha and the temple
of Jagannath has remarked that the aboriginal people
worshipped a Blue Stone inside dense forests as Nila
Madhava. Hunter ascribed the blue (Nila) colour to the
use of the common chlorite schist stone of the Hills of
Odisha in which all the ancient images of Odisha were
being made. [76] As per Hunter, the dravidian God, who
was offered raw, uncooked food by the primitive tribes.
Hunter hypothesized that with the passage of time, the
Aryan elements assimilated Jagannath into fold of
Hinduism where as per more sophisticated customs,
Jagannath is being offered cooked food. The synthesis
is clear even at present since worship methods of both
these two folds (Tribal and Brahminical) coexist side by
side at Jagannath Temples.
Three pillars found in an old temple said to date back to
the 8th century in Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh
Nilakantha Das opines that Savari Narayana of Madhya
Pradesh (Dakshina Kosala), was brought to Puri from
Phuljheur of Madhya Pradesh where a wooden deity was
worshipped. [77] This Narayana of the Savaras and
became Jagannath.
Prof. B. C. Mazumder (ed), in the Typical Selections
from Oriya Literature, [78] maintains that Seori-Narayana
has been located in the Bilaspur district of present
Chhattisgarh state, which was then in the kingdom of
Dakshin Kosala, where in the 7th century a line of rulers
of Hinduized Savara origin, established its rule with
Sivpur, in the north of Raipur , for its capital.
Verrier Elwin , anthropologist, ethnologist and tribal
activist, in his book Religion of an Indian Tribe has
narrated that: [79]
“The god Jagannatha had appeared in Seori-Narayana
and an old Savar used to worship him. The king of
Odisha had built the great temple at Puri and wished
to install Jagannatha in it, and he found a Brahmin to
fetch it from Seori-Narayan, but nobody knew where it
was except the old hermit, Savar. The Brahmin
besought him in vain to be allowed to see the god and
even went so far as to marry his daughter, and finally
the old man consented to take him blindfolded to the
place. The Brahmin, however, tied some mustard
seeds on a corner of his cloth and made a hole in it so
that they dropped out one by one on the way. After
sometime they grew up and served to guide him to the
spot. The Brahmin then went to the Seori-Narayana
alone and begged the god to go to Puri. Jagannatha
consented and assuming the form of a log of wood,
floated down the Mahanadi to Puri, where he was
taken out and placed in the temple.”
As per Elwin there is an alternative Savara legend,
according to which there are three most important and
prominent Kittungs (Gods) – two brothers and a sister,
Ramma, Bimma and Sitaboi. Ramma is always coupled
with the brother Bimma. The legend maintains that it
was from them that the Savara tribe was born. Such a
set up has significant resemblance to the Jagannath
triad.
The argument, that because there is no caste distinction
inside the Jagannath temples, the images are of
Buddhist descent, cannot be accepted on merit. Verrier
Elwin has argued that:
“They (The Savars) have no caste feeling, and they do
not excommunicate one of their members if he
changes his religion. Most of them have no idea of
untouchability and accept food even from the Douss
(Douss are treated as inferiors).” (The Religion of an
Indian Tribe)
Although Dr. Mayadhar Mansingh thought it ( Jagannath
triad ) to be a Buddhist triad, [80] in his other book
History of Oriya Literature , he writes: [81]
“Originally a god of the tribal Savaras, and adopted
later successively by the Aryan faiths of Jainism,
Buddhism, Tantricism and Vaishnavism, Jagannatha
bears the indelible impress of each of these cults even
today. The traditions and practices which centre in an
around this famous temple are also still South Indian
or Dravidian to a large extent.”
The theory that the Jagannath triad is a Vaishnava cult
has been ruled out as there is no semblance of Nila
Madhaba in the present triad images, nor are the three
images on the same platform being worshipped by the
Vaishnavites. Further, the Brahma Padartha (life
substance) has been argued not to be Lord Krishna’s
mortal remains, since puritanism in the Vaishnavism
does not permit mortal remains to be inserted in a
sacred image.
Further, the Buddhist relic, the tooth relic, cannot be the
Brahma Padartha (life material), as the relic has been
kept at Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka.
In connection to the possible tribal origins of the
Jagannath cult, a pertinent point has been raised by
Pandit Nilakantha Das in The Orissa Historical Review
Journal, April 1958, whereby it has been argued that:
[77]
“Before Choraganga actually came to Orissa it appears
from tradition that, Nilmadhava so much made of the
Nihilists and perhaps accepted by the local Savaras,
with whom also perhaps mixed up Uddas, has just
been replaced by the image of the neem-wood, called
Sawrinarayana. Chodaganga deba instead of
disapproving the attempt seemed to take ready
advantage of the incident, specially as his Hindu
patriotism as well as the imperialistic outlook dictated
him to make the powerful Savara element of his newly
annexed land completely his own and consequently,
the new god more liberal and universally popular
among these Savara people as well as the Hindu
public. Jaina or Buddhist worship and practice were
also retained there in making the offering acceptable
by all clans and castes with equal reverence.”
All the above facts and arguments point to a possible
tribal origin of the Jagannath worship.
Tribal Narasimha origins
Jagannath in the Narasimha or Nrusingha Besha in
Koraput
As per current predominant thought, Jagannath,
embodies the metamorphosis of tribal god into a pre-
eminent deity of the classical Hindu pantheon. The icon
is carved out of wood (not stone or metal), and the
tribes whose rituals and traditions were woven into his
worship are still living as tribal and semi-tribal
communities in the region. This tribal god may have
taken a fairly circuitous route to his present pinnacle,
via absorption of local shakti traditions and merger with
the growing popularity of the Narasimha and
Purushottam forms of Vishnu in the region in the
medieval era.
As regards to archeological findings, Queen Vasata in
the 8th century built the famous Narsinghnath temple
built in brick at Sripur or Shreepur on the banks of river
Mahanadi in present Mahasamund district. Sirpur or
Shreepur was then the capital of Dakshin Kosala
( Chhattisgarh region) kingdom. The temple is believed
to have been built in the 8th century by Vasata, the
daughter of King Suryavarma of Magadh. The temple
plaque opens with a salutation to Purushottam, also
titled Narasimha, suggesting a trend in Vaishnav
tradition to stress the ugra (violent) aspect of Vishnu .
[82] This possibly culminates with Jagannath, widely
revered as Purushottam until the end of the 13th
century, which had close connections with Narasimha
who became popular in Odisha in the post- Gupta
period.
After Anantavarman Chodaganga, who commissioned
the temple at Puri, his chief queen, Kasturikamodini,
built a temple in his homeland in Tekkali (present
Andhra Pradesh), east of his first capital Kalinganagar,
in 1150. The temple was dedicated to the god
Dadhivaman, and the inscription reveals that the image
installed was of the wooden God, and not the famous
Puri Trinity of Jagannath-Balabhadra-Subhadra. [21]
Scholars maintain that such fact means that
Chodaganga was a devotee of this god, and as the
god’s name is preserved in Tekkali in this early period, it
seems likely that “Dadhivaman” (or the tribal form of
this Sanskritised name) was the original name of the
wooden god.
As the original wooden god was a unitary figure,
temples for the single deity continued to be built even
after a Trinitarian image emerged at Puri. Even today
there are many Dadhivaman temples in Odisha, [83]
which perpetuate the original state of the god. The
Kond continue to practice a ritual renewal of wooden
posts.
There is also something striking about the figures
constituting the Jagannath triad. Subhadra’s image
consists of only a trunk and a head, but Jagannath and
Balabhadra are larger, with a trunk, over-dimensional
head, and arm stumps. But while the heads of Subhadra
and Balabhadra are oval with almond-shaped eyes,
Jagannath’s head is curiously flat on top and is
dominated by enormous round eyes.
Scholars explain this in terms of Narasimha’s
association with wooden posts representing tribal
deities. In the Andhra village Jambulapadu in
(Anantapur), Narasimha Svami is worshipped as a pillar
to which a sheet shaped in the form of a lion’s head is
attached. This lion-head explains Jagannath’s large
round eyes, typical of Narasimha on account of his fury
(krodh). [21] The head of the Jagannath image makes
sense when perceived as a lion’s head, where the
emphasis is on the jaws, rather than as a human head.
Transformation from unitary icon to triad
Jagannath on the right with Subhadra in the center and
Balabhadra on the left
The Madala Panji observes that Neela Madhav
transformed into Jagannath and was worshipped alone
as a unitary figure, not as the part of a triad. It is
significant to note that the early epigraphic and literary
sources refer only to a unitary deity Purushottama
Jagannath. [84] The Sanskrit play “Anargharaghava”
composed by Murari mentioned only Purushottama
Jagannath and his consort Lakshmi with no references
to Blabhadra and Subhadra. [84] The Dasgoba copper
plated inscription dating to 1198 also mentions only
Purushottama Jagannath in the context that the Puri
temple had been originally built by Ganga king
Anantavarman Codaganga (1078–1147) for Vishnu and
Lakshmi. [84] These sources are silent on the existence
of Balabhadra and Subhadra. Such state of affairs has
led to arguments that Purushottama was the original
deity and Balabhadra and Subhadra were subsequently
drawn in as additions to a unitary figure and formed a
triad.
The situation changed during the rule of Anangabhima
III [1211–1239] when Balabhadra and Subhadra are
mentioned for the first time in the Pataleshwara
inscription dating back to 1237. [84] The German
Indologist Kulke termed Anangibhima III the originator of
the triad of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra [85]
suggesting that Balabhadra was added after Laksmi’s
transformation into Subhadra. This is because there is
an Oriya convention, according to which the younger
brother’s wife (i.e. Krishna’s wife Lakshmi) could not
have lived in the same house with her husband’s older
brother i.e. Balarama.
As per scholars, Devi Subhadra could be subsequent
addition upon the resurgence of Shaktism as the consort
(“Not sister”) of Jagannath. [86] At some point of time
the figure of Lord Balabhadra may have been added to
satisfy the Saivas to the existing couple Jagannath and
Devi Subhadra. At this juncture, a major change had to
be introduced into the relationship between the deities
since as per traditional Oriya culture, the elder brother is
not permitted even to see the face of younger brother’s
spouse. Therefore, as a solution, the erstwhile consort
(Shri) of Jagannath was relieved from dual images of
Jagannath-Shri and Subhadra, the sister to both to
deities was introduced.
The discus Sudarshana chakra. [42] was also a
subsequent addition to satisfy the Ganapatyas and
Sauras. This could only have taken place over the
process of Krishna consciousness was well advanced
and given the political importance of the cult after
Chodaganga, only under a special royal impact.
Unique and enigmatic are the images of Jagannath,
Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarsan without any
parallel in any Hindu shrine. They are not built
according to the injunctions in traditional Shilpa Sastras
(Iconography). In fact there is no foundation in
traditional sculpture for the construction of image of
Gods and Goddesses in wood). [41] And thus the four-
fold images of Daru-Brahma stand apart from all the
other icons in the temples situated even in the precincts
of the great temple.
All the hundred odd sub-ordinate deities all compare to
traditional icons by and large, being anthropomorphic in
form and built according to scriptural descriptions in
stone so as to be eternal and immortal.
Yet the strange descriptions of Chaturdha Murti or four-
fold deities is the centre of the Jagannath cult and has
dominated Oriya life, art and culture and in the sense it
synthesises all the major cults of India.
Assimilation and synthesis
Jagannath
Seemingly, the origin of Jagannath cult is aboriginal,
tribal Savara. However, in course of time, the cult has
taken an Aryanised form and various major faiths like
Saivism, Saktism, Vaishnavism, Jainism, and Buddhism
have been synthesised into this cult. [8][9]
Jagannath is worshipped as Purushottama form of
Vishnu, [87] Gaudiya Vaishnavs have identified him
strongly with Krishna. [88] Balabhadra considered the
elder brother of Jagannath is worshipped as Shiva .[88]
Subhadra considered Jagannath’s sister is considered
as Brahma [88] in some versions and worshipped as
Adyasakti Durga in the form of Bhuvaneshwari in other
versions. [89] Finally the fourth deity, Sudarsana Chakra
symbolizes the wheel of Sun’s Chariot, which attracts
the Sauras . The conglomerate of Jagannath,
Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan Chakra
worshipped together on a common platform are called
the Chaturdha Murty or the “Four-fold Form”. [90]
Certain scholars like Pandit Nilakantha Das have opined
that the three main images of Jagannath, Balabhadra
and Subhadra represent the Jain Trinity of Samyak
Jnana, Samyak Charita and Samyak Drusti. It is also
believed that the soul of Jagannath, most secretly
hidden within the image of Jagannath, is nothing but a
Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. The philosophy of Tantra,
which in course of time became an integral part of
Buddhism, has also significantly influenced the rites and
rituals of Jagannath cult.
Jagannath is also worshipped as “Purushottama” (“The
Best of All”). Jagannath is worshipped along with Lord
Balabhadra or Balarama who is alternatively considered
to be an incarnation of Seshanaga . According to some
scholars, Subhadra, who is worshipped along with
Jagannath, is the Goddess Bhuvaneshwari . But some
other Vaishnavite scholars regard her as the younger
sister of Lord Krishna, because of the similar name.
To the right of Jagannath is the Sudarshana chakra, a
post-like structure that may have originated in
processional Siva lingas, but that also has some
parallels in pillars seen in orthodox Vaishnava contexts,
in folk settings, and in tribal areas. Author O.M. Starza
(1993) provides information about the processional Siva
lingas, [91] Vaishnava pillars, [92] modern folk parallels to
the Sudarshana chakra, [93] and stakes or pillar-like
icons in the tribal settings. [94] On the other hand, the
importance or role of Sudarshana chakra, the fourth
deity remains unexplained. Such a combination of
deities is unique in India iconography .
The Saiva element in the cult of Jagannath are co-
related with the doctrine of Tantricism and Shakta
Dharma. According to the Saivas, Jagannath is Bhairav.
[95] The tantric literary texts identify Jagannath with
Mahabhairav. [96] It will not be out of place to mention
here that Jagannath sits on the Sri Yantra (“holy
instrument”) or Sri Chakra (“holy wheel”) and is
worshipped in the Vijamantra ‘Klim’, which is also the
Vijamantra of Kali or Shakti. The representation of
Balaram as Sesanaga or Sankarsana bears testimony to
the influence of Shaivism on the cult of Jagannath. The
third deity, Devi Subhadra, who represents the Sakti
element is still worshipped with the Bhuvaneshwari
Mantra.[95]
The Tantric texts also point out the name of Jagannath
and his worshippers. According to these texts,
Jagannath is Bhairav, and Goddess Vimala is the
Shakti. The offerings of Jagannath becomes
Mahaprasad only after it is re-offered to Goddess
Vimala. Similarly, different tantric features of Yantras
have been engraved on the Ratna vedi, where
Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra are set up.
The Kalika Purana depicts Jagannath as a Tantric deity.
[95]
In Gaudiya Vaishnav tradition, Balabhadra is the elder
brother Balaram , Jagannath is the younger brother
Krishna, and Subhadra is the youngest sister. [96]
According to the Jain version, the image of Jagannath
(Black colour) represents sunya, Subhadra symbolizes
the creative energy and Balabhadra (White colour)
represents the phenomenal universe. All these images
have evolved from the Nila Madhava, the ancient
Kalinga Jina. “Sudarshana Chakra” is contended to be
the Hindu name of the Dharma Chakra of Jaina symbol.
The term ” Kaivalya” (“liberation”), exclusively common in
the cult of Jagannath, is derived from Jaina tradition.
To conclude, in the words of the historian Jadunath
Sarkar : [97]
“
“The diverse religions of Orissa in all ages have
tended to gravitate towards and finally merged into
the Jagannath worship, at least in theory.”
”
Symbolic representation
Jagannath has been depicted as the symbol of godhead
in certain other belief systems and faiths as, under:
In Vaishnavism, the Jagannath form is worshipped as
the abstract form of Krishna.[88]
The follower of Shaivism maintain that the original
shape of Jagannath was in shape of a Linga . Deity
Balabhadra is also named as “Shiva” and “Ananta
Vasudev” .[98]
The Shaktas claim that in tantra systems, Jagannath
has been accepted as Bhairava [89] and associate deity
Bimala represents ‘Bhairavi’. Such a belief is reinforced
by the ritual whereby only after offering of the
‘Jagannath Bhog’ at Goddess Vimala, it is considered
as ‘ Mahaprasad ‘.
Some followers of Buddhism pray to Jagannath in
mantra ” Namoh Jagannath Buddhaya”. In their opinion,
Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra represent the
Buddha- Sangha- Dhamma triad. [69] A section of
Buddhists believes that the tooth relic of Buddha is kept
inside the Jagannath idol in the navel circle. [99]
Buddhists draw parallel in claiming that the Jagannath
Rath-Yatra is like the of Rath Yatra for Buddha. The
Buddhists also do not follow casteism in society, which
is also followed in the Ananda Bazar of Jagannath.
Jains believe that the word “Jagannath” has been
derived from the word ” Jinanath” . [69] The Jagannath
idol resembles with the ancient Jain Idol. The ‘Baisi
Pahacha’ (22 steps) leading to the Jagannath Temple
at Puri has been constructed in the memory of 22
tirthankaras or Kevalins . Similarly, the offerings made to
Jagannath is called ‘Kaivalya’.
Mythology of Jagannath
Kanchi conquest
The conquest of Kanchi
One of the most popular legends associated with
Jagannath is that of Kanchi Avijana (or “Conquest of
Kanchi “), also termed as “Kanchi-Kaveri”. According to
the legends, [100] the daughter of the King of Kanchi
was betrothed to the Gajapati of Puri. When the Kanchi
King witnessed the Gajapati King sweeping the area in
front of where the chariots of Jagannath, Balabhadra
and Subhadra were kept during Ratha yatra, he was
aghast. Considering the act of sweeping unworthy of a
King, the King of Kanchi declined the marriage proposal,
refusing to marry his daughter to a ‘Sweeper’. Gajapati
Purushottam Deva, felt deeply insulted at this and
attacked the Kingdom of Kanchin to avenge his honour.
His attack was unsuccessful and his army defeated by
the Kanchi Army.
Upon defeat, the Gajapati King Purushottam Deva
returned and prayed to Jagannath, the God of land of
Kalinga before planning a second campaign to Kanchi.
Moved by his prayers, Jagannath and Balabhadra, left
their temple in Puri and started an expedition to Kanchi
on horseback. It is said that Jagannath rode on a white
horse and Balabhadra on a black horse. The legend has
such a powerful impact on the Oriya culture that the
simple mention of white horse-black horse evokes the
imagery of Kanchi conquest of the God in devotees
minds.
On the road, Jagannath and Balabhadra grew thirsty
and chanced upon a milkmaid Manika, who gave them
butter-milk/yogurt to quench their thirst. Instead of
paying her dues, Balabhadra gave her a ring telling her
to claim her dues from King Purushottam. Later,
Purushottam Deva himself passed by with his army. At
Adipur near Chilika lake, the milkmaid Manika halted the
King pleading for the unpaid cost of yogurt consumed by
His armie’s two leading soldiers riding on black and
white horses. She produced the gold ring as evidence.
King Purusottam Deva identified the ring as that of
Jagannath. Considering this a sign of divine support for
his campaign, the king enthusiastically led the
expedition.
The Ashwadwara at Puri with the statue of Jagannath
on a white horse and Balabhadra on a black horse
In the war between the army, of Kalinga inspired by the
Divine support of Jagannath and the of army of Kanchi,
Purushottam Deva led his army to victory . King
Purusottam brought back the Princess Padmavati of
Kanchi to Puri. To avenge his humiliation, he ordered
his minister to get the princess married to a sweeper.
[101] The minister waited for the annual Rath Yatra
when the King ceremonially sweeps Jagannath’s
chariot. He offered the princess in marriage to King
Purusottam, calling the King a Royal sweeper of God.
The King then married the Princess. The Gajapati King
also brought back images of Uchista Ganesh (Bhanda
Ganesh or Kamada Ganesh) and enshrined them in the
Kanchi Ganesh shrine at the Jagannath Temple in Puri.
This myth has been recounted by Mohanty .[102] J.P
Das [103] notes that this story is mentioned in a
Madala panji chronicle of the Jagannath Temple of Puri,
in relation to Gajapati Purushottama. At any rate, the
story was popular soon after Purushottama’s reign, as a
text of the first half of the 16th century mentions a
Kanchi Avijana scene in the Jagannath temple. There is
currently a prominent relief in the jaga mohan (prayer
hall) of the Jagannath temple of Puri that depicts this
scene.
In modern culture, Kanchi Vijaya is a major motif in
Odissi dance . [104]
In Oriya literature, the Kanchi conquest (Kanchi Kaveri)
has significant bearing, in medieval literature
romanticized as the epic Kanchi Kaveri by
Purushottama Dasa in the 17th century and a work by
the same name by Maguni Dasa. [105] The first Oriya
drama written by Ramashankar Ray , the father of Oriya
drama in 1880 is Kanchi Kaveri . [106]
It has been asserted by researcher J. P. Das [107] that
the historicity of this event is not certain. However, the
legendary Kanchi Kingdom has been identified as the
historical Vijayanagar Kingdom. As per historical
records, Gajapati Purushottam Deva’s expedition
towards Virupaksha Raya II ‘s Kanchi (Vijayanagar)
Kingdom started during 1476 with Govinda Bhanjha as
Commander-in-chief. [108] Gajapati Purushottam Deva
invaded Thiruvannaamalai of Tiruvannamalai district
after crossing river Kaveri .[109]
The Story of Patita Pavana
Patita Pavana
Patita Pavana in Sanskrit means “Saviour of the fallen
souls”.When Jagannath is worshipped alone with only
his face depicted devoid of his arms and torso, he is
called Patita Pavana considered the all merciful aspect
of the God. [110] Various legends have mentioned the
origin of Patita Pavana. Local tradition mentions
Jagannath manifested as Patita Pavana to bless
Haridas Thakur, a Vaishnav Saint born a
Muslim .Because of his non-Hindu origin he was
forbidden entry to the Temple in Puri. Moved by his
intense desire to have darshan of God, Jagannath
assumed the form of Patita Pavana to bless and offer
salvation to Haridas Thakur. [110]
The story of Patita Pavana has been associated with
Salabega a Muslim devotee of Jagannath. [110]
Salabega was the son of a Muslim Subedar in the 17th
century Mughal army. It is believed that Salabega
suffered from some incurable ailment and through
prayer to Lord Jagannath, as advised by his mother, he
was miraculously cured. [111] The grateful Salabega was
eager to have darshan of Jagannath in the temple in
Puri. However because he was a non-Hindu, he was
forcibly removed from the temple. In great sorrow
Salabega fell prostrate in front of the Lion Gate of the
temple, crying for a chance to see Jagannath.
Jagannath unable to bear his devotee’s sorrow, came
to the gate of the temple assuming the form of Patita
Pavana to bless him. [112] It is said on gaining vision of
Jagannath, Salabega is said to have composed a poem
in his honour known as Patitapavana Astakam. To
quote Salabega:
“
“O unlimited one! All those who have witnessed my
sins
Are so terrorized that they stop seeing their own
flaws, And fearlessly praise each other’s virtue. So
if you are truly a purifier of the fallen, Then, dear
master, save this worst of all miscreants!”
”
(Stanza 5 from Jan Brzezinski’s translation of
Patitapavana Astakam [113] )
Another legend associates the emergence of Patita
Pavana with Ramachandra Deva II. Ramachandra Deva
II was the King of Khurda in the 18th century. He was
imprisoned by the Mughal General Taqi Khan for 13
months in Khurda. [114] To protect the idols of
Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra from
descecration, he had his faithful servants shift the idols
to Banpur, near Chilika Lake. [115] Ramchandra Deva to
escape imprisonment and ensure safety of Jagannath
and the temple in Puri converted to Islam and married a
Muslim lady. [110] Due to his apostasy he was denied
entry into the Jagannath temple or take part in any
religious rites associated with Jagannath. [116] Tradition
maintains Ramachandra Deva pined for darshan of
Jagannath. He is said to have gone every day at
midnight and cried about his plight in front of
Jagannath’s temple. Jagannath unable to bear his
devotee’s plight used to come to the Gate of the temple
everynight to console Ramachandra. When people came
to know of this occurrence the statue of Patita Pavana
was consecrated at the main gate of the Puri temple for
Ramchandra Deva to pay his obeisance.
Jagannath in Vaishnavism
Although Jagannath has been identified with other
traditions in the past, He is now identified more with
Vaishnav tradition.
Early Vaishnav tradition
Gita Govinda manuscript c. 1500.
Vaishnavism is considered a more recent tradition in
Odisha , being historically traceable to the early Middle
Ages. [117] Ramanujacharya the great Vaishnav reformer
visited Puri between 1107 and 1111 converting the King
Ananatavarman Chodaganga from Shaivism to
Vaishnavism. [118] At Puri he founded the Ramanuja
Math for propagating Vaishnavism in Odisha. The
Alarnatha Temple stands testimony to his stay in
Odisha. Since the 12th century under the influence of
Ramanujacharya, Jagannath was increasingly identified
with Vishnu. [6] Under the rule of the Eastern Gangas,
Vaishnavism became the predominant faith in Odisha by
assimilating ideas from Shaivism, Shaktism and
Buddhism.[119] Oriya Vaishnavism gradually centred on
Jagannath as the principal deity. Sectarian differences
were eliminated by assimilating deities of Shaivism,
Shaktism and Buddhism in the Jagannath Pantheon.
[117] The Ganga Kings respected all the ten avatars of
Vishnu, considering Jagannath as the cause of all the
Avatars. The Vaishnav saint Nimbaraka visited Puri,
establishing the Radhavallav Matha in 1268. [118] The
famous poet Jayadev was a follower of Nimbaraka and
his focus on Radha and Krishna. Jayadev’s composition
Gita Govinda put a new emphasis on the concept of
Radha and Krishna in East Indian Vaishnavism. [120]
This idea soon became popular. Sarala Dasa in his
Mahabharat thought of Jagannath as the universal
being equating him with Buddha and Krishna. He
considered Krishna as one of the Avatars of Jagannath
[6]
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Gaudiya Vaishnavism (also known as Chaitanya
Vaishnavism [121] and Hare Krishna ) is a Vaishnava
religious movement founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
(1486–1534) in India in the 16th century. “Gaudiya”
refers to the Gauḍa region (present day Bengal /
Bangladesh ) with Vaishnavism meaning “the worship of
the monotheistic Deity or Supreme Personality of
Godhead, often addressed as Krishna, Narayana or
Vishnu “.
The focus of Gaudiya Vaishnavism is the devotional
worship ( bhakti ) of Krishna, as Svayam Bhagavan or the
Original Supreme Personality of Godhead.[122]
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spent the last 20 years of his
life in Puri dedicating it to the ecstatic worship of
Jagannath whom he considered the highest form of
Krishna. [123] Mahaprabhu propagated the Sankirtan
movement which laid great emphasis on chanting God’s
name in Puri. He converted noted scholars like
Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya to his philososphy. He left a
great influence on the then king of Odisha , Prataprudra
Deva, and the people of Odisha. [124] According to one
version Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is said to have merged
with the idol of Jagannath in Puri after his death [123]
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu changed the course of Oriya
Vaishnav tradition emphasising Bhakti and strongly
identifying Jagannath with Krishna. [88] His Gaudiya
Vaishnav school of thought strongly discouraged
Jagannath’s identification with other cults and religions,
thus shaping Jagannath’s identity as the Krishna Avatar
of Vishnu.
The ISKCON Movement
Srila Prabhupada in Golden Gate Park with Jagannath
deity to his right: February, 1967
Prior to the advent of ISKCON movement Jagannath,
and his most important festival the annual Rath Yatra
were relatively unknown in the West. [125] Soon after its
founding, ISKCON started founding temples in the West.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada popularly called
Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON selected
Jagannath as one of the chosen forms of Krishna
installing an idol of Jagannath in ISKCON temples
around the world. [126] ISKCON has promoted
Jagannath throughout the world. Annual Rath Yatra
festival is now celebrated by ISKCON in many cities in
the West where they are popular attractions. [125]
ISKCON devotees worship Jagannath and take part in
the Rath Yatra in memory of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
spending 18 years in Puri worshipping Jagannath and
taking an active part in the Rath Yatra[127]
Jagannath in Shaktism
Vimala (Bimala) is worshipped as the presiding goddess
of the Purushottama (Puri) Shakti Pitha by Shaktas. In a
departure from tradition Jagannath, is worshipped as
the Bhairava, traditionally always a form of Shiva.
Jagannath-Vishnu equated with Shiva, is interpreted to
convey the oneness of God. Also, in this regard, Vimala
is also considered as Annapurna, the consort of Shiva.
[128] Conversely, Tantrics consider Jagannath as Shiva-
Bhairava, rather than a form of Vishnu. [129] While
Lakshmi is the traditional (orthodox tradition) consort of
Jagannath, Vimala is the Tantric (heterodox) consort.
[130] Vimala is also considered the guardian goddess of
the temple complex, with Jagannath as the presiding
god. [131]
Jagannath is considered the combination of 5 Gods
Vishnu, Shiva, Surya, Ganesh and Durga by Shaktas.
[132] When Jagannath has his divine slumber (Sayana
Yatra) he is believed to assume the aspect of Durga.
According to the “Niladri Mahodaya” [132] Idol of
Jagannath is placed on the Chakra Yantra, the idol of
Balabhadra on the Shankha Yantra and the idol of
Subhadra on the Padma Yantra.
In the Skanda Purana , Subhadra is identified with
Katyayini manifestation of Shakti. [133] The 16th-
century poet Balarama Dasa described Jagannath being
attended by 64 Yoginis , Katyayini, Saptamatrikas ,
Vimala, and Viraja[133]
Jagannath and Sikhism
In 1506 Guru Nanak the founder of Sikhism made a
pilgrimage to Puri to visit to Jagannath. [134] As per
tradition it is said that because of his clothes, Guru
Nanak was mistaken as a Muslim and not allowed into
Jagannath’s Temple. [135] Nanak instead recited
devotional hymns in the sea shore of Puri. Jagannath
appeared in the dreams of the Gajapati King of Puri
forbidding him to perform any rituals in the temple,
when he went to hear the Bhajans of Guru Nanak. The
King was surprised to find Jagannath present when
Nanak recited his hymns. Because of his devotion, Guru
Nanak was reverentially escorted to the temple to have
darshan of Jagannath.
While in the Jagannath temple, Guru Nanak was said to
be in deep thought when Arti service of Jagannath was
being performed. On being asked why he did not take
part in Arti, Guru Nanak composed a hymn in Rag
dhansri explaining that the whole nature was doing a
great Arti of God and questioned empty rituals. [136] The
Mangu, Punjabi and Bauli mathas of Puri are associated
with Guru Nanak. [134] According to B.B Majumadar
Guru Nanak spent time with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in
Puri taking part in Kirtan which both of them found
pleasure in.[137] Under the banner of the assimilative
and all embracing Jagannath, Guru Nanak and Tulsidas
met. [138] Thus in medieval India Jagannath Puri
became a meeting ground of philosophers propounding
various faiths and beliefs .To this day a Gururdwara in
Puri commemorates Guru Nanak’s visit to Puri.
Ranjit Singh, the Sikh ruler of Punjab revered Jagannath
Later Sikh gurus like Guru Teg Bahadur also visited
Jagannath Puri. [139] Maharaja Ranjit Singh the famous
19th-century Sikh ruler of Punjab held great respect in
Jagannath, willed his most prized possession the Koh-i-
Noor diamond to Jagannath in Puri, while on his
deathbed in 1839. [140]
Reference of Jagannath in various literary works and
texts
References and mention of Jagannath have been found
in numerous religious texts and semi-religious literary
works.
The most ancient reference is found in the 3rd rca of
the 155th sukta in the 10th Mandala of the Rig veda .
[49] In a sukta there is reference to sacred log (Daru)
which runs as thus:
“Ado yad daru plavate sindhoh pare apurusam,
Tada rabhasva durhano, tena gaccha
parastaram.” (10.155.3 R.V. )
Vedic Commentator Sayanacharya has ascribed this
sukta to Jagannath in the following manner,: [50] “The
exists on sea-shore in a far off place, the wooden image
of a deity with name Purusottama;
O ye, by worshipping that wood so indestructible, attain
the supreme place.
However, the acceptance of this rca as referring to
Jagannath is not universal. Alternately, it has been
argued by scholars that the rca is Alaxmi Stava only.
In the Uttara Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana , mention
of Jagannath has been found [52] where Rama has
advised Vibhisana to devote himself to the worship of
the deity, who has been described as the presiding deity
of the Ikshvaku Kula (Clan) or Surya Vamsa. As a
matter of fact, even today, the ritual Vibhisana
Bandapana is observed in the temples of Jagannath.
Further, in the Kiskinda Kanda of the Ramayana, there
are references to the names of Jagannath among other
deities.
In the Mahabharata, the tale of King Indradyumna and
the tank named after him is a direct reference to the
Jagannath lore. [51] In this epic, there is description of
Vedi, which is identified by the scholars as Antarvedi or
the seat of Sri Jagannath in the Samkha Kshetra . In the
Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata, a reference has been
made to the Jagannath Dharma.
Mention of Jagannath and the Purusottama Kshetra
abound in Puranic literature[141] of Matsya Purana ,
Vishnu Purana , Agni Purana , Padma Purana , Narada
Purana , Brahma Purana and Skanda Purana .
References to Jagannath have also been made in some
Sanskrit texts such as Kapila samhita, Tirtha
Chintamani, Niladri Mahodaya , Rudrayamala,
Tantrayamala and Purusottama Tatwa. The Jagannath
Astakam of Adi Shankaracharya composed in Sanskrit is
another important historical literary piece on Jagannath
which provides information about the temple and
appearance of the deity in the 8th century. [142]
Apart from the above Puranic and other ancient texts,
the mention of Jagannath in medieval Oriya literature is
enormous.[143] Almost every Oriya literateure like
Sarala Dasa , Jagannath Dasa , Jayadeva , Balaram Dasa ,
Achyutaand Dasa , Jasobanta Dasa , Ananta, Upendra
Bhanja , Baladeva, Dinakrush Dasa , Kavi Jadumani
Mahapatra have composed invocations, prayers
pertaining to Jagannath.
In modern Oriya literature, Jagannath has been a
common reference point on both historical and mythical
paradigms. The most acknowledged literary pieces on
Jagannath are the novels Nila Shaila and Niladri Vijaya
by renowned Oriya writer Surendra Mohanty , who was a
recipient of Orissa Sahitya Akademi awards in 1957-8,
1969 (for Nila Shaila ) [144] and 1987. [145]
Epigraphic evidence of Jagannath and the timeline
Original palm leaf manuscript of Gita Govinda written by
Jayadeva , at the Odisha state museum, Bhubaneswar
The antiquity of Jagannath is supported by several
historical, literary and epigraphic evidences.
318 AD : According to William Hunter , first appearance of
Jagannath in history occurs during 318 [146] when the
priest fled with his image to escape the wrath of
Raktabahu and his band of plunderers.
464 : The holy idol hidden in 318 was recovered by a
king about 150 years later from the jungles of western
kingdoms. [146]
475 : The second reconstruction [First being the
reconstruction from Nila Madhav shrine by King
Indradyumna) of the Jagannath temple by Yayati Kesari
and the renewal of the cult after Yavana invasion of
Odisha in the 5th century, as per Puri’s late 16th-
century Madala Panji temple chronicles. [147]
Historian K. C. Panigrahi suggested [148] that Puri’s
legendary account of the claimed invasion of Odisha
under the Yavana general Raktabahu in the 4th/5th
century during the reign of the legendary King
Sovanadeva (Legendary) may contain a historical
reminiscence of the conquest of Odisha by the
Rastrakuta King Govinda III during the reign of the
Bhaumakara king Subhakara deva who ruled in coastal
Odisha around 800. And moreover, he pointed out that
Jagannath’s legendary absence of 146 years in western
Odisha (between Raktabahu’s invasion and Yayati’s
‘rediscovery’ of Jagannath and reinstallment at Puri)
corresponds more or less exactly with the space of time
between the historical reigns of Subhakaradeva and
Yayati-I, the Somavamsi ruler Yayati Kesari established
the first regional kingdom of Odisha. The installation of
Jagannath at Puri temple took place several years after
Yayati Kesari had come to throne, viz., in Yayati’s 9th
regnal years. Moreover in both cases the images were
renewed outside Puri. Yayati Kesari performed the great
‘Vanayaga’ ritual in the vicinity of his former capital
near Sonepur and Jagannath was finally reinstalled on
at Puri only two years after the renewal of the idol.
However, In Puri, too, no pre-16th-century sources of
the Yayati Kesari account are known. Contemporary
facts are fully silent about any activities of the
Somavamsis at Puri, particularly of Yayati Kesari as
builder of the first Jagannath temple at Puri. The silence
of early medieval sources would be surprising in view of
the many available Somavamsi inscriptions and other
literary sources which could have mentioned or even
praised Yayati Kesari and his great deeds at Puri. In
Purusottama Mahatmya which has contained the
Indradyumna legend and the origin of Jagannath’s Daru
Devata at Puri there is no mention of Yayati Kesari.
That there was an earlier temple of Jagannath at
Purushottama Kshetra prior to the present one built by
Chodaganga Deva in the 12th century, is established by
Sanskrit playwright Murari Mishra ‘s Anargharaghava
Natakam (c. 9th century), which refers to Purushottama
being worshipped on the seashore. [149] In the drama
Anargharaghava Natakam, the name Purushottama is
used to denote the place. In the Ganga rule the
Jagannath temple was rebuilt by Gangeswar or
Chodaganga Deva (1078–1147).
8th century : In many copper plates dating 8th century,
mention of individuals bearing the name of
Purushottama also substantiates the wide popularity of
Purushottama Jagannath.
810 : Sankarcharya visits shrine at Puri[142] in course of
spiritual conquest over Buddhism and other
denominations, and establishes Govardhana Matha at
Puri upon mahavakya Prajñānam brahma (Brahman is
Knowledge). Sankarcharya must have come across the
image of Nila Madhava as described in Skanda Purana
as above, during his visit to Puri.
1078 : Devayatana of Purushottama finds special
mention in Krishna Mishra ‘s Prabodha Chandrodaya
Natakam (c. 1078). [150]
1135 : Anantavarman Codaganga Deva began the
construction of the present temple c. 1135. In the
Dasgoba Copper Plate Inscription of the late 12th
century, Codaganga’s grandson Rajaraja III praised his
grandfather for having built the Jagannath temple which
had been “neglected” by previous kings, [151][152] which
indicates epigraphical evidence of the existence of a
Jagannath temple at Puri before the construction of the
present temple.
12th century : The Vaishnava preachers of the 12th
century such as Sri Ramanujacharya , Acharya Nimbarka ,
Acharya Vishnuswami and Sri Madhavacharya
established monasteries at Jagannath Puri to spread
their religious theories. [153]
12th century : The Gitagovinda of Jayadeva mentions of
the glory of Jagannath. [120]
1211 : Emperor Anangabhima deva (1211–1238)
donated his vast empire to Sri Purushottama Jagannath
calling it Purshottama Samrajya or empire of Jagannath
[154] and declared himself as his servant (Rauta). Due
to his efforts several Jagannath temples were set up at
different places in Odisha. During the Suryavamsi period
(1435–1533) the same trend continued.
13th century : A sculptural piece of Konark temple of the
13th century depicts its builder, King Narasimha-I,
offering worship to Siva Linga, Purushottama Jagannath
and Durga . [155]
1328 : Epigraphic sources reveal that the inscriptions of
Bhanudeva II (1306–1328) of Eastern Ganga dynasty
make the first mention of the name, ‘Jagannath’. [156]
Thus, the name Jagannath has been used for the first
time in the inscriptions of Bhanudeva-II. [157] During the
reign of Bhanudeva-II, a feudatory chief had made gifts
at Sikurmam in the 3rd Anka of Jagannath Deva when
Sri Bhanudeva was ruling. According to the Puri Grant of
1313, [158] Bhanudeva granted villages in the 7th Anka
of Purushottama Jagannath deva. Thus in a private
record Purushottama comes to be called Jagannath. It
appears to be the earliest epigraphical reference to the
name, Shri ‘Jagannath’.
1568 : The destruction of the ‘Darumurti’ of Puri’s Holy
Trinity by Muslim iconoclast Kalapahar , the General of
the Bengal Sultan. [159] Kalapahar looted and destroyed
the Jagannath temple in Puri. He descecrated and burnt
the idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra. A
devotee Visara Mahanty was able to retrieve the sacred
essence (Brahma Padartha) from the burnt idol of
Jagannath. He spirited away the relic to a remote
village in Odisha known as Khandait Kalua, where he
preserved and worshipped the relic.
1590–1592 : The rise of Ramachandra Deva I of
Khurda .He captured the town of Puri. He restored the
temple of Jagannath. Ramachandra Deva recovered the
sacred essence of Jagannath and restored it to new
Idols which he consecrated first in Khurda in 1587 and
then in Puri in 1590.For the restoration of Jagannath
worship he was considered the second Indradyumna
[159]
It has been argued that the most important message of
the Visara Mahanty and Yayati Kesari legends to
Jagannath’s devotees is proclaimed in the very
beginning of the Madala Panji temple chronicle which
commences with the words[160]
” Jagannath, the Lord of deities, never abandons Sri
Purushottama (Puri) even though crores of Brahma
(Brahmanda) are destroyed. ”
Festivals
Main article: List of festivals observed at Jagannatha
Temple, Puri
The Ratha Yatra at Puri
A large number of traditional festivals are observed by
the devotees of Jagannath. Out of those numerous
festivals, thirteen are important. [161]
1. Niladri Mahodaya
2. Snana Yatra
3. Ratha Yatra or Sri Gundicha Yatra
4. Sri Hari Sayan
5. Utthapan Yatra
6. Parswa Paribartan
7. Dakhinayan Yatra
8. Prarbana Yatra
9. Pusyavishek
10. Uttarayan
11. Dola Yatra
12. Damanak Chaturdasi [162]
13. Chandan Yatra
Ratha Yatra is most significant of all festivals of
Jagannath.
Ratha Yatra
Main article: Ratha-Yatra (Puri)
The Jagannath triad are usually worshipped in the
sanctum of the temple, but once during the month of
Asadha (Rainy Season of Odisha , usually falling in
month of June or July), they are brought out onto the
Bada Danda (The main high street of Puri) and travel (3
km) to the Shri Gundicha Temple, in huge chariots
(Rath), allowing the public to have Darshan (Holy view).
This festival is known as Rath Yatra, meaning the
festival (Yatra) of the chariots (Ratha). The Rathas
(Chariots) are huge wheeled wooden structures, which
are built anew every year and are pulled by the
devotees. The chariot for Jagannath is approximately 45
feet high and 35 feet square and takes about 2 months
to construct .[163] The artists and painters of Puri
decorate the cars and paint flower petals etc. on the
wheels, the wood-carved charioteer and horses, and the
inverted lotuses on the wall behind the throne .[164] The
huge chariots of Jagannath pulled during Rath Yatra is
the etymological origin of the English word Juggernaut .
[165] The Ratha-Yatra is also termed as the Shri
Gundicha yatra.
Pahandi bije during Ratha Yatra at Puri
The most significant ritual associated with the Ratha-
Yatra is the chhera pahara . During the festival, the
Gajapati King wears the outfit of a sweeper and sweeps
all around the deities and chariots in the Chera Pahara
(Sweeping with water) ritual. The Gajapati King
cleanses the road before the chariots with a gold-
handled broom and sprinkles sandalwood water and
powder with utmost devotion. As per the custom,
although the Gajapati King has been considered the
most exalted person in the Kalingan kingdom, still he
renders the menial service to Jagannath. This ritual
signified that under the lordship of Jagannath, there is
no distinction between the powerful sovereign Gajapati
King and the most humble devotee. [166]
Chera pahara is held on two days, on the first day of
the Ratha Yatra, when the deities are taken to garden
house at Mausi Maa Temple and again on the last day
of the festival, when the deities are ceremoniously
brought back to the Shri Mandir.
As per another ritual, when the deities are taken out
from the Shri Mandir to the Chariots in Pahandi vijay,
disgruntled devotees hold a right to offer kicks, slaps
and the derogatory remarks to the images, and
Jagannath behaves like a commoner.
In the Ratha Yatra, the three deities are taken from the
Jagannath Temple in the chariots to the Gundicha
Temple , where they stay for seven days. Thereafter, the
deities again ride the chariots back to Shri Mandir in
bahuda yatra. On the way back, the three chariots halt
at the Mausi Maa Temple and the deities are offered
Poda Pitha, a kind of baked cake which are generally
consumed by the poor sections only.
The observance of the Rath Yatra of Jagannath dates
back to the period of the Puranas. Vivid descriptions of
this festival are found in Brahma Purana, Padma Purana
and Skanda Purana. Kapila Samhita also refers to Rath
Yatra. In Moghul period also, King Ramsingh of Jaipur,
Rajasthan has been described as organizing the Rath
Yatra in the 18th century. In Odisha, Kings of
Mayurbhanj and Parlakhemundi were organizing the
Rath Yatra, though the most grand festival in terms of
scale and popularity takes place at Puri.
In fact, Starza [167] notes that the ruling Ganga dynasty
instituted the Rath Yatra at the completion of the great
temple around 1150. This festival was one of those
Hindu festivals that was reported to the Western world
very early. Friar Odoric of Pordenone visited India in
1316–1318, some 20 years after Marco Polo had
dictated the account of his travels while in a Genovese
prison. [168] In his own account of 1321, Odoric
reported how the people put the “idols” on chariots, and
the King and Queen and all the people drew them from
the “church” with song and music. [169] [170]
Jagannath Temple at Puri
Main article: Jagannath Temple (Puri)
Jagannath temple at Puri
The Temple of Jagannath at Puri is one of the major
Hindu temples in India. The temple is built in the
Kalinga style of architecture, with the Pancharatha (Five
chariots) type consisting of two anurathas, two konakas
and one ratha. Jagannath temple is a pancharatha with
well-developed pagas. ‘Gajasimhas’ (elephant lions)
carved in recesses of the pagas, the
‘Jhampasimhas’ (Jumping lions) are also placed
properly. The perfect pancharatha temple developed into
a Nagara-rekha temple with unique Oriya style of
subdivisions like the Pada, Kumbha, Pata, Kani and
Vasanta. The Vimana or the apsidal structure consists
of several sections superimposed one over other,
tapering to the top where the Amalakashila and Kalasa
are placed. [171]
Temple of Jagannath at Puri has four distinct sectional
structures, namely –
1. Deula or Vimana ( Sanctum sanctorum ) where the
triad deities are lodged on the ratnavedi (Throne of
Pearls);
2. Mukhashala (Frontal porch);
3. Nata mandir/Natamandapa, which is also known
as the Jaga mohan , (Audience Hall/Dancing Hall),
and
4. Bhoga Mandapa (Offerings Hall). [172]
The temple is built on an elevated platform, as
compared to Lingaraja temple and other temples
belonging to this type. This is the first temple in the
history of Kalingaan temple architecture where all the
chambers like Jagamohana, Bhogamandapa and
Natyamandapa were built along with the main temple.
There are miniature shrines on the three outer sides of
the main temple. The Deula consists of a tall shikhara
(dome) housing the sanctum sanctorum ( garbhagriha).
A pillar made of fossilized wood is used for placing
lamps as offering. The Lion Gate (Singhadwara) is the
main gate to the temple, guarded by two guardian
deities Jaya and Vijaya . A 16-sided, 11 meter high
granite monolithic columnar pillar known as the Aruna
Stambha (Solar Pillar) bearing Aruna, the charioteer of
Surya, faces the Lion Gate. This column was brought
here from the Sun temple of Konark.
The temple’s historical records Madala panji maintains
that the temple was originally built by King Yayati of the
Somavamsi dynasty on the site of the present shrine.
However, the historians question the veracity and
historicity of the Madala Panji. As per historians, the
Deula and the Mukhashala were built in the 12th
century by Ganga King Anangabheemadeva, the
grandson of Anantavarman Codaganga and the
Natamandapa and Bhogamandapa were constructed
subsequently during the reign of Gajapati Purushottama
Deva (1461–1491) and Prataprudra Deva (1495–1532)
respectively. According to Madala Panji, the outer
prakara was built by Gajapati Kapilendradeva (1435–
1497). The inner prakara called the Kurma bedha
(Tortoise encompassment) was built by Purushottama
Deva.
The temple is known as the Shri Mandira to the
devotees.
As a matter of tradition, it is strictly forbidden for non-
Hindus to enter the Jagannath temple.
There are many more Jagannath Temples all over India,
Bangladesh and Pakistan .In the Besakih temple of
eastern Bali province of Indonesia , an ancient idol of
Jagannath has been found. [173]’

Ratha-Yatra
Ratha-Yatra (Puri) , the Chariots Von deiner
Mutter”Rath” in Puri.
A Ratha-Yatra or Roth Jatra or Chariot Festival
( Bengali : রথ যাত্রা )is a Hindu festival that involves
transporting deities on a chariot (called a ratha or roth).
[1] The festival originated in Puri in the State of Odisha .
The rath (chariot) is carrying Lord Jaggannath and due
to its massive size and weight and sometimes
seemingly unstoppable nature, has led to the English
word juggernaut to refer to an unstoppable force. [1]
Accidents involving people being crushed under the
wheels of the chariot have also occurred a few times.
“Ratha” (ରଥ) in Oriya means chariot and “yatra” (ଯାତ୍ରା)
means journey. The festival thus refers to the annual
journey of the divinity in the form of idols to their aunt’s
(ମାଉସୀ) house. “Aunt” here refers to the feminine creative
aspect of divinity.
Examples include:
Jagannath , Balabhadra , and Subhadra
Ratha-Yatra (Puri) , at Puri in the state of Odisha,
India. The oldest, biggest and most visited Rath Yatra
in the world. It attracts a large crowd.
ISKON Kolkata Ratha Yatra is the second largest in
the world.
Dhamrai Jagannath Roth , at Dhamrai in Bangladesh,
the most famous Rath Yatra in Bangladesh
Rathayatra of Mahesh , at Mahesh in West Bengal
Bangalore Ratha Yatra, Bangalore’s Grandest Ratha
Yatra
Radha and Krishna
Radha Rani Rath Yatra, held at the Radha Madhav
Dham temple near Austin, Texas, U.S.A.
Rajbalhat Ratha Yatra, West Bengal, India.
People of Bastar region observe Ratha yatra during
Dussehara. [2][3]
Rath Yatras of Jagannath
Rath Yatra at Puri
Main article: Ratha-Yatra (Puri)
The Jagannath triad are usually worshiped in the
sanctum of the temple at Puri, but once during the
month of Asadha (Rainy Season of Orissa, usually
falling in month of June or July), they are brought out
onto the Bada Danda (main street of Puri) and travel (3
km) to the Shri Gundicha Temple, in huge chariots
( ratha ), allowing the public to have darśana (Holy view)
. This festival is known as Rath Yatra, meaning the
journey ( yatra) of the chariots (ratha). The Rathas are
huge wheeled wooden structures, which are built anew
every year and are pulled by the devotees. The chariot
for Jagannath is approximately 45 feet high and 35 feet
square and takes about 2 months to construct. [4] The
artists and painters of Puri decorate the cars and paint
flower petals and other designs on the wheels, the
wood-carved charioteer and horses, and the inverted
lotuses on the wall behind the throne. [5] The huge
chariots of Jagannath pulled during Rath Yatra is the
etymological origin of the English word Juggernaut .[6]
The Ratha-Yatra is also termed as the Shri Gundicha
yatra.
Pahandi bije during Ratha Yatra at Puri
The most significant ritual associated with the Ratha-
Yatra is the chhera pahara.” During the festival, the
Gajapati King wears the outfit of a sweeper and sweeps
all around the deities and chariots in the Chera Pahara
(sweeping with water) ritual. The Gajapati King cleanses
the road before the chariots with a gold-handled broom
and sprinkles sandalwood water and powder with
utmost devotion. As per the custom, although the
Gajapati King has been considered the most exalted
person in the Kalingan kingdom, he still renders the
menial service to Jagannath. This ritual signified that
under the lordship of Jagannath, there is no distinction
between the powerful sovereign Gajapati King and the
most humble devotee. [7]
Chera pahara is held on two days, on the first day of
the Ratha Yatra, when the deities are taken to garden
house at Mausi Maa Temple and again on the last day
of the festival, when the deities are ceremoniously
brought back to the Shri Mandir.
As per another ritual, when the deities are taken out
from the Shri Mandir to the Chariots in Pahandi vijay.
In the Ratha Yatra, the three deities are taken from the
Jagannath Temple in the chariots to the Gundicha
Temple , where they stay for nine days. Thereafter, the
deities again ride the chariots back to Shri Mandir in
bahuda yatra. On the way back, the three chariots halt
at the Mausi Maa Temple and the deities are offered
Poda Pitha, a kind of baked cake which are generally
consumed by the poor sections only.
The observance of the Rath Yatra of Jagannath dates
back to the period of the Puranas. Vivid descriptions of
this festival are found in Brahma Purana , Padma
Purana , and Skanda Purana . Kapila Samhita also refers
to Rath Yatra. In Moghul period also, King Ramsingh of
Jaipur, Rajasthan has been described as organizing the
Rath Yatra in the 18th Century. In Orissa, Kings of
Mayurbhanj and Parlakhemundi were organizing the
Rath Yatra, though the most grand festival in terms of
scale and popularity takes place at Puri.
Moreover, Starza [8] notes that the ruling Ganga dynasty
instituted the Rath Yatra at the completion of the great
temple around 1150 AD. This festival was one of those
Hindu festivals that was reported to the Western world
very early. Friar Odoric of Pordenone visited India in
1316-1318, some 20 years after Marco Polo had
dictated the account of his travels while in a Genoese
prison. [9] In his own account of 1321, Odoric reported
how the people put the “idols” on chariots, and the King
and Queen and all the people drew them from the
“church” with song and music. [10] [11]
International Jagannath Rath Yatra
Rath Jatra festival in New York City organized by
ISKCON
The Ratha Yatra festival has become a common sight in
most major cities of the world since 1968 through the
ISKCON Hare Krishna movement. Its leader A.C
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada successfully
transplanted the festival which now happens on an
annual basis in places all over the world in over 100
cities including Dublin, Belfast , Birmingham, London ,
Bath , Melbourne , Montreal , Paris , New York, Singapore,
Toronto, Antwerp, Kuala Lumpur , Los Angeles
(celebrated in coastal Venice, CA ), [12] Mexico , [13] and
others.
Dhamrai Jagannath Roth festival
Festival at Dhamrai , Bangladesh , with the chariot
beginning its journey
Main article: Dhamrai Jagannath Roth
Dhamrai Jagannath Roth is a chariot temple, a Roth ,
dedicated to the Hindu God Jagannath located in
Dhamrai, Bangladesh . The annual Jagannath Roth Jatra
is a famous Hindu festival attracting thousands of
people. The Roth Jatra in Dhamrai is one of the most
important events for the Hindu community of
Bangladesh. [14] The original historical Roth was burnt
down by the Pakistan Army in 1971 [1] The Roth has
since been rebuilt with Indian assistance.
Rathjatra of Mahesh
Main article: Rathayatra of Mahesh
The Rathajatra of Mahesh is the second oldest chariot
festival in India (after Rath Yatra at Puri) and oldest in
Bengal , [15] having been celebrated since 1397. [16] It is
a week-long festival held in Mahesh in Hooghly district
of West Bengal and a grand fair is held at that time.
People throng to have a share in pulling the long ropes
(Roshi) attached to the chariots of Lord Jagannath ,
Balarama and Subhadra on the journey from the temple
to Serampur Gundicha Bari and back.

Ratha Jatra
Three chariots of the deities with the Temple in the
background, Puri
Observed by
Hindus
Type
Religious
Begins
Aashaadha Shukla Dwitiya
Ends
Aashaadha Shukla Dashami
2014 date
29 June
Ratha Yatra (Oriya: ରଥଯାତ୍ରା ) or the Chariot Festival is a
Hindu festival associated with the god Jagannath held
at Puri in the state of Odisha , India. This annual festival
is celebrated on Ashad Shukla Dwitiya (second day in
bright fortnight of Ashad month).
The festival commemorates Jagannath’s annual visit to
Gundicha Temple via aunt’s home ( Mausi Maa Temple
which is near Balagandi Chaka in Puri.
As part of Ratha Yatra, the deities of Jagannath,
Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken out in a procession
to Gundicha Temple and remain there for nine days.
Then the deities or Ratha Yatra return to the Main
temple . The return journey of Puri Jagannath Ratha
Jatra is known as Bahuda Jatra.
The festival
Ratha Yatra Festival in Puri , India. Painting by James
Fergusson
Three richly decorated chariots, resembling temple
structures, are pulled through the streets of Puri called
Badadanda. This commemorates the annual journey of
Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and their sister
Subhadra to their aunt’s temple, the Gundicha Temple
which is situated at a distance of 2 km from their
temple. This is the only day when devotees who are not
allowed in the temple premises, such as non-Hindus
and foreigners, can get their glimpse of the deities.
During the festival, devotees from all over the world go
to Puri with an earnest desire to help pull the Lords’
chariots with the help of other priests pulling the
chariots with ropes. They consider this a pious deed and
risk their lives in the huge crowd. The huge processions
accompanying the chariots play devotional songs with
drums, tambourines, trumpets etc. Children line the
streets through which the chariot will pass and add to
the mass chorus. The Ratha carts themselves are some
approximately 45 feet (14 m) high and are pulled by the
thousands of pilgrims who turn up for the event; the
chariots are built anew each year only from a particular
type of tree. Millions of devotees congregate at Puri for
this annual event from all over the country and abroad.
It is also broadcast live on many Indian, foreign
television channels as well as many of the websites
telecast jagannath ratha yatra live. [1]
Description
The “Bada Danda” or the Grand Avenue
Ratha Jatra, the Festival of Chariot: Chariots of Shri
Jagannath is celebrated every year at Puri, the temple
town in Odisha, on the second (dwitiya) day of shukla
pakshya (waxing cycle of moon) of Ashadh Maas (3rd
month in Lunar Calendar). The presiding deities of the
Jagannath Temple, Puri’s main temple, Lord Jagannath,
Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, with the
celestial wheel ( Sudarshana Chakra ) are taken out from
the temple precincts in an elaborate ritual procession to
their respective chariots. The huge, colourfully decorated
chariots are drawn by multitude of devotees on the
bada danda , the grand avenue to the Gundicha Temple
(Gundicha – King Indradyumna’s Queen), two miles
away to the North.
On their way back from the Gundicha Temple , the three
deities stop for a while near the Mausi Maa Temple
(Aunt’s abode) and have an offering of the Poda Pitha,
which is a special type of pancake supposed to be the
Lord’s favourite. After a stay for seven days, the deities
return to their abode.
Holiness and its significance
Rath/chariots under construction for the Rath Yatra in
Puri
Jagannath being brought out of the Puri temple to the
Rath
Jagannath on his chariot
The festival is also known as Gundicha Yatra, Ghosa
Yatra, Navadina Yātrā, Dasāvatāra Yātrā and by a
variety of other names. Rathe tu vamanam drishtwa
punarjanmam na vidyate: A glimpse of the Vamana, the
dwarf form, an incarnation of Lord Jagannatha, is sure
to ensure emancipation, release from the cycle of birth
and death. Yatra is an essential part of the ritual of the
Hindu system of worship. Yatra literally means travel or
journey. Normally, it is the representative deities of
temples more popularly known as Utsava Murti in south
and Chalanti Pratima or Bije Pratima in Odisha, partake
in these journeys. The Yatra for the Ritual Journey take
two forms – one involving the short circumbulation
around the temple and other involving a longer journey
from the temple to some other destination. The Yatra is
considered as an important part of festivities and
ceremonies of each temple and is considered as a
special and sacred occasion. Rath Yatra being unique
among all Yatras is the grandest festival of the supreme
divinity who has manifested himself in the Kali Yuga to
emancipate humanity and to relieve them from their
sufferings. Lord Jagannatha is identified fully with
Krishna. In his original manifestation as Nilamadhaba,
he was worshipped in a sacred Nyagrodha Briksha or
banyan tree. The branches of the tree had spread for
several miles and any one entering this area was
instantly emancipated and was relieved of the travails
of the birth and rebirth. In fact, the influence of Yama,
the God of Death, is supposed to have been curtailed in
the sacred city of Puri – Srikshetra on account of the
presence of Lord Jagannatha and therefore it is also
called the Yamanika Tirtha.
A glimpse of Lord Jagannatha on the chariot is
considered to be very auspicious and saints, poets and
scriptures have repeatedly glorified the sanctity of this
special festival. The sanctity of the festival is such that
even a touch of the chariot or even the ropes with which
these are pulled is considered enough to confer the
results of several pious deeds or penance for ages. In
fact, there is a famous Oriya song which says that on
this occasion, the chariot, the wheels, the grand avenue
all become one with Lord Jagannatha himself.
The concept of the chariot has been explained in the
Kathopanishada in the following words-
Atmaanam rathinam viddhi shareeram rathamevatu
Buddhim tu saarathim viddhi manah pragrahameva cha.
The body is the chariot and the soul is the deity
installed in the chariot. The wisdom acts as the
charioteer to control the mind and thoughts.
The Skanda Purana glorifies the sanctity of the Rath
Yatra in the following words-
Gundicha mandapam namam yatrahamajanam pura
Ashwamedha sahasrasya mahabedi tadadvabat. Those
who are fortunate to see the deities of the Srimandira in
the Gundicha Temple, the final destination of the
procession of the chariots, derive the benefits of a
thousand horse sacrifices, an immensely pious deed.
Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja in his famous Vaidehisa
Vilasa mentions that the Lord comes out from his
sanctum for participating in the Gundicha Yatra, another
name of the Festival of Chariots, only for redeeming the
fallen, the patita jana who get the opportunity to behold
their dearest god at close quarters on this occasion.
Similarly, saint poet Salabega waxes eloquent in praise
of the dark Lord Jagannath and says that the Lord
swaying and moving like a wild elephant arrives at the
Grand Avenue and rides his chariot and destroys in a
flash all the sins of his devotees, even if these may be
grave or unpardonable.
The chariots
The three chariots of Balarama, Subhadra and
Jagannatha are newly constructed every year with wood
of specified trees like phassi, dhausa, etc. They are
customarily brought from the ex-princely state of
Dasapalla by a specialist team of carpenters who have
hereditary rights and privileges for the same. The logs
are traditionally set afloat as rafts in the river
Mahanadi. These are collected near Puri and then
transported by road.
The three chariots are decorated as per the unique
scheme prescribed and followed for centuries stand on
the Bada Danda, the Grand Avenue. Covered with bright
canopies made of stripes of red cloth and combined
with those of black, yellow and blue colours, the huge
chariots are lined across the wide avenue in front of the
majestic temple close to its eastern entrance, which is
also known as the Sinhadwara or the Lion’s Gate.
Lord Jagannatha’s chariot is called Nandighosa. It is
forty-five feet high and forty-five feet square at the
wheel level. It has sixteen wheels, each of seven-foot
diameter, and is decked with a cover made of red and
yellow cloth. Lord Jagannatha is identified with Krushna,
who is also known as Pitambara, the one attired in
golden yellow robes and hence the distinguishing yellow
stripes on the canopy of this chariot.
Nandighosa Rath
The chariot of Lord Balarama, called the Taladhwaja, is
the one with the Palm Tree on its flag. It has fourteen
wheels, each of seven-foot diameter and is covered with
red and blue cloth. Its height is forty-four feet.
Taladhwaja Rath
The chariot of Subhadra, known as Dwarpadalana,
literally “trampler of pride,” is forty-three feet high with
twelve wheels, each of seven-foot diameter. This chariot
is decked with a covering of red and black cloth – black
being traditionally associated with Shakti and the
Mother Goddess.
Dwarpadalana or Padmadhwaja Rath
Around each of the chariots are nine Parsva devatas,
painted wooden images representing different deities on
the chariots’ sides. Each of the chariots is attached to
four horses. These are of different colours – white ones
for Balarama, dark ones for Jagannatha, and red ones
for Subhadra. Each chariot has a charioteer called
Sarathi. The three charioteers attached to the chariots
of Jagannatha, Balarama and Subhadra respectively are
Daruka, Matali and Arjuna.
DESCRIPTION OF CHARIOTS
1) Chariot of Jagannath -NANDIGHOSHA/
GARUDADHWAJA/KAPIDHWAJA
Number of wheels: 16
Total Number of wooden pieces used: 832
Height: 44′ 2″
Length and breadth: 34’6″ x 34’6″
Wrappings: Red, Yellow colour cloths
Guarded by: Garuda
Name of the charioteer: Daruka
The flag: Trailokyamohini
The horses: Shankha, Balahaka, Suweta, Haridashwa
The rope: Sankhachuda Naguni
Presiding Nine Deities: (i) Varaha
(ii) Gobardhan
(iii) Krishna, Gopi Krishna
(iv) Nursingha
(v) Rama
(vi) Narayan
(Vii) Trivikrama
(viii) Hanuman
(ix) Rudra
2) Chariot of Balabhadra – TALADHWAJA
Number of wheels: 14
Total Number of wooden pieces used: 763
Height: 43′ 3″
Length and breadth: 33′ x 33′
Wrappings: Red, Bluish green colour cloths
Guarded by: Basudev
Name of the charioteer: Matali
The flag: Unnani
The horses: Tribra, Ghora, Dirghasharma, Swornanava
The rope: Basuki Naga
Presiding Nine Deities: (i) Ganesh
(ii) Kartikeya
(iii) Sarvamangala
(iv) Pralambari
(v) Hatayudha
(vi) Mrutyunjaya
(vii) Natamvara
(viii) Mukteswar
(ix) Sheshadeva
3) Chariot of Subhadra – DARPADALANA/
PADMADHWAJA/DEVADALANA
Number of wheels: 12
Total Number of wooden pieces used: 593
Height: 42′ 3″
Length and breadth: 31’6″ x 31’6″
Wrappings: Red, Black colour cloths
Guarded by: Jayadurga
Name of the charioteer: Arjuna
The flag: Nadambika
The horses: Rochika, Mochika, Jita, Aparajita
The rope: Swarnachuda Naguni
Presiding Nine Deities: (i) Chandi
(ii) Chamunda
(iii) Ugratara
(iv) Vanadurga
(v) Shulidurga
(vi) Varahi
(vii) Shyamakali
(viii) Mangala
(ix) Vimala
CAR Festival
Chandan Jatra, the Sandalwood Paste Festival
The Kings palace in Puri
The construction of the chariots starts on Akshaya
Trutiya, the third day of the bright fortnight of Vaisakha,
with ritual fire worship. This takes place in front of the
palace of the King of Puri and opposite the main office
of the Puri temple. On this day, the new agricultural
season starts and farmers start ploughing their fields.
This day also marks the beginning of the summer
festival of the deities, also known as the sandalwood
festival or Chandan Yatra, which lasts for three weeks.
In this festival, the representative images of the
presiding deities are taken out in colourful processions
and given a ceremonial boat ride in the Narendra tank
everyday. In an interesting demonstration of the
assimilative character of the Jagannatha cult,
Madanmohana and Rama Krushna, representing
Jagannatha & Balarama partake in the festival with the
representatives’ images of the presiding deities of five
main Shiva temples of Puri. These are curiously known
as Pancha Pandava, the five brothers of the
Mahabharata story. Later the deities have a ritual bath
in a small temple in the middle of the tank, in stone tubs
filled with water, sandalwood paste, scents and flowers.
The chariots under construction
This sandalwood festival culminates in the Snana Yatra,
the Bathing Festival on the full moon day of the month
of Jestha. On this day, the presiding deities descend
from their seats on an elevated platform in the sanctum
sanctorum, the bejewelled throne. They are bathed in
108 pots of water brought from the suna kua, the
golden well and assume the elephant form on the
special bathing platform, close to the Eastern boundary
wall of the temple. From that day the deities remain in
symbolic and ritual convalescence for about two weeks.
They are barred from view of the ordinary devotees.
Only three special patta chitras, traditional Oriya
paintings of natural colours on cloth stiffened with
starch, known as Anasara Pattis, are strung on a
bamboo screen hiding the deities from public view, can
be seen by the public. During this period, the deities are
given only roots, leaves, berries and fruits to cure them
from their indisposition. This ritual is a reminder of the
strong tribal elements in the genesis and evolution of
the Jagannatha cult. The progeny of Lalita, daughter of
the original tribal worshipper Biswabasu, chieftain of
hunters, and the Brahmin priest Vidyapati, are known as
daitapatis or daitas. They have almost exclusive
privilege of serving the Lord during the convalescence
and through the entire period of Ratha Jatra or the
Festival of Chariots.
Suna Besha
The Suna Besha of Jagannath
After the chariots of the deities return to the main
temple from the Gundicha temple, the deities are attired
in gold ornaments and worshipped on the chariots. This
celebration is known as Suna Besha. Tradition
maintains that this event was first started by King
Kapilendra Deb in 1460, when after returning victorious
from war he donated gold to Jagannath. [2] The deities
are adorned with gold jewelleries weighing nearly 208
kg. In 2014 nearly nine hundred thousand devotees
witnessed this event held on 9 th of July [3]
The Ratha Yatra of 2014
Devotees visiting the Ratha Yatra of 2007
The Ratha yatra in Puri of 2014 started on 29 June
amid great fanfare and religious fervor with tight
security arranged by the authorities. [4] The Indian Prime
minister Mr Narendra Modi greeting the people on the
occasion of the Ratha Yatra tweeted “My warm
greetings to the people on the occasion of the rath
yatras that would be held across India today. We bow
to Lord Jagannath on this auspicious day. Today once
again He sets out on His chariot, giving blessings to the
people,”. [5] More than a million devotees are expected
to throng Puri on the occasion for the festival that is
watched by millions on television. [6] The Bahuda yatra
or the return journey of Jagannath from Gundicha
temple occurred on 7 July and was attended by more
than 400,000 devotees [7]
International Ratha Yatra
Rath Jatra festival in New York City organised by
ISKCON
Rath Yatra, Toronto, 2011
The Ratha Yatra festival has become a common sight in
most major cities of the world since 1968 through the
ISKCON Hare Krishna movement. Its leader A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada successfully
transplanted the festival which now happens on an
annual basis in places all over the world in over 100
cities including Lagos Nigeria Dublin, Belfast ,
Birmingham, London, Bath, Budapest, Melbourne ,
Montreal, Paris, New York, Singapore, Toronto, Antwerp,
Kuala Lumpur and Venice, California .[8] The Rathajatra
in Dhamrai , Bangladesh , is one of the most important in
Bangladesh.
Service offerings
Jagannath temple employs different kinds of sevakas
who offer their services on the Ratha.
Suara:
Mahasuara:
Dahuka: Ratha dahuka/Dahuka recite Dahuka boli
( Oriya: ଡାହୁକ ବୋଲି, also “Dahuka gita” (ଡାହୁକ ଗୀତ)) which are
poetic recitations. Ratha Yatra being a symbolic
expression of fertility and Life cycle , these “boli” sung
by the Dahuka contain bawdy songs. It is believed
that unless the Dahuka boli is sung ‘Ratha’ doesn’t
move.[9] These songs are sung publicly without any
kind of hold on the lyrics. [10] Dahuka controls the
movement of Ratha during the festival.[11][12]
Daita pati:
Puspalaka:
Banati Players: Banati is an age-old art, in which a
person spins balls set on fire and tied to the ends of
a rope. Every year during the Rath yatra devotees
perform “Banati” to appease Lord Jagannath. [13]
Knives and fireballs, which are attached to the Banati
add colour to the procession of the Lord as it reaches
its destination