secret mystery of sri daru vigraha -...

Orissa Review July - 2010

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Neelachal Dham, the glorious epitome of Rig Vedaon the eastern coast has been identified as'Prajnana Brahma' by Sankaracharya. Thecreamy four great sentences (Mahabakyas) of RigVeda, Yajurveda, Samveda and Atharvaveda are'Prajnana Brahma', 'Aham Brahmasmi','Tattwamasi' and Ayamatma Brahma' respectively.'Prajnana Brahma' belongs to Aitareya, 'AhamBrahmasmi' to Tejobindu, 'Tattwamasi' toChhandogya and 'Ayamatma Brahma' toMandukya Upanishads. The complete wordscontaining the Mahabakya of Aitareya Upanishadis Prajnane Pratisthitam PrajnanetrolokahPrajna Pratistha Prajnana Brahma. It explainsthat the one consciousness by whom all the livingand non-living selves have existed being createdfrom Hiranyagarbha is manifested into all. Theinfinite metagalaxy is injected with the knowledgeof Paramatma. It is created from Him, managedby Him, delaged into Him. He has caused themetagalaxy to keep steady, though He is infinitelyminute. Sri Vishnu Puranam narrates :

Adharabhuta Viswasya api aniyam samaniyasam,Pranamya sarba bhutastham Achyutam

Purusottamam.

(He is microfined into infinity in shape, still Heupholds the metagalaxy; obeisance to AchyutaPurusottama.)

The infinite and inconceivable universe isa great ocean. A single drop from anywhere of

Secret Mystery ofSri Daru Vigraha

Sudarshan Sahoo

the ocean tastes salty. The salinity is equal everywhere. 'Prajnana Brahma' is the salinity of thisgreat ocean. It is depicted in the BrihadaranyakaUpanishad, 'Idam Mahadbhutam AnantamAparam bijnana ghana eba.' It means, thismanifestative extravaganza of the Creator isendless and unsurpassable. Beyond Him there isnothing. In Seventh Chapter of Gita, Srikrishnaexplains :Mattah parataram nanyat kinchidasti Dhananjaya,

Mayi sarbamidam protam sutre mani ganaiba.

( O Dhananjaya, nothing is beyond me. All areintertwined with me like pearls in a thread). Theword 'Bijnana' is evolved from Bijnapti(Exposure). As because he is pure exposition, heis known as 'Bijnana ghana'. The precipitatedocean water turns to a solid piece of salt. Whenthe piece of salt dropped into ocean, it mingles inwater losing its identity. The metagalacticsplendour are the solid pieces of the great ocean.The solid forms as galaxies and universes areprecipitated from 'Hiranyagarbha'. Hiranyagarbhais the intermediate blazed entity in between themetagalactic ocean and precipitated pieces asgalaxies. At the end of a cycle of creation, delugegrasps the celestial objects. The universes withgalaxies get lost in the Hiranyagarbha andultimately the Hiranyagarbha evaporates into thecosmic infinity diminishing its glaze to zero.

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Hiranyagarbha is infinite effulgence having nodefinite shape. Such is the hymn scriptured in theYajur Veda (32:3) : 'Na tasya pratima asti yasyanama Mahadyasa Hiranyagarbhah' means Hehas no image. His name is glorious Hiranyagarbha.Similar citation is in the 1st Canto of SrimadBhagabatam.

Lord speaks in the 15th chapter of Gita,'Mameibanso jiva loke jiba bhutah sanatanah.'It means the perennial part of God is present inthe body of creatures. Body is Nature and soul isGod. According to 'Sankhya Darshan' both soul(Pradhan) and nature (Prakriti) are eternal. Whensoul is encaged in a body, it is called 'Jiva'. TheJiva is subject to suffer from worldly miseries. Itperishes in the endless cycle of births and deaths.A physical form is called 'Khilya' or 'Khila'. Itinterpretes to an object which can be seen,touched, weighed, measured etc. In alternativesense, 'Akhilya' or 'Akhila' is that which can't beseen nor touched nor measured etc. The 'khilya'evaporates into the 'Akhila.' This 'Khila' or galacticsplendour will some day mingle into the 'Akhila'ocean. When the Almighty intends to create, theeffulgent Hiranyagarbha appears having no shape.Then blazed precipitations take formation intointersteller galaxies and immense number ofuniverses. Such created are the stars, suns, moons,earths, air, water and other material factors. Thetenth 'Mandala' of Rig Veda scriptures :

'Tamah asit tamasa gudhamagre,Apraketam salilam sarbama idam,

Tyachhenabhupilitam yadasit,Tapasah tanmahina ajayat ekam.'

( In the foremost, it was densest darkness spreadall over like inconceivable ocean without symptom.Nothing existed all around except deepestnocturnal efficacy. The meditation of the Creatorculminated into effulgent precipitation evolving thegalactic bodies and the sky, stars, sun, moon, earthetc. came into existence.)

In Mandukya Upanishad, Paramatma issaid to be quadruped- 'Sarbam hi etad BrahmaAyamatma Brahma soayamatma chatuspat.'means all are Brahma, this soul is Brahma, thatthis soul is quadruped. In the first step, the physicalsensible soul with its seven organs and ninteenfaces enjoys the worldly matters. The sevenorgans are seven 'lokas' namely Bhuh, Bhubah,Swah, Mahah, Janah, Tapah and Satyah. Thenineteen faces are ten sensory organs, five lives(Prana, Apana, Samana, Byana and Udana) andfour Antahkaranas (Mana, Buddhi, Chitta andAhankara). The Supreme Lord has manifestedHimself into this vast galactic exposure. In Vedicterm, it is 'Bijnana' which means exposure intomaterial being. So accordingly, a living body isknown as 'Bijnanamaya Atma'. The immensegalactic exposition is the first step of Paramatma.

The second step of Sri Purusottama is'Swapnasthan Taizaso Hiranyagarbhah.' Indream someone experiences happenings, eventsetc. which have no real existence. But they doexist in mysticism. In modern science, it could beexplained in terms of astro-physics. The celestialbodies are consolidated forms of some invisibleentity. After crores of years, time will come whenthey will be finished as dead stars being lost in thedark space. But their energy will exist astransformed. When all the celestial bodies will befinished, there will remain only invisibletransformed energy; but effulgent. In Vedic term,it is 'Taizaso Hiranyagarbhah'. It is also knownas 'Abyaktah'. All features and forms are createdfrom this 'Abyaktah'. In the volume 'Brahma Sutra'by Sankaracharya 'Hiranyagarbhah is identifiedas 'Jyotischaranabhidhanat' which explains thateffulgence is one step of Paramatma. Apart fromthis second step, there are more and higher(deeper) steps. So this 'Hiranyagarbhah' seemsto wrap the Lord. In the 15th hymn of IshaUpanishad, this wrapping is hymned :'Hiranmayen patrena Satyasapihitam mukham,Tattwampushanapabrunu Satya Dharmaya Drustaye'



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( The face of Truth has been covered with thesparkling effulgence. Hence, O Lord, kindlyremove that cover so that I can see the Truth andits principles.) Paramatma has been described as"Hiranyagarbhah" in the 25th chapter of Yajurveda.There is a chapter named 'Hiranyagarbhah Sukta'in Rig Veda.)

The third step of Paramatma Purusottamais 'Susuptasthana Ekibhutah prajnanaghanaebanandamayo hyanandabhuk chetomukhaprajnah.' As during a deep slumber there is nodream, so above 'Hiranyagarbha' there isParamatma beyond it . The stage of'Hiranyagarbha' gets effulgence from Him. Theeffulgence is the process of creation. In Vedic term,it is narrated as meditation as written earlier. Thisthird step of Paramatma is zero effulgent, calm,blissful, unstirred as in deep slumber. It is hymnedin Katha Upanishad (2 : 2 : 15), MundakUpanishad (2 : 2 : 10), Swotaswatar Upanishad(6 :14) and Gita (15 : 12) apart from manypuranic scriptures that the sun, moon, stars,lightening and fire are very insignificantly energisedeffulgence of the Supreme Lord. So He is in thethird step and above. In third step, He is knownas 'Prajnah.'

The fourth step of Paramatma is,'Amatraschaturtho abyabaharyaprapanchopasamah sivoadwaita ebamonkaratmaiba sambisatyatmanatranam' - means thefourth step is inalphabetic which can't be broughtunder action or utilization, manifestationless, theonly one, insparkable, beyond mind-tongue andblissful 'Siva tattwa'. The first three steps ofParamatma are with modes of nature; the fourthstep is 'Aumkar Brahma' without modes of nature.The devotee who severes to achieve Himunderstanding this titled three steps and the fourthas 'Aumkar', gets salvation into Him. When adrop of water fallen into ocean loses its existence;similarly learned scholar having known Him loseshimself into Him. This truth is hymed in theMundak Upanishad (3:2:8) :

Yatha nadyah syandamanah samudre astam-gachhanti nama rupe bihaya,Tatha vidwan nama rupad bimuktahParatpar purushamupeiti divyam.

(As the flowing river loses its name and shapeafter meeting the ocean, similarly the learnedscholar having His knowledge gets salvation andlost into Him).

The first three steps of quadrupedParamatma is known as 'Aumkar'. The eighthhymn of Mandukya Upanishad analyses thesethree steps as A, U and M. The first step Arepresents the vast metamorphic manifestation ofLord, U represents the unmanifested effulgenceknown as 'Hiranyagarbha' and the third Mrepresents His unmanifested-uneffulgent state. Heis not subjected to expression; but can beexpressed only by 'AUM' which represents thethree modes of nature. He is beyond the modes.When a devotee or meditator surrenders to Himwith pronounciation of AUM, he starts with A. Arepresents the vast manifestation. It gets lost intoU. U represents to effulgent Hiranyagarbha. Themeditator feels the physical world lost in the glazeof 'Taizaso'. Having aimed his soul towards theeternity, he feels escalated by losing bodilyexperience. Next he slowly closes his lipspronouncing M. This closure reveals that M isgrasping U into it. M is the ceasation of effulgence.Hiranyagarbha is lost in M. In this stage, themeditator is like in deep asleep when there is nodream situation. M is scriptured as 'Prajna'.Slowly the soul of meditator proceeds to the fourthstep where there is no alphabetical representation.So this stage is having no prounounciation. Fromthe deep slumber, soul proceeds ahead andabove, where he meets the only one, 'AdwaitBrahma', the peaceful unstirred - blissful 'Tattwa'of Parambrahma. From M, he crosses over anectarous bridge to reach Him. As such,'Swetaswatara Upanishad' scribes :


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'Niskalam Niskriyam Santam NirabadyamNiranjanam, Amrutasya ParamsetumDagdhendhanamibanalam.'(He is manifestationless, actionless, peaceful,unspoken and dirtless supreme bridge of nectar).The concentration, consolidation of senses, mind,wisdom and soul of the meditator is purely unstirredas if a lamp flame in a windless place. He is like aconcentrated archer. The AUM is bow, soul isarrow and the aim is Brahma. The MundakUpanishad scribes this bow-arrow example.

'AUM' kar Brahma Sri Jagannath - SriPurusottama Daru Vigraha-Abyaya, Abikari,Abinasi, Anadi, Ananta, Adwaita, Asanga,Akarta, Aprameya, Apratarkya, Aprajnata,Abijneya, Anakara, Anadhara, Alakshana,Anasrita, Akalpa and Akhandamandalakarainfinite pure ocean. The soul when encaged in abody is called 'Purusha' or 'Jiva'. 'Purusha' is thecombination of two 'Kshara' and 'Akshara'. The'Kshara' is the body of everyone and 'Akshara' issecretely present in the body which is the tinyundivided portion of Paramatma. As he is beyondthe 'Kshara' and greater than 'Akshara', he isentitled as 'Purusottama' (Gita-15:18 andBrihadaranyak Upanishad -2:3:1). The unstainedpure portion of ParamBrahma Sri Jagannath isencaged in the human body as 'Jiva' is swimmingin the pool of three modes of nature, i.e. Sattwa,Raja and Tama (Goodness, Passion andIgnorance). Contentfully the 'Jiva' is enjoying thejuice of the three modes, sweetened by 'maya'(Abyakta). It is the colourful illusory net of worldlygrandeur. Lord speaks in Gita, "my illusory powerof three modes is hardly penetrable. Whoeverprays me gets freedom from the illusion. "InSaptasati Chandi" of Markandeya Purana thedeity is prayed, 'O Narayani, obeisance to you,the source of three modes of nature.' So 'Maya'the deity power of three modes as 'Abyakta' isthe illusion which hypnotizes everyone. After'Samudra Manthan' when there was a differencebetween the gods and demons for nectar, Sri

Vishnu appeared there in disguise of anundescriptive beauty 'Mohini' to settle the dispute.Lord Sankar the great yogi could not resist histhirst to enjoy the beauty and followed after her.After a while, the illusion was over and LordSankar felt his weakness. How can an ordinary'Jiva' like man can understand the illusion of'Maya'?

The human body is known as 'Kshetra'.In Gita (13:1). The Lord explains that whoeverknows it, learned people call him 'Kshetrajna'.Kshetra has nine gateways as described inSwetaswatar Upanishad,'Nabadware pure dehihanso lelayate bahah'. (The swan is playing itspastime in the city of nine gates). These nine gatesare two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, mouth,genitalia and anus. As because the soul is residingin the body (Deha) it is called Dehi. The swan-soulis playing in the Pura of nine gates. He is called asPuri. According to this name of Sri Jagannath, Hislocation is also famous as Puri. He is SriPurusottama, hence Puri is known as 'PurusottamaKshetra'. His gigantic temple has nine gates. Eightgates in four directions on two boundary walls arephysical and the last one is metaphysical. The ninthgate in human body 'Payu', has been described asearth in different Upanishads. So earth is 'KoiliBaikuntha' where the Vigrahas get into after'Nabakalebar' and it is the ninth one of 'Pura' ofSri Purusottam. He is the swan in the temple-pond.

Sri Purusottama has manifested Himselfinto five elements as 'Prapancha'. Yajur Veda(32 : 3) reveals : 'Na Tasya Pratima asti yasyanama Mahadyasa Hiranyagarbhah' - means Hehas no statue. His title is MahadyasaHiranyagarbha. He is the metaphysics of all theintersteller objects, for whom they glitter. If animage of Param Brahma is to be prepared, howit will be formed ? He has no symptom, neitherbeginning nor end. He is shapeless. How His imagewill be shaped ? He is beyond knowledge. Howa material concept will be taken about Him ? Heis beyond the measure. What would be the statue



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size ? Kena Upanishad (1 : 3) scribes, 'Na tatrachakshurgachhati na baggachhati no manonabidmo na bijanimo' - neither eye nor tonguenor mind nor wisdom nor knowledge reaches upto Him. He is beyond them all. It is impossible onthe part of the encaged 'Jiva' to have knowledgeof Him. Swetaswatar Upanishad scripturises thatHe has knowledge of every thing, but none haveknowledge about Him. He was only in theforemost. His statuette is the precipitation of past,present and future. It is entitled as 'Bijnanaghana'in the Brihadarnyaka Upanishad - 'IdamMahadbhutam anantam aparamBijnanaghana eba.'

The entirity of intellect has been appliedto reach the unreachable entity of the Supreme.Brihadaranyaka Upanishad scribes how could bethe appearance of Sri Purusottama; this could beHis countenance or that could be or some othercould be; such numberless anticipations have beenexercised. This is His appearance as like a clothcoloured with turmeric, as like a white woollencloth, as like a velvet insect of red colour found inrainy season, as like a flash of fire ...... Neti Neti..... He is not like this, he is not like this ...... Hisshape and countenance has no end ...... His nameis Truth of Truth ........, such indecisively Hisconception of appearance has gone in darkness.

King Indradyumna recovered 'DaruBrahma' (the divine log) from the sea after hearingaerial voice. The log was sailing with its rootupwards and branches down (Gita - 15 : 1). Ithad four branches enmarked with conch, wheel,mace and lotus. The four branches symbolizedeither the four Vedas or four steps of MandukyaUpanishad or four principal arts of ChhandogyaUpanishad or the quadru-statues. KingIndradyumna felt undone how to worship the login the form of blue sapphire image as he has seenLord Neelamadhab. Ananta Maharana, anextremely old man with age stricken bent bodyand assured to build the statue within twenty onedays inside the closed temple. He was carving to

reach the unreachable aspect of Kena Upanishad,to precipitate the formless Hiranyagarbha themeof Rig and Yajur Vedas and to materialise themetaphysics of 'Neti Neti' of BrihadaranyakaUpanishad. It was only the artistry of 'PrajnanBrahma' from whom all the techniques of creationoriginated. 'Ananta' 'Maharana' - these two wordsmean the artist having neither beginning nor end.The word 'Brahma' means the oldest, the largest,the most magnificent, the grandeurmost etc. afterwhich there is nothing greater. The age strickenoldest body symbolises 'Brahma'. He wascompounding Upanishads for structuring theVigraha. In Swetaswatara Upanishad it isdescribed that Param Brahma is hidden in thehymns of Upanishads.

What he must have built at first ?'Chakshyusi eba prathame sambhabatahsambhabat iti (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.)' -At first he probably must have built the eye whichrepresent illumination and in that light he wouldhave built the other organs of the statue. All theUpanishads would have sung their own individualmagnificence following which He would havecontinued the process. Swetaswatar Upanishadwould have sung, 'Apanipado jabano grahitapasyati achakshuh sa srunotyakarnah' - Hehas no leg nor hand. He finds without eye andhears without ear. His hands, feet, head, eyes andface are omnipresent. His knowledge is spreadeverywhere. Isha Upanishad would have sung,'Tadejati tannejati tad dure tadwantike' - Hewalks and does not walk. He keeps away andcomes near also. While applying colours,Swetaswatar Upanishad would have murmured,'Ajameka Lohita Sukla Krishnam' - the unbornone has three colours, i.e. red, white and blackrepresenting the three modes of nature. ThePrasna Upanishad would have echoed about Hismajestic abode, 'Tesamasou birajoBrahmaloka' - His abode is pure, dirtfree andmagnificent Brahmaloka. Mundak Upanishadwould have reverberated, 'Ara iba ratha navou


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sanghata yatra nadyah sa eso antascharatebahudha jayamanah.' - the multi-born ParamBrahma resides there where all the nerves arejoined together as like the bars of a chariot wheel.In a commanding voice Briharanyaka Upanishadwould have nodded its head singing 'Neti Neti' -He is not like this, He is not like that,authoritatively. While Ananta Maharana Himselfentered into the statue, Aitareya Upanishad wouldhave told soothing words, 'Sa etameba simanambidarjyaitaya dwara prapadyata' - He enteredinto the body by tearing its 'simanam' (top of theskull). Ultimately Brihadaranyaka has declared thestatue as 'Bijnanamaya atma'. Bijnanamayameans visually exposed.

After 15 days king Indradyumna openedthe closed temple. He discovered quadru-statuesas if incomplete. It is not in twenty one days, evenif it can't be completed after twentyone lakh croresof years. All the Upanishads have finished theirstore houses to feed Ananta Maharana. HimselfHe is endless. How could His statue becompleted ? What done, is the maximum possibleall ending figure in never ending entity.Sankaracharya has expressed in BrihadaranyakaBhasya that when Paramatma takes a physicalform, He must enjoy and suffer the worldlyhurdles, bodily pimples, results of action etc. Heplays wordly pastimes round the year. After a hotsummer, He takes bathe and suffers from feverand receives treatment too. All the rules of natureto a mortal body remains applicable to the'Bijnanamaya atma'. When body gets old, thesoul relinquishes it to accept a new one. Thepastime of 'Navakalevara' is the replica of naturallaw. Brahma ever is born nor dies; it is eternal.

All the four varieties of living bodies named'Jarayuja' (born from ovary), 'Andaja' (born fromegg), 'Swedaja' (born from sweat) and 'Udvijja(born from seed) have definite process in the birthsystem. In case of creatures, secretly flesh, blood,fat, skin, membrane, bone and marrow areprepared in the mother's womb. After completion,

the body takes birth. TheBijnanamaya atma alsoenacts the same natural law. Each year after the'Snana Yatra' (Bath pastime) the deities go into asecret residence for fifteen days known as'Anabasara'. Ananta Maharana toiled for fifteendays in a living entity to make the Vigrahas. Healso does the same work in human womb for ninemonths and ten days. The body is made with sevenelements like blood, flesh, fat, membrane, skin,bone and marrow. In the 'Bijnanamaya atma' itis called 'Saptabarana' (Seven Covers). KingIndradyumna was narrated by quadrufacedBrahma regarding 'Saptabarana' with repeatedwarnings as 'Top Secret, Top Secret'. As such theBrahma present in the Sri Vigraha is marrow,wooden statue is bone, campher coat is fat, sandal- camphor - musk - Kumkum combinedly appliedis flesh, red coloured cloth is blood, layers of whitecloth with sandal is skin, 'jhuna' - til oil - camphorcoating is regarded as membrane. All these seventreatments are known as 'Saptabarana', secretlyperformed execlusively by 'Daitapatis'. As pernature, it is the work in the mother's womb. Hence,naturally it is secret.

The first Balli of Taittiriya Upanishadscribes that Param Brahma is the shelter placefor all. Soul traverses through eightyfour lakh ofbirths exhaustively. By virtue of good deeds ofseveral births, it has been rewarded with His bestof all, the human body. In this body, all the meansand ways have been provided to know Him, unlikeall others. He has gifted the ability to human beingto plunge into the infinite ocean of Param Brahmafor eternal rest. The metagalactic extravaganza isthe visible form of Paramatma. He is theinconceivable ocean in the initiation. Thus are themysteries defined in the Upanishads. If weconsider the Vedas as ocean of milk, theUpanishads are butter, and the ultimate essenceas ghee is Param Brahma Sri Jagannatha.

Sudarshan Sahoo lives at Sector-2/324, Niladri Vihar,Bhubaneswar - 751021.



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Kabibar Radhanath Ray, the architect of modernOriya poetry describes Orissa in a Sanskrit hymn"Bharat Gitika" as

"Bharat Pankaj-dalamidamUtkal-Mandal Miti Viditam."

It means this land of Utkal is well knownas a petal of lotus Bharat. Here the tone is one ofreverent adoration and admiration for the serenebeauty that is called 'Utkal' or 'Orissa'.

Making a continuity of KabibarUtkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu writes -

"Jagat Sarase Bharat KamalTa Madhye Keshara Punya Nilachal."

(India is a lotus in the pond of the world andNilachal is the stalk of that lotus.)

The presiding deity of Nilachal Dham,Lord Jagannath, the Lord of the Universe is themost revered and ancient deity of Hindu pantheonwho has mesmerised and bewildered crores ofdevotees, scores of scholars, research analysts,poets and saints down the years. While threeDhams in different centres of India represent 3different sects viz - Badrika-Vishnu, Dwarika-Krishna, Rameswar-Shiva, the fourth Dham i.e.Nilachal Dham symbolises as the holy place ofone and all. Lord Jagannath, the presiding deityof Neelachal Dham is not a deity of any particular

sect. He is cosmopolitan and embraces spiritualthoughts of all sects signifying the symbol of unityin diversity. Four words in 'Jagannath' representfour deities. 'Ja' is Jagannath, 'Ga' is Balabhadra,'Na' is Subhadra and 'Tha' Sudarsan, SoJagannath means the union of all deities which isall parvasive and often described as 'Purusottama.'

Some scholars putforth the view that LordJagannath and Buddha were the same God. Thegreat Vaishnavite poet Jayadev accepts Buddhaas one Avatar of Vishnu in his Dasavatara sloka,as enunciated in his magnum opus 'GeetaGovinda.'

"Nindasi Jagnyabidhe Rahaha Shruti JatanSadaya Hrudaya Darshita Pashughatam.

Keshaba Dhruta Buddha SariraJaya Jagadisha Hare."

Lord Jagannath : Presiding Deity of NilachalDham - the Lord of the Universe

Ganeswar Jena


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The three images of Jagannath,Balabhadra, and Subhadra, are the identicalrepresentations of Buddha, Sangha and Dharmarespectively of Buddhist Triad. Indrabhuti, theking of Uddiyan in 8th century A.D. wrote in hisfamous 'Gyanasiddhi.'

Paranipatya Jagannatham, Sarvaina VaranChitam Sarva Buddhamayam Siddhi VyapinoGagano pamam.

Lord Jagannath who is the same as theBuddha and who is all pervading Siddhi iscompared to the sky. He is worshipped by all thehighest Jinas. He is the giver of all, the omniscient.

Famous historian Kedarnath Mahapatrasuggests that Balabhadra, Subhadra and Jagannathhave taken their inception from Triratna of Jainism :(1) Samyak Jnana (2) Samyak Charitra(3) Samyak Drusti. Bhakta Salabega who is aMuslim is also known as one of the greatestworshipper of Lord Jagannath. Down the yearshis soul-stirring Bhajans have influenced thecultural and social ethos of Oriya people andwould continue to sway the emotions andsentiments of generations to come.

Sankaracharya, Ramanuja, Kabir, SriChaitanya and Guru Nanak have also visitedNilachal Dham and were greatly influenced bythe eclectic philosophy of Jagannath cult whichlater moulded and shaped their teaching andpreaching to a great extent. Dasia Bauri, anuntouchable, Hadi Das, a blacksmith, JagannathDas, the famous poet of Bhakti movement andBandhu Mohanty an ardent devotee of the Lordare gifted with the divine blessings of the God.There is a popular belief and saying that the chariotof Lord Jagannath did not move despite all outeffort by lakhs of devotees as Balaram Das couldnot make it to the pulling of chariots.

In Jagannath Temple Jagannath isworshipped as Purusottama or Vishnu,Balabhadra as Shiva and Devi Subhadra as AdyaShakti. Some scholars identify Lord JagannathKrishna, Balabhadra as Balaram and Subhadraas the sister of Krishna who married to Arjun.Everywhere Krishna is worshipped along withRadha whose divine love has been immortalisedby the great poet Jayadev. But here at Puri templehis sister Subhadra beholds the centre place withthe two brothers.

But the attempt to co-relate Lord Krishnawith Lord Jagannath has been strongly refutedby the great poet Dibakar Das. According to himJagannath is the Param Brahma and Avatariwhereas Krishna is only one Avatara. FromJagannath crores of Avataras are created.

"Parambrahma JagannathaAvatari Ethu Jata

Koti Koti je Avatara"Etahun huanti bahara.

(Jagannath Charitamruta)

He says emphatically"Jagannatha je sola kalaTahun kalae Nanda bala

Kalake sola kala kariGope bihare Narahari."

(Lord Jagannath contains all the 16 attributes andKrishna had only one. By multiplying the onlyattribute he had, to sixteen, Krishna flourished inGopa)

The various avatars (incarnations) whichappear in different sects and beliefs are only partialmanifestations of Lord Jagannath. It is generallybelieved in Hindu pantheon that visit to any sacredplace or Tirthasthan may fulfill one aspect ofspiritual life but it can complete the whole circleby getting Mokshya or salvation if one visits onlythe Nilachal Dham.



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Lord Jagannath is the Lord of humanism. All the beliefs, faiths, rituals, customs and socio-religious traits have been assimilated in Jagannathcult. During the Rath Yatra which is being held ina year the Holy Trinity move from Jagannath templeto Gundicha Mandir in three colourful woodenchariots pulled by lakhs of ardent devotees whothrong the holy town from all parts of the world.The festival does not differentiate between religion,caste, creed or sect. It symbolises the philosophyof a casteless and classless society where allmembers present have only one identity i.e.devotee of the Lord. The Gajapati Maharaja ofPuri who is privileged to be the foremost servitordoes the "Chhera Pahanra" (Cleaning the chariotswith the broom having a golden handle). No wherewe can see such a sight. It means before the Lordall are equal. The Maha Prasad of Lord is sharedbetween one and all and is used in many sacredoccasions like marriage, birth day and also death.

It is popularly said :

"Dolescha Dola Govinda Chapescha MadhuSudana - Rathetu Bamanam Drustwa

Punarjanman Na Bidyate"

(If you behold the Lord Dola Govinda in thewooden palanquin during Dola festival, in boat inthe Narendra pond during Chandan Yatra (MadhuSudan) and Lord Jagannath (Bamanam) in thechariot there will be no rebirth and you will befree from the cycle of birth and death.

In continuation of Kabibar RadhanathRay it may be aptly said that if Orissa is the petalof a lotus called Bharat, Lord Jagannath is thepresiding deity over that lotus with universal lovewho engulfs the spiritual gamut of every humanbeing and who embraces the whole humanity withHis " Baliar Bhuja". And we Oriyas are privilegedenough to have a Lord who is the "Lord of theUniverse" and who has given an identity to us inthe whole world.

Ganeswar Jena lives at Qrs.No. VIB-5/2, Unit-III,Bhubaneswar-1.


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Jagannath culture is undisputably the oldest inthe world. There is no sacred culture in the worldthat is as continuous, as lasting as this one.Although Jagannath culture is a pan-Indianphenomenon it is largely treated as a synonym ofOrissan culture. When one talks of Orissanculture one inevitably talks ofJagannath culture. Whenone talks of religion in Orissaone can mention JagannathDharma only. And whenone discusses the history ofOrissa it is once again tracedin the history of Sri Mandirand the antiquity of its lord,Sri Jagannath. To put itotherwise, the Orissanhistory and culture isinextricably linked with thegenesis and antiquity of SriMandir and Sri Jagannath.Jagannath is the very life-blood and life-spirit of Orissan life, society andculture. That explains why Jagannath-consciousness remains the very spirit andessence of Orissan life, society, religion, cultureand ,above all, nationalism.

Sri Jagannath has been the text andcontext of many a Sanskrit scripture. Among

those ancient scriptures the Oriya Mahabharataof Sarala Dasa covers the theme of SriJagannath as one of its major motifs. There isno visible record of any other poet writing aboutSri Jagannath before Sarala Dasa. However,there is a slim difference in the approach ofSarala

Dasa (to Sri Jagannath)from the one we find in theSanskrit scriptures. Thesurfacing of Sri Jagannathafter the passing away ofSri Krsna is entirely andexclusively the imaginationof Sarala Dasa.

Sri Krsna and SriJagannath are one andinseparable. He is theunmoved- mover, thecause and the end of thisphenomenal creationaround. He is the lord ofthe universe. Sarala Dasa

looks upon Sri Jagannath and Sri Krsna as oneand the same. And the great epic theMahabharata in Oriya has been written on thisbackground. Sarala Dasa truly endorses asignificant rock edict put up by king KapilendraDeva that asserts the oneness of Sri Jagannathand Sri Krsna. All along the epic Sarala Dasa

Shree Jagannath and Shree Mandirain the Indian Scriptures/ Puranic Texts

Dr. Satyabrata DasDr. Uday Nath Sahu



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has exhibited his originality and in -sight aboutSri Jagannath that is worth-noting. In the processSarala has wonderfully created a Dream Worldaround him with Sri Jagannath as Sri Krsna atits very core.

Neela Sundara Hill : Neela Sundara orNeelachala or the Blue Hill figures in the ancientSanskrit scriptures. For example, there arereferences to it in the Skanda Purana. As it ismentioned in the text Neelagiri Purushottamais the abode of Lord Jagannath . It is describedat length how this Neelagiri was covered withlush green forest. At the very centre there was aKalpa Bata, a mammoth banyan tree that wasspread over an acre of land. To its west was theRohini Kunda. This pond had elegant stairs ofrare gem - stones. To the east of this Rohini Kundathere stood the image of lord Vasudeva Krsnamade of blue topaz. On the western side of thehill there was a hamlet called Shavara Dwipaka.From this hamlet there stretched a narrow pathup the hill which was thick and green and thehome for numerous birds.

Similarly, there is a description of thisNeelagiri in Padma Purana, another Hinduscripture. In the Patala Canto of the above textthere is a clear and unmistakable reference to it.As we see, it is mentioned that PurushottamaHari is being worshipped in Neelagiri which islocated at the confluence of Ganga Sagara. Asit says, Shatrughna ( Ref: the Ramayana ) firstdiscovered this Neelagiri on his way to recoverthe Yagna Horse while Sri Rama Chandra wasperforming the Aswamedha Yagna.

In yet another holy text NeeladriMahodaya there is a reference to this Neelagiri.As we find, this scripture mentions that Neelagiriis located at the centre of a conch - shaped land.That is infested with many a holy place. In that

Neelagiri there is one pond called Rohini Kunda,famous as sin destroyer/ neutralizer.

Sarala Dasa, in his Mahabharata inOriya, gives an exhaustive account how Sri Ramahad connected so many hills in the process ofbridging up Sri Lanka with India. Among thosenumerous hills there were two called NeelaSundara and Neelagiri. As he elaborates further,Sri Rama was fighting from the shoulders of VeerHanuman in the high sky and the latter first landedon the Neela Sundara Hill. Next, whenHanuman jumped on the Neelagiri Hill thatcouldn t take Hanuman s load and pressure. Asa result , it gave way to the Patala, the nether-world, and that Neelagiri , as the scholarsinterpret now, is the present Dwaraka where SriKrsna reigned. As the myth goes, thisNeelasundara Hill steadily and rapidly grew tallerand taller. It so happened, the wheels of the SunGod s Chariot were hit by the Hill and the chariottoppled. That provoked the Sun God who cursedthe Neela Sundara Hill that the latter would beabused by Bhima. Further, the Sun God cursedthat in Satya Yuga the giant Neela Sundarawould be dwarfish, very small and insignificantowing to its fear for the Sun God.

We may connect how in DwaparaYuga, Bhima had rubbed and erased the ironmouse on this Hill and had thrown away the lastsmall remnant into the deep -ocean which a fishhad swallowed. It so happened , Jara Savaragot that piece from the belly of a fish and usedthat in his arrow which eventually became the fatalinstrument to killSri Krsna. The story says furtherhow Arjun had consigned the half- burnt body ofSri Krsna to the sea which later turned out to bethe Daru Brahma and was worshipped on thehill of Neela Sundara.


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Rohini Kunda :

The Rohini Kunda (something like abath-tub) is located at the navel point / centreof an area shaped like the Ganges . The mythicalcrow, as the scriptures say, dipped into the RohiniKunda, saw lord Vishnu and got liberated fromlife-cycle. It is further believed that the apocalypseor deluge starts from here as swirling watersurges out of this Rohini Kunda and engulfs thewhole world. Again, at the time of recreation thisRohini Kunda sucks out all the water and makesthe world dry and habitable. In Skanda Puranathere is a clear mention of this holy pond. Withreference to the place of dwelling of Lord NeelaMadhava, Viswavasu talks about this RohiniKunda and asserts that a dip in this holy pond(where lord Vishnu dwells) shall send one to SriBaikuntha, the pinnacle of any spiritual journey.

In the unpublished manuscript IndraNeelamani (Canto V) of Srichandra Swainthere is an elaborate treatment of the glory andsignificance of the Rohini Kunda. As we see, thisscripture gives a wonderful imaginary (yetconvincing) account of the mythical crow.Bhusanda, the crow, was cursed by a Rishicalled Lomasha. It was flying around aimlesslyand hopelessly. By chance or coincidence it flewdown and sat on the Kalpa Bata in thePurushottama Kshetra. The holy Rohini Kundawas close by. As the crow was thirsty, it dippedinto it to quench its thirst and miraculously gotliberated. Since then the Bhushanda crowcontinues to perch on the Kalpa Bata. To theeast of Rohini Kunda there still remains the footmarks of the great sage Markanda.

But Sarala gives an altogether differentstory about this Rohini Kunda. As Sarala putsit, Jara Savara was camping on the east-coastline somewhere near Konark in search of the half-burnt remains of Sri Krsna. In his meditation he

could get the indication that Sri Krsna wouldreincarnate Himself as Sri Buddha in Kali Yuga.Further, Jara Savara got yet another revealationthat the lord would change His form in the RohiniKunda and manifest Himself as Sri Buddha. KingIndradyumna got this news from Jara Savaraand both came to Rohini Kunda and wereamazed to see the giant like eighteen-foot tallDaru Brahma emerging from the nether world /patala.

This account, however, is nowhere foundin any Sanskrit text or scripture. In all probability,this is a figment of Sarala s powerful imaginationand story- telling.

Again, Sarala draws a road map fromthe birth place of Jara Savara to Rohini Kundathrough the great Ocean (Mahodadhi, the Bayof Bengal). He glorifies the Rohini Kunda asone of the five great holy places. Further, in hisattempt to highlight the greatness of RohiniKunda Sarala has taken the help of an episode.As the story goes, a king called Sweta in theSatya Yuga worshipped the image of SwetaMadhava. Anyone who died before that imagegot such illustrious positions like that of Brahmaand Indra. But any one who got terrified to seethe image perished instantly. That image of SwetaMadhava, in course of time, is dissolved into theRohini Kunda. How lofty and powerful is theimagination of Sarala really ! All said and done,Rohini Kunda is undoubtedly one of the mostvisited and revered shrines in Srikshetra.

Kalpa Bata : The Kalpa Bata is acknowledgedas the most ancient relic in the Neelachala Dham.There are two popular justifications for its name.First, it is called the Kalpa Bata as it has survivedthrough the all -consuming time cycle. Second,any one wishes anything this ancient Kalpa Bataof course fulfills. Its glory and significance is wellacknowledged. In the olden days Banyan treeswere popularly worshipped as Nyagrodha.



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In the Atharva Veda the huge banyantree is called the Nyagrodha. Since thecomposition of Satapatha Brahmana thesignificance of Nyagrodha has been well-acknowledged. In the Vana Parva of the SanskritMahabharata there is a description of theNyagrodha. But that has no reference to theKalpa Bata of Srikshetra Puri. It is because thereis no direct reference of Sri Jagannath or Srikshetra in the Sanskrit Mahabharata.

But the Kalpa Bata unmistakablyfigures in the Brahma Purana. Kalpa Bata isvery much present amidst the Pralaya/deluge thatengulfs the entire world. As per the BrahmaPurana this Kalpa Bata directly emanates fromthe body of Sri Krsna. Anyone who is luckyenough to have a darshan of this Kalpa Batagets as much Punya as one gets out of performinga Raja Suya Yagna or an Aswamedha Yagna.

Anyone who goes round this Kalpa Batais liberated from this sinful existence and gets anew form and a fresh lease of life. Even the shadeof this Kalpa Bata can make one free from asheinous a crime as Brahma hatya (killing a holyBrahmin). As per the Skanda Purana, evenduring the Maha Pralaya this Kalpa Bata stoodunmoved and clear of the all-devouring water.And maharishi Markandeya sat pretty under thistree and had darshan of Sri Narayana Vishnu.Like Brahma Purana, Skanda Purana tooextensively deals with the greatness andsignificance of the Kalpa Bata.

Again, as the Kapila Samhita says, thePrasada of Sri Jagannath was being distributedunder the Kalpa Bata. Kapila Samhita furthermentions that there is yet another sacred patch(between the Kalpa Bata and the great Ocean)called Muktipada. Even inSrimad Bhagavatama clear picture of the Kalpabata is given.

Among the Oriya poets Sarala Dasa wasthe first to write about Kalpa Bata. But Sarala,as usual, deviates from the Sanskrit poets andscriptures and draws an entirely original pictureof the Kalpa Bata with a series of episodes andanecdotes.

Neela Madhava :

Jagannath is otherwise called Madala.Madala means a torso without hand or leg. Evento-day the Savaras (an aborigin, who originallyworshipped Jagannath as Neela Madhava inthe Jungle) worship Madala. In course of time,as the historians believe, this Madala transformedinto Neela Madhava. As we know, the Savaras,an aborigine tribe worshipped Neela Madhavain one of the remote caves of the Neelagiri tillKing Indradyumna and his minister Vidyapatitracked that out . And the same tribal deitybecame popular as Jagannath in later days.

Hence, this tradition of Madhavaworship is very very old in Orissa. The Chinesepilgrim Hiuen-Tsang clearly mentions in histravel account that in Kalinga, an east-coastprovince of India, Jagannath was beingworshipped on a slab of black-stone. Further, inone of the rock-edicts it is written that the Guptaking Madhava Gupta of 7th Century A.D.worshipped Madhava or Neela Madhava. Asit appears, the worship of Madhava or NeelaMadhava that started in 7th century with theGupta Kings continued till the end of the tenureof Ganga Dynasty. And that had gainedtremendous popularity. But all said and done,there is no dispute on the fact that NeelaMadhava was being worshipped by the Savarasin Neela Kandara till Indradyumna found thatout.

Skanda Purana gives an exhaustivetreatment of the mystery of Neela Madhava andholds it as a family deity being worshipped in


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exclusive privacy. According to the BrahmaVaivarta Purana, the name Madhava has vividand intimate relationship with the MatrushaktiYogamaya. Madhava is the same pure absoluteVishnu who is worshipped with Sri Radha.

According to Skanda Purana, NeelaMadhava was being worshipped at Neelagiri inthe Purushottam Kshetra. Anyone who had aglimpse of the Lord was instantly liberated.Brahma Purana gives an interesting point. Thefact that anyone who saw Neela Madhava gotinstant liberation irked Yama Raj. So Yama Rajcomplained to God almighty as a result NeelaMadhava was withdrawn from there for quitesome time. In Neeladri Mahodaya there is anelaborate description of the details of the worshipof Neela Madhava. It mentions the nameViswavasu which figures neither in BrahmaPurana nor Narada Purana. Both the SkandaPurana and Neeladri Mahodaya partly agreeon this.

Sarala Dasa mentions about JaraSavara s worship of Madhava and how Vasu,

the young Brahmin, gets a chance to see that.Originally, as Sarala maintains, kingIndradyumna had commissioned Vasu to trackthe half-burnt body of Sri Krsna along the sea-coast. In the process, Vasu had the chance oftracking down Neela Madhava. UnambiguouslySarala asserts that both Neela Madhava andSri Jagannath are one and inseparable. In theSkanda Purana Sri Jaganath himself speaksout to king Indradyumna that he is Madhavaindeed whom Indradyumna wished to get.Hence, Sri Jagannath is Madhava or NeelaMadhava. They are one and the same. Saralaupholds that view too.

Dr. Satyabrata Das is a Senior Reader & Head,Department of English, Ekamra College, Bhubaneswar

Dr. Uday Nath Sahu is a Senior Reader & Head, P.G.Dept. of Oriya, S.C.S. (Autonomous) College, Puri.



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A question arises as to why and how Purushottamor Krsna Vasudeva came to be known asJagannath at Puri. The antiquity of PurushottamaKshetra and the cult of Purushottama Jagannathare still shrouded in mystery. Evidences suggestthat from very ancient times, PurushottamaJagannath was being worshipped at PurushottamaKshetra. To fix the time of the debut of Jagannathin Puri is quite impossible.

The Kalinga emperor Kharavela duringthe first century B.C. got Kalinga independentfrom the Magadhan yoke and expressing hisindomitable courage and undeterred victoriousforces conquered Magadh twice. He broughtback the Jinanath or Kalinga Jina image fromMagadh. It may be that he destroyed the Stupabuilt by Asoka and installed Jinanath in a speciallybuilt temple at Puri. Kharavela was the laterdescendant of Vasu Uparicara the Chediraja. Assuch, the Jinanath worship of Kharavela was latertransformed into the Nilamadhava worship ofSavararaja Viswavasu, in a legend. TheSatavahanas conquered Kalinga after Kharavelain about second century A.D. They wereperforming Vedic oblations and worshippingDharma, Chandra, Samkarshana, Vasudeva,Indra, Surya, Yama, Varuna, Kuvera and Vasaba.It is possible that they introduced the worship ofYama and other deities like Varuna, Kuvera and

The Genesis of JagannathTriad at Puri

Dr Janmejay Choudhury

Vasudeva. They might have started the worshipof Yama later known as Yameswara in Puri. Afterthe Satavahanas there was the rule of theKushana. The famous Kushana king Kanishkawas a Bauddha emperor. The Kushana kingsHuviska and Vasudeva introduced Siva andVishnu worship in 119 A.D and 145-76 A.D. Thefour-armed Vishnu worship was at first startedby Huviska and Visnumitra of the Panchalakingdom.Even the Ayudhas of this Vishnu wasConch, Disc, Mace, and a ring type impressionon the right palm in lieu of lotus was seen on theseal of Huviska s coin. So it can be ascertainedthat the Siva and Vishnu worship was influencedby the Kushanas under the rule of the Matharas.

The Bhagavata religion was in vogue inOrissa during the rule of the Matharas, Vigrahasand Mudgalas ruling between 6th and 7th centuryA.D with the epithets of Parama-Daivata, ParamaBhagavata, Parama-Daivatadhidaivata,Narayana-swami and Bhagavata-SwamiNarayana Padanudhyata meaning the worshippersof Bhagavata or Vasudeva Vishnu and his variousforms. Hence, the Bhagavata religion professedby the Matharas advanced in favour of it. TheMathara power was ext irpated by theRanadurjayas from the south and the Nagas fromthe North. The Naga king Satrubhanja was theworshipper of Siva. He may be the builder of the


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Siva temple found near the Kalpa tree. Probablyby him the Satavahana Deity Yama and Kushanadeity Isana were converted to Yamaswara andIsaneswara as additional Saiva shrines. In Guptarule Vigrahas, Mudgalas and the Sailodbhavaswere ruling in Orissa. Mudgalas had a short rulein Orissa to cast any impact on the religious life ofOrissa, but the Vigrahas were the introducers ofthe worship of Siva and Varaha Vishnu. TheLokanath temple might have been built during therule of the Vigrahas, particularly Lokavigraha.

At the time of Sailodbhava rule, theMadhava worship was spread around Puri. Theymight have started Madhava image worship.Sailodbhava king Madhavaraja II styled himselfas Chakradhari Madhava in imitation of Vishnu.Probably Galamadhava worshipped nearIndradyumna pond, Niali Madhava of Niali,Nilamadhava of Kantilo, etc were established attheir time. Their copper plate grants haverecorded about Vishnu, Trivikrama or Vamana,Laksmi etc. It indicates that they were Vaishnavaworshippers. During the rule of BhaumasNilamadhava worship at Puri was discontinued.They promoted establishment of Sakta Pithas andthe Sakta worship in Orissa towards the last partof their reign. So the worship of Vimala at Puri,Mangala at Kakatapur and Bhubaneswari atBhubaneswar might have started during theirruling period. Moreover, during the time of theBhumakaras the Buddha Triratna worship and thecar festival might have started in Puri. After theBhaumakaras, the Somavamsi ruler Yayati-Imerged the whole of Kosala, Utkal and theterritories inhabited by the tribals into a singleadministration. The Somavamsis were promotersof traditional Vasudeva worship. In the place ofBaudha Triratna, king Yayati established theseimages of Balabhadra, Subhadra, Jagannath andSudarshana in the empty temple with the help ofSavaras for which the four images have been

worshipped as the religious representatives ofOrissa.

Jagannath makes His appearance inhistory, according to W.W.Hunter, in 318 A.D.when the priest fled with his image to escape thewrath of Raktabahu and his band of plunderers.Hidden in the western jungles, the holy log wasrecovered by a pious prince about 150 yearslater(A.B.Mahanty- Madala Panji). The antiquityof Jagannath is supported by several literary andepigraphic evidences. Murari Mishra sAnargharaghava Natakam (c. 9th century) refersto God Purushottama who was being worshippedon the seashore.( Orissa Historical ResearchJournal, Vol. III, No.I, PP. 9-10)That there wasan earlier temple of Jagannath at PurushottamaKshetra prior to the present one built byChodaganga Deva in 12th century A.D is provedby Devayatana of God Purushottama in KrishnaMishra s Prabodha Chandrodaya Natakam(c.1078 A.D). Epigraphic sources reveal that theinscriptions of Bhanudeva-II (1306-1328 A.D)of Ganga dynasty make the first mention of thename, Jagannath . (South Indian Inscriptions ,Vol.V, No.1214). In many copper plates dating8th century A.D, mention of individuals bearingthe name of Purushottama also substantiates thewide popularity of Purushottama Jagannath.Mention may be made of Dandi Mahadevi s giftland to one Bhattaputra Purushottama (I.H.Q,Vol.VI, PP.141-142). The name Jagannath isused for the first time in the inscriptions of kingBhanudeva-II (1306-1328 A.D). ( Puri CopperPlates of Bhanudeva-II , Ed. D.C.Sircar, JASB,XVIII, I, 1956, P.25). The description of the deityin the early Ganga period was Purushottama orPurushottama-Jagannath. During the reign ofBhanudeva-II, a feudatory chief had made giftsat Sikurmam in the 3rd Anka of Jagannath Devawhen Sri Bhanudeva was ruling. (KalingaHistorical Quarterly, I, P.251) According to the



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Puri Grant of 1313, Bhanudeva had grantedvillages in the 7th Anka of Purushottama deva.Thus in a private record Purushottama comes tobe called Jagannath. It appears to be the earliestepigraphical reference to the name, Jagannath .However, being descriptive epithets, Jagannathand Purushottama are but derivatives of thedescript ion of the supreme Lord asPurushottama in the Bhagavat Gita orJagannath in Valmiki s Ramayan. A sculptural

piece of Konark of the 13th century A.D depictsits builder, King Narasimha-I, offering worshipto Siva Linga, Purushottama Jagannath andDurga.

It is significant to note that in the ancientsources there is reference only to Purushottama.These sources are virtually silent on Balabhadraand Subhadra. This gives rise to doubts as towhether Purushottama was the original deity andBalabhadra and Subhadra were subsequentlydrawn in. There is little distinction between theJagannath and the Bhagavat Triad of Balaram,Ekanamsa and Krisna. (Indian HistoricalQuarterly, Vol. XXXVIII, PP.86-88).Epigraphicevidences substantiate to it. Representation of theBhagavat Triad can be seen at the brick templeof Turintura as well as inside the Lingaraj temple-both in Puri district. A Saiva temple ofSailodbhava period contains an iconographicrepresentation of Subhadra-Ekanamsa withBalaram and Krisna. (OHRJ,Vol. XI, No.4PP.279-280).It symbolically depicts the Triad of

Balaram, Krishna and Ekanamsa, popularlyknown as Balabhadra, Jagannath and Subhadra.The panel is significant for its depiction of the inter-relationship of Saivism, Vaisnavism and Saktismduring the period. Images of Balaram and Vishnu,salvaged from the ruins of Konark, point to theirworship in a common temple inside the premisesof the Konark temple. In the dramaAnargharaghava Natakam, the namePurushottama is used to denote the place.

In the Ganga rule the Jagannath templewas rebuilt by Gangeswar or Chodaganga Deva(1078-1147 A.D). Four foremost Vaishnavapandits of the 12th century viz. SriRamanujacharya, Acharya Nimbarka, AcharyaVishnuswami and Sri Madhavacharya establishedfour monasteries at Puri to preach their religioustheories. The Gitagovinda of Jayadeva preachedthe glory of Jagannath. Anangabhima deva (1211-1238 A.D) donated his vast empire to SriPurushottama Jagannath and declared himself ashis servant (Rauta). Due to his efforts someJagannath temples were set up at different placesin Orissa. During the Suryavamsi period (1435-1533 A.D.) the same trend continued andJagannath was considered as Rastra Devata.

Dr. Janmejaya Choudhury is a Lecturer in History inSri Jagannath College, Kaipadar, Khurda.


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(This paper was presented by the author to theaugust audience of the 8th Asian Astrologers'Conference on 15th May, 2005 held at PauraSadan Auditorium in Puri, Orissa, from 14th Mayto 16th May, 2005)

Thy name Jagannath is Universally popularnot only among the Hindus astheir prime deity but also it isequally popular among peoplesubscribing to other religions.The word Jagannath is acombination of two words Jagatand Nath. Jagat means theUniverse, Nath means theLord. It represents thatJagannath is the Lord of theUniverse. Perhaps it is the onlyHindu God, who represents theUniverse and equally popularirrespective of caste, creed andreligion.

Jagannath is the symbol of unity andintegrity of all religions of the world. He neitherrepresents any religion, division, class, caste,community nor any region and country. He isabove all. Jagatguru Adi Shankaracharya has givenprivilege to the four holy places of India knownas Chaturdham . In the east it is Puri, in the west

it is Dwaraka, in the north it is Badrinath and inthe south it is Rameswaram. In the concept ofAdi Shankaracharya, Puri is the prime and theforemost Dham among all the four Dhams. Thename of this Dham is otherwise known as MuktiDham or Baikuntha Dham and it has its ownspecial peculiarities. In this holy place renowned

devotees like Bhakta Salabeg,Dasia Bauri. Bandhu Mohanty,Guru Nanak, Jayadeva,Ganapati Bhatta, AdiShankaracharya had theirspecial emotions. This Dhamof Lord Jagannath, Puri has itsown specialties which are notfound in any other God orGoddess of other religions.

The special quality of thisDham is that it has nosimilarities with any Temple,

Gurudwara, Church, Mosque or place of worshipof any religion.

1. The first and foremost speciality of LordJagannath is that He is made up of a piece ofNeem (Margosa) tree, which we call Daru orMahadaru and the Lord is known as Daru

Debata The other deities are made of clay, rockor metals.

Shree Jagannath in Astrology

Dr. Pradeep Kumar Choudhury



19

2. Secondly, in the whole of the world notonly in Hinduism but also in any other religion thereis no concept of changing of body, what is knownas Ghata Parivartan or Nabakalebar exceptin the case of Lord Jagannath. The year in whichthe body of Jagannath will be changed is fixed bythe Astrologers. It is a year when there are twomonths of Asadha which usually comes in a cycleof 12-18 years, That year is earmarked for thechanging of the Ghata or the change of the bodyof Lord Jagannath. The Lord Jagannath leavesthe old body and dons a new body.

3. Thirdly, while in other places the Godsare worshipped with their consorts as Radha-Krishna, Rama-Sita, Laxmi-Narayana Shiva-Parvati, in this Jagannath Dham Lord Jagannathis worshipped with his elder brother Balabhadraknown as Bada Thakura and younger sisterknown as Subhadra . It represents the universalbrotherhood and human unity and integrity.Perhaps Swami Vivekananda has learned theconcept of universal brotherhood from this Dham,when he addressed the audience in the ChicagoWorld Religion Conference as my dear brothersand sisters .

4. Fourthly, Lord Jagannath is the only deitywho is unfinished. Lord Jagannath has no leg, arm,ear but he is the first and the last God to givepenance or Mokshya , that is why the sacredland of Puri is universally popular as the MuktiDham . So it is called as a point of full stop fordevotion and fulfillment.

5. Fifthly, no God in the universe leaves hisPeetha (original place) except Lord Jagannath.In the Ashadha Sukla Dwitiya or the secondday of Ashadha the Lord Jagannath along withHis younger sister Subhadra, elder brother LordBalabhadra and Sudarshan mounts on threechariots known as the Nandighosh ,Darpadalan and Taladhwaj respectively and

separately and it is one of the biggest festivals ofthe world, popularly known as the car festival.The deities left the temple and carried in differentchariots pulled by the devotees irrespective ofcaste, creed, colour and religion, which laid thefoundation of Indian Democracy.

6. Sixthly, during the car festival the King ofPuri sweeps the cars as an humble servant of LordJagannath, and the incident binds the king andthe subjects with their God in a singular mood.

7. Seventhly, here in a calendar year, onecan not have the Darshan of the Lord Jagannathfor the entire period because in a calendar yearbefore the car festival the Lord Jagannath goesfor Anabasara or Anasara which is knownas period for the rest of the deities or in our localtradition Lords suffer from fever due to heavybath on the Debasnanapurnima day During thisperiod Ayurvedic treatment is rendered by theDaitapatis to cure the deities. So the devoteescan have their Darshan of the Patta Dian that isthe replica of the Lords painted in bamboo-fabricated panels and it is worshipped andpresented for the Darshan of general public.During this period only the Daitapatis or theSevakas perform the duties of the Lord.

8. Lord Jagannath s car festival goes for ninedays, which represent nine planets. As we knowfrom Kalidas s Uttar Kalamrutta there are onlyseven planets. According to seven planets theseven days are named. Later on, two shadowplanets are included in the study of Astrology,known as Rahu and Ketu. They are known asnodal planets or half-made planets. The nine dayslong car festival of Lord Jagannath representsNabagraha. It is a belief in the Hindu traditionthat those who have darshan of Lord Jagannathduring the car festival including the first and lastdays or the return yatra, will remain free from theclutches of Nabagraha. That man will be blessed


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or graced by the Lord Jagannath in the form ofNabagraha and will be free from the chain of themundane world or Maya .

9. Lastly, Jagannath is the only God in thisUniverse without having any gender and is calledas genderless God. Jagannath representsParambrahma or Paramatma because Atma

or Brahma has no gender.

Some say Lord Jagannath is the blackplanet Saturn, some say He is Kali , the forceand source of feminine, others say He is theBrahma, Vishnu, Maheswar or Shristi, Sthithi andVilaya, some describe Jagannath as the Kalameaning time as time has no gender whilesome ascribe Him as Maha Vishnu orPurusottama the best in human form.

Shree Jagannath is not only associatedwith religion but also related to Literature, Art,Politics, Culture, Science, Economics, Astrology,Vastu, Tantra, Mantra and Jantra. The glory,speciality and sanctity of Shree Jagannath and HisKshetra find mention in many Purans like theMatsya Purana, Brahma Purana, Narad Purana,Padma Puran, Kapila Samhita, Niladrimahodayaand the Utkal Khanda of the Skanda Purana.Besides Jagannath has been described amply inthe famous Tantric works like Kalika Purana,Rudrayamala. Brahmayamala, Tantrayamala etc.In a nut shell, Lord Jagannath is the lifeblood ofeach study and is a subject starting from thecosmic world to small molecular spirit.

The study of Lord Jagannath originateswith the origin of the Universe. In the opinion ofthe Astrologers or the Astro-scientists there arenine planets, Ravi, Chandra, Mangal, Buddha,Brihaspati, Sukra, Sani, Rahu and Ketu knownas Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus,Saturn, Rahu and Ketu.

These planets are completely influencingthe living world and the living beings of the

universe. Lord Jagannath being the Lord ofUniverse, is directly or indirectly related to thisAstro-solar system such as:

1. The two large rounded eyes of LordJagannath represent the Sun and theMoon that is the Surya and the Chandra.

2. Blood-red lips of Lord Jagannathrepresent Mangal or Mars.

3. In the Chariot Jagannath in the form ofBamana represents Budha (the dwarf

planet) or you can call the symbol ofwisdom and knowledge.

4. In yellow clothes and golden decoratedcostumes Lord Jagannath representsBruhaspati.

5. The quality of art of love of Jagannathrepresents for Venus.

6. The black colour of Lord Jagannathrepresents Saturn.

7. The unfinished body of Lord Jagannathrepresents the incompleted planets ofRahu and Ketu.

Thus Jagannath represents for theuniverse or Brahmanda . The Tini Thakura orthree deities known as Jagannath, Balabhadra andSubhadra represent for Lagna, Rashi andNakshyatra (the Ascendent, the Moon sign andthe Star sign) or Jivan, Jouban and Mrutyu, (life,youth and death) or Jala, Sthala and Akasha.(Land, Water and Sky), the Day, Evening andNight. Lord Jagannath is also called as the Lordof Creation, Operation and Destruction. It saysthat the entire study of the universe comes underthe study of cosmic science. The cosmic sciencebegins and ends with Lord Jagannath.

In a concluding remark I can say thatAstrology is originated with the study of cosmic



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ray of the planets and its colour. Again it comesunder the study of Lord Jagannath. As you knowthe greatest Indian Astronomer andMathematician Aryabhatta is credited withproviding the concept of Zero to the world.Astrology is also a study of Zero. The shape ofearth is like a Zero, the Sun is like a Zero and theMoon is also like a Zero so all the planets are likeZero.

Zero plus Zero is ZeroZero minus Zero is Zero

So, Jagannath is made of two big Zerosand it is equal to Zero. Thus Jagannath representsSunya or Nothingness as:

Sunya to MahasunyaMahasunya to Lina

Lina to BrahmaBrahma to Parambrahma

Parambrahma to Mukti or Mokshya.So Jagannath is Purna Brahma or

nothingness of the nothingnessOm Purna Madah Purna Midam Purnat

Puma MudachyateePurnasya Purna Madaya, Puma Meba

Basisyatee

The study of Astrology remainsuncomplete without referring to Vastu, Jantra,Mantra and Tantra. If you look at the geographicallocation of the country or the Vastu of our country,it is totally unfavourable. So our social, economicand other conditions in all aspects are not highlydeveloped. Except temple of Lord Jagannath thedirections of Vastu of our country areunfavourable. The biggest kitchen oven of the

world is in the south east corner of the LordJagannath temple and it is also located on the southeast corner of our country which means Agneein the Agneya Kona . Thus it is balancing ourinbalanced Vastu and therefore, so the BharatBhumi has its unity and integrity in all aspects.

In terms of Mantra, Jantra and TantraLord Jagannath is known as Parambrahma.Brahma is the only Universal truth while otherthings are myth. But it is the only truth that Brahmahas no shape, no colour, no gender and out ofimagination what the Jagannath represents for.

The cosmic energy has originated fromthe universe and the universe has originated fromthe Lord Jagannath. Lord Jagannath is the firstand the last study of Jantra, Mantra and Tantra.The occult study begins and ends with LordJagannath.

The Buddhist Philosophy surrenders hereit says that Lord Jagannath is the incarnation ofBuddha. It was also recorded that Lord JesusChrist came to Puri before his crucification. GuruNanak, Shankaracharya, Jaya Dev, ShiChaitanya had got their divine source of energyfrom the prime God Jagannath.

Here the study of Astrology opens itspreface from the sacred sands of Bada Danda(Grand Road) and also ends there.

Dr. Pradeep Kumar Choudhury lives at Qtrs.No. VA-34/4, Unit -II, Bhubaneswar- 751 009.


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The sacred place of Puri or Purusottam in theEast assumed increasing prominence through agesas one of the four famous Dhams, others beingBadrinath in the North, Dwaraka in the West andRameswaram in the South. It was recognised byAdi Shankaracharya as one of the eminent placesof pilgrimage in the eighth century A.D. Puriassumed more and more importance as greatVaishnava Acharyas like Sri Ramanuja, SriVishnuswami, Sri Nimbark and SriMadhavacharya visited this place. Subsequently,it was visited by great saints of various religiouscommunities namely Nanak, Kabir, Sri Chaitanyaand so on. It was compared with Kashi, Mathura,Vrindavan, Ujjain, Prayag, Gaya, Ayodhya andother sites of pilgrimage.

Lord Jagannath is the presiding deity ofPuri and a prominent symbol of Hindu Kingdom.The Gajapati King of Puri was recognized as thesupreme royal authority, for safeguarding the hoarytraditions and long-ranging rituals, year- roundfestivals with all Pujas, Veshas, Prasads andMahaprasads. But the king did not claim anysupremacy rather he was humble, loyal, devotedand committed to the famous traditions andheritage honoured by all sections of Hinducommunity. The king however, felt himself as thefirst servant of Lord Jagannath although he is everregarded as the moving god (Chalanti Vishnu),the temporal incarnation of god.

The glory of Lord Jagannath andsupremacy of the king are acknowledged by all

Influence of Sri Jagannath Culture onSocio-Economic and Religious Life of the

People of Odisha.Dr. Jagannath Mohanty

as part and parcel of every day life from birth of achild to the first day of the new year as per theroyal Anka calculation. Although over the yearshundreds of kings came into existence in Orissaand India, the Gajapati King was given utmostrecognition as the source of strength andinspiration, great cultural and religious sanctity.The day-to-day life of the people, customs andtraditions, the ceremonies and festivals areinfluenced by him. The birth, marriage,engagements, Upanayan, even death ofindividuals are marked by influences of the celestialblessings, instructions, guidance and approval.Even roads and buildings are constructed, bridgesare installed with some rituals as per the approvalof Sri Jagannath. Puri is connected with allimportant places and regions throughout thecountry with roads, railways and flights. Due toincreasing number of pilgrims the Britishgovernment also constructed the network ofcommunication from the ancient times. Pilgrimsand devotees pay visits to Lord Jagannath fromevery nook and corner of India. Due to strongattraction of God they grow in number day byday. Particularly they gather in thousands duringfestivals and ceremonies like Rath Yatra (CarFestival), Durga Puja, Jhulan, Govind Dwadashi,Snana Purnima and so on. Mahaprasad isregarded as the sacred food cherished byeverybody and for preparation of the Prasad andMahaprasad huge amount of rice, flour, vegetable,milk, sugar, ghee etc are required and thesematerials are imported from various places. For



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all these activities, a large number of people andtransport facilities are engaged throughout theyear. Thousands of people, artists, artisans,producers and priests are employed throughgenerations.

Specific potteries and paintings arerequired at a large scale. Pandas and Purohits,Pandits, dancers and musicians are engaged invarious rituals and festivities. Various specificservices are rendered by people throughhereditary arrangements. Previously hundred ofacres were given to these people throughendowments. The systems of Pattachitra paintings,the Chamar Seva and of the Devadasis are veryspecific to the Puri temple. The Chamar Seva isa special service rendered to gods and it is a rightenjoyed by some people. Similarly Chitrakarasare required for preparing Pattachitra and paintingthe idols of gods etc in the temple and cars duringfestivals. These people mostly live in some lanesin and around the Puri town and the village likeRaghurajpur. Similarly various kinds of potteriesare prepared by some people who enjoy this rightthrough endowments of land from ancient times.Devadasi system was prevalent for entertainingthe Gods, but this system is going to end shortly.

The Orissan art, literature and music areinfluenced immensely by Sri Jagannath Culture.The traditional Mahari dance Odishi dance,classical songs, are mostly developed under theinfluence of Lord Jagannath and His favouritelyrics of Geet Govind composed by the immortalpoet Jayadev. Many poems and fictions are alsowritten under the influence of Sri Jagannathculture. A lot of folk tales, folk songs, proverbsChautisas etc. are also influenced by Sri Jagannathculture. Mahaprasad has acquired a special andsignificant position in the life and religion of Odisha.The cookery of Srimandir is known as the largestcooking system. The sanctity of this holy food isboundless and it is known as a sacred bondbetween gods and men and among the people. It

is interesting to note that Mahaprasad is not onlydelicious, but also enjoyed by all irrespective ofcaste, creed and religion. This is also given prioritybefore serving any other food in a feast. Itstrengthens the bondage between castes andrelations. Especially newly formed bondages ofmarriage are solemnized by Mahaprasad. TheMahaprasad is prepared daily many times insidethe temple very scientifically. Even during the CarFestival, Mahaprasad is cooked in GundichaMandir and taken by thousands of people.

It is thus found that Sri Jagannath Culturehas a great impact on the socio-religious andeconomic life of Oriya people in particular andHindu community in general. A deep sanctity andsignificance is attached to the culture of LordJagannath not only by Hindus, but also by manypeople belonging to other religions. Particularly,Srimandir, Sri Jagannath and His allied objectsare given great honour and reverence by thepeople of Odisha. Lord Jagannath is not only thepresiding deity, but also His temple is regardedas the nerve centre controlling all aspects andspheres of Oriya people.

References :1. Mishra, K.C. The Cult of Jagannath, 1971,

Bhubaneswar.2. Mansinha, M. The Saga of the Lord Jagannath,

Cuttack.3. Mohanty, J. Encyclopaedia of Education,

Culture and Children s Literature, New Delhi,2010.

4. Dash, M.P. Impact of the Temple of Jagannathon the political life of the people, Orissa Review,June, 1998, Govt of Orissa (IPR, Dept.Bhubaneswar).

5. Mohanty, Jagannath, Universal Culture of Orissaand Sri Jagannath, the Lord of Democracy OrissaReview, July, 1997, Govt. of Orissa, IPR Dept.Bhubaneswar.

Prof. (Dr) Jagannath Mohanty lives at Plot No.2935,Gouri Nagar, Bhubaneswar-2.


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The Jagannath temple of Puri is a famous Hindutemple. The name of Jagannath means the lord ofthe Universe. In Sanskrit JA representsJagannath, GA represents Balabhadra NArepresents Subhadra, THA representsSudarsana. So Jagannath means the union of allfour deities (chaturdha murti) of the Jagannathtemple. His parallel hands invite devotees fromall over the world to embrace. His eyes are roundwithout eye lids which denote that for welfare ofhis devotees He remains awake throughout theday and night.

The temple is an important pilgrimagedestination for many Hindus particularlyworshipper of Krishna and Vishnu. It is a part ofChardham pilgrimage that a Hindu has to visit atleast once in his life time. Lord Jagannath isworshipped as Vishnu, Krishna and Narayan andsimultaneously regarded as Bhairav with Vimalainstalled in the campus of the temple. So we finda fusion of Vaisnavism, Saivism and Shaktism ofHindu religion alongwith Jainism and Buddhismin the culture of Lord Jagannath in Shrikhetra.

The world famous Rath Yatra of LordJagannath is observed on the second day of brightfortnight of Asadha (June-July). It attracts pilgrimsfrom all corners of the world. Its fame and

The Gajapati of Puri andLord Jagannath

Bhagaban Mahapatra

popularity has centered in the heart of Hindus andforeigners alike. This spectacular festival includesa procession of deities known as Pahandi Bije tomagnificently built wooden chariots. After thisprocession is over another fascination of carfestival is Chhera Panhara means sweeping thespace around the chariot by the king of Puri. It isan exciting scene for which devotees wait eagerlydespite the scorching heat or rain as the case maybe that happen on that day. It is because Gajapatiof Puri is regarded as Vishnu and to witness theking along with Lord Jagannath on chariots isbelieved that all sins of a devotee are washedaway. This Chhera Panhara is performed on twooccasions; once on the day of car festival and theother on the day of return car festival when thethree chariots move to lion's gate after sojourn ofdeities at Gundicha temple. On these occasionsthe Gajapati of Puri is brought to the chariot fromhis royal palace in a palanquin to perform theduties of a sweeper. He holds a golden broomstick in his hand and other Sevayatas meant forthis purpose remain present there to throw flowerson the space of the chariot for sweeping purposeby the king. Thereafter sandal paste water issprinkled to sanctify the space. This act signifiesthat there is no distinction between the king and asweeper. This is the greatness of the culture ofLord Jagannath.



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The temple of Lord Jagannath that nowexists at Puri was constructed by king AnantaVerman Chodagangadev in the l2th century A.D.The management of the temple continued underthe Hindu rulers till 1558 when it was conqueredby the Afghan General of Bengal, Kalapahad.Raja Mansingh, General of Mughal King Akbardefeated the Afghans and annexed Orissa withthe Mughal empire. It remained under the Mughaland Raja of Khurda was then paying tribute toMughals till 1760. Marathas then took up thedirect management of the temple till 1803 andthereafter the British came. The officercommanding the British troops was instructed byLord Wellesley that on the occupation of Puri all

possible precautions should be ensured topreserve the religious beliefs, without interferingon the activities of deities of the temple. Thecontrol of the temple was handed over to Raja ofPuri. Since then he was respected both by lawand customs to be regarded as the first and ChiefSevak of the Lord. As per Jagannath Temple Act,1952 the management of the temple was takenover by the Government of Orissa but honour ofthe Raja has been retained as Chief Sevak evennow.

Bhagaban Mahapatra lives at Sri Gundicha Vihar,Sarboday Nagar, Puri-752002.

Oh ! Lord JagannathYou are my soul and heartYou are my lifeYou are my saviourYou are every thing to me.

You are very kindYou take care of man-kindYou help the poor and downtroddenReally you are called the 'Patitapaban'.

When the ruler becomes tyrantThe oppression raises its headYou punish the wicked and save the world.

You love your devoteesYou save themWhen they are in distress.

You are the Lord of the universeYou have created the night and starYou have created mountain, ocean and riverYou control planetsYou are simple and lovely inspite of that.

You are my father and motherYou are my friend and brotherYou are my guide and philosopherYou bless meTo work for the helpless and poor.

Bikram Keshari Barma is the former MLA, Mahanga.

Oh, Lord JagannathBikram Keshari Barma


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Srikshetra - Jagannath Puri, the soul of Odisha,has been identified as the most sacred place inthe map of India s east coast. It is surrounded bythe Bay of Bengal in the east and is considered asthe summer capital of Odisha. The great templeof Lord Jagannath at Puri is a living vibrant temple.It attracts religious preachers, propagators, saints,devotees, pilgrims and tourists from all cornersof India, so also from abroad. Odisha is knownas the land of Jagannath. The word Jagannathliterally means The Lord of the Universe.' Forthe Hindus, it is one of the four major Dhams ofIndia. It is known as Srikshetra, Nilachal, Niladri,Purusottama Kshetra, Sankha Kshetra and inmany other names. Jagannath chetana is acompendium of all cultural, spiritual philosophiesand human experiences. Jagannath is the symbolof universal love and brotherhood. Constructionof the present temple was initiated by kingAnantabarman Chodaganga Dev in the middle ofthe eleventh century and completed during theperiod of King Anangabhima Dev III in the initialpart of twelfth century. The Chaturdha Murti inthe present shape were established on the highplatform inside the inner sanctum of the templeduring 1305 AD.

The temple of Jagannath is one of thegreatest religious monuments of India. The art andarchitecture of the temple has been developedwith royal patronage. The architecture is acombination of Dravida (South Indian) andNagara (North Indian) style. During 6th and 7thcentury the tri-ratha type of temple building was

in vogue, with the passage of time the tri-rathatype gave way to pancha-ratha type, of whichJagannath temple is the finest example. Thepancha-ratha consists of 2 Anu-rathas. 2 Konakasand one Raha. The deities have been consideredas head of the state and therefore provided withall royal facilities such as - Jagamohana (audiencehall), Nata Mandapa (dancing hall) and BhogaMandapa (dining hall). Over and above that, theprincipal deities have been provided withsufficient gold ornaments, valuable dresses,elephants, horses and a magnificent abode i.e.Viman for their comfortable residence.

The base of the Viman is of square size.The erected part of the Viman is circular up tothe top (Sikhara) of the temple. The Jagamohanis like a pyramid; the base is square in size andstep-by-step up-wards. The Viman has got thefollowing 5 parts: Bhumi, Bada, Gandi, Mastakand Dhwaja. It is a Rekha Deula with a curvilinearsuper structure. Bada has five sub-divisions, suchas Pabhaga, Tala Jangha, Bandhana, Upar Janghaand Baranda. The Pabhaga contains all its normalfive sub-divisions such as khura, kumbha, pata,kani and basanta with reference to the thenarchitectural system. On the top, the greatAmalakasila and Kalasa are placed to maintainthe structure properly balanced.

Different portions of the temple resemblewith that of different parts of the human body.The feet with fingers, knee, upper part of the knee,waist, belly, heart and lungs, shoulders, neck,mouth, skull, upper part of the head, and brain of

Srimandir and Its Architectural Features

Padmanabha Mahapatra



27

a human being can be compared correspondinglywith that of padapitha, bandhan, upar jangha,basant, garbha griha, raha, visama, kantha,amalaka, khapuri, kalasa and ayudha of thetemple. In other words temple is a model of thehuman body, a man finds God within the templeso also within himself in his Anahata Mahacakra.

After de-plastering of the Sikhara, 24angasikharas are now visible, Ganesh is found onthe topmost angasikhara and the other deities seenthere are - Brahma, Goddess Kali, Nataraja,Surya and Siva, the remaining niches are mostlyoccupied by Vishnu. There are 3 Nisa temples inshape of covered halls with sikharas, in 3 outersides of the Viman in its bottom, with 3 ParsvaDevatas, Varaha in south, Nrusimha in west andTrivikrama in the north. The images of 24 formsof Vishnu have been carved on the front walls ofthese 3 temples i.e. 8 images in front of eachtemple.

Garbhagriha or Manikota is the main innerpart of the Viman or main temple. Sri Jagannath,Sri Balabhadra, Sri Subhadra, Sri Surdashan, SriMadhab, Sridevi and Bhudevi are placed on araised platform known as Ratnavedi or Mahavedi,its size being 16 ft long, 13 ft wide and 4 ft high.Devotees move around the Ratnavedi, if they solike. The door of Garvagriha is Kalahat Dwar.

Jagamohana or Mukhasala is also a pidhadeula; it stands on four squared pillars. This is themain portico before the innermost apartment.People get the darshan from this part. It has twogates, one towards the Mukti Mandap and theother towards the Natamandir. The door towardsNatamandir is known as Jaya Bijaya dwar, thedwarpalas being Jaya and Bijaya.

In Natamandap (Dancing Hall) theDevadasis used to perform their daily dancing.The mandap stands on 16 pillars in four rows. Inits eastern side there is the famous Garuda Pillarwith the image of Garuda on the top. Darshan ofChaturdha Murti from the backside of Garud

Stambha is the colloquial ethical procedurefollowed in Srimandir. Garuda s bath water(Garuda paduka) is not only pure, but has muchmedicinal value; people use it to get rid of manydiseases. On the wall of the Natamandap behindthe Garud Pillar, Brahma and Siva are foundstanding and offering prayer to God with foldedhands. Ten incarnations of Vishnu are seen insouth-east corner of the mandap. Nata Mandaphas two main gates, one towards the south andthe other towards the north and four anothersubsidiary small gates. The south main gate isknown as Panda-dwara. There are seven stepsin north main gate, popularly known as SataPahacha. The deities go to Car festival and Snanamandap through these steps. The mandapcontains many pattachitras wherein pictures ofseries of Gods and Goddesses have been painted.

The Bhogamandap is also a Pancharathapidha deula. It is made of yellowish sand stonerendered red by ochre painting. The entirestructure rest on four pillars and it has fouropenings. At the time of offering of Bhog theconnecting door to Natamandap remains openfor a direct vision of God towards the offerings.Inside the Bhogamandap no paintings are there,but the outer walls have stone carvings depictingmany mythological scenes such as - Siva on abull, Krishna gazing cows and dancing withGopies, Dola yatra, Rama Abhisek, kingworshipping Jagannath, Siva Linga and Durga andmarching of the royal army etc.

The height of the main temple is 65 meters(214 feet) and it appears like a temple on adescent hill. The area covered by the temple is10.7 acres. The temple is surrounded by tworectangular walls, the outer enclosure is MeghanadPrachir, 200 meter x 192 meter (665 x 640 feet),the thickness of the wall is Chaturarsa and itsheight varies from 6 to 7 meters (20 to 24 feet).The inner wall is Kurma Bedha, 126 meters x 95meters (420 x 315 feet), its height is 6 meters (20feet).


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The construction of Meghanad wall wasundertaken during the period of SuryavansiGajapati Kapilendra Dev on the 15th year of hisreign, as seen from the Madala Panji. There are4 big doors in four sides of the wall. The maingate in the east is Lion's Gate (Mokhya Dwar), inthe west Tiger Gate (Dharma Dwar), in the southHorse Gate (Karma Dwar) and in the northElephant Gate (Artha Dwar). Anotherinterpretation depicts the four doors as Dharma(lion). Vairagya (west), Jnana (south) andAiswarya (north) gates.

Lion's Gate - the door is the entrance toa 'Gumuta , just a small temple. The door has gottwo parts, one is the big gate itself and the otherone is a small gate fixed within the principal gate.The small one is for use of the servitors and themain one is for public use. Two big lions are sittingin both the sides of the door, on the frame of thedoor in both sides Jaya and Bijaya, two strongand stout dwarpals have been placed, on thetop there are images of ten Avatars and abovethem Mahalaxmi is seen. Lion is a symbol ofvictory, so the devotee going for darshan of LordJagannath through Lion's Gate is alwaysvictorious. Tiger Gate is the gate through whichthe saints and Tantrics enter into the temple. Thetiger is of a tantric symbol, it always moves aloneand not afraid of any one within the forest. HorseGate - There are two horses in both sides of thegate and the warriors sitting on them are Jagannathand Balabhadra. This is a symbol of 'KanchiAbhijan. A great Hanuman image is there in thesouthern side of this gate. Elephant Gate - thereare two elephants in both sides of the gate. It istold that this is an influence of Buddhism onJagannath Chetana, because elephant is thesymbol of Buddhism. Kurma Bedha - this is theinner compound wall, there are four parallel gateslike that of Meghanad wall and two moreadditional gates. One extra gate in north-east(Aisanya) corner connects Pat Agana to AnandaBazar and the other extra gate in east-south(Agneya) corner is the passage from templekitchen to Bhoga Mandap.

On top of the temple Anlashri there is awheel made of an alloy of eight metals (asta-dhatu); it is Nilchakra or the Blue wheel, the flagon it, is Patitapaban Bana. The color of the flag iseither red or yellow and it is triangular in size. Inthe middle part of the flag, there is the symbol ofa moon and a star on it, painted in white color.According to Hindu mythology this is the emblemof Brahmabad and Omkar . Every day the flagsare changed. On each Ekadashi an earthen lampis lit on the top of the temple by the side ofNilachakra. The height of the Nilachakra is 3.5meters (11.6 feet) with a circumference of about11 meters (36 feet). It has 8 spokes, the length ofeach spoke is one feet ten inches, its weight isslightly more than one and half quintals. Chakrais the emblem of motion, its duty is to rotate andto slash. Nilachakra is the weapon of LordJagannath, it is nothing but the colloquial image ofSri Sudarshan Chakra.

The Kshetra is Purusottam Khetra, bestout of all the Kshetras throughout the country,the deity is Bada Thakur, the chief of all the Gods;the temple is Bada Deula, the major temple ofIndia; the sea by its side is Mahodadhi, the greatocean; the cremation ground is Swargadwar, theentrance gate to heaven; the main road to reachthe Gods is Badadanda, a broad road, on whichGods go and come back during car festival; hereprasad is Mahaprasad, the most tasty prasadcooked by Divine mother Laxmi which can betaken by Chandal and Brahman together in oneplate.

The Jagannath Chetana preaches thephilosophy of love, affection and peaceful co-existence among the entire human community. Ithas crossed all the limits of casteism and believesin humanism only. It proclaims the victory ofhuman endeavour over all narrowness andestablishes universal brotherhood.

Padmanabha Mahapatra, Sri Mandira Purohita lives atPratihari Lane, Matimandap Sahi, Puri.



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Paradip Port has specific importancefrom cultural and religious point of view. As perthe religious history of the area, famous monk,Parashar was directed to meditate at theconfluence point of river Mahanadi. Bay of Bengalof today was popularly known as Kalinga Sagarfrom the periodBefore Christ.There was densemangrove forestaround theconfluence point ofriver Mahanadiand Kalinga Sagar.The name of thearea wasc o n s i d e r e dPARADWEEP

after the name ofmonk Parashar. In public parlance, the namePARADWEEP was transferred toPARADIP . As per the literary analysis there

cannot be any meaning of Paradip. During ancientperiod the place was called as Paradweep i.e.the island of virtues or sacred importance. Themeaning of the word PARA is celestial andreligious. Island is called as Dweep in Oriya.Hence, as far as geographical situation isconcerned, the port of Paradip is situated as an

island being covered by Bay of Bengal, riverMahanadi and river Atharbanki. As per the culturalheritage of the above island, it is justified to nameit as a sacred island i.e. Paradweep. In most ofthe ancient navigational charts prepared byEnglish, Portuguese and Dutch mariners the name

of the Port hasbeen reflected asParadweep.

In the 21st

Century ParadipPort is well knownas a establishedmajor sea port ofthe world. ThePort has achievedthe glory as adeveloping deepsea port. Analysing

the speedy development of the Port during lastone decade, the maritime experts of the worldhave enunciated that Paradip Port will be one ofthe most developed ports of the world, within aperiod of two decades to come. Paradip Porthave secured its maritime position firmly in theinternational navigational sphere surpassing thestandard norm of development of ports in nationallevel. A number of famous and developedcommercial firms of India and abroad have

Universal Brotherhood and the Temple ofLord Jagannath at Paradip

Prabhat Kumar Nanda

The idols of Chaturdha murti at Jagannath temple, paradip


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expressed theirdesire forestablishing theirindustries nearParadip Port. It iswell established thatwith thecommissioning ofd e v e l o p e dindustries near thePort, Paradip will beestablished as thec o m m e r c i a lthreshold of easternIndia.

Before theconstruction of a

major port, Paradip was a famous religious place.Before the construction of Paradip Port, a numberof local fishermen were using the river Atharbankifor catching fish to meet their livelihood. The ageold saying continues in the area that, fishermencould hear chanting of religious songs from thedense forests of Paradip. Of many occasionsfishermen in groups ventured to enter into theforest to know about the source of such chantingbut they failed to find out the particular place ofsuch chanting of religious songs. Hence, it wasbelieved that such celestial continuous chantingof religious verses were the act of God, fosteringthe age old importance of the area. Such area ofParadip is popularly known as Madhuban.

Pandit Padma Charan Tripathy, one ofthe ardent devotees of Goddess Sarala wasdirected in his dreams to select Madhuban forthe construction of Jagannath temple. As per thedivine instructions through the dream, Sri PadmaCharan Tripathy with the assistance of AnantaOjha, Gopal Baba, Gopi Baba and otherdevotees searched the appropriate sight in the

dense forest of Madhuban. During the searchingof the site, a wonderful scene came to their sight.A falcon was attempting to attack a crow. Thecrow could overpower the falcon and the falconfled away being afraid of the crow. Observingsuch scene, Pt. Padma Charan Tripathy and hisassociates could observe the holiness of the site.It was also observed that a big cobra appearedunder a Peepal tree and started hissing in orderto draw the attention of Pt. Tripathy and others.Such site was full of medicinal plants. Pt.Tripathyand others selected such site for the constructionof the Jagannath Temple.

Pt. Padma Charan Tripathy organizedreligious function (yagna) from 25th April to 19th

of May 1974. Fifty-one Vedic scholars offered35,000 offerings with ghee (Ahuti). Prior toselection of the site in the year 1969, devoteeAnanta Ojha took the pivotal role in searching aneem tree for the construction of the idols of LordJagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadraand Sudarsana. A neem tree was worshipped bythe people of Paradip Gada, the area at a distanceof 15 kilometers from Paradip. Such neem tree

Sarba DharmaSamanwaya Stambha

Kalki and Ananta in Kalki Temple, Paradip



31

was in the orchard of Sri Narahari Sahoo atParadip Gada. Devotee Ananta Ojha, Sanket Dasand Gopi Baba could observe the holy signs ofSankha, Chakra, Gada and Padma (conch shell,wheel, bludgeon and lotus) on the trunk of theneem tree. The tree was cut observing holypractices and was kept at Patrika Mahal ofParadip. Gopal Baba constructed the idols within15 days. In the year 1967, the construction ofthe idols continued from Chitalagi Amabasya tothe day of Purnima. Pt. Padma Charan Tripathypreferred for installation of such idols in JagannathTemple at Paradip. In the year 1972, organizationnamed as Jagannath Samaj was formed and theEndowment Commissioner of Govt. of Orissaincluded the temple in their index in the year 1974.The index number was 6388/31 of 1972-73. Onthe holy day of Akhyaya Trutiya, 1974, idols wereinstalled in a thatched house. Pt.Padma CharanTripathy placed Navi Padma (spiritual soul) in allidols. Sri Premananda Tripathy one of thecelebrated Indian Administrative Service Officersof Orissa, was appointed as the Chairman ofParadip Port Trust and constructed a black toproad from Paradip colony to the temple site. Govt.of Orissa reserved 5 acres of land in villageSandhakuda for the use by Jagannath TempleTrust, for the construction of the temple and otherreligious activities. The permanent temple of LordJagannath was constructed by the side of thethatched house/temple in the year 1982. MarkYaswant Rao one of the members of IndianAdministrative Service, posted at Paradip, as theChairman of Paradip Port Trust, took the pivotalrole for the construction of the permanent temple.He was Christian by religion. He permittedJagannath Samaj to use the auditorium of ParadipPort Trust named as Jayadev Sadan for thedisplay of the films on payment of nominal rent tothe Port Trust. The funds generated from suchfilm show by selling tickets, was utilized for the

construction of the main temple. The constructionof the permanent temple were started on the dayof Akhaya Trutiya of 1984. Twenty-one scholarsof Mukti Mandap Sabha (the platform of scholars)of Puri under the guidance of Pt.ChintamaniMishra organized Yagnya and the construction ofthe temple was initiated.

The construction of the temple took sixyears and it was completed in the year 1990. SriPrasanna Kumar Mishra, another member ofIndian Administrative Service posted as Chairmanof Paradip Port Trust, commissioned the templeon the sacred day of Akhaya Trutiya i.e. 27th April1990. All the idols were brought to the new templeby procession on such date. Prior to it, anothersaint Swami Arupananda organized a week-longYagnya from 21st to 27th April, 1990. GajapatiMaharaja of Puri was present during the Yagnya.After the construction of the main temple in a twostoreyed architectural style, the construction ofother temples i.e. Biswanath temple, Saralatemple, Laxmi temple, Hanuman temple, Bimalatemple, Kalki Ananta temple and Radha Krishnatemple were initiated with the assistance ofdifferent devotees. Snana Mandap, the platformfor the bathing ceremony of idols; Ananda Bazaar,platform for the community dining and BataGanesh temple were also constructed by differentdevotees. Different temples within the premises

The view of Sri Jagannath temple, Paradip


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of Jagannath temple were constructed by theunited efforts of different devotees and ParadipPort Authority.

On careful analysis of systems, practicesand rites, observed in the main Jagannath templeat Puri and Paradip, a number of differences havebeen noticed. Only orthodox Hindus are allowedto enter into the temple of Lord Jagannath at Puriwhereas people of all religions, castes and creedsare permitted to enter the temple of LordJagannath at Paradip. It is beyond dispute thatthe name of Lord Jagannath symbolizes the lordof the universe. Lord Jagannath is the saviour ofall the creatures of the world, people of all castes,creeds and religions. Since He is the master ofthe world and considering the importance of thename of the Lord, nobody of the world shouldbe denied to enter the temple of Lord Jagannath.

The other name of Lord Jagannath isPatita Paban . The down - trodden people of

any society are named as Patita . The status ofdown-trodden is not limited to Hindus, Muslimsor Christians. Any human being suffering fromdistress under the sun is considered as down-trodden. Hence they are named as Patita. SinceLord Jagannath is the saviour of all the down-trodden people of the world, anybody interestedto visit the temple should not be restricted ordenied considering His nomenclature.

Not only people of all religions areallowed to enter the temple of Lord Jagannath atParadip, but also symbols of important religionsare prominently displayed on the eight facets of apillar named as Sarba Dharma SamanwayaSthambha i.e. the Pillar of the Assimilation of AllReligions. As that of the presence of ArunaStambha before the temple of Lord Jagannath atPuri, Sarba Dharma Samanwaya Sthambha iscommissioned in front of 22 steps of Lord

Jagannath temple at Paradip. Symbols of differentReligions on the top of the pillar made of blackgranite stone is the attraction for all devotees atParadip. A circular figure has been placed on thetop of the pillar having the symbol of OM in themiddle. The symbol OM depicts SanatanaDharma i.e. the religion of eternity. On the outerlayer of the circle symbols of Islam, Christian,Zoroastrian, Buddha and Jaina have beendecorated. Hence in public, the temple of LordJagannath, Paradip, enunciates the glory of theassimilation of all religions of the world in the cultof Lord Jagannath. The 3rd differentiation whichattracts the sight of devotees is the presence oflord Kalki and Ananta in the temple premises. Ithas been established in the theory of incarnationthat, the 10th incarnation of Lord Jagannath willbe Kalki. In Kali Yuga, Lord Jagannath will havethe incarnation of Kalki to eliminate vices and toestablish the virtues in the human society. The flagof blue and white colour have been placed on theKalki Temple as per the prediction in Malika i.e.writing of saints for the future of the world. It ismentioned in Malika that, when there will be theflying of blue and white flag on the temple, theaction of the incarnation of Kalki will be initiatedin the world. In no other Jagannath temple of theworld, the idols of Kalki and Ananta have beencommissioned as per the verses of Malika.

A number of religious signs are observedwithin a distance of 15 kilometers of the ParadipPort. Lokanath temple at Paradip Gada depictsthe union of Hindu and Buddha culture. A placenamed Udayabata has been narrated in Malikaas one of the important places of religiousawakening. It is mentioned in the Malika that,near Udayabata, there will be emergence ofsacred activities (Leela). Devotees from all overthe world will assemble near Udayabata and willengage themselves in the devotion of the God.



33

Taking all nearby places of Udayabata intoconsideration, Paradip Port is the most importantplace and scholars have predicted that the futuretelling of Malika about the emergence of the KalkiAbatara will start from the Port of Paradip.

Considering the facility of communication,people from all over the world can safely andeasily come to the Port of Paradip by all modesof transport i.e. road, air and sea. As a majorPort, large vessels requiring deep draft to sail,can easily enter the Port of Paradip carryingthousands of passengers.

The popularization of the philosophy ofLord Jagannath is the main motto of JagannathSamaj. While other temple authorities havepreferred to run buses or commercialestablishments for the generation of the fund forthe temple, Pt.Padma Charan Tripathy, thefounder of the temple preferred for commissioninga printing press for the publication of literature atlow cost for distribution to the people of the world.The Jagannath Temple Printing Press is continuingwithin the premises of the temple. Twopublications named Udayantu are publishedevery year during the Car festival (month of July)and Kartika Purnima (month of November) withthe compilation of essays contributed by scholarson different aspects of Jagannath culture. Suchpublication of about 200 pages are made availableto the general public at the reduced price of Rs.5each. Articles in Oriya, Hindi and English arepublished in Udayantu facilitating readers ofdifferent languages to go through the articles.

The age old blind belief i.e. chanting ofvulgar language by Dahukas (persons directing

the movement of the chariot during car festival)was stopped at Paradip from the year 1994.Ladies of Paradip insisted for the withdrawal ofsuch practice in order to keep the glory of femininesentiment. A book consisting of 100 verses basedon local culture were published by JagannathSamaj for the use by Dahukas in place of vulgarenunciation. Such book as Rath Yatra Boli wassent to all the temples of Lord Jagannath in Indiaand abroad. Paradip Sakhyarata Samiti furtherpublished another book as Ho Bhagateconsisting of verses based on local traditions ofOrissa. At the request of Paradip SakhayarataSamiti, an organization established for thepromotion of social awareness, the JagannathTrust authorities of Puri issued an order in the year1998 prohibiting the enunciation of vulgarlanguage in the chanting of Dahukas during carfestival.

The culture of Lord Jagannath is basedon universal brotherhood fostering the dignity ofhumanity, which is named as Purosottama Tatwa.Such essence of the culture of Lord Jagannathhas been put to practice in the activities of thetemple of Lord Jagannath at Paradip. The Portof Paradip has secured prominent position in theworld map of trade and commerce along withthe promotion of the culture of Lord Jagannathand international brotherhood.

Prabhat Kumar Nanda is the Vice President of SriJagannath Samaj, Paradip, Jagatsinghpur-754142.


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Introduction

Lord Jagannath is called Patitapavana,the redeemer of the fallen. It is to make himselfeasily approachable to the common men that thecompassionate Jagannatha, Lord of the Universecomes out of the mysterious dark chamber of thegreat shrine once in a year during the car festival.As a matter of fact, the festival may be consideredas a quintessenceof the whole cult ofJagannath. Thepeople from thenook and corner ofIndia and also fromabroad come toSriksetra, Puri toredeem their rebirthby seeing Vamana(the incarnation ofVisnu ) inside thecar- rathe tuvamanam drstvapunarjanma navidyate .1 He is also called Purusottama, thehighest self as propagated in the Bhagavad Gitaand different puranas. But he is not really so mucha god for the saints as for the common men,because he has allowed himself to evolve solelyfor the needy people irrespective of caste, colour,

creed and sex. From imperial times to these daysof democracy, the great chariots of LordJagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are draggedby the devotees, the common folk, the eagerpilgrims themselves. The car festival is foremostamong the twelve festivals of Lord Jagannath, thepresiding deity of Purusottama Kshetra, Puri.It is the biggest and most important celebration in

eastern India.

The observanceof the car festival ofLord Jagannathdates back to theage of the Puranas.Vivid descriptionsare found inBrahma Purana(12 th century).Padma Purana,Skanda Purana(13th-14th century)Yatra-tattva (16th

century), KapilaSamhita (18th century), Niladri Mahodayam (16th

chapter) etc. Shankaracharya, Guru Nanak, SriChaitanya and many other notable poets havecomposed a number of devotional poemsshowing their devotion towards Lord Jagannath.Shankaracharya visited Sriksetra, Puri in about

Revival of Car Festival of Lord Jagannatha-A Special Reference to Srikrsna-Bhakta-

Vatsalya-CaritamDr. Trinath Hota



35

8th century A.D. and established Govardhan Pithanear the present Swargadwar. Shankara revivedthe tradition of Sankrit learning and literature withthe introduction of Advaitavada. In this age ofrevival just after a few years of Shankara s visitto this place, the Orissan poets and dramatistshave composed many poems and dramas in utterdevotion of Lord Jagannath. Particularly, theSanskrit dramas composed by Orissan poets havecontributed a lot for the propagation of the cult ofLord Jagannath. Here the One-Act playSrikrsna-bhakta-vatsalya-caritam of GajapatiRamachandra Deva-I is discussed as it conveysthe revival of car festival of Lord Jagannath.

The car festival could not be observeddue to the absence of the wooden deities of LordJagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra in thetemple since the sacrilege committed by theMuslim General Kalapahar in 1568 A.D. afterthe death of Gajapati Mukunda Deva. Regardingthis matter the temple chronicle Madalapanji2

declares-

sedinu kataka raja kehi rahi na parile.Mugala pidha kari madirahile. Dibyasinghapattnaik thakuranku ghenigale. E golareparamesvaranku chhapalihathi padare patalikarithile. Tahinki Volikalapahada jai thabakala, muhana pari hoi gala. Setharuparamesvaranku hathire pakai anila.Vanakotibhandara sethare jura kala. Vadadeula ainelasarijae bhangaila. Jete devatamana pitulamana sabunku hi khuna kala. Kalapavatakholai pakail. Ghodanandi puroi nian lagaila.Sri Jagannath mahaprabhunku gangakulatanda jae nela. Katha kudhai agnire puroijalidela. Tene pathana deha khanda khandahoi phatila. Eha suni taharapuaparamesvaranku gangare meli dela. Se darubhasi asante amura gotie jail katha bolidharitaha varire pakaila srijagannathamahaprabhunku nevavele Bisara Mohanty

jaithila. Vaisnava hoi snge godaithilaathamasa rahi vadypana kari daru magilabramha khola kari mrdange puroi gheni aila.Kujanga gadare ani pravesa kalaKhandaitaolia uparaduithakure rahile .

From the above said source it is learntthat Kalapahara s desecrated the Jagannathtemple. When the servants of the temple heardKalapahara s designs on the temple, they tookthe images of the temple and hide them in an islandof the Chilika lake. But Kalapahara learnt of thisand brought the images from the island to burnthem on the bank of the Ganges. A Vaisnavadevotee Bisar Mohanti, followed Kalapahara andmanaged to rescue remnants or the inner contentsof the burnt images and brought the same backto Kujanga. There he worshipped lord Jagannathin the form of daru.

The view of Madalapanji is alsosupported by Abul-Fazal i.e, Kalapahara, thegeneral of Suleman Karani on his conquest of thecountry, flung the image into fire and burnt it andafterwards cast it into the sea.3

The activity of Kalapahara gave atremendous shock to the entire Hindu society andwas deemed as a great victory of Islam by itsfollowers. After its desecration, Puri the stronghold of Jagannath was made into the Home ofIslam and it became the seat of MuslimGovernor.4 In the meantime GajapatiRamachandra Deva-I 5 (Son of JanardanaVidyadhara, the Prime Minister and General ofGovinda Vidyadhara- 1533-41 A.D.) establishedthe Khurda fort in about 1571-72 A.D. three yearsafter the death of Mukunda Deva in 1568 A.D.A brief account about the accession ofRamachandra Deva-I is given in theMadalapanji6 i.e.

"Jaduvamsa rajee ene udita hoile daneividyadharanka pua totami gadare thile.


36


Ramacandra deva raja hoile vada pratapirajahoile. Khurudha na adare Jagannathpurekataka kari rahile varunai parvata tale .

According to the local chronicle Chakada 7

"Tanhi uttaru daksina diga khandaiteramachandra rautara mahapatranku rajakale .kataka purusottama madhyasthakholapala suddhasauri vala vikrama simharakharadha voli palli gotie thila rajaVikramsimhaku magi taha namaJagannathpura kataka voli subha dele. Sevalavikrama simhara mundadati vadaavakasa bhadratale potile.

The establishment of the fort of Khurdaby Ramachandra Deva is also depicted in twoinscriptions8 found at Srijanga. The relevantportion is thus cited here;

(a) Caluki Mukundadeva antejavanabhoga varasa 26 ekavara-patisa heirajaputa manasimgha raja katekapachhameparanga khuruda thita kateka sudragajapati raja ramachandra drva 34 ankasrahi.

(b) Caluki mukunda deva antejavanabhoga varasa 26 ekavara-patisa heirajaput manasimgha raja amala odisa rajaKariva kateka pacchime paranga khuruda,thita kateka sudraraja gajapti ramachandradeva 37 anka.

The above discussions make it clear thatafter establishing the fort in Khurda, the kingRamachandra Deva-I named the place asJagannath Pura Kataka after the name of LordJagannath. Destruction of the shrine and non-existence of the deities tormented the heart of theking. He first turned his attention towardsJagannath temple. His first and foremost duty wasto build the Ratna Simhasana and to reinstallthe images of Lord Jagnnath, Balabhadra and

Subhadra in the temple without waisting a singlemoment. Out of many reference the statementgiven in Maladalapanji9 is cited here.

"a 9 nke rajakujanga gadaru brahma anile.Khurudha kataka vanayaga kri sumuratikaraile a 11 nka kakada di 18 na sravanasukla navami dina purusottama vadadeuleratnasimhasane vije karaile Brahma anilabisara mahantinki poranaik kale.

It means the king Ramachandra broughtthe Brahma, the most sacred portion of theJagannatha image from Kujanga (a place in theMahanadi delta) in his 9th anka and got the imagesof Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadraconstructed and consecrated in Khurda katakaafter performance of necessary sacrifices. Theimages were installed on the Ratnasimhasanaof the Jagannatha Temple on the 18th day ofKarkata which was Sravana Sukla Navami inhis 11th anka.

According to the astronomical calculationsuch a combination occurred on Sunday, the 17th

July, 1575 A.D. which was the 18th day ofKarkata, the tithi was sravana sukla dasamiinstead of navami.

This atmosphere created immensepleasure in the mind of king Ramachandra Deva-I. As a able statesman he took full advantage ofthe situation and revived the worship of lordJagannath to give pleasure and inspiration to theHindus all over India. Further Madalapanji10

informs-

Paramesvara ma 4 sa jae nisankhudimanohi karu thile. Bhayare raja sankhudi nakaraile. Brahmana santa Bhattamisramananku svadesi panditamanankugheni vichari pacari paramesvaranka gahaneupasthita hoila. Se sevakamananku ghenisankhudi bhoga manohi karaile. Sakala dhupa



37

manohi vadhila uttare khecedi mahaprasadakakhare kari sri Ramachandradeva maharajaJaya vijaya dvara kalapahaca upare ubha hoisamasta bhatta misramane patoara karuthile.Samastanku cannile. Ramachandra bhatta,govardhanna praharaje, misra gosain tinilokerajanka hataru ucchudi mahaprasada sevakari mundare hata volile. Hari savada karisamasta sannyasi brahmacari bhattamisramane mahaprasada paile. Samastasannyasi brahmacarimane sriramacandradevamaharajanku duti indradumana voli sadhideli.

From the above temple chronicle it is clearthat the Gajapati king Ramachandra Deva-Irevived the sancitity of the Mahaprasad. Theleading persons like Bhatta Misra, religiousmendicants and disciples gladly accepted theMahaprasad from the hands of the king near theJaya Vijaya gate of the Jagannath Temple. Forthis noble and praiseworthy work the religiouspersons honoured Gajapati RamachandraDeva-I with the title of Second Indradyumna.

Gajapati Ramachandra Deva-I also gota scope to expose his literary talent by composingan One-Act play named Srikrsna-bhakta-vatsalya - caritam for the entertainment ofdevotees assembled on the occasion of the carfestival of Lord Jagannath. The Madalapanjiinforms that the worship of Lord Jagannath andthe re-establishment of the Mahaprasad couldbe possible by Ramachandra Deva-I. But thedrama Srikrsna-bhakta-Vatsalya-Caritammakes it clear that Ramachandra Deva-I alsorevived the car festival of Lord Jagannatha. Thisdrama was staged at the time of the car festival ofJagannath as a mark of great rejoicing becausethis festival could not be performed for some yearsdue to non-existence of the deities in the templesince 1568. From the version of the stage manager

it is also known that the king was entitled asAbhinava Indradyumna. This one act playcorroborates the statements given in the templechronicle Madalapanji. The stage manager11

declares thus:Kamala nivisesa caranakamalasya Kamala-

mukha Kamalatula-madhvika lubdhamadhubratasya nilasaila siromanehbhagavatah sripurusottamasya kenapikaranena anavasara rasaprayuktahrdayasyasampratam abhinava-indradyumna gajapatauSrirama ramyacaranakamala rolamba rama-chandra deva koti janmarjita sukrta-prabhavati krpavasiatah prakatita darumayamadhuramutth pundarikaksasya gundica-mahotsavoyam tadanantara samsthambhaga-vantm alokya janma saphalayami.

In another place Sutradhara alsoexpresses- Marisa pasyasi paramasyapunsah prakata daru Kalevarasya surasuramaulimandana nilamanesh srijagannathasyarathayatra mahetsavam .

From the version of the Sutradhara it isknown that the spectators were eagerly waitingto see the navakalevara of lord Jagannath onthe occasion of car festival. The poetRamachandra Deva-I has dramatized the episodenarrated in chapter 263, Aranyaka-parvan ofthe Mahabharata in a befitting manner. Butunfortunately the critical edition has dropped thisportion. This episode is also narrated in the SaralaMahabharata12 (Vanaparva-Durvasacarita).But the donation of the particular vessel by theSun God to Draupadi is not described in theSarala Mahabharata. The dramatist might havereferred the Odia Mahabharata but the mainsource of this One-Act play is SanskritMahabharata. The subject matter runs thus:

A particular vessel donated by the Sun-god is with Draupadi. This particular vessel


38


provides food of all shorts as long as Draupadihas not taken her meal. Therefore, the Pandavasare used to provide food to the innumerable guestswho come to them. To put Pandavas into troubleDuryodhana sends the sage Durvasa to beg forfood in an unusal time. Durvasa reached alongwith millions of disciples and demands food. Inthe mean time Draupadi tells Yudhisthira that themetal vessel is not in a position to provide foodas she has already taken her meal. By this time itis evening. Along with disciples Durvasa goes forevening prayer. To get rid of the curse of Durvasathe devotees (Pandavas) with folded handsaddress lord Krsna:

"Samsara sindhu tarani caranam pranamami te.Trilokitilakah krsnah karuna varunalayah

In the meantime Draupadi meditates uponSrikrsna who at once arrives there. Srikrsna asksDraupadi whether anything is left in the vessel ?Draupadi replies that a bit of vegetable is left overin the vessel. When Srikrsna takes it andexpressed his great contentment Durvasa alongwith his disciples cry out in pleasure that they aresatisfied to their hearts content. They no moredesire to take any food. At last Yudhisthira prays:

Karnau krtarthau vacanena caksusi,Sudhabhisikte lalitangasobhaya.Manah prasannam smaranena tedhunaBhayam villinam rucirena karmana. (VerseNo.51.)

From the subject matter it is clear that:

(i) This One-Act play conveys not only therevival of tradition of car festival of lord Jagannathin about 1575-76 A.D. but also it depicts theindescribable devotion of Oriya people towardsLord Visnu. Historically speaking, the woodenimage of Jagannath was reinstalled by AdiSankaracharya possibly by 8th century A.D.13,which presupposes that worship had been in

vogue then. Historians tell us that Yayati (922-955 A.D.), who built a temple for Jagannathintroduced the worship of the Trinity withSudarshana. It is quite probable that the threerathas were introduced at that time.

(ii) The subject matter centres on a vesseldonated by the Sun god to Draupadi whichprovides food to the innumerable guests who cometo the Pandavas as long as Draupadi has not takenher meal. But when Durvasa reached along withmillions followers for food, at that moment it wasbeyond the capacity of the vessel to provide food.But lord Krsna listened the prayer of his devoteesand took a bit of vegetable left in the vessel whichsatisfied Durvasa along with his disciples. Thisevent co-relates the sacred Mahaprasad of LordJagannath revived by Ramachandra Deva-I.Mahaprasad is the main offering of rice in theJagannath temple. Only Mahaprasad can betaken altogether by people, whatever their religionor race may be even on the same banana leaf.Mahaprasad14 originated in the remote past whenLord Jagannath was worshipped in his originalform of Nilamadhava. That is known as kaivalyaor naivedya. So it is told in Sabdakalpadruma :

padodakam nirmalyam naivedyam cavisesatah, mahaprasada ityuktva grahyamvisnoh prayatnatah.

(iii) The title of this One-Act play Srikrsna-bhakta-vatsalya-caritam justifies that the greatlove and affection of Srikrsna i.e. Lord Jagannathis solely meant for his devotees.

Conclusion

Srikrsna-bhakta-vatsalya-caritam maybe a small work based on the epic theMahabharata. But from the historical point ofview it is very important for the scholars to presentthe historicity of car festival of lord Jagannathalthough other sources are there. This is a great



39

contribution of Orissan Sanskrit literature,because it still conveys the memory of theHinduism i.e. the car festival of lord Jagannath inOrissa after the first terrible muslim onslaught in1568 A.D. The version of Sutradhara makes itclear that the revival of the worship of LordJagannath in the great temple at Puri by kingRamachandra Deva-I enhanced his prestige andpopularity among the people of Orissa inparticular and Hindus of India in general and hewas hailed as a great national hero of thismemorable achievement. The One-Act playSrikrsna-bhakta-vatsalya-caritam of GajapatiRamachandra Deva-I, a powerful Hindu king isnot only remembered for its literary value, but alsofor its historical information i.e. revival of carfestival of Lord Jagannath.

References :1. Skanda Purana, Utkala Khanda.

2. Mohanty, Artaballabha, Madalapanji (PrachiSamiti, 1932), Orissa Sahitya Academy,Bhubaneswar, 2001, pp.40-41.

3. Ain-i-Akbari, vol-II, p.128.

4. Muntakhabu-t-Tawarish, Vol.II, pp.166-177

5. (i). Mahapatra, K.N., Gajapati RamachandraDeva-1, The Orissa Historical ResearchJournal, Vol-VI, No.4, 1958, pp.227-250.

(ii). Mahapatra K.N., A Descriptive Catalogue ofSanskrit Manuscripts of Orissa, Vol-II, 1960,pp. Lxxiv-v.

(iv). Ibid, Vol-I Smrti Manuscripts, 1958 pp. Lxxvii-viii.

(v). Panda, Harihar, History of Orissa,1997, p.167

(vi).Pradhan, A.C., A Study of History of Orissa,1985, pp. 125-26.

6. Mohanty, Artaballabha, Madalapanji, p.41

7. Mahapatra, K.N., Gajapati RamachandraDeva-I, OHRJ, Vol-VI, No.4, 1958, p.232.

8. Ibid, p.233.

9. Mohanty, Artaballabha, Madalapanji, OrissaSahitya Academi, 2002. p.41.

10. Ibid, pp. 41-42.

11. Introductory Verses to the Srikrsna-bhakta-vatsalya-caritam.

12. Sarala Mahabharata, Vanaparvan, part-2,Durvasa Carita, pp.351-360. Department ofCulture. Govt. of Orissa, 1970.

13. Vijaya Makaranda, 31, 13, Sri Jagannath. (ed)Pramod Ranjan Ray, op.cit.p.5.

14. Khuntia, Somanath, The Mystery ofMahaprasada, Orissa Review, July, 2002, p.43.

Dr. Trinath Hota is a lecturer in Sanskrit, AcharyaHarihar Mahavidyalaya, Bhubaneswar, Orissa. He livesat IVR -84, Unit-6, Bhubaneswar-1


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Lord Jagannath, the Lord of the Universe, hastaken his abode at Puri. The sacred temple ofLord Jagannath stands on the hillock Blue-mountain in the heart of Puri which represents alovely picturesque panorama of great OrissanArchitecture. Various Sanskrit workslike Padma Purana, NaradaPurana, Skanda Purana,N i l a d r i m a h o d a y a ,Bamadeva Samhita etc.have thrown ample lighton the sacred abode ofLord Jagannath atPurusottama Kshetra,Puri. The origin andant iquity of LordJagannath worship at Puriis still shrouded in mystery.Many scholars and historianshave also left no stone unturnedto trace the origin and antiquity ofLord Jagannath, but no positive andcommonly acceptable evidence have come to lightso far to unveil as to how and when this concepthas come into existence in Puri and also becameone of the prominent deities of Hindu Pantheon.It is also not clear whether Lord Jagannathoriginally is a Hindu Aryan deity or tribal deity.Mystery is still wrapped behind the cult of LordJagannath.

Purusottama Jagannath

Kalyan Kumar Panda

The earliest references about LordJagannath are found in the various Puranas andother literatures of India. There are several copperplate inscriptions which established the idea ofLord Jagannath as a paramount deity of the entire

country. The concept of Jagannath isnot only confined to Hinduism but

also extends to both Jainism andBuddhism. Pandit Nilakantha

Das has suggested thatJagannath cult is primarilya Jaina cult. He is of theopinion that the threeimages of Balabhadra,Subhadra and Jagannathcollectively stand for theJaina-Trinity (Tri-Ratna).There are other scholars

who suggest that Jagannathis of Vedic origin. The

Rigveda and Atharvaveda havefew references about the divine

Daru , which has been identified in course oftime with Jagannath. But these references are notsufficient enough to prove Jagannath as a Vedicdeity.

In the different traditions that haveevolved about the deity, the name of Indradyumnais common. Indradyumna was a king of Avanti in



41

the Satya Yuga. Orissan literature particularly,Sisukrishna Das s Deulatola accepted him as agreat votary of Lord Vishnu. He sent Vidyapati,the brother of his family priest to Odradesa tolocate the exact place where Lord Nilamadhava(Vishnu) was worshipped secretly. Coming toOdradesa Vidyapati took shelter in a Sabaravillage very near to the Blue Mountain(Nilasaila). Vidyapati made friendship with thefamily of the Sabara chief Visvavasu concealinghis identity and motive of coming to that place.He married his daughter Lalita and with her helpVidyapati was able to see Lord Nilamadhava. Onseeing the image of Nilamadhava his eyes glittered.After tracing the route to the shrine he returnedto Avanti and informed Indradyumna thewhereabouts of Lord Nilamadhava. KingIndradyumna with his forces, accompanied byNarad, set out in his journey to Odradesa. Nosooner the king reached the boundary ofOdradesa, than he came to know about themiraculous disappearance of the shrine. Narada,however, assured that the Lord would appear inthe form of Daru (sacred wood). After a fewdays, Lord Nilamadhava made his appearancein a dream to the king Indradyumna.

As directed by Nilamadhava in thedream, Indradyumna brought the Daru from thesea-shore and ordered for fashioning beautifulimages out of the sacred Daru . Accordingly,Indradyumna got the images Lord Jagannath,Balabhadra and Subhadra and Chakra Sudarshanmade out of the sacred Daru . The story wasvery interesting that Indradyumna was alsoadvised by Narada to invite Brahma to constructa temple as a sign of dignity. There was somedelay in Brahma s coming and mean-while ageshad passed and Galamadhaba became the kingof Orissa and claimed the temple as his own.Legendary account further continues that the

dispute between Indradyumna and Galamadhabawas amicably settled and full credit of buildingthe temple was given to Indradyumna.

Very interestingly, this Indradyumnalegend associating the Sabaras with the LordNilamadhava (Jagannath) is also supported byepigraphic and historical evidences. The Sabaras,who belonged to the proto-Austroloid tribe werethe worshippers of tree in the Mahendragiri fromthe ancient times which was replaced by theSthanumurti worship in course of time. Later

on this Sthanumurti worship seems to havemingled with the worship of the GodPurusottama-Vishnu.

Purusotttama-Vishnu is also known asPurusottama-Jagannath. Purusottama-Jagannathcult is a resultant composite of many divineconcepts and gods. Starting from a local deity ofan unknown tribe, Jagannath manifested himselfas one of the greatest religious centres of thewhole world. He is not meant only for any sect ortribe, in course of time, He has become universal.An analysis of the history of Jagannath indicatesthat Saivism had rendered remarkablecontribution to the evolution of Jagannath cult. Inthe early medieval period, during the rule of theBhaumakaras, Orissa was a great centre of tantricSaivism. In several tantric works of the medievalperiod, Jagannath is described as the tantric godof Odradesa. Tantrayamala describes thewooden image of Jagannath as the presiding deityof Srikshetra in Utkal. In various other tantrictexts, Vimala, the Pitheswari of Puri is describedas Bhairavi and Jagannath as Bhairava. Riceoffering in the temple is first given to Vimala andthen only it becomes Mahaprasad. Jagannath isalso worshipped in the Bhairava Mantra.

The seat of Purusottama-Jagannath hadattained celebrity as a tantric centre during the


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rule of the Somavamsis. In Orissa, we find threeaspects of Bhairava, i.e, Ekapada Bhairava, UgraBhairava and Virabhadra. Historians like HenryStietencron draws our attention to the similarityof the image of Ekapada Bhairava with the imageof Jagannath, sculptured along with Sivalinga andMahisamardini (Durga) in one of the panels ofthe Konark temple. Here Jagannath appears asthe cardinal deity, surrounded by Siva, Durga andother Hindu gods and goddesses. This indicatesstrong Saivite influence over the cult of Jagannath.The archaeological evidence of the Jagannathtemple corroborate this view. There is an imageof Siva on a bull, installed on the Bhogamandapaof Jagannath temple. In the same shrine there arealso stone images of Jagannath, Siva and Durgatogether and an eight-armed Nataraja image withsnake over its head which may be assigned to the12 th century A.D. We also know thatSankaracharya came to Puri in the 9th centuryA.D. and introduced Saivite form of worship inthe Jagannath temple.

During the Ganga period Vaishnavitetradition developed round the cult of Jagannath.Ramanuja emphasized Lord Krishna s relationwith his sister Ekanamsa and brother Balarama-Samkarshana. Ekanamsa was interpreted as aform of Durga and Balarama as a form of Siva.In Ramanuja s Pancharatra rites, Siva came tobe known as Balabhadra. So the Jagannath cultbrought the synthesis of three main cults ofHinduism, Vaishnavism, Saivism and Saktism inits final phase. Anangabhimadeva III (1225 AD)mentions in his Puri inscription about Halin,Chakrin and Subhadra, who are no other thanBalabhadra, Jagannath and Subhadra. Anotherstrong evidence of this synthesis is seen in one ofthe sculptures of the Konark temple in which it isseen that Narasimhadev-I is worshipping a Linga(Siva), Purusottama (Vishnu) and Durga trinity.Thus, according to some scholars JagannathNilamadhava was primarily a Siva Linga. In this

connection the Purusottama Mahatmya also givesgreat importance to Siva worship. Originally, theso-called Blue-Mountain (Nilasaila) wasnothing more than a Sivalinga, the symbol ofcreativity.

In the ancient period the Savaras ofOrissa were worshipping a Lingam atMahendragiri region, which was most probablyan imaginary replica of the famous Sivalingam atSri Sailam in Andhra Pradesh. The Savaras ofOrisssa were very much influenced by the Deityand began worshipping as Nilamadhava. Lateron the Matharas took possession of the Deity.Then the early Gangas worshipped the deity asGokarneswar. In a complex and mysteriousmanner, in due course this process was transferredto Puri. This deity was no other than Nilamadhavaor Srikrishna, initially identified as a Siva linga.Thus, through a slow and gradual process thepresent Jagannath has emerged from the conceptof Siva.

In this connection, archaeologicalevidences reveal that Puri was a Saiva Kshetraon the basis of the prevalence of the PanchaMahadevas, i.e, Markandeya, Yameswar,Kapalamochana, Lokanatha and Nilakantheswarin Puri town and the Isaneswar, Pataleswar,Kshetrapala Siva temples etc. inside the Jagannathtemple campus. These observations lead us toconclude that the basic lay out of the Puri townconsists of one temple on a hill near the sea-shore, with the Siva temples built on the foot of the hilland these Siva temples are of considerableantiquity. In fact, Saivism was the dominant Hindureligion of Orissa throughout the period, duringwhich the Hinduisation of the wooden God musthave taken place.

Kalyan Kumar Panda is the Head of the Department ofHistory, Banamalipur College, Banamalipur, Khurda-3.



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Gopalprasad is a big village, situated at a distanceof about 35 kms from Talcher, the coal hub ofAngul district. The famous festival of presidingdeity of the erstwhile Talcher Kingdom - MaaHingula or the "Goddess of Fire" is observedevery year during April-May at Gopalprasad. Thearea is surrounded by coal mines. With a longcultural legacy, the festival is unique. Thousandsof devotees, most of them clad in typical ochrerobes, congregate here for the 9 day long festival.Rituals of tribals and Sakti cult are beingperformed. The pageant of the goddess in threesmall pillars is taken out by a horde of priests,accompanied by a huge congregation of devoteesamidst sounding of conch, bells, cymbals, drums,pipes and chanting of Mantras. The goddess isbeing worshipped in two sites, one in the templeand the other on a raised platform with a bigapplique atop tied to four wooden poles around.The platform is fenced off. On the platform, aheap of coal is set on fire. The fire stand for thegoddess. The devotees after having done theirDarsan of Goddess Hingula in her temple, returnto worship her at the fireplace, where on SuklaChaturdasi of Chaitra month, the goddess givesDarsan to devotees in the form of Burning Fire.Coconuts, Ghee, Milk, Cheese, Special Bhog,Clothes, Vermillion, Sandalwood paste, Banglesand Cowrie etc. are being offered by the

devotees. These offerings are thrown into theraising flames. In the nearby site, thousands ofkids sit in tandem and a handful of barbers savetheir heads.

Hingula Yatra has a long history. TheGoddess Hingula is worshipped both inside andoutside the temple by the people, once every yearin April. The ex-king of Talcher was the greatpatron of this festival. In case there was anytrouble in his kingdom like disease or war, theking was praying the goddess to save his kingdomand the people. Special villages have have grantedwith lands for funding the festival. Yatra starts andmoves on with the Jantala Puja, Putabari Utshavaand culminates with Sital Yatra.

According to legend, once DakhyaPrajapati, the father-in-law of Lord Shiva wasorganising a ceremony of sacrifice (Yagnya). Hehad invited many gods, goddesses, kings ofrepute, saints and seers to attend the ceremony.However, he did not care to invite his daughterParvati (Sati) and son-in-law Siva. Knowing aboutcelebration of Yagnya, she pleaded with Siva togo to her paternal home. Siva however deniedon the ground that she has not been invited.Despite her husbands' denial, Parvati attended theceremony. At the ceremony site, she was laughedat, for having married to a nude man, living in

Goddess Hingula and Her Association withJagannath Cult

Rabinarayan Pani


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graveyard. Parvati being unable to bear humiliationof her revered husband, threw herself in the flamesof the Jagnya and killed herself. When Siva gotthis news, raged in anger he dashed off Prajapati'spalace. He recovered the half burnt body ofParvati from the fire and was about to kill everybody there and destroy the whole creation. Awe-struck, other gods went to the palace of LordBishnu to come to their rescue. Bishnu could knowthat the sight of the dead body of Parvati wasfueling the anger of Siva and ordered his Chakrato destroy the body. The weapon cut the bodyinto 51 pieces. Wherever each piece fell down,there Mother Goddess appeared in one name orthe other. Goddess Hingula is one of the 51 formsof the Goddess. Sarala, Bimala, Biraja, Bhairabi,Tareni, Mangala, Budhi Thakurani, to name buta few, found in the Udra country. This is the originof Goddess Hingula at Talcher.

According to another legend, after theconstruction of Lord Jagannath Temple wasfinished at Puri, Lord Jagannath ordered kingIndradyumna to bring Goddess Hingula fromBidarbha to Puri to cook His Mahaprasad. RajaIndradyumna requested the King of Bidarbha tobring the Goddess to Puri. Meanwhile, the

Bidarbha king Ramananda was also given thedivine instructions to shift the Goddess to Puri.King Ramananda was bringing the Goddess onhis shoulder by covering her with a cloth. AtGopalprasad, Ramananda felt thirsty, broughtHingula down and went to a nearby pond to takewater. When he returned, he found that theGoddess had vanished. When the king cursedhimself, Goddess appeared before him and saidhim to establish a temple for her there and wantedto cook Mahaprasad for Lord Jagannath fromthere. The fire used to cook the Mahaprasad inthe kitchen of the Jagannath temple at Purirepresents Maa Hingula.

The worship of Maa Hingula representsa mixture of tribal worship and Sakta Cult. Theearlier practice of animal sacrifice is no more.Now only vegetable and sweets are offered asBhog. Hingula represents fire and every yearappears in the form of flame at different places.The festival ends with Sital Yatra.

Rabinarayan Pani lives at HIG-26, Kalinga Vihar,Bhubaneswar.



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Jagannath temple of Puri attracts devotees fromevery nook and corner of the country and abroad.This is one of the 4 Dhamas , the others beingRameswaram in the South, Dwaraka in the Westand Badrinath in the North. It is believed in HinduPhilosophy that one has to step in to these 4Dhamas during a life time in order to get Mokshya(Salvation) from the cycle of birth and rebirth.Besides this philosophical thought the Trinity arespecial attraction for devotees and the temple withits medieval art and architecture adds additionalattraction for visitors. As such Puri is a hub of thecountry throughout the year, besides the specialfunctions and festivals like Car Festival, SnanaPurnima and Nabakalebara etc, which arewitnessed by millions. The temple of LordJagannath is not one but a group of temples, bigand small with many other important structuresannexed to it. It is but natural that inquisitivevisitors and devotees coming to the complexbecome interested to know different aspects suchas historical facts, legendary fictions, vital statisticsso on and so forth relating to the temple deities,and other structures inside the temple complex. Ipresent herewith some of them for those inquisitivedevotees and visitors who often do not get chanceto have them, may be due to the problem oflanguage for communication or otherwise. Thesubject being vast, I only present a pinch of it

Some Vital Statistics of JagannathTemple Complex

Pramod Chandra Pattanayak

which may act as a drop of water to quench thethirsty readers curiosity.

The entire complex has covered an areaof 10 acres and has been surrounded by two solidstone walls leaving a space in between them. Theoutermost is called Meghanad Pacheri which hasa length of 650ft from east to west and breadthof 644ft from north to south direction. The heightof Meghanad Pacheri is 20ft and thickness of 6ft.The inner wall is known as Kuruma Pacheri .The length of this Kuruma Pacheri is 400 ft fromEast to West and 278 ft from North to Southdirection. The height of Kuruma Pacheri is almostequal to the height of Meghanad Pacheri but thethickness of the Pacheri is less than the thicknessof Meghanad Pacheri i.e only 5ft. There are 4gates on Meghanad Pacheri from 4 directions forthe entry into the complex. But the main gate forentry into the complex is from the eastern sidewhich is known as the Singhadwar , so termedas there are 2 stone statues of lions (Singha),placed on both sides of the gate. These two lionsrepresent Jaya and Vijaya, the known legendaryfigure. The western gate is known as ByaghraDwara due to the placement of 2 statues of Tigers(Byaghra), Northen gate is known as Hastidwaradue to placement of 2 statues of elephants (Hasti)and Southern gate is known as Aswa Dwaradue to the placement of 2 statues of Horses


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(Aswa). These 4 gates signify Dharma, Artha,Kama and Mokhya as pronounced by great saintsin the past.

While entering in to the main gate i.e.Singadwara one would come across a pillarknown as Arunastambha in front of the gate.The height of the stone pillar is 33 ft and the qualityof the stone is black granite. This pillar is uniquein the sense that, it has 16 sides. It is said thatduring Marahatta regime in the state, the then,Gajapati Dibyasingha Dev brought this pillar fromKonark and installed it in front of the main gate .Arunastambha has been installed on a strongfoundation to withstand the adverse climatichazards like storms and tempests. The basementof the pillar depicts an architectural fits of theartisans of the yester years on 4 sides and it hasbeen cordoned around by grill fence for theprotection.

Going to the temple complex after passingthe Singhadwar one enters into the first part ofthe complex, known as Gumuti. It is a miniaturetemple itself placed almost midpoint of easternMeghanad Pacheri. The Gumuti has a number ofdeities inside, out of which Patitapaban issignificant and needs a special mention as there isa legend behind it. This stone statue of Patitapabanwas constructed during 1727-1736 AD, in thereigning period of Ramachandra Dev-II.Ramachandra Dev II made his palace insideBarabati Fort in Cuttack. Circumstantially hemarried a Muslim girl named Rizia, daughter ofNabab Munna Khan of Murshidabad. Thus hewas self banished from the religion and lost theright for entry in to the temple. But he was a sincereand dedicated devotee of Sri Jagannath and assuch he lost his peace of mind without Darshanof his God. Once Jagannath appeared in thedream of the king and asked him to establish areplica of the main deity and place him suitably in

the Gumuti so that the devotees deprived ofentering into the complex may see him from theproximity. Accordingly the statue was installedand was named as Patitapaban meaning theredeemer of the fallen ones.

Crossing the Gumuti one has to climb up22 steps before reaching the main temple. Theseare known as Baisipahacha . The length of eachstep is 70ft with a width of 6 feet and height of 8inches each. These 22 steps are considered asvery sacred in Hindu philosophy and theyrepresent the total number of feet of ten Avatarsof the past millenniums. Some others opine thatbefore going near Ratnabedi for a Darshan ofLord Jagannath one has to cross Astabaikunthaviz Sri Baikuntha, Swetadwipa Baikuntha,Seshasai Baikuntha, Parabyoma Baikuntha,Garvodaksal Baikuntha and Kailash Baikuntha.After the above 8 steps, there are 14 Bhuvanas.Out of these Bhuvanas 7 are connected with Earthand 7 with Patal . The former are Bhu ,Bhurba , swah , Mahah , Jana , Tapah , andSatya whereas the later are Atal , Sutala ,Bitala , Talatala, Mahitala , Rasatala and Patal.

Yet another hypothesis coexists whichdescribes that one has to leave behind, controland sacrifice 22 Prakruti before getting a scaredDarshan of Lord Jagannath. These are ten senses(5 Kamendriya and 5 Gyanendriya ) 5Panchamana namely Mana, Aman, Biman,Kuman and Sumana. 7 Vikaras i.e. Kama(lust),Krodha(anger), Moha(emotion), Lova(greed),Ahankar(selfpride), Irsha (jealousy) andGhruna(hatred). Thus the 22 steps carry muchsignificance in Hindu philosophy.

The most interesting part of this episodeis that presently, there are only 17steps instead of22. This was verified by counting and recountingat the spot. This was discussed with many



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personalities connected with the temple service.But no concrete and conclusive answer could beavailable on the discrepancy. But one logisticanswer could be derived out of this querry that itis a long period between the initial constructionand the present state of the temple, during whichthe temple complex has undergone a number ofdestructions and innovations through which 5steps have been buried underneath.

The height of the main temple is 214 ftand 8 inches. On the top of the temple a metal(admixtures of 8 metals ) wheel with a staff of15ft has been fixed. This wheel has 8 spokes andis known as Nilachakra . It is said that the originalwheel and the staff has been replaced twice inthe meanwhile. First change was taken up by theking Ramachandra Dev of Bhoi dynasty. Lateron it was replaced by Damodar Champatiray, sonof Parikha Badajena Mohapatra and this has areference in Madalapanji. The name Nilachakrais a mysterical term as it never looks blue (Nila).This wheel symbolizes the Chakra of LordSrikrishna and there is an interesting story on thisscore which may delight the reader.

Once the Chakra of the Lord indulged inself pride that he has played the decisive roles inMahabharat War and other events by beheadinggreat heroes, while his master only passed theorders with his usual smiling lips. Lord Jagannath,being incarnation of Visnu (Srikrishna) theAlmighty had that extraordinary ability to perceiveothers feelings. The Lord can tolerate anymischief but not the self pride. On perception ofthe feelings of his loving weapon, Lord wanted areform in him then and there. So He asked Chakrato go to Hanuman and tell him to come at once.Chakra was shocked as he was engaged in sucha petty job which he thought to be below hisdignity. But being an obedient attendant, in atwinkle of eye flew to Hanuman and passed on

the order of his master. Hanuman is again a symbolof super Divine having the power of perceptionof everything. So he casually treated Chakra andsent him back by telling I am coming, you go .This was the second jolt for Chakra, as Hanumantreated him as an ordinary messenger, instead ofan ambassador of the great Lord and did not carrythe order of his master at once. Indulgence in selfpride often eclipses the wisdom and prudence andthat happened in case of Chakra. Thus he forgotthat Hanuman possessed the power of flying inlightning speed. Chakra got the third jolt whencoming back to the temple found Hanumancoming out of the temple after meeting with hismaster. Now the Chakra came to senses andprostrated before his master admitting his folly.The Lord not only excused but blessed him andawarded with highest position in the templecomplex. The master wanted that his devoteesshould first get a glimpse of his faithful weaponfrom a distance and then only blessed one wouldbe able to get His darshan. In fact the wheel withit s flag is visible from a distance of about 10 kmsfrom the temple. I have personally heard frompeople that this wheel is visible from a top hillockof Barunei situated near Khurda town, of coursein clear weather. This means the distance is about20 kms from the temple as the crow flies.

Lord Jagannath is the greatest legendaryGod and therefore enumerable legends are thereon deities, temples and other sacred structures ofthe complex. As already stated only a few digitalinformation with some legends are presented heretaking in to account the scope of this article.

Pramod Chandra Pattanayak lives at Plot No.678,Laxmisagar, Bhubaneswar - 751006


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Poet Dinakrushna Das was an ardent devotee ofLord Jagannath. He was also a devotee poet.From his childhood, he was interested in poems.His poems were mixed with devotional acumen.His fine enchanting voice also charmed theaudience. For this good quality, he becameextremely popular among all the people. Hisfame knew no bounds as he was invited todifferent places for singing devotionalsongs.

The then Lord of Elephantsand king of Orissa (Odisha), KingDibyasingha Dev received thisgood news. He summoned SriDas by sending a messenger. SriDas gathered all his writings andcompositions. After staying forsome days in the palace, he wasinvited to the king s courtyard.In the king s courtyard, the poetrecited all his composition and poetry. Theaudience present was enchanted by the sweettone of the poet as well as the deep sense of thepoems.

One day the king told the poet Sri Dasthat he can write good compositions, why can the do some poetical composition elaboratingking's fame. The king had an offer in plenty ofwealth in exchange.

Devotion of DevoteeBhaktakavi Dinakrushna Das

Pitambar Pradhani

Poet Dinakrushna, an ardent devotee ofLord Jagannath wrote poetical composition ofLord Jagannath. He did not have any interest toany other personality. He humbly told the king toexcuse him. He can not make any poetical

composition in the name of any otherpersonality except Supreme King Lord

Jagannath.The King was very angry and

threatened him that if he disobeys hisorder, he will be imprisonedthroughout his life in the jail room. He

indicated why he prefers saddesttime of jail life living aside thishappiness as a principal poetof the royal court.

The poet was notanxious a little by such hardorder of the king. Herepeatedly told the king that

he will not make any poetical composition in anyother name even if the king takes his life or give acapital punishment.

The king sent the poet to the prison. SriDas deeply prayed Lord Jagannath that withouthis mercy, he will be hanged definitely. Hewondered how he will get such painful punishmentwhen he has surrendered before such powerfulGod Lord Jagannath.



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Lord Jagannath astonishingly appeared inthe prison without tolerating the sorrow of hisdevotee and told his devotee to become fearless.Then Lord Jagannath disappeared from theprison. The king was ordered in the dream torelease the devotee with honour without punishinghim a bit.

As per the order of Lord Jagannath, theking released the poet and took responsibility ofthe maintenance of the poet throughout the life.Thus, the devotion of the devotee of LordJagannath released him from the deep prison andsaved him from the life imprisonment.

Sri Das wrote SNANAJATRACHAUTISHA in the poetry form alphabeticallystarting from KA to KSHA in Oriya languagewhich is very popular among the Oriya villagersand even today amongst all the lovers of Oriyaliterature and Oriya language, Jagannath cultureand Rathayatra festival.

Pitambar Pradhani lives at Bimanbadu Sahi, Puri

I respect you in folded handsLord JagannathYou are master of the whole world.

I respect you in folded handsLord BasudevYou are friend of all the devotees.

I respect you in folded handsLord HrushikeshYou are faith of all the devotees.

I respect you in folded handsLord BiswarupiYou pervade in the heart of all human beings.

You generate order and destroyAll universeYou also sack all in your belly.

Crores and crores of universesexists in your belly simultaneously.

You are acquainted inFourteen big universeAll those are yourComposition and creation.

You are God Brahma,Vishnu and MaheswarThere is no otherGo or Motion inAny other direction.

This creation is your play field.It is embodiment of your limitless Mirage.

Miss Padmalaya Pradhani lives at LB-138, Badagad BritColony., Bhubaneswar-751018.

Prayer to Lord Jagannath

Miss Padmalaya Pradhani


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Not only in Odisha; but Jagannath culture hasspread out all over India and world also. We knowit very well that now a days some countries arecelebrating the Car Festival of Lord Jagannath.

Before some days I went to Manipur forsome work. Manipur is one of the smallest statesin our country haveing a population of 23,88,634as per 2001 Census (provisional record).

I spent some days in hilly and naturalareas of Manipur when I saw Bahuda RathaJatra of Lord Jagannath in the capital city Imphal.

Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra andDevi Shubhadra are being worshipped in GovindjiTemple. That temple is divided by two parts. Onepart is for Lord Jagannath; and another side is forLord Govindji (Radha Krishna).

The height of this temple is near about 66feet. Govindji temple's architectural style isdifferent from other temples. That temple lookslike a Gambuja which neither South Indian norNorth Indian style.

The worship of Lord Jagannath wasstarted in 1832 during the reign of king GanibhirSingh. In the British period Lord Govindji andLord Jagannath were worshipped in one templeat Kanglasha, the old capital of Manipur. This newtemple was built by king Churachand in the year1908.

The Jagannath Temple ofManipur

Santosh Kumar Mohanty

The idols of the deities are made of mangowood. According to a worshipper all idols weremade of mango wood by the suggestion of PuriPandas.

One small Jagannath Murti is installed inplace of Sudarshan under the three idols of LordJagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra.In Puri Jagannath temple Sudarshan, is there. Butin place of Sudarshan, idol of Jagannath is beingworshipped since long time in Manipur. Amythological animal kanglasha is placed inkneeled down position under the RatnaSinghashan. That animal is with a body of halflion and half Dragon which is the state emblem ofManipur.



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Interestingly the three idols have handswith palms. In my knowledge, Garoi Ashrama atNaugan in the District of Jagatsinghpur is havingsuch idols of Trinity having hands with palms andfingers. I visited some states all over India; but Ihave never seen palms in the hands of Jagannathidol. This is the uniqueness of Jagannath idols ofManipur.

During the Ratha Yatra (Kangchingba)festival, the Pahandi of Lord Jagannath is veryattractive. Thousands of devotees attired withwhite dress dance in musical tuning. That scenelooks very attractive and feels with spirituality inheart and mind, which is beyond description.

having discussion on Jagannath Culture inManipur. That time I came to know about thelegend of Jagannath and what is the differencebetween Puri culture and Manipur culture ? Whendid Jagannath culture started in Manipur ? I askedsome basic questions; but I could not get thesatisfactory answers.

Then I saw one book on Jagannathculture, titled - Sri Sri Jagannath Upasana ,written by Nabakumar Singh in Manipurilanguage in Bengali Scripts and two small booksavailable in trustee board office about Jagannathculture. That time I thought; if I will come anothertime, I will deeply analysis about Jagannath culturein Manipur.

Santosh Kumar Mohanty lives at Dua, Durga Nivas,Borikina, district Jagatsinghpur.

When I knew that one Jagannath templeis there (Manipur), before commencement ofRathayatra I went to the temple campus and metsome Pujaks and trustee board members for


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The idol worship is an integral part of HinduReligion. The scholars have traced worship ofidols in Temples, even in 4th or 5th century B.C.1

Hindu law confers the status of apersonnel - on Gods worshipped in temples,capable of holding and enjoying property. Theyare perpetual minors. Only in an ideal sense, theproperty can belong to them. But, the possessionand the management of the same lies with a personor body of persons, variously known as Sebayats,Marfatdars, Managers or Trustees.

In the temple, the divine is alwayspotential, but only on occasions it is manifested.Rituals and ceremonies are essential to promotesuch manifestation of the divine. Infact, thepriesthood of a temple is resident in order tomaintain the continuous presence of the Lord.2

Thus, the administration of a Templeconsists of two categories of personnel, i.e.managerial and priestly order.

Vishnu, the Supreme Lord of theUniverse, is the presiding Deity, both in TirupatiTemple and Jagannath Temple. These two VishnuKshetras are sacred and celebrated historicaltemple towns, known all over the world, whereonly Hindus are allowed.

Lord Tirupati Venkateswar Temple waspatronised by the south Indian Kings like, Pallavas

A Comparative Study Lord Jagannath Templeand T.T. Devasthanam

Sarat Chandra Mahapatra

(9th Century AD.), the Cholas (10th CenturyAD.), the Pandyas and the kings ofVijayanagaram (14th to 16th Century AD.).

The Tirumala Tirupati region wasconquered by the Sultans of Golkonda, by aboutthe middle of the 17th Century and remained underMuslim Rule for about a century and a half. Thiswas a period of confusion, chaos and disorderand there was practically no Government worththe name in this region. The Hindu Empire ofVijayanagaram had vanished and variousinterested parties like Qutub Shah, the Mughals,the Nizams, the Marhattas, the Nawabs of Arcot,Hyder Ali, the English and the French, enteredthe arena and added to the confusion and miseryof this area.3

The present Temple of Lord Jagannathat Puri was constructed in the first quarter of the12th century A.D., during the reign of the KingChoda Ganga Deb (1078-1147 AD.), the mostprominent ruler of the Ganga dynasty.4 ChodaGanga Deb, was the son of Rajasundari, daughterof Kulotunga Chola, the Raja of Kanchi.

His great grand son Anangabhima DebIII (1211-1238 A.D.), completed the Temple,prescribed elaborate rituals and constitutedChattisa Nijog , i.e. 36 categories of ritual

functionaries.5 He dedicated his entire empire and



53

declared it as Purushottam Samrajya anddesignated him as Rauta or a servant of LordPurusottam.6

Such Servant or deputy theology ofOrissan Kings crystalised in ritual system of SriJagannath Temple, wherein annual Car Festival,the Gajapati King sweeps the Chariots beforemultitude of devotees, called Chhera Panharawhich exhibits the height of religious humility andcasts a holo of reverence around the Personnelof the Raja, and confers a dualistic role on him asthe Supreme Administrator of the Temple and firstamong the Temple functionaries as the AdyaSevak . The ritual relationship of Lord Jagannathwith the Gajapati Kings of Orissa is so inextricablyblended, even legislation could not disturb it. Onthe other hand, He continues to be the hereditaryChairman of Sri Jagannath Temple ManagingCommittee.

The last Hindu ruler of Orissa, MukundDeb was killed in the battle of Gohiratikiri, nearJajpur by Kalapahada, the General of SulemanKarani in 1568 AD. The Temple was under Afganrule from 1568 to 1590 AD., when RajaMansingh, the Army General of Akbar defeatedAfgan and included Orissa in Mughal empire. TheMuslim rule continued till 1751 A.D., whenMarhattas took over administration of SriJagannath Temple. During this period the templewas invaded many a times by Muslim Subedarsand deities were removed to different hideoutsfor safety. Thus, the period from 1568-1751 A.D.was a period of anarchy, which is comparablewith the contemporary period of Tirupati Templeunder Muslims.

After the Mysore wars, the companytried to restore order in the Carnatic region. Thesuccessors of Mohammed Ali opposed it. But thecompany forced the Nawab to retire on a pensionand took over the administration of the Temple in

1801 A.D.7 In the year 1803, the Collector ofChittor, within which district, Tirupati is situatedhad sent a report to the Board of Revenue, ForteSt. George, giving a full account of the institution,together with schedules, showing the Pujas,expenses, extent of lands etc., known as Statton sReport, on the Tirupati Pagoda. These reports,though small in volume are in the same lines asthe earliest report submitted to the BritishGovernment on Sri Jagannath Temple, Puri byMr. Grome and Mr. Garrett. British rulerscontrolled the management of the institution till aset of rules for the management of the temple andthe servants attached thereto, were framed in1821 A.D. known as Bruce s Code.

In case of Sri Jagannath Temple for thefirst few years the East India Company followedthe same system as the Marhattas, who hadannually made up the difference between thereceipts and the expenditures of the Temple. Theresult was that, there was a deficit every year,which the company had to make good. In 1806A.D. the Government decided to get rid of theminute supervision of the Temple, which thissystem involved and by Regulation IV of 1806,the superintendence of the Temple was vested inan assembly of three Pandits, nominated by theCollector of Pilgrim Taxes and appointed by theGovernment. By Regulation IV of 1809, theassembly of Pandits was abolished and themanagement was made over to the Raja ofKhurda, who was appointed hereditarysuperintendent. He was not granted, however,supreme authority, but in order to prevent anyabuse of power on his part, three of the principalservants of the Temple were appointed to assisthim. They were not to be removed from theiroffice, except with the sanction of the Governmentand were required to report to Government anycases, in which the Raja issued orders inconsistentwith recorded rules and institutions of the Temple.


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The Raja received a fixed allowance on theunderstanding, that the sum allotted shall be spentwholly for the maintenance of the temple.8

From 1803, when the British Governmentbegan to manage the Temple, a Parichha was keptin charge of the management and in 1805 theCollector was authorised by the Board to receiveapplications from the Parichha in connection withthe administration of the Temple. Mr. C. Grome,Collector of Jagannath (known as such in revenuerecords), prepared the first report in 1805, whichvirtually served as the basis for the subsequentpolicy formulations.

Due to change of policy of the BritishGovernment not to interfere into the managementof the Hindu Temples, by an Act (Act-X, 1840),in 1840, the Company abolished the Pilgrim Taxand vested the then Raja of Puri, with full authorityin regard to the management of the Temple andits properties. This act forbade the Templeauthorities to impose restriction of any kind uponthe pilgrims for admission into the Temple andperforming ceremonies free and the right of freeadmission and free worship became a recognisedprivilege of the General Body of the Pilgrims.

In case of Tirupati Temple, in pursuanceof the change of the policy of the BritishGovernment, not to interface with religiousinstitutions of the natives, the management of theTirupati Devasthanam was transferred in the year1843 by a Sanand to the then head of the HatiramjiMatha, Tirupati, who was styled as - VicharaKarta and began to manage the Temple and itsconnected institutions and after him, thesuccessive Mahantas did the same. During thisperiod of management by the Mathas, suits in thecivil courts were filed at various periods safeguardthe funds and property of the institutions and theDistrict Court had settled a scheme of managementwhich was amended by the High Court, but even

then, the litigation and agitation by the peopleagainst management of the Mahanta continued.The scheme proceeding had also gone to the PrivyCouncil on appeal. In the year 1927, the MadrasHindu Religious Endowments Act was passed andthe scheme settled by the district court and asamended by the Appellate Courts was deemedas a scheme framed under the said Act. Even afterthat there were persistent complaints against theMahant. The scheme framed and as amended bythe Privy Council was found to be defective andthe Madras Act referred to above was not foundadequate to carry out necessary requirements.Therefore a special Act called the Tirumala TirupatiDevasthanam Act was passed (Madras Act XIXof 1933). According to the said Act the Templeof Venkateswar and its connected endowmentsand Temples vested in a committee of 7 membersand a Commissioner appointed by the ProvincialGovernment, it further provided that theGovernment while appointing members of thecommittee should take the Mahant of theHatiramji Matha, if willing to serve, to be takenas a member. Section 13 of the said Act stipulatedthat the Mahant, if a member of the committeewas to be the President for a period of 3 years.An advisory council was constituted with thehereditary Sebaks and hereditary Archakas andother Sebaks for advising the committee inreligious affairs and another committee consistingof the representative of the tenants of the Templelands for-advising the committee for managementof estates.

The Temple was managed in accordancewith the said Act, till 1951 and superseded bythe Madras Hindu Religious and CharitableEndowment Act of 1951. With the constitutionof a separate province of Andhra Pradesh, thesaid Act was redesignated as The AndhraPradesh (Andhra Area) Hindu Religious andCharitable Endowment Act 1951 , which was



55

repealed by the Andhra Pradesh Charitable andHindu Religious Institutions & Endowment Act,1966 (No. 17 of 1966). The said Act came intoeffect from 26th January 1967 to achieve theobjective of an integrated enactment applicableto the whole of the state of Andhra Pradesh inrespect of all the Hindu Public religious institutionand public charitable institutions and endowmentsin the state.

The Temple of Lord Venkateswar Tirupatihad the statutory control of the above Act till1979, when it was considered expedient toformulate a special Act in view of importance,wealth, and to cover some decisions criticised inpublic regarding Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanamanagement s compromise with hereditaryArchakas (Mirasi) to pay several lakhs of Rupeestowards Homasesa (Residuals of SacrificialFire) with retrospective effect from 1974. Thisdecision of the management provoked bitterpublic criticism. Thus, a special Act (Act 20 of1970) was enacted, which provided forconstitution of a Trust Board of not more than 13members, with Executive Officer andCommissioner of Endowment as Ex-Officiomembers. In previous Act, they were notmembers. The management board assumed fullpower of decision to enter into compromise withany body, including Mirasi Archakas andMirasidars (the owner of hereditary functionariesof the Temple).

This Act continued to be in force till 1987,when it was found defective in many ways. Mostof the powers are, in real terms of operation,concentrated in and around the Executive Officer.By being a member of the board of managementhe acted both as prosecutor and judge in the samematter as the Board is to review the actions ofthe Executive Officer. There was no provision inthe Act for alteration of religion of Dirtam , whichis very important for administration. There was

no provision to initiate surcharge proceedingsagainst the Executive Officer or the Officersconcerned on Audit Reports. An anomaly existedin Section 31 of the Act, which provides for theExecutive Officer to complain about anyencroachment and also make an enquiry and passorders on his complaint against which, there is noprovision for appeal. The greatest anomaly wascontained in Section 15, which empowers theCommissioner of Endowment, who is a memberof the Board, to tender proposal for supersessionof the Board.

To streamline the administration ofTirupati Temple and to tide over the statutorydifficulties, the state Government appointed a 3member Commission, with retired Chief Justiceof Andhra High Court, as its Chairman. TheCommission submitted its report on 28thFebruary, 1986.

The Commission recommended two vitalthings among other recommendations. First is theenactment of a law, that enables every Hinduirrespective of caste, including Scheduled Castesand Tribes, to become eligible for the selection tothe office of priesthood, provided he is qualifiedin respective Agamas, Puja Vidhana accordingto Sampradaya and strictly adhers to the code ofconduct prescribed therefor. The selection shallbe strictly on the grounds of merit, ability,character and qualification.

The second important recommendation,is to formulate a common Act for all the religiousand charitable institutions of State, includingTirupati Tirumala Devasthanam, by repealing thisspecial Act of 20 of 1979 and reviving the Act 17of 1966, with incorporation of a separateprovision of Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam. TheCommission felt the necessity of an intermediaryauthority between the Government and theTirupati Tirumala Devasthanam ManagementBoard.


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Pursuant to above recommendations, theState Government of Andhra Pradesh, repealedthis Special Act of 1979 and incorporated specialprovision (chapter XIV) in the general Act ofAndhra Pradesh Charitable and Hindu ReligiousInstitutions and Endowment Act, 1987 and cameinto force on 23rd May 1987. This Act envisageda Board of Trustees, constituted by theGovernment for the Tirupat i TirumalaDevasthanam, consisting not more than 13members, including the Chairman to be appointedby the Government. There shall be a personbelonging to the Scheduled Caste and one womanmember in the Board. The Executive Officer shallbe the Ex-Officio Member Secretary and theCommissioner of Endowment, shall be a memberEx-Officio. The Board shall exercise the GeneralSuperintendence and control over the TirupatiTirumala Devasthanam and empower to fix theDittam in the temples. The term of the Board is

for a period of 3 years.

The most revolutionary and controversialprovision in the Act, is the abolition of hereditaryrights of hereditary Archakas and otherfunctionaries of all religious institutions andendowments. It is said to be in tune with theinstructions of Government of India, the Ministryof Law and Justice, dated:- 6th October, 1972,to all the State Governments to make suitableamendments to their existing laws or make newlaws for abolishing hereditary priesthood andmake all Hindus, including Dalits, eligible to beselected or appointed for the office of priesthoodin Temples, which would be a great step for socialreform. The Act further declare, any usage orpractice relating to the succession to any Officer,service or post in Temple Establishment to be nulland void. It also extinguished all rights andemoluments of any nature in cash or kind or bothaccruing to any Officer, or service on a hereditarybasis. All the hereditary functionaries of the

Temple establishment shall continue to hold suchoffice or post on payment of only emolumentsand shall comply with the conditions of servicecontained in Section 35 of the said Act.

The validity of the aforesaid provision ofabolition of hereditary rights was questioned bythe hereditary functionaries of the Tirupati TirumalaDevasthanam in a writ petition (No. 6403/87, inthe Andhra Pradesh High Court) and directionwas sought for maintenance of the status-quowhich was allowed. The matters instituted inAndhra Pradesh High Court was transferred tothe Supreme Court by the latter's decision, dated:- 22.05.87.

The Hon ble Supreme Court, in a caseof A.S.Narayana Deekshitulu, Petitioner Vs.State of Andhra Pradesh and Others, Respondent,challenges the constitutionality of Andhra PradeshAct as violative of Act 25 of the Constitution,relating to the Religious Freedom (AIR 1996).

The Hon ble Court has observed in thePara 120 of the Judgment, that the hereditaryrights as such is not integral part of the religiouspractice, but a source to secure the services of apriest independent of it. Though performance ofthe ritual ceremonies is an integral part of thereligion, the person who performs it or associateshimself with performance of ritual ceremonies, isnot, therefore, when the hereditary right toperform services in the Temple is terminable byan owner for bad conduct, its abolition bysovereign legislature is equally valid and legal. Theapex court upheld the legislative competence totake away the hereditary right as such.

The administration of Sri JagannathTemple, came to a crisis in 1877, when the Rajahad, by the neglect of his duty as Superintendent,been the indirect cause of serious loss of life onthe occasion of a Festival Govinda Dwadashi .This again succeeded by the trial and deportation



57

of the Raja for murder on 8th April, 1878. Thesentence brought about a very anomalous stateof things, as under Act X of 1840, thesuperintendence of the temple remained with theRaja, even after his deportation.

It was contemplated to repeal the Act Xof 1840 and to amend Section 539 of the CivilProcedure Code to bring any trust created forreligious purposes within the preview of thatSection. The intention of the Government was todeclare the Office of the Superintendent of theTemple vacant and to appoint new trustees tofunction according to a scheme of management.A civil suit was filed in the Court of the DistrictJudge, Cuttack in 1868, which was hotlycontested and ended in a compromise, thesuperintendence of the Temple was vested in thegrand mother Surjyamani Pata Mahadei andguardian of the minor Raja, Mukunda Deb. Suchcompromise further provided for appointment ofa competent manager till the minor Raja comesof age.

Raja Mukunda Deb, assumed the powerof Superintendent from 1897-1926. On 28thOctober, 1901, an accident occured inside theTemple, in which two persons were trampled todeath and several other seriously injured. It wasurged upon the Government of Bengal to introducereforms by way of a Legislation or a Civil Suit,since it is not possible to bring the Raja under theprovisions, if the Penal Code or to enforce hispersonal responsibility in any other way, when abad accident happens within the temple precinctsinvolving loss of life of people. The civil litigationas such being slow, costly and with uncertainresults, and in face of sad experience of the pastand the above legal status of the Raja, it wasconsidered not acceptable to the authority.

Several attempts were made to bring acomprehensive legislation for formation of the

honorary committee, with the Raja as a titular head.A draft bill was submitted to Government of Indiain 1881, which was not approved by theGovernment, due to peculiar relationship of theRaja with Lord Jagannath. Government wasreluctant to be dragged into direct opposition toHindu feelings in a matter, in which any realimprovement might prove to be impossible.

The Raja was persuaded to appoint aManager (A Deputy Magistrate on deputation),to manage the Temple and endowed estates.

The successors of the Raja MukundaDeb, proved equally ineffective and publicagitation mounted.

In view of grave and serious irregularitiesin management of the affairs of the temple and itsproperties and to provide better administration insupersession of previous laws, regulations andarrangements and having regard to the ancientcustoms and rituals of the temple, the Puri SriJagannath Temple (Administration) Act 1952, wasenacted. According to the provisions of the saidAct, a Special Officer was appointed, whoprepared the Record of Rights, containingtraditional Nitis and Rituals, with the traditionalprivileges of hereditary Temple Functionaries. Onthe basis of the report of the Special Officer, acomprehensive legislation called Sri JagannathTemple Act 1954 was enacted.

According to the Section-6, of the saidAct, a committee consisting of 12 members wasformed. The Raja of Puri, is the hereditaryChairman of the said committee, the Collector asthe Ex-Officio member and Vice-Chairman, theAdministrator, appointed, under Section-19 isEx-Officio Member Secretary, the Commissionerof Endowments appointed under the OrissaHindu Religious Endowment Act 1 of 1951 isEx-Officio member.


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One person to be nominated by the StateGovernment from among the persons entitled tosit on the Muktimandapa. Four persons to benominated by the State Government from amongthe Sevaks of the Temple. One personrepresenting the Mathas and other institutionsconnected with the Seva Puja and Nitis of theTemple, to be nominated by the State Governmentand two persons to be nominated by the StateGovernment from among persons, who do notbelong to any of the categories above as members.No person, who does not profess the HinduReligion shall be eligible for membership.

The committee can co-opt members notexceeding four, from among the persons notindicated above.

If at any time, the Raja of Puri happensto be a minor, in the opinion of the StateGovernment, suffers from any of the disabilitiescovered by Section-10, thereof, the duties of theChairman shall, during such minority or so longas such disability lasts, be exercised by a personprofessing the Hindu Religion, when the StateGovernment, may by order, specially appoint inthat behalf.

Sri Jagannath Temple, Puri is one of thefour important Dhams of the country, the otherthree being Badrinath, Dwarka and Rameswaram.Entire Hindu community of the country, isinterested for its proper maintenance. Governmentof Orissa had set up a commission of enquiry,with Justice B.K. Patra - a retired Justice of OrissaHigh Court in the year 1977. After probing intodetails of administration of Puri-Temple, hetendered very valuable recommendations.Eminent witnesses before him (like LateDr. Radhanath Rath and Dr. H.K. Mahatab) haveopined that the members from Sevak communitydo not take an objective view of several

problems, except their own Nijoga and hence,their views are one-sided. Some are of opinion(by Dr. H.K. Mahatab, Ex-Chief Minister ofOrissa) that the non-official members should beindependent minded people, not affiliated to anypolitical party. He suggested a small committeeconsisting of the Governor, Chief Justice and ChiefSecretary of the state for selection of membersof the Managing Committee. The Commissionwas of the opinion that the Collector is the onlyperson, who can efficiently control theadministration, but this being not done theadministration is left to work without exercise ofany control over him. The Government should notbe influenced by any consideration other than thesuitability as the members.9

In the same year, a High PowerCommittee, under the Chairmanship of theGovernor of Orissa was set up to suggestmeasures for improvement of administration ofthe Temple. It has also tendered the identicalopinion of politicalisation of Temple Managementand too much State interference.

The most vital recommendation of boththe commission and the committee was rethinkingon hereditary rights of Sevaks in lieu ofcompensation and their rationalisation of the basisof basic minimum need of Sevaks for rituals ofthe Temple. But, such necessary recommen-dations have never been implemented due to lackof political will.

Out of the four Dhams in India, JagannathDham is foremost and known for lord Vishnu sbhojan kshetra . The King is the lowest servitor

as a sweeper of the Chariots of the Lords,nowhere found in India. Sri Jagannath,Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan are fourfold God heads, worshipped on one pedestral,called Ratnavedi . Their wooden idols, renewed



59

periodically between 8-19 years, according toLunar Calculation, when an extra month of Asadhacomes. The Car festival of Lord Jagannath is nowpopular all over the world, where the great Lordcomes down to the street to meet the commoners,who can touch, embrace and offer their devotion.His Mahaprasad is Annabrahma , which istaken together by Brahmin even with a scavenger.The Deity and His Mahaprasad transcends allbarriers of caste, creed, colour and religion. Suchelements of universal humanism are unknown andunparallel in any shrine of the world. His abode isvariously known as Srikshetra, Nilachal,Purusottam Kshetra, Sankha Kshetra etc.

The cult of Jagannath constitutes aneclectic system, which has assimilated manycreeds and sects with divergent philosophies.Monism of Shankar, qualified dualism ofRamanuja, Bhakti Cult of Madhava, Nimbarkaand Ballabhacharya, Achintya Vedaa Veda of SriChaitanya have merged in all comprehensive cultof Jagannath and enriched it. Three major systemsof Hindu Religion in India relating to Saiva, Saktaand Vaishnava are represented in the holy trinityof Balabhadra, Subhadra and Jagannath.

There are 307 Mathas and Ashrams atPuri, belonging to different sects of Ramanuja -Ramananda, Nimbarka, Vishnu Swami,Madhava, Goudiya and others. Even non-Hindudevotees like Santh Kabir, Haridas, JabanSalabega and Sikh Guru Nanak have their Mathasin Puri. Most of them have ritual relationship withSri Jagannath Temple.

Such Monasteries came into existence atdifferent points of history, centering around SriJagannath Temple, to propagate their philosophy.They have contributed much towards the growthof a composite and all comprehensive cult ofJagannath and unequivocally accepted Him as theGod Absolute or Paramabrahma - Purusottam.

Administration of a temple is an integralpart of the cult. Under independent Hindu Kings,the administration was central and authoritarian.With the abolition of kingship, the traditionalsystem was disturbed.

Under the Foreign Rulers and in ademocratic system, the administration assumednew dimensions. In case of Jagannath Temple,the traditional system still continues, which gotdegenerated with the passage of time. It needsreforms, which presupposes a strong political will.The hereditary Pandas and Archakas, pilgrimguides or Jatri Pandas, have developed vestedinterest with consequential dissatisfaction andexploitation of pilgrims. It is high time, that theadministration of Temple should be reoriented tocater to the present need of pilgrims and devotees.Both the Commission of Enquiry and High PowerCommittee have suggested reforms with a notethat all that is necessary is the determination toimplement them. Implementation of some of thesuggested reforms may be met with resistancefrom those whose interests are likely to beadversely affected. But, I hope and trust that inthe interest of the fair name of this famousinstitution and interest of the thousands of pilgrimswho visit the shrine everyday, Government wouldnot hesitate to bring about certain necessarychanges in the system of administration to ensurethat Nitis are performed regularly, that the financesof the Temple are placed on a sound footing andthat the economic condition of the Sevaks actuallydoing the Seva of the Deities is improved.10

Since independence, there has beenconsiderable socio-economic changes andchanges in our attitude towards religion andreligious organisations. It has to be studied, if thedemocratic and socialistic ideas have invaded intothe traditional administrative philosophy of theTemples.


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References :1. Dr. Kane : - History of Dharma Sastras Vol.

II, Part II, Page 710.

2. George Michell:- The Hindu Temple - London1977, Page 62.

3. Dr. N. Rameshan :- The Tirumala Temple -Tirupati 1981, Page 40

4. Edited By Sri Sarat Chandra Mahapatra :-Pilgrim Management at Sri JagannathDham, Puri : Puri - 1999, Page 17.

5. Dr. S.N. Rajguru :- Inscriptions of the Templeof Puri and Origin of Sri PurusottamJagannath - Vol. I, Part I, Page 3.

6. Epigraphia Indica :- vol.XXXIII, Page 43

7. Dr. N. Rameshan : The Tirumala Temple -Tirupati 1981, Page 44

8. Report of the Special Officer on SriJagannath Temple, Page 17.

9. Report of the Commission of Enquiry onJagannath Temple, Puri, Page 152-153.

10. Retired Judge, Orissa High Court, Sri B.K.Patra :- Report of the Commission of Enquiryon Jagannath Temple, Puri, Page 204.

Sarat Chandra Mahapatra is the Secretary of SriJagannath Research Centre, Sarvodaya Nagar, Puri-2.

I PraySomanath Khuntia

There is a car for you,As it is known as Car Festival.

But no car,What to speak of car,

There is no food, no shelter, no dressNo life for us !

So stop your Festival.Stop your golden decoration.

Stop your rich rituals.Stop your rich food.

Make us happy.Make us cheerful.Make us spiritual.

But if you do not be our example,Who else will be ?

Oh ! Lord Jagannath, help us prosper and progress,I pray.

Somanath Khuntia lives at Manikarnika Sahi, Hazuri Lane, Puri-1



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Centuries after centuries have elapsed in the wheelof time. Yet, all through these years, the Cult ofLord Jagannath has remained mysterious to oneand all shrouded in a perplexing enigma. Theresearchers have not been able to trace a definitetime to which the origin of the cult of LordJagannath could be genuinly alluded. Hence it istangle free to conclude that the religion of LordJagannath is pretty old in its import and it ispurveyed to the world as a universal religion. It isinclusive of all sects and all creeds of the world.The Lord is described as the Supreme Truth of allthe truths of the world. With utmost reverence, Heis adored as the Lord of all Lords. He isworshhipped in the Grand Temple Puri as ParamBrahma and Yuga Purusha of the universe. TheSrimandir has thus all along served as a light-houseto multitudes of devotees in the midst of their myriadafflictions and adversities in the usual flow of time.The philosophy of the Lord's religion is thus intensein form and most profound in depth. It upholds thetruth that the Lord is both omnipresent andomniscient and He has always been our undyingstrength in life.

It is most revealing to note here that wehave two sources of factual information about theevolution of Jagannath Cult in Utkaldesh. The firstis related to Puranic descriptions. They areembodied in scriptures like Skanda Purana,Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, NiladriMahodaya and the treatises like Madala Panji inthe order of mainstream of references. In the

Puranas, we also get references to several socio-religious circumstances leading to gradualevolution of the religions of Lord Jagannath.Furthermore, the Puranas have also elaboratereferences to the contributions of many spiritualmasters and rulers who had applied their mindand moral wherewithal to establish the edifice ofthis universal religion. The second source ofinformation has emanated from a chain ofhistorical substantiations. The facts recorded inthis connnection are authentic references basedon data-based affirmations. But the fact is thatwe have only clear historical facts from the periodof 12th century A.D. for this purpose.

Hence, to appreciate the origin ofJagannath religion, we are required to refer to bothPuranic elucidations and historical facts in so faras they are available to us for a compositeappreciation in this regard.

According to Puranic legends aselucidated in Skanda Purana, the cult of the Lordis closely associated with the name of MaharajaIndradyumna. The great king had glorifiedJagannath religion as the incarnation of LordVishnu. He had discovered the Lord through hismessenger in the form of 'Neelamadhaba' at'Neelakandara' i.e. Puri by the side of the sea.Maharaja Indradyumna was a pious ruler of histime. He was regarded as an impeccabledispensor of justice to his subjects. The king wasan ardent upholder of Sanatana Dharma as thespiritual head of the 5th generation of Lord

Place of MaharajaIndradyumna in the

Cult of Lord JagannathDurgamadhab Dash


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Brahma, the Creator of the universe. In allpossible ways his kingdom on earth wasconsidered akin to Amaravati of Lord Indra, theLord of the Devas in heaven. MaharajaIndradyumna performed all types of Jagyans inhis kingdom for the welfare and prosperity of hissubjects and well being of all other creatures ofthe Lord. He was the ruler of the kingdom knownas Malava. The famous Awanti Nagar was thecapital of his kingdom. The king was widelyadored as a Rajarshi of his time.

In the Bana-Parva of the Mahabharatthere are also references to MaharajaIndradyumna. As described here, once thePandavas were discussing with MarkandeyaMuni, a great hermit of his time. He had beenliving an extraordinary long life since Satyayug.The Pandavas were discussing with him aboutvarious spiritual problems. Incidentally, Yudhisthirone day asked Markandeya Muni if any personhad descended on earth prior to his divineappearance. While answering his query, the Munisaid that Maharaja Indradyumna had firstappeared on earth and in that way he was olderthan him in actual dispensation. In NiladriMahodaya, Indradyumna has been described asa pious ruler belonging to the 5th generation ofLord Brahma, the Creator of the universe. KapilaSamhita also gives a similar description in thisregard. In Padma Purana, there are references toNeelagiri of Purusottam Kshetra but MaharajaIndradyumna's name has not found place in thisscripture. In Brahma Purana, we find descriptionsabout Maharaja Indradyumna and hisachievments in the matter of proliferation ofJagannath Dharma.

In a nut shell, we may say that whateverconclusion one may have after reading the variousPuranic descriptions, at least one thing is clearand well-accepted in the logical legendaryaffirmation that in the days of yore, there was ahighly adored spiritual icon in the name of

Indradyumna who had ruled a prosperouskingdom with its captial at Awanti Nagar. He wasboth a strong and pious ruler. He was profoundlywedded to worship of lord Vishnu and at theinstance of a divine prophesy from heaven, hehad upheld the cause of Jagannath Dharma andestablished a temple for lord Jagannath at Puri inUtkaldesh.

There is an ensuing story in continuationof the aforesaid Puranic legend. One day, whileMaharaja Indradyumna was holding his royalcourt, he, incidentally wanted to know from hiscourtiers that included scholars, spiritual persons,learned intellectuals and Brahmin Pundits whetheranyone among them had known where on earthLord Vishnu was being worshipped as Jagannath,the Lord of the universe and giving 'darshan' toHis devotees. A pretty old man, with matted hair,his face glowing with divine resplendence, got upin the royal court and replied with pleasing serenitythat the king could find this sacred place near thesouthern sea in Udra Desh known as PurusottamSrikshetra. The king was both pleased andastonished to get the answer so quickly. Therewere whispers in the Royal Court and the king,for a while, was lost in oblivion. Taking advantageof this unusal situation that prevailed in the royalcourt, the old person disappeared from themeeting place and when the king looked hitherand thither to locate the old man, he was no longerto be seen there. All present in the royal court atlast concluded that the old man was a divinemessenger of the lord and all that happened inthe royal court was the wish of the Providence.And, therefore, the king might act upon thestatement of the oldman in his mission to locateSrikshetra where Lord Vishnu was stated to beworshipped as Lord Jagannath, the Lord of theUniverse.

With the advice of his courtiers, the kingnow chalked out a royal programme. He wasassisted by his Minister in this noble work. The



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Minister suggested to the king that his brother,Bidyapati could be deputed to locate the placeof Shrikshetra in Udra Desh by the side of thesouthern sea. All details on this score wereaccordingly finalised. And Bidyapati at last set outin the divine mission in the company of otherofficials of the kingdom. In the trail of his divinemission, he travelled through different places. Hecrossed rivers on the way. One day he reachedEkamra Kshetra near Purusottam Srikshetra.Ekamra Kshetra was a unique place. He foundhere a good settlement of devout Brahmins well-versed in scriptures. Again, it was a place whereLord Vishnu and Lord Shiva were worshippedtogether. He also found nearby a big hamlet oftribal persons in the name of Shabar Depak. Allof them were devotees of Lord Vishnu. Bidyapatistayed there for a day and collected informationabout the place of his divine mission. Thereafterhe started for Purusottam Srikshetra. This is thePuranic information we get from Skanda Puranwritten by Maharshi Vyasa, the incarnation ofLord Vishnu. It is said that Vyasa Maharshi wasblessed with a divine talent to foresee the variousoccurrences of the past, present, and future,through his impeccable mind. So he had createdthe Puranas by virtue of his avowed power ofself-realization.

In the usual course of his divine missionBidyapati reached Purusottam Srikshetra. He metone Biswabasu, the spiritual leader of the Sabarcommunity. Bidyapati was pleased to learn fromhim that he was the person who was worshippingSri Neelamadhab, the incarnation of Lord Vishnuat the top of Neelakandara at PurusottamKshetra. All those were miraculous spiritualhappenings. Bidyapati stayed at PurusottamSrikshetra till the purpose of his divine missionwas accomplished. He also gave his identity toBiswabasu that he had come to PurusottamSrikshetra as the messenger of MaharajaIndradyumna to know the details of the sacred

place with reference to the cult of the Lord.Bidyapati also told him that MaharajaIndradyumna would come to PurusottamSrikshetra after he received detailed informationabout the venue of the Lord. Biswabasu was nowreminded of the fact that once he had heard adivine message from heaven that one dayMaharaja Indradyumna would pay his visit toPurusottam Srikshetra to have a divine glimse ofLord Vishnu in Neelamadhab form. Now thatevent was soon going to frutify. Biswabasu washeavy at heart for the reason that his associationwith the lord was very soon going to end with thearrival of Maharaja Indradyumna at PurusottamShrikshetra. He very well realized that the king'sarrival might also lead to the upcoming of anamazing metamorphosis in the spiritual order ofthe time. Biswabasu was reconciled to theforthcoming situation. Next-day morning,Bidyapati in the company of Biswabasuproceeded to the top of Neelagiri and had theDarshan of the Lord. Bidyapati's purpose ofjourney was at last accomplished. Shorn ofdetails, Bidyapati returned to Awanti and metMaharaja Indradyumna. He explained all detailsof his personal experiences to the king. The kingwas thrilled to learn from Bidyapati that LordBishnu was being worshipped as Neelamadhabat Purusottam Srikshetra. He also came to knowfrom his Brahmin messenger that those who diedat Purusottam Srikshetra had a straight journeyto Vishnu Lok despite their misdeeds in life. LordYama, for that, had once complained to LordVishnu accordingly and sought for a solution ofhis problem. Lord Vishnu said to Yama that heshould not have any ill-feeling for that eventualitybecause that was the spiritual benefit whicheveryone gained by worshipping Sri Neelamadhabat Purusottam Srikshetra. He consoled him sayingthat Neelamadhab in his "Indraneelamani" formwas soon going to disappear from Neelagiri andhe would not have that problem after the arrival


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of Maharaja Indradyumna at PurusottamSrikshetra.

It is said in Brahma Puran that whenMaharaja Indradyumna reached PurusottamSrikshetra, Sri Neelamadhab was no longer inexistence at Neelagiri. The deity as prophesisedearlier, had disappeared with the arrival of theMaharaja at the sacred place.

Thus we have references of PurusottamKshetra in both Skanda Puran and BrahmaPuran. As explained in both the Puranas,Maharaja Indradyumna had visited PurusottamKshetra to have the divine glimpse of LordNeelamadhab. But there are many points ofdifferences between the two scriptures regardingother incidental happenings. But the fact thatMaharaja Indradyumna had visited PurusottamKshetra to glorify Jagannath Dhama isunanimously upheld in both the Puranas and wemay accept this view as the main spiritualhappening of the time in appreciation of thePuranic legends as stated above.

'Niladri Mahodaya', another spiritualscripture, is also eloquent on the visit of MaharajaIndradyumna to Purusottam Kshetra. However,this scripture adds one more speck of elucidationto the aforestated fact. It is stated in thisconnection that while Indradyumna was makingpreparations to set out to Purusottam Kshetra,Sage Narada appeared before him to accentuatehis love for the Lord with a spirit of utmost faithand devotion. The king prayed to Narada toaccompany him to Purusottam Kshetra. The Sagecouldn't deny his humble submission and at lastboth of them set out in their divine missionaccompanied by the willing courtiers and ministers.On the way, the king was informed that SriNeelamadhab, in His 'Indraneelamani' form haddisappeared from 'Neelagiri'. This gave a greatshock to Maharaja Indradyumna but with thesuccor of exhortation received from sage Narad,the king was enlivened to his divine mission. At

last, they reached Purusottam Kshetra. On arrival,the king had the divine glimpse of Sri Nrusingha,the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The kingbuilt a temple for Lord Nrusingha in the vicinityof the altar of Sri Neelamadhab. The deity ofNrusingha was installed at the new temple in thepresence of sage Narada. The king also performedAswamedha Jagnya one thousand times as thelegends say. In midst of all those divineinvolvements, the king had a dream that he wasto further make arrangements for the making ofdeities in perpetuation of the cult of Lord Jagannathduring his rule. The deities, he further -envisioned,were to be made with "Shree Daru" that wasfloating in the sea near Bilweswar Mahadev atPurusottam Kshetra. The king carried out all theincidental actions, necessary for the purpose.According to Puranic legends, MaharajaIndradyumna, the king of Malava, had at firstestablished a grand temple at Purusottam Kshetraand in the passage of time, the temple hadgradually met its exinction. There is however nohistorical evidence about the reign of MaharajaIndradyumna as the ruler of Malava with his capitalat Awanti.

Dr. Benimadhab Padhi's 'Daru Devata'is very pertinent for reference on this point.According to the views of many scholars on thescore, the Indradyumna character that we comeacross in scriptures can't, in fact, be related toany single person if this matter is to be criticallyevaluated in a systematic order. In SkandaPurana as stated above, Maharaja Indradyumnahas been described as a great pious king andstated to be a spiritual icon of Satyayug. In KapilaSamhita, we have descriptions about him andhe was stated to be in the lineage of Lord Brahma,the creator of the universe. As described in thisscripture, he carried the 5th head of Lord Bramha.In Niladri Mahodaya, he is referred to as theking of Malava with his capital at Awanti and hebelonged to Sun-Dynasty. He also belonged to the5th generation of Lord Brahma. In Padma



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Purana, there is mention about Nilagiri but thereis no mention about Maharaja Indrayumna. InBrahma Purana, there are descriptions aboutMaharaja Indradyumna but he is acclaimed as theking of Ujjain with his capital at Awanti. In the Oriyaversion of the Mahabharat, its author, Sudra MuniSarala Das has described king Indradyumna indifferent ways at different places. In 'Banaparba',he has described king Indradyumna as the son ofGalamadhab. In 'Musaliparba' he has describedIndradyumna as the son of Madhu Kesari of Viratadynasty. It is described in this chapter that the kinghad constructed the grand temple at PurusottamaKshetra with utmost devotion to the Lord.

The question now arises, what is the exactposition of king Indradyumna as described in thescriptures ?

According to the views of some scholarslike Dr. Benimadhab Padhi, the Indrayumnacharacter in the Jagannath cult is an institutionalepithet. The name, in this sense, is virtually anornamental symbol to portray the iconic virtuesof an able, resourceful and outstanding ruler who,at any point of time in the ancient past, had lentcontributions to the proliferation of Jagannathreligion. The story of Indradyumna at Purusottamkshetra is thus a rich, colourful and fertileimagination of an author of scriptural evolution.However, the Indradyumna character as we comeacross in Skanda Purana is considered as an activepromotor of Jagannath religion.

From the point of view of historicreferences the grand temple that we see atSrikshetra Puri was built during the time of RajaAnanta Vurman Chodagangadev, the founder ofGanga Dynasty in Orissa in 12th century A.D.According to Sterling, Ananga Bhimadev-III hadbuilt the grand temple in 1196 A.D. According tosome scholars, Chodagangadev had begun theconstruction of the grand temple but it wascompleted during the time of Anangabhimadev-

III. In the opinion of Hunter, the construction ofthe temple was started in 1174 AD and completedin 1198 AD. According to MahamahopadhyayaSadasiba Kabyakantha, Chodagangadev had gotthe temple built up as we see it today. Prof.Kailash Chandra Das has said that it wasChodagangadev who had ordered theconstruction of temple and the deities wereinstalled and consecrated on Ratnavedi in 1124-25 A.D. In the opinion of Dr. SatyanarayanRajguru, in the ancient times there was a templeon the side of the southern sea at PurusottamSrikshetra for the worship of the Lord of theuniverse. After ruination of this temple, the deities,worshipped there, were shifted to a new templeconstructed during the time of king Jajati-II. Thistemple is the temple of Lord Nrusingha, wepresently see within the premises of the grandtemple at Puri. Afterwards Raja Chodagangadevhad built the grand temple of the Lords near theNrusingha Temple. During his life-time, as theconstruction of the temple could not becompleted, it was completed during the time ofhis successor, Raja Anangabhima Dev-III and thedeities had been installed here in a ritualistic orderwith grand pomp and ceremony. The divineconsecration was celebrated in 1230 A.D.

To a devotee of the Lord, what isimportant is the elegance and viability of hisreligion as it is purveyed to him in his day-to-dayliving. He does not bother about who hadconstructed the temple or how the temple wasconstructed over the period of time. To him, thedetails on this score are mere pieces ofinformation. Yet it is no wrong to know thefundamental aspects of one's religion. This articleis an attempt to provide these fundamental factsto accentuate one's belief in the cult of Jagannath.

Durgamadhab Dash lives at House No.138, AnantaVihar Phase-II, Pokhariput, Bhubaneswar.


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One of the names of Sri Jagannath is Mahabahu .With our natural eyes we see that Sri Jagannathhas no hand. In the religious scriptures , He isdescribed as Apanipada (One having no handor leg) . If Sri Jagannath has no hand how Heextended His hand to take cocoanut from DasiaBauri. In the royal meeting place of emperor Kuru,He extended His hand to cloth Draupadi so muchthat even though Dusasan dragged the clothes tomake Draupadi naked but he failed . In the firstepisode Sri Jagannath the lover ofBhaktas(devotees) had received devotionalofferings of Dasia Bauri and in the second episodeif he had not taken remedial measurers by hearingthe utter cry of Draupadi, a woman would havebeen outraged in the meeting place.

In different scriptures and Puranas weknow that Bhagaban (God) of Golakadham(God s abode) or His Swarup Tatwa (Originalincarnation) Sri Jagannath of Martya Baikuntha(seat of God on the Earth) hears the utter cry ofBhakta or Arti (The devotee of God) and uses totake remedial measures. If all these facts wouldbe narrated those would be a voluminous book.But I feel it is useful to remind the episode ofAjamila of the scripture Srimad Bhagabatam. Thedying Ajamila saw the servants of Jama (god ofDeath) and cried out Narayan , Narayan -his son hoping to save his life. Instead of his son

Narayan heard it as it was audiable of Narayan(God) and He accepted this cry as the AtmaNibedan (Self prayer to God) and sent Hisservants to save Ajamila from the clutches of theservants of Jama and gave him place in GolakaDham(God s abode). The later fact reveals thatJama has described about the Bhaktas (Devotees)of God as asked by his servants. I do not intendin this essay to narrate about it .Sri Jagannath isnot only beloved of Bhaktas (Devotees) but Heis also their Artatrana (Emancipator-One whoseeks the help of God) and Patitapaban(Emancipator of Sinners). His name has justifiedthe meaning that He is Bishnu or omnipresent.Even He is present in the court room and lookafter our judicial system and gives direction tothe judges. There can be several examples aboutit.

In this essay the matter relating to amurder case in the earlier days of the British ruleis described. The culprit who was later on blessedby Sri Jagannath was being tried at Puri.Marquish Louis Armstrong was the first Collectorof Puri. He got the title of Marquish amongst theEnglish aristocracy.

This trial was against the murderer,Neelakantha Patri of Harchandi Sahi of Puri.When he was brought to the Court Room he

Mahabahu ! PleaseSave Me

Siba Sundar Pattanaik



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cried out with deep emotion, Mahabahu ! Pleasesave me", Mahabahu ! Please save me",Mahabahu ! Please save me." (i.e, three times).

This Nibedan (Prayer to God) was heart-touchingas there was devotion and deep thought andcomplete surrender to Sri Jagannath.

The judicial application of Bhagaban isdifferent . Neelakantha Patri had killed a man.This is surely Papa (Sin). Who saves, when Harikills? Who kills, when Hari saves ? Sri Jagannathis named Mahabahu (God having big hands).When Neelakantha Patri recited His name all hissins were subsided or vanished. Sri Jagannathheard his cry. Bhakta Kabi (Devotional poet)Dinakrushna Das has written in his book"Rasakallol" :-

Kala ati apakar daituniKale Upakar tara Jadumani .

(Rasakallol -4/32-Note-Ahari)

Putana did harm to Him (God SriKrishna) but Jadumani (Sri Krishna)did good toher.

Even if Putana gave milk from her breastby applying poison on it, God (Sri Krishna) hadswallowed her life and Putana was blessed to goto Bishnulok (the abode of Bisnu) and she hadnot fallen to the clutches of Jama (the god of Death)

Marquish Louis Armstrong, the judgewho was trying the murder case of NeelakanthaPatri asked Government Counsel what the culpritwas saying. In the reply Government Counsel toldthat the culprit was saying Oh my LordArmstrong ! please save me. How muchpresence of mind of the Counsel had that

Marquish and Duke are also called Lord. In Oriyathe word Mahabahu (One having big hands)can not be unjustified to be translated asArmstrong. The Judge might be thinking that theculprit is seeking his mercy to be relieved and hewas overwhelmed to release the culprit. But it isa fact that as Neelakantha Patri had his selfsurrender (Atma Nibedan) to Sri Jagannath tobe releaved of his sins and God had ordered theJudge to release the culprit. The Mahima(greatness) of names of Sri Jagannath is one likethat. He is Nisreya Sodaya (SrimadBhagabatam- 3/25/44) (or ultimate abode). God isalso described as sulabha (One who is easilyobtainable) in Srimad Bhagabat Gita in theFourteenth Sloka (Stanza) of the Eighth Chapter.

This was the first sensational decision ina murder case in English jurisprudence since theearly days of English rule.Gajapati Bira KishorDev has composed the prayer of Sri Jagannath---

Bhujatale Mote Rakha Mahabahu !Bahutale Mote Rakha.

Bipula Bhuja Bistaridele Prabhu !Ki Karipariba Dukha

Mahabahu !

(Oh God having big hands ! keep me under theshelter of Your hands / Please keep me under theshelter of Your arms / Oh God ! if you enlargeyour big arms there would be no sarrow / OhMahabahu ! (God having big hands)

Siba Sundar Pattnaik, Advocate lives at Kanak Mruga,Jail Road, Khurdha.


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Mahapurush Sankardev, the great Vaishnava saintand multifaceted genius of Assam is also very wellknown among the scholars of Orissa. In Oresabarnana section of his Kirtan Ghosha ,Sankardev has described about the mythologicalorigin of the image of Jagannatha, Balabhadra andSubhadra in Jagannatha temple, the rituals andfestivals in the temple and also about the outcomeof singing the glory of Lord Jagannatha and takingMahaprasada in details. The Jagannatha culturehas spread great influence on the religion, cultureand literature as well as folklore of Assam. Evenilliterate women specially in rural area sing songscomposed on Lord Jagannatha.

Sankardev who was born in the year1449 in a village called Bordua had visited Puritwice though Dinanath Bez Baruah in his bookBar Charita has mentioned that Sankardev had

visited Puri three times. The Detailed account ofhis pilgrimage has been recorded in the GuruCharita Katha , Biographical account ofAssamese Vaisnava Saint compiled by hisdisciples. Dr Ram Chandra Mishra, noted Oriyascholar and writer while mentioning Sankar Devas one of the great devotees of Lord Jagannathwrites Lord Jagannath was his light andinspiration for life. Sankardev not only acceptedJagannatha as his deity for worship, he also carriedover the cultural heritage of Orissa to Assam. He

Holy Pilgrimage of Sankardev to Puri

Paban Kumar Kalita

was a true devotee of Lord Jagannatha and alover of Orissa and Assam when Bhakti Cultflourished in different parts of the country. Duringhis visit to Puri, Sanakardev was cordially receivedby Pandas of Jagannatha temple.

Prof. H. K. Satpathy, ex-Vice Chancellor,Sri Jagannath Sanskrit Vishwa Vidyalaya, Puriobserves it is admitted fact that Sankardev hadcome to Orissa and particularly to Puri, the sacredabode of Lord Jagannath and that had made atremendous effect on the cultural, spiritual andreligious atmosphere of the then state of Orissafor which a lot of followers and admirers werecreated.

The evidence of his remark is found in apoetic biography of Sankardeva written by KaviGovinda Nayak of Puri in Oriya mixed Vrajabolilanguage. Poet Govinda Nayak was one of theCourt scholars of Gajapati King Divya SinghaDev. This biography was written in palm leavesin the 37th reigning year of king, which waspublished with Assamese transliteration in the year2005. The detailed description of Sankardev slife and his visit to Puri is found in the book.

It was mentioned in this book thatSankardev had cordial relations with AtibadiJagannatha Das, Sishu Ananata Das and Achyuta



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of Pancha Shakha. The Gajapati King PratapRudra Dev also showed him respect offeringturban and valuable gifts. Some of the miraclesreleated with Sankardev during his visit are alsodescribed in the book.

Biographers of Sankardev have writtenthat it was Jagannath Mishra of Puri, followingthe order of lord Jagannatha came to Bordoa tohand over a copy of Bhagawata with thecommentary of Sridhara Swami to Sankardev.

Eminent Assamese scholar Dr SatyendraNath Sarma writes It is not unlikely thatSankardev might have received spiritual initiationfrom some Vaishnava Saints at Puri where he spentmore than a year .

Dr Jyotshna Rout in her Assamese bookOriya Aru Asomiya Sanskriti Aru

Samannayar Keitiman Dish writesMahapurush Sankardev realised the glory of

Bada Oriya Matha and Bhagawat Ghar set upby Atibadi Jagannath Das as Sankardev stayed along period at Puri and was involved inpropagating Vaisnava religion.

Keeping the memory of Sankardev s holypilgrimage to Puri the Sankardev Sanskriti SamajPuri has constructed a beautiful Namghar withfully accommodated guest house at Puri. TheAssam Panda family also tries to keep alive theclose relations between the two states. Recentlyan Assam Jatri Nivas is also constructed near thewest gate of the Jagannatha Temple.

Paban Kumar Kalita is a press correspondent of theAssam Tribune and lives at Hazarikapara, Sipajhar :Darrang (Assam).


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An incident that took place at Srikshetra in theyear 1972 washed out the minds of all atheistswhen inspite of all prayers and requests of thedevotees and servants Lord Jagannnath did notmount the Chariot for the Ratha Yatra. The thenCM of Orissa Smt Nandini Satapathy too prayedthe Lord not be angry on the devotees. GajapatiMaharajah Dibyasingha Deba prayed the Lordto forgive if any mistake is done by the devoteesand requested the Lord to mount the chariot andgive a Darshan to the mammoth gathering ofdevotees.

This was the year when the first carfestival of Koraput was observed where thousandsof tribals gathered to have a Darshan of the Lordand to pull the chariot. Later when Lord mountedon the chariot at Srikshetra Puri, his closedevotees including bada panda said that Lordhad gone to Koraput for a shower of blessingsfor His intimate Sabara devotees as they are Hisown people and awaited to see Him on the Rathfor the first time at Koraput after the new SabaraSrikshetra temple constructed.

One who visits Koraput will experienceand feel the presence of the divine almighty. Eventoday after so much of industrialisation andmodernisation the place has its beauty with hilltracks, rivers, streams, forests and greenery. Lord

1972 - A MiraculousIncident

Paresh Rath

Jagannath is worshipped by different tribes indifferent names. The Koyas worship the Lord asJaga Raja , the Kondhs as Jagaya , the Gadabas

as Jagada and the Sauras or Sabaras asJaganta, Jagaraji, Keitung etc. Sabaras are great

devotees of Lord Jagannath. Their style ofworshipping the Lord prevails as their oldergenerations did. For the Adivasis Lord Jagannathis an incarnation (avatar) of their deity Keitung.They call it Jaganta (means Lord of theUniverse). The Saoras believe that Keitung hasten faces (rupa) : Jaganta, Todo, Tuman, Bhima,Rang Rang, Garshid, Raman, Jojepal, Matta andTitti. With love the Saoras call their Lord of graceas Jaga Boie (Boie means Lord). LordJagannath is known as Madala. Even todaySabaras worship and do Madala puja. Wherevertribals see Lord Jagannath they see a vibrant iconin Him. Actually this sensation comes among thetribal communities because Lord Jagannathbelonging to them can be called Savara Devata.Fifteen days before the Car Festival the devoteesdo not get Darshan of the Lord. This period iscalled anasara (period of confinement). Legendsrelate that during this period gods become ill andnobody except the Daitas are allowed to servethe Lord, proves that they are the closecounterparts of the Lord. The Daitas are thedescendants of the Savara King Biswabasu. Thus



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this indicates the Savaras are the near and dearone for the Lord, who take care of Him duringillness. This might be one reason why LordJagannath is called Savara Devata. At Puri, theSrikshetra of Orissa, the three Chariots aresweeped by Maharaja Gajapati, the King. Thisritual was known as Chhera Pahanra while atKoraput Chhera Pahanra is performed by a tribal.This ritual was started since the first car festival atKoraput in the year 1972 after Lord Jagannath,who had arrived at Koraput with a miraculoushappening for the Adivasis faith in Him. The firstcar festival of Koraput is important to rememberas thousands of poor, shelterless anddowntrodden , who have never seen Puri or havenever got a chance to visit Puri, were waiting withgreat anxiety to see the Lord of the Universewho will come out of the temple and mount onthe Rath (Chariot). Lord will mount on theChariot. Now where the Chariot will move ?Since Koraput is a hill station with all the up anddown roads . The only plain road available wasNH 43 . It was then decided to move the charioton the NH from near the NH office to theGundicha temple on the Koraput Rayagada road.(The Bada Danda of Koraput) . Thousands oftribals from different parts of Koraput district wereseen in the crowd. Groups of people belongingto different tribal communities gathered in theirtraditional costumes dancing and chanting tribalhymns to pull the car. The temple managementcommittee was confused as to who will performthe job of Chhera Pahanra (sweeping of the car),the duty performed by Gajapati Maharaja at Puri.The legend which was established at Koraput onthe Lord s arrival for the Adivasi s faith in Himcame to everybody s mind. Suddenly it wasdecided that the sweeping will be performed bya tribal and accordingly a man from the crowd

was invited to do the job. The man Budura whoperformed the job was later known that he was avillage head and Sabara from the nearby villageand a most respectable man in that area. Fromthat day the system is continuing and every year atribal chief performs the job during car festival atKoraput. At the Sabara Srikshetra Ratha Yatraone can see the interest of the tribals to pull thecar. Some tribals will be found pulling a piece ofthread from the rope tied on the car, sometouching it to their head while some others kissingit with love. A huge crowd of devotees from thehilly terrain and inaccessible villages will definitelycome out once during Ratha Yatra to see theirLord on the Rath. Notable fact is the role ofAdivasis in the management of the temple works.They assist the cooks in kitchens, bring water andmaterials from stores for the everyday Puja in thetemple. They arrive in thousands from distantvillages to serve the Puja during the car festivel.The Koraput temple management committeesends special invitations to the villages before theRatha Yatra begins. The system of invitation isdone by sending Supari( gua) as we send to inviteour kith and kins. The tribals reach the templepremises in advance and take up theirresponsibility. From supplying water at the kitchento preparation of the Bhog the tribals are seenengaged. On the Yatra day Tribal groups fromBonda, Koya, Lanjia Saura and Paraja performdancing near the chariot as it moves. On behalfof the temple managing body tribal chiefs ofdifferent villages are felicitated on the Car Festivalday with presentation of a Sirpa (a head gear).

Paresh Rath a Journalist who lives at Jeypore,Dist.- Koraput.


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IntroductionThe temple of Narasimha is one of ancient

Vaishnava Shrines of Puri. It is situated near thenortheast boundary wall of the famous Gundichatemple. The shrine is found mentioned in theSkanda Purana to be existing while Indradyumnahad visited the place.1 Indradyumna is stated tohave built a temple for Narasimha and to haveinstalled the deity therein with the help of sageNarada.2 Pandita Surya Narayan Das has alsoreferred that before the emergence of Chaturdhamurtis, king lndradyumna had installed this Godand performed thousands of Asvamedha yajnasin this place (Narasimha temple).3 For this reason,this Narasimha is popularly known as Yajna-Narasimha.4 An elevated place has been levelledfor erection of the main temple and its two frontapartments. The surface of the temple complex isabout 3 feet high from the road level. The areaaround the temple complex has been enclosedby high masonry walls with provision of a seriesof steps for entry into the premises of the westernside. The temple faces to west.Architectural features of the temple:

The temple of Narasimha consists of threestructures such as the Vimana, the Jagamohanaand the Natamandapa. The main temple is aPancharatha Rekha deula, which is fronted by apyramidal Jagamohana and a rectangular

Natamandapa. All the structures within thepremises are thickly plastered in lime mortar andpainted in colours. The temple is built in sandstones, locally called as Baulamala pathara.A. Vimana

The Vimana of the Narasimha temple isa Pancharatha Rekha deula and its height is about60 feet from the ground of the temple.5 Dr. B.K.Rath has mentioned that the height of the templeis about 35 feet from the surface of the templecomplex.6 The structure of the Vimana has fourvertical divisions viz. pistha or plinth, bada or wall,Gandi or sikhara and mastaka. The base of thestructure is square of 17 feet on each side. TheVimana is raised on a high plinth of 4 feet. Thereare no decorative elements in it. The bada of theVimana is panchanga type i.e. having fivecomponent parts such as pabhaga, talajangha,bandhana, upper jangha and baranda. All thecomponent parts of the bada are devoid ofdecorative ornamentations except the barandawhich contains three jhapasimhas: one on eachside of the southern, eastern and northern of theVimana respectively.Parsvadevatas:

The three sides central niches of the badaof Vimana house the images of Varaha, Trivikrama(Vamana) and Vishnu as the Parsvadevatas of themain presiding deity. The Parsvadevatas are

Narasimha Temple at Puri

Ratnakar Mohapatra



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housed with small nisha shrines projecting out fromthe walls. The image of Varaha is the Parsvadevataof the southern side. The four handed image ofVaraha is installed in standing pose holding theuplifted left arm of Prithivi with his major righthand and then hoisting her up on the elbow of hisleft upper hand. He holds Chakra in his upliftedback right upper hand while his lower left handholds a conch above Goddess Prithvi. The rightlower hand of deity is completely broken. Thebackside head of the deity is relieved with a full-blown lotus flower with stalk. A nagi figure withhands in anjali mudra is carved on the pedestalrather than between the legs of Varaha inconventional manner. Two flying apsara figuresare carved on the both sides top corners of theslab. They display flowers and garlands in theirhands. The background slab of deity is decoratedwith trefoil makara head arch crowned by thekirtimukha motif.

The Parsvadevata on the northern sideniche is Trivikrama or Vamana. The four handedimage of Trivikrama has been installed on the doublepetalled lotus pedestal. He holds gada in right upperhand, lotus flower in right lower hand, chakra inleft upper hand and conch in left lower handrespectively. Figures of Sridevi and Bhudevi areflanked on either side of deity. The right leg of deityis set firmly on the ground and another uplifted leftfoot touches the image of Brahma. Beneath hisuplifted leg is a scene of Bali who is presenting thegift to Vamana while Sukracharya lifts his hands upin dismay. The backside head of the deity isdecorated with trefoil Makara head arch, which issurmounted by the Kirtimukha motif. There is aVidyadhara figure depicted on the right side topcorner of the slab. Prof. K.S.Behera and T.E.Donaldson have referred that the image can bedated to the late 13th century AD.7

The image of Vishnu is the Parsvadevataof the eastern or backside central niche of thebada. The four handed image of Vishnu has been

installed on the double petalled lotus pedestal.According to Prof. T.E. Donaldson, the imageon the backside central niche is Vishnu rather thanNarasimha who is enshrined in the sanctum.8 Oldpriests of the temple trace it as the image ofNarayana. Here the image of deity assumes aSamabhanga pose. He holds gada and lotus inhis upper two hands, which are uplifted in asymmetrical fashion. The lower two hands arecompletely broken. Sridevi and Bhudevi areflanked on either side of deity with holding flowersin their hands. The background slab of the deityis decorated with trefoil makara head arch andthe Kirtimukha motif at the apex. Two flyingapsara figures are depicted on the both side topcorners of the slab. On the basis of sculpturalfeatures, R.P. Mohapatra has referred that all theParsvadevatas of Narasimha temple are theworkmanship of the early medieval period.9

The curvilinear superstructure issurmounted on the gandi of Vimana. It displaysfive pagas or pilasters to outwards. The gandi ofthe main shrine is bereft of figure sculptures anddecorative designs except however the projectinglions on central raha paga of all directions. Otherfour pagas are completely plain. Dopichha simhashave been fixed on the top of kanika pagas of thegandi. Garuda figures are also inserted in the fourcardinal directions of the beki above rahas. Boththe figures of lion and Garuda are acting as thesupporting elements of the amalakasila of themastaka.

The mastaka of the Vimana consists ofusual components of Orissan Rekha deula suchas the beki, the amalakasila, the khapuri, thekalasa, the ayudha (Nila chakra) and the dhvaja.

The sanctum preserves a remarkableimage of Lakshmi-Narasimha as the presidingdeity of the temple. The deity is installed on ahigh masonry simhasana of 6 feet in height and 4feet in width.10 The height of the deity is 5 feet


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and it is made of black chlorite.11 He displayschakra in right upper hand, conch in left upperhand and another two lower hands are stretchedover his knees. The image is designed seated inyogasana with both legs crossed and tied nearthe knee. Devi Lakshmi has been installed on theleft lap of Narasimha. The pedestal of thepresiding deity is richly carved with scroll works,flower designs and Garuda figures. Thebackground slab of the deity is finely decoratedwith trefoil makara head arch. Here the deityNarasimha is in calm posture. The artistic finishand iconographic peculiarity of the image take usback to the time of the Ganga period.12 The deitywas very likely installed at Puri by ChodagangaDeva who is said to have introduced the systemof Narasimha worship in Orissa.13 Prof. T.E.Donaldson has referred that the image is in asymmetrical fashion similar to the image atNuapatna.14 R.P. Mohapatra has also identifiedthat a similar Lakshmi- Narasimha image is stillnoticed in the premises of the Ganga Mandira ofCuttack town.15 Besides the presiding deity(Narasimha), there is another Narasimha imagealso kept in the backside of the presiding deity.The image is not Lakshmi- Narasimha but herethe deity (Narasimha) is in ferocious form.Because the lower two hands of deity areengaged to take out the entrails ofHiranyakashyapu, the demon. This backside deityis not appeared from the front. The inner walls ofthe sanctum are devoid of decorativeornamentations.

The sanctum has one doorway towardsthe Jagamohana. The jambs of the doorway areembellished with the floral motifs, creepers,nagabandhas and scroll works. Now it is partlycovered by China plates. The image of Gaja-Lakshmi is finely carved on the center of thedoorway lintel. The Navagrahas are carved onthe architrave above the doorway lintel. Figures

of Jaya and Vijaya, the two legendarydoorkeepers of Vishnu are finely carved at thebase of the jambs.B. Jagamohana or Mukhasala

The Jagamohana of the Narasimha templeis a pancharatha pidha deula and its height is about50 feet from the ground of the temple.16 Thestructure of the Jagamohana is also raised on thehigh plinth of 4 feet and its base is square of 15feet on each side. The bada is panchanga typei.e. having five component parts such as pabhaga,talajangha, bandhana, upper jangha and baranda.All the components of bada are completely plainand plastered by lime mortar. The southern sidecentral paga of the bada is fixed with a balustradedwindow. The balusters of this window are relievedwith dancing female figures (playing on variousmusical instruments), salabhanjikas, alasakanyasand gajasimha motifs of much later workmanship.17

The gavaksha mandana portions of the northernand southern sides of bada are relieved with somedecorative elements in its surface. A large panelon the left side gavaksha mandana of theJagamohana represents three mounted elephantson the march. The king is sitting on an elephantand one mounted is holding parasol on the headof the king. Most probably, it is the depiction ofthe scene of royal tour of Puri king.

The pyramidal superstructure issurmounted on the gandi of Jagamohana. Itconsists of two potalas; the lower and the upperpotalas, which contain six and five pidhasrespectively. The middle portion of each potala isprojected with jhapa-simha in all sides of thegandi. The recess or the kanthi between the twopotalas are filled with decorative female figuresand the different scenes of Lord Krishna.Dopichha lions have been fixed on the top ofkanika pagas of the gandi. Deula Charini figuresare finely inserted in the four cardinal directionsof the beki above rahas.



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The mastaka of the Jagamohana consistsof beki, ghanta (bell shaped members) abovewhich there is another beki, amalakasila, khapuri,kalasa, ayudha (chakra) and dhvaja.

The inner walls of the Jagamohana arecompletely plain. The Jagamohana has onedoorway on the west towards the Natamandapa.The doorjambs of the western side doorway ofthe Mukhasala are relieved with flower medallions,creepers with the frolicking boys and the flowerdesigns. The figures of Jaya and Vijaya are carvedat the base of the doorjambs and they are actingas the dvarapalas of the mukhasala.

The sandhisthala between theJagamohana and the Natamandapa is covered bya small pidha deula and its height is about 20 feetfrom the surface of the temple complex. Thepyramidal superstructure is surmounted on thegandi of the sandhisthala structure. It has nomastaka on the top of the upper pidha. Thisstructure has three doorways; the western leadingto the Natamandapa, the eastern to theJagamohana and the northern to the outside. Innerwalls of this structure are completely plain.C. Natamandapa

The Natamandapa of the Narasimhatemple is a pidha deula and its height is about 35feet from the ground of the temple.18 It stands onthe plinth of 2 feet in height. The base of theNatamandapa is rectangular in size and it measures40 feet in length and 15 feet in width. The bada isalso panchanga type i.e. having five componentssuch as pabhaga, talajangha, bandhana, upperjangha and baranda. All the components of badaare devoid of decorative ornamentations. It hasfour doorways; one on each direction. Thepyramidal superstructure is surmounted on thegandi of Natamandapa. It consists of three flat-shaped pidhas. All the elements of mastaka arenot found from the upper pidha of the gandi. Themastaka has only three elements, such as Kalasa,

ayudha (chakra) and dhvaja Two jhapasimhas areprojected on the northern and southern sides ofthe Kalasa respectively.

The eastern side doorjamb of theNatamandapa is depicted with paintings of lotuspetalled designs, flower medallions and other floraldesigns. Sankha and chakra are carved on thearchitrave above the doorway lintel of the east.Other doorways of the Natamandapa arecompletely plain.

There is a Garuda pillar or sthambhaplaced in the eastern side inner floor of theNatamandapa. The pillar is circular in section andits height is approximately 4 feet 6 inches.19 Theimage of Garuda is installed in kneeling postureon the top of it. The eastern side inner wall nicheof the Natamandapa contains an image ofNarayana. The four handed image of Narayanahas been installed on the plain pedestal. He iscarved in seated posture and his upper two handsdisplay chakra and conch and the lower two handsare joined in anjali mudra (japa posture).

Boundary wall:

The temple complex is enclosed by aboundary wall of 4½ feet in height from the roadlevel. It is made of both laterite and burnt bricks.The top of the boundary wall is decorated withserrated battlements. The boundary wall of thetemple is rectangular and it measures 100 feet inlength on the northern and southern sides and 70feet in width on the eastern and western sidesrespectively.20 In the southwest corner of innerside temple complex is occupied by a Tulasichaunra. There is only one entrance porch in thewestern side of the boundary wall. Thehemispherical arch is surmounted on the entranceporch of the temple. Two jhapasimhas oncroachant elephants are finely projected on theboth sides ground of the entrance porch. Theyare acting as the gatekeepers of the temple.


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There is an image of Mahavir Hanumanaclosely installed in the right side wall of theentrance porch (western side). The image is 4feet in height and it displays gada in right handand huge rock (gandhamardana mountain) in lefthand respectively. This image is housed in a smallshrine of pidha order structure.Date of the temple:

Porf. T.E. Donaldson has referred that theNarasimha temple near the Gundicha temple of Purican be dated to the late 13th century AD.21R.P.Mohapatra has also mentioned that the temple waserected in the Ganga period of Orissa history.22

B.K. Ratha has referred that the Lakshmi-Narasimha temple near Gundicha temple wasconstructed during the 14th century AD.23 J.B.Padhi opines that the Narasimha temple locatednear Gundicha temple is an ancient Vaishnava shrineof Puri.24 On the basis of available sculptures andthe architectural style, the construction period ofthe temple can be tentatively assigned to the 2ndhalf of the 13th century AD. The Ganga ruler ofOrissa built this temple.Its relation with Jagannatha temple:

Narasimha, the presiding deity of thetemple is related to the rituals of Jagannath temple.During festivals, flower garlands (ajnamalas) aretaken from Jagannatha and are kept here. Thistemple has also connected with the Navakalevaraceremony of Lord Jagannatha. Now a localcommittee is managing the temple.

Thus, it is known from the abovediscussion that the temple of Narasimha is anancient Vaishnava Shrine where king lndradyumnaperformed thousands of Asvamedha Yajnas. Onthe basis of architectural style and sculpturalfeatures, the temple was constructed during theGanga period of Orissa history. Although fromthe architectural point of view, the temple ofNarasimha is not so important but from the cultural

point of view, this temple is one of the notableVaishnava shrines of Orissa.

References:1. Skanda, Purana: Utkala Khanda. Chapter- 15:

Vs-8. Calcutta, 1911,2. Ibid, Chapter-16: Vs 21-22. 36-37.3. Pt. S.N. Das. Sri Jagannatha Mandir O

Jagannatha Tatwa (Oniya). Cuttak, 1966, p.314.4. G.C. Tripathy, Srikshetra Shrimandira Shri

Jagannatha (Oriya), Bhubaneswar, 1996, p.185.5. Pt. H.H. Mohapatra, Sri Yajna Narasimha

Deva , in B. Mishra (ed). SrikshetrarDevadevi, vol.1. Puri. 2003. p.39.

6. B.K. Ratha(ed). The Forgotten Monuments ofOrissa. Vol.3. New Delhi, 1990. p.220.

7. K.S. Behera & T.E. Donaldson, SculpturesMasterpieces from Orissa, Style andIconography, New Delhi. 1998. p.137.

8. T.E. Donaldson. Hindu Temple Art of Orissa,Vol.II. Leiden. 1985, p.703.

9. R.P. Mohapatra, Archaeology in Orissa; sitesand monuments, vol.1, New Delhi, 1986, p.175.

10. Pt H. H. Mohapatra. Op-cit, p.40.11. Ibid, Also see R.C. Mishra, Purusottama

kshetra, Puri. 2003. p.175.12. R.P. Mohapatra. Op-cit, p.175.13. Ibid.14. T.E. Donaldson, Op-cit, p.703.15. R.P. Mohapatra, Op-cit, p.175.16. Pt. H.H. Mohapatra. Op-cit, p.39.17. R.P. Mohapatra. Op-cit, p.176.18. Pt. H.H. Mohapatra. Op-cit, p.39.19. Ibid. p.40.20. Ibid, p.39.21. T.E. Donaldson, Op-cit, 1985. p.703.22. R.P. Mohapatra, Op-cit, p.175.23. B.K.Ratha (ed) Op-cit, p.220.24. J.B. Padhi, Op-cit, p.55.

Ratnakar Mohapatra is a ICHR Junior Research Fellow,P.G. Department of History Sambalpur University,Jyotivihar, Burla.



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Numerous rituals are observed in the Sri Jagannathtemple at Puri throughout the year. The rituals orreligious rites (neetis ) may be classified underthree categories, (a) The Daily rituals that are fixedand observed everyday as routine;(b) The Special rituals observed on specific days,like Thursday, Amabasya, Ekadasi, Sankranti,Nakshyatra, Solar and Lunar eclipses. Alsooccasionally certain purificatory rites areperformed when the situation so warrants; (c) theFestive rituals or Festivals observed, some insideand some outside the temple, throughout the year.The details of all these rituals have been mentionedin the Record of Rights of the temple.

In this essay, the special rituals observedin the temple on Thursdays are dealt with in brief.The gurubar neetis (rituals on Thursday) may beclassified under two heads - Majana and Ekanta.MAJANA

Majana (or Marjana) means bath orcleansing. It is performed after Morning Puja(morning food-offering) is over. There is a mandap(a raised platform with a roof over it like a temple)at the southern side of the main temple in front ofthe Muktimandap. This southern mandap isknown as Majana mandap, since majana isperformed here. This mandap has to be washedand a canopy to be tied inside beforecommencement of the rites. The images (idols)of Sridevi (Laxmi), Bhudevi and Madanmohanare carried to this Mandap by Mahajan sevaks.On the mandap they place the Deities on a khata(cot) and perform majana. The materials neededfor majana are supplied by Sudusuar Sevak.

The Special Ritualson Thursdays

Mahimohan Tripathy

Another sevak, Bhitarchha Mahapatra appliessandal paste to the Deities. After that, Puja isperformed by a Puja Panda Sevak. The fooditems offered are curd and kora (coconut sweets).After puja is over Bhitarchha Mahapatra doesalati (waving of lamps) before the Deities and thenbandapana (a ritualistic adoration or greeting).After majana neeti is over, the images are carriedback to Their respective places.EKANTA:

Ekanta means living in camera or in asecluded place. On Thursday night, another ritualhas to be performed. It is called Ekanta. Srideviand Madanmohan (proxy-image of lordJagannath) are taken to the Jagamohan i.e.audience hall of the Mahalaxmi temple and placedon a Palanka (cot). Bhitarchha Mahapatra appliessandal paste to the images. Pujapanda performsthe puja. Kora is offered to the Deities as food.Puja is followed by alati and bandapana. Afterthat, the images are carried back to their respectiveplaces in the main temple.

Majana and Ekanta are not performedon few Thursdays, as specified in the ROR of thetemple. The Sevaks (servitors) associated withthe ritual services of Majana and Ekanta areMahajan (six persons), Sudusuar, Parvayatra-yogania, Asthana-Padhiary, Chandan Ghatuary,Pujapanda, Bhitarachha Mahapatra, Pushpalaka,Vimanbadu, Chhatara, Ghantua, Khata-sejaMekap.Mahimohan Tripathy lives at M-A/2, Brit Colony,Nayapally, Bhubaneswar-12


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The term Patitapabana indicates the lord of thelower section of the society. The earliest referenceto Patitapabana Jagannath is found from theMahabharata of Sarala Das of 15th Century A.D.In this Mahabharata Sarala Das does not refer tothe relief of Patitapabana of the Lion Gate of theJagannath Temple at Puri. He refers toPatitapabana-Jagannath in the Ratnasimhasana.In the Purusottama Khanda of the Skanda Purana,Kapila Samhita and Niladri MahodayaDevadideva Jagannath has been described asParama-pabana but not as Patita-pabana. Itmakes clear that Parama-pabana Jagannath hasnot been accepted as Patita-pabana by theBrahmanic sections of the society in the 14th -15th century A.D.

The concept of Patitapabana wasknown in the Pre-Sarala Das period. LateKedarnath Mohapatra gave an evidence of theworship of Patitapabana Jagannath in the 13thCentury A.D. Of course Late Mohapatraborrowed this evidence from the work of RadhaCharana Panda. Mr. Panda writes:

Antarvedi Matha is situated near TribeniGhat on the bank of the Prachi river. In a thatchedhouse near the Matha the image of Patitapabanais worshipped. It is doubted that an image ofJagannath of the 13th century A.D. could have

Patitapabana Jagannath

Dr. Saroj Kumar Panda

been worshipped near Tribeni Ghat asPatitapabana in the post Sarala Das period .

During the Suryavamsi Gajapati period,Paramapabana Jagannath was popular asPatitapabana. Patitapabana Jagannath had thepower to liberate the Patitas (fallens). At that timelow caste people in Bengal became Muslimsbecause of their detachment from Hinduism.Therefore a powerful section of Odishan Societybecame conscious about this trend in Bengal anddeclared Jagannath as Patitapabana to discouragethe low caste people in accepting the Islam.

It is well known that the Khurda kingRamachandra Dev- II (1727-36 A.D.) came incontact with a Muslim girl. As a result he lost hisreligion and position as the first Sevaka of LordJagannath. Specially his right of entrance into thetemple and the ritual duty in connection withJagannath cult was denied to him. In order to allowRamachandra Dev- II (who was deprived of thisprivileges) to worship and have a Darshan of LordJagannath, the relief of Patitapabana wasconsecrated in the Gumuta of the Lion gate of thetemple. This worship of Patitapabana was dulyhighlighted in the Jagannath Charitamrita ofDibakar Das.

This Patitapabana worship in the Gumutaof Simhadwara could be possible for the willing



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support of the king to some of the Sevaks whodesired it much against the Brahmanic powerwhich was not in favour of this type of worship.For this reason in the Brahmanical texts likeNiladri Mahodaya this event has not beendescribed. Even the composer of Rajabhoga ofMadalapanji was silent about it.

The worship of Patitapabana could bevery much popular in Odisha after 16th - 17thcentury A.D. The deity gained extraordinarypopularity in Odisha for the Gundicha and SnanaYatra on which occasion Jagannath could be seenand touched by all. It was the precious momentfor the devotees to be purified from all their sinsafter a Darsan of the Lord. Hence the Yatra wasassociated with the name of Patitapabana. KabiSamrat Upendra Bhanja has fittingly describedthis aspect in is work Kotibrahmanda Sundari.Another important cause for the popularity ofPatitapabana in the Odishan religious thoughtsphere in the 17th - 18th century A.D. has beenpointed out by H.V. Stietencron. He states thatthe continuous and the dangerous presence of theMuslims in Odisha had induced the Hindus to

isolate themselves and to lay stress on orthodoxy.The god began to be cut off from the majority ofhis devotees. So they began to erect temples forPatitapabana as this aspect of Jagannath was thendeclared and appreciated in Odishan villages. Bythis way the influence of Patitapabana Jagannathwas strongly felt in the Odishan religious thoughtsphere.

In the beginning, Patitapabana wasworshipped as an image (Vigraha) in the Gumutaof the Lion Gate of Srimandir. But after the periodof Divyasimha Dev (1688 - 1716 A.D.) the reliefof the same god was worshipped in the sameplace. The attempt of Aurangzeb the Mughal kingto destroy the Jagannath temple resulted only inremoval of the wooden image of Jagannath fromthe Gumuta of the Lion gate.

Dr. Saroj Kumar Panda is the Principal, GadibrahmaCollege, Delang, Puri.


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Famous deities associated with Indian culture andworshipped long since are Vishnu in differentforms in four Dhams , twelve Jyoti Lingas(Shiva) in different forms and fifty two Shaktidieties in different forms in Shakti Pithas .

Out of four dhams (sacred land)Badrinath in Badrika Dham of Uttarakhand,Dwarakadhis in Dwaraka Dham of Gujrat, SriJagannath in Puri Dham of Orissa andShrirameswar in Rameswar Dham of Tamilnaduare being worshipped.Shri Jagannath in Puri Dham

Odisha is known to common men of otherstates as the land of Shri Jagannath, who is notonly famous in India but is all over the world.Jagannath temples have been built and carfestivals are celebrated in many places outsideIndia also.

Puri Dham close to shore of the Bay ofBengal is known as Shrikshetra (Land ofprosperity) Sankha Kshetra, Bhouma Kshetra,Purosottam Kshetra (land of the supreme being),Nilachal (blue hill), Jamanika Kshetra, UddiyamanKshetra, Martya Baikunth (Paradise on earth) etal. Many ancedotes are cited in support of thenames.

Jagannath is the Kalpa Bruksha (boongiving tree), Yogamurti of the Siddhas, Bishnu

for the Vaishnavites, Shiva for the Shaivites,Mahabhairab for the Tantrics, Buddha andAnupurusha (void) for Boudhas and Ganesh for

the Ganapatya. The rituals, the adornment outfitsand festivals support one god in different namesand adornments. Four gods namely Jagannath,Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarsan have beeninstalled on the raised platform called Ratna Bedi(sanctum sanctorum). Jagannath stands forShrikrishna, Balabhadra is the elder brother,Subhadra is the sister and Sudarsan is the allconquering wheel weapon.

Subhadra, Jagannath and Balabhadrarepresent the Trinity of Hinduism i.e. Brahma,Vishnu and Maheswar. The three deities representthe entire humanity. Jagannath black in colourrepresents the black race, Balabhadra white incolour represents the white race and Subhadra,yellow in colour represents the yellow race. Inother temples, idols are made of stone or metalbut here the idols are made of specified wood.The eyes of Jagannath are circular and devoteestherefore call him Chakadola . All these idols areunusual and sculpted in incomplete form. Itindicates that true and complete picturisation ofGod is not possible. It is said God completes hismorning works at Badrika Dham, puts on hisrobes and ornaments at Dwaraka Dham, takeshis lunch at Puri Dham and wears night dress at

World Famous Lord Jagannath

Naresh Chandra Rout



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Rameswar Dham and goes to bed. ThereforeMahaprasad or sacred food in large quantities indifferent varieties is available at Puri. Sudarsan,the wheel-weapon, due to influence of Buddhismis shaped like a cut-out part of pillar with a wheelpainted on it. Wood is a short living material.Consequently Navakalevar (New idols) aremade and their installation is celebrated atspecified intervals. Every year renovation of theidols is done observing specified rituals.

Origin of Shri Jagannath

In this context there are varying opinionin legends. The anecdote generally accepted isas follows:-

Autochthonous Sabar King Viswabasuwas worshipping Nilamadhab in Nilagiri Hill.Indradyumna, the king of Abanti was a devoteeof Vishnu. He wanted to build a temple and installVishnu therein. Minister Bidyapati sent by the kingto search for Nilamadhab came to Biswabasu. Inno time Bidyapati and Lalita, the daughter of theSabar king were entangled in love. Consequentupon earnest request of both, Biswabasu tookBidyapati to Nilagiri. He stood spell-bound to seedazzling Nilamadhab. Thereafter Bidyapatistealthily left the house of Biswabasu and rushedto Indradyumna to report about the preciousdiscovery. The king galloped with his entourageto Nilagiri only to see vacant mountatin. He hearda heavenly voice that He would float as a treetrunk at Banki Muhani of the Bay of Bengal. Theking managed to collect the tree. After failure ofall artisans, an old artisan volunteered to completethe idols within a period of 21 days inside a closedchamber. After 15 days the door was opened onthe insistence of Queen Gundicha in apprehensionof untoward situation when no sound was heard.The old artisan had vanished leaving behindincomplete and unique idols. The king went toBrahma, one of the Trinity, to conscerate the idols.

Long time elapsed, by the time the king returnedonly to find another king Galamadhab contendingto have built the temple. However Galamadhabyielded, the problem was solved, and the threeidols were consecrated in the temple. With timethe old temple gave way. It is said that constructionof the present temple was started by Jajati Keshariand completed by Chodaganga Dev in 12thcentury. There are differing opinions in differentbooks but historical truth is not available.

Shri Mandir (The Grand Temple)

One of the many names of spouse ofJagannath is Shri Shri means prosperity. Campusof Jagannath temple covers 10 acres of land. Twocompound walls surround the temple. The outerwall is called Meghanad Prachir which is 650 ftin length, 644 ft in breadth and 20 ft in height.The inner wall is called Kurma Prachir which is400 ft in length, 278 ft in breadth and 20 ft inheight. The height of the majestic temple is 214 ft8 inch from the level of Bada Danda (GrandRoad). The massive temple is full of sculptures inOrissan style of architecture. A lime coating wasprovided in the past to protect the sculpture fromeffect of saline wind blast on the sea coast.Recently the coating has been removed to exposethe wonderous sculpture. 15 ft high Neelachakra(Blue Wheel) made of a compound of 8 metalssoars at the top of the temple and very largepennant, a symbol of relief to the suffering hoversat the top of the wheel. There are four gates toenter into the campus of the temple. East (Main),West, North and South gates are called Lion,Elephant, Tiger or Khanja and Horse gates. A 33ft monolithic sculptured pillar has been installedin front of the Lion's Gate. This is called ArunaStambha which has been shifted from the Konarktemple. Idol of Patitapaban comes into view onthe right side before entering through the main gatefor relief to that all barred from entering into thecampus. After entry through the Lion's Gate


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visitors have to cross Baisi Pahacha (22 steps) togo round the campus. Actually there are 17 stepsand the name Baisi Pahacha is a mystery. In frontof Baisi Pahacha stands the grand temple whichis divided into 5 chambers called Bhoga Mandap,Nata Mandap, Jagamohan, Bahar Pokharia andBhitara Pokharia from front to rear. Devoteesmake obeissance standing behind GarudaStambha facing the prime deities. The doorbetween Jagamohan and Bahar Pokharia is calledJaya Bijay Dwar and the door between BaharaPokharia and Bhitara Pokharia is called KalahatDwar. In Bahar Pokharia there is a pedestal calledAnasara Pindi . In between Snana Jatra and

Ratha Jatra, idols are worshipped on this pedestalfor a specified period. In Bhitara Pokharia standthe Chaturdha Murti (four idols), Jagannath,Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarsan on theRatnavedi (Sanctum Sanctorum). Although calledChaturdha Murti) there are 7 idols, the additionalidols being Bhudevi (Saraswati), Shridevi (Laxmi)and Nilamadhab. Bhudevi and Shridevi are madeof metal and Nilamadhab is made of wood.Bhudevi and Shridevi sojourn to specifieddestinations during specified festivals as BijePratima (emmissary). Nilamadhab never movesout of Ratnavedi.

Bahar Bedha (Outer Compound Wall) :

Temples and other sacred places withinMeghanad Prachira and Kurma Parchira are asfollows: Kasi Biswanath, Shri RamachandraMandir, Veta Mandap, Rosa Ghar (kitchen), ShriRamchandra Mandir, Sadabhuj Gourang,Mausima Mandir, Barabhai Hanuman, GurundiGopal, Puruna Nrushingha Mandir, BuddhimaMandir, Nilachal Upaban (Blue hill garden),Nirmalya Khala (consecrated rice drying area),Panchamukhi Mahabir Mandir, Durga MadhabMandir, Sidheswar Mahadeb Mandir, ChakraNarayan Mandir, Rameswar Mahadeb Mandir,

Niladri Vihar, Dhabaleswar Mandir, KoiliBaikuntha (sacred burial ground), BaikunthMahadeb Mandir, Arpaana Gopal Mandir,Mahabir Tapaswee Hanuman Mandir, BamanaMandira, Laxmi Nrushingha Mandir, UttarayaniMandir, Sitala Thakurani Mandir, JhadeswarThakurani, Beddha Lokanath, Ganesh Mandir,Parsunath Mandir, Dhabaleswar Shiba Mandir,Isaneswar Shiba Mandir, Ananda Bazar(consecrated food market), Snana Mandap(Both Platform), Chahani Mandap (Gazingpedestal).

Bhitara Bedha (Inner Compound Wall):

Temple and sacred places on the innerside of Kurma Parchira are as follows:Agneyaswar Mahadeb, Shri Satya Narayan, ShriRadha Ramana Thakura, Shri BatakrushnaMandira, Radhakrushna Mandira, Shri Brahma,Bishnu Maheswara Mandira, Shri Hari SahadebMandir, Shri Bata Jagannath, Shri BalamukundaMandira, Shri Bata Ganesh, Bata Mangala,Pancha Pandab, Shri Baraha Narayan, KalpaBata (Boon-yielding tree), Shri Surya Mandir,Anant Basudeb, Kutam Chandi, KhetrapalMahadeb, Muktaswar Mahadeb, Mukti Mandap(Salvation Court), Nrusingha Mandir, JalakridaMandap, Rohini Kunda, Natua Ganesh, ShriBadri Narayan, Bimala Mandir, Shri BenuMadhab Mandir, Mandani Ghar, PadapadmaDeula Naxa (Temple Plan), Shri Sakhigopal, ShriKanchi Ganesh, Gopinath Mandir, KhirachoraGopinath, Bhubaneswari, Shir Nilamadhab,Beddha Kali, Shri Laxmi Narayan Mandir,Mahalaxmi Mandir, Nabagraha Mandir, LaxmiNarayan Mandir, Shir Surya Narayan Mandir,Shir Dadhibaman Mandir, Shri RamchandraThakur, Pataleswar Mahadeb, Shri Padapadma,Shri Narayan Mandir, Shrimandira Karyalaya(Temple Office), Shri Radhakrushna Mandir,Garad Ghar (Security Office), Navikata Mandap,Deba Seva Mandap, Paduka Kunda, Bali



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Bamana Mandir, Shri Nisa Nrushingha Mandir,Ekadasi Mandir, Kaliyug Venddha, DakshinaGhar, Majana Mandap, Indrani Mandir, ShriBata Balabhadra Mandir, Shri Ananta Sayan.

Rites and Rituals of Shri Jagannath

Legendarily luminaries like Shankara-charya, Ramanuj, Madhabacharya, Chaitanya,Guru Nanak and Kabir have come to Puri andhave left indelible imprints on rites and rituals andfestivals of Puri. Syncretism of Vaishnab, Shaiba,Shakta, mystic tantric and autochthonous ritualsare reflected in the Temple. Routine rituals continuefrom 5 AM to 12 midnight. Gopaniya Niti (Secretrituals), Nakshatra, Bandapana Niti (Rituals inwoship of stars), Ghodalagi Niti (Rituals forchanging apparels and ornaments), Grahana andParag Niti (Rituals for lunar and solar eclipse),Ashauch and Durghatana Niti (Purification andaccident rituals) are observed on specified days.On Mahastami day, a male goat is sacrificedoutside the temple premises and the blood mixedwith rice is offered to Bimala and thereafter thetemple premises are purified. Deities Laxmi andSaraswati of sanctum sanctorum andRamakrushna Madan Mohan, Rama, Lakshman,Sita, Hanuman, Narayan, Dolagobinda, BadaNrushingha and Panch Pandab of DakshinaGhara take part in specified festivals on specifieddays as representatives of Jagannath. Snana andAnasara rituals, Ratha Jatra (Car festival) andBahuda Jatra (The retreat festival) are famousin India and lakhs of people congregate at Puri.Brief description of festivals is furnished test infra.

Bhoga Samagri (Delicacies Offered to ShriJagannath)

Lord was so overwhelmed with devotionof king Indradyumna at the time of inaugurationof the temple that he offered to ask for any boon.The king asked for the boon that such largequantities of food in numerous varieties would be

offered to the Lord that his palms will never bedry. Although called Chhapan Bhogi (Lord Whois served fifty six varieties of food), the number ofvarieties and quantities all so large that it is notpossible to elaborate them here. Kitchen ofJagannath is said to be the largest kitchen in theworld. Legends provide varying opinions as towhy the offered to Jagannath food is calledMahaprasad. More acceptable opinion says foodoffered becomes Mahaprasad and after it isreoffered to tantric goddess Bimala. Mahaprasadcomprises two main varieties viz AnnaMahaprasad (lunch / dinner variety), and ShukhilaMahaprasad (Snacks variety), Anna Mahaprasadconsists of Anna (rice), Dali (Lentils & pulses),Dalma (vegetable and pulses), Shag (Spinach),Khata (Pickle), Kanika (Fried rice), Ghia Anna(ghee-mixed rice) etc. Only indigenous vegetableare used in the temple kitchen. Potato, Tomatoetc. are not used due to foreign origin. TokenAnna Mahaprasad taken in two fingers is calledKaibalya. Dried Anna Mahaprasad is calledNirmalya and it is customary to take a grain ofNirmalya to complete Puja process in the morningby the ladies. Very small packs of grated cocoanutmixed with jaggery in a piece of dry leaf is calledSukhili and is available at nominal cost. Pilgrimsdistribute Sukhili in villages after return from Puri.Sukhili also accompanies betel leaf and nut as apart of invitation in marriage ceremony and threadceremony. Specified Bhog items are supplied byspecified Maths (monasteries) on specified days.

Veshas of Jagannath

Throughout the year Jagannath,Balabhadra, Subhadra and their representativedeities assume different decorated personae ondifferent occasions. Main Vesas are as follows:-

Chandana Vesha for 42 days from third day ofsecond fortnight of Kartika Month, Elephant or


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Ganesh personae on full moon day of Jyestha,Rukmini Harana Vesha on 11th day of secondfornight of Jyestha, Naba Jouban Vesha on newmoon day of Asadha, Suna Vesha on 11th day ofsecond fortnight of Asadha, Chitalagi and RahuRekha Lagi (Ornaments) on new moon day ofShraban, Banabhoji Vesha on 10th day of firstfortnight of Bhadrab, Kaliyadalan Vesha on 11thday of first fortnight of Bhadrab, PralambasuraBadha Vesha on 12th day of first fortnight ofBhadrab, Krushna Balaram Vesha on 13th dayof first fortnight of Bhadrab, Baman Vesha on 12thday of second fortnight of Bhadra, Raja Veshaon 10th day of second fortnight of Aswina,Radhadamodara Vesha from 11th day of secondfortnight of Aswina to 10th day of second fortnightof Kartik and Harihara Vesha on Mondays withinthis period, Thiakia or Laxminarayan Vesha on12th day of second fortnight of Kartik,Bankachuda Vesha and Tribhubana Vesha on13th day of second fortnight of Kartik, LaxmiNrusingha Vesha on 14th day of second fortnightof Kartik, Rajarajeswari Vesha on full-moon dayof Kartik, Shradha Vesha from 14th day of firstfornight to first day of second fortnight ofMargashira, Abhiseka Vesha on full-moon dayof Pousa, Padma Vesha on Saturday and Tuesdaybetween new-moon day and 5th day of secondfortnight of Magha, Gajaudharan Vesha on full-moon day of Magha, Chacheri Vesha from 10thday of second fortjight to full-moon day ofPhalguna, Raja Vesha on full-moon day ofPhalguna, Nagarjuna Vesha is adopted in the yearin which Panchaka covers six days in place ofnormal five days upto end of Kartik and lakhs ofpeople congregate to celebrate the festival.Different personae of one God and syncretism ofdifferent faiths and different idols is reflected inthe Vesha s (Note: Months are Indian lunar monthsof almanac).

Servitors of Shri Jagannath

It is said Shri Mandir provides forChhatisha Nijoga or 36 grades of servitors. Infact the number of grades of servitors is about250 and total number of servitors is very large.Raja Seva (Royal service) and other services arethe two main kinds of service to the temple.Gajapati Maharaja is the first and main servitor.People treat him as roving God. He alone ispermitted to go inside the temple borne in apalanquins to the accompanyment of drums andtrumpet and bow before the Lord in the sanctumsanctorum. He sweeps Lords' chariots with thehelp of a gold broom at the time of car festival,sweeps Dolabedi and Snana Vedi during Dolafestival and Snana festival. Daitas (autochthonousservitors) and priests receive betel nut as tokenof authorisation by the Maharaja to proceed insearch of wood for Nabakalebara (New Idols).He is the Chairman of temple managementcommitte. Other services are taken care of bythe large number of servitors. There are servitorseven to chase crows at the time of cutting, rollingand grinding vegetable and spices necessary forcooking in the temple kitchen. There are alsomany kinds of servitors for service outside thetemple premises.

Snana Jatra (Bath Festival), Rath Jatra (CarFestival) and Bahuda Jatra (Return CarFestival)

Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra aretaken from sanctum sanctorum to bath altar oneby one in ceremonial procession called Pahandi.Bath is also conducted with festive ceremony. Itis said that the three deities suffer from fever afterthe bath. Therefore the deities are confined toAnasarapindi up to end of first fortnight of Asadhaand they are worshipped by Daitas following theirrituals. The damage or disfiguration during oneyear is taken care of by restoration of Idols during



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this period. People congregate for NabajoubanaDarshan or to set eyes on the youthful Idols onthe first day of second fortnight of Asadha. Onthe second day of second fortnight of AsadhaJagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarsanare taken in slow ceremonial procession to thethree chariots which move to Gundicha temple inceremonial procession called Rath Jatra (CarFestival). Lakhs of people congregate to take partin this festival. The deities remain in GundichaTemple till 9th day of second fortnight of Asadhaand worshipped with the same rituals in ShriMandir. The deities return in Rath Jatra - likeprocession on 10th day of second fortnight ofAsadha. The deities remain on the chariots onthat day and the next day on which Suna Vesha ismade. The deities are adorned with preciousapparel and heavy crown and ornaments of gold.The deities retreat to the sanctum sanctorum ofShri Mandir on 12th day of second fortnight ofAsadha. The Car Festival is famous in the worldfor the unique ceremony and huge gathering ofpeople irrespective of caste, creed, colour, religionetc. Running commentary of the festival istransmitted in radio and television during thefestival.

Naba Kalebar (New Body)As the bodies of four idols are made of

wood, changing bodies after reasonable periodis inevitable. Nabakalebar is made during the yearin which the month of Asadha comes in a pair forreconciliation between lunar and solar months. Inthe past Naba Kalebar was held in 1912, 1931,1950, 1969, 1977 and 1996. Observing specifiedrituals Daitas and priests proceed to Kakatpurand worship deity Mangala who reveals thelocation of appropriate trees for making the idols.Trees are located, cut to appropriate sizes andtransported to Puri observing prescribed rituals.Brahma Pinda (Divine matter) is extracted from

old idols and inserted in new idols. Naba Kalebar

festival is more famous than car festival in termsof spendour and convergence of multitude ofpeople. Bodies of old idols are cremated in KoiliBaikunth (sacred burial ground).

Supernatural Powers of Shri Jagannath

Jagannath responds to prayer of personsin distress and therefore one of his names isArtatrana (Great Healer). There are manyaccounts from the devotees depicting relief dueto grace of Jagannath and instances are: episodesof Jayadev, Jagannath Das, Balaram Das, RaghuArakshit, Dinakrushna, Salabeg, Dasia Bauri,Bandhu Mohanty, Nilambar Das, RajkumariBishnupriya, Gita Panda, Paramesti, GanapatiBhatt, Sadhu Mohanty, Raghu Das, KrupanaPanda. Famous example of grace of Jagannath isKanchi Abhijan (Kanchi expedition). Princess

of Kanchi was famous for beauty and erudition.Purosottam Deb was the Maharaja of Utkal. Aproposal was mooted for his marriage with theprincess. Raja of Kanchi declined with satiricalremark that marriage with a sweeper who sweepsthe chariots of Jagannath is not possible. Treatingthe refusal as an insult to Lord Jagannath,Purusottam went on expedition to Kanchi seekingblessings of Jagannath. At Adipur near Chilikalake Manik Gouduni (milk-maid) obstructed theMaharaja pleading for unpaid cost of cheese andcurd eaten by his two leading soldiers riding blackand white horses producing a gold ring asevidence. Purusottam identified the ring as that ofLord Jagannath leading the expedition. It was awar between Jagannath-led army with that ofGanesh-led army of Kanchi. Purusottam won thewar, brought the princess to Puri and instructedhis Minister to get the princess married with asweeper. During next car festival, whenPurusottam was sweeping Lord s chariot, theclever Minister offered the princess to theMaharaja.


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Parting Words

Pre-eminence of Laxmi, the consort ofJagannath is exemplified in Laxmi Puran .Attracted by the welcome wall painting anddevotion of Shriya, of low caste, Laxmi went toher house. Jagannath ordered to banish Laxmifrom the temple at the behest of elder brotherBalabhadra as contact with low-caste people wasforbidden. Laxmi left pronouncing the curse thatpoverty would rage in Shri Mandir after herdeparture. Jagannath and Balabhadra sawvanishing act of food in Shri Mandir and where-ever they went. At last they agreed to take foodfrom the house of a low-bred woman in a sea-side house. Items served proved that the foodwas prepared by none other than Laxmi.Responding to the apology of the two brothers,Laxmi consented to return to Shri Mandir oncondition that caste-bias would be discarded fromthat day. But servitors prohibit entry of Muslimsand Christians into the temple. Most probably suchprohibition is in practice due to waves of invasionsby Muslims on Orissa, Shri Mandir and otherTemples and ant i-Hindu activities andpatronisations of Christianism by Christians as asafety measure.

All corporeal beings have to undergocycles of weal and woe and Shrimandir andJagannath are no execeptions. At the time ofcoronation of Jajati Keshari in the 9th century AD,Shri Mandir was devoid of the idols. It wasascertained from servitors that the idols weresecretly transported to Sunupura (Sonepur) andburied somewhere secretly. The Maharajasalvaged the Brahma Pinda and consceratednew idols inserting the same and worship wasresumed.

In the year 1510 AD, Hussain Saha,Sultan of Bengal (Kalapahad) destroyed the idolsduring his attack. Brahma Pinda was secretlyremoved from the idols and carried toKujangagarh before the attack. In 1575 AD,Brahma Pinda was salvaged, inserted in new idolsand installed in renovated temple by GajapatiRamachandra Dev. Therefore he earned the titlesecond Indradyumna.

In 1620 AD in apprehension of attackby Moghul Commander Ahmed Baig, BrahmaPinda from the idols was removed and secretlyhidden in Gadamanitri area of Banpur. Sacredstone was restored in the idols after four yearsand worship was resumed.

In 1687 AD, during the reign of GajapatiDivyasingha Dev, Nawab Ekram Khan underorders of Aurangjeb attacked Jagannath Temple,caused devastation in the temple premises anddestroyed the Nilachakra bringing down the samefrom the top of the temple.

In 1733 AD, before the attack of TakiKhan, the idols were carried in litters to Tekali atthe border of Khalikote kingdom. Idols wererestored in the temple after peace prevailed.

Jagannath is not the Lord born out of fearas conceived by Bertrand Russell. He is thegurdian, guide and guru to the devotees and thebond with Him is unbreakable. People go toJagannath with betel leaves and nuts to invite Himas the first invitee in marriage and threadceremonies.

Naresh Chandra Rout lives at 19, Buddha Nagar,Bhubaneswar-6.



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Balarama, the elder brother of Srikrishna was oneof the ten incarnations of Vishnu as stated byBhagabat and other Puranas. His father wasVasudeva of Yadu clan but he had two mothersDevaki and Rohini. Maharaja Kamsa, the kingof Mathura killed all the six issues of his sisterDevaki as one of her sons was to kill himaccording to some forecast. So GoddessYogamaya had made some miracle for her seventhissue, while Devaki was pregnant. Yogamayaextracted the foetus from the uterus of Devakiwhile she was eight months pregnant and placedit inside the uterus of Rohini. Rohini at that timehide herself in Nanda's house at Gopa for the fearof demon Kamsa.

It is said in Bhagabat that -'Devakya Jathare Garbham Shesakhyam

Dham Mamakam,Tata Sanni Krushya Rohinya Udare

Sanniveshaya'Bhagavat [10-3-(8-10)]

It is said in Bhagavat that the supremepower called Shesha which is the abode of LordKrishna (Vishnu), took birth as a human in theform of foetus in the uterus of Devaki. GoddessYogamaya had extracted the foetus of Balaramaand placed it safely inside the uterus of Rohini,the second wife of Basudeva. So after birth hisname was Sankarsana.

The story is told in Vishnu Puranadifferently that Lord Vishnu being satisfied withthe prayer of Devatas gave two bunch of hairs-black and white separately for the benefit ofhumanity, these two bunch of hairs converted toBalaram and Srikrishna.

Balaram took birth after two months fromRohini on the day of Shravan Purnima (GahmaPurnima). He was called Sankarshan as he wasextracted from others womb. He killedPralambasur by fisticuffs in the forest of Bhandir.He threw the Dhenukasur whose body was justlike an ass from the top of stiff mountain and killedhim.

King Raibat established the kingdom ofKususthali now called Dwaraka, which is twentyfour kilometers from Pore-bandar inside the sea.King Raibat gave his daughter Rebati in marriagewith Balarama. he had two sons from Rebatinamed Nishastha and Ulluka. He had also threebrothers and one sister Subhadra from Rohini.Afterwards when Jarasandha attacked Mathuraagain and again, King Raibat donated Dwarakato his son-in-law Balarama and Srikrishna.

Balarama once sealed the mouth of RiverYamuna as she disobeyed him. He dug a channelwith his plough to divert Yamuna. She beggedappology to Balarama for her disobedience. Hala

Lord Balarama

Er. Nirakar Mahalik


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(Plough) and Musala (Club) were his mainattributes. So he was called Hali. He pardonedYamuna for her sin.

In other occasion Samba, son ofSrikrishna abducted Lakhyana, daughter ofDuryodhana from her Svayambar Sabha but hewas kept in custody by Kauravas, Balaramknowing this, gave a proposal for the marriage ofSamba with Lakhyana. But Kauravasdishonoured Balaram. Angry Balaram threatenedKauravas, to throw their capital in holy Gangesby his plough. When he sacked his capitalDuryodhan agreed the proposal and gave hisdaughter Lakhyana in marriage with Samba.

The Saura Puran states that -

Matsyah kurmo varaha schahNarasingho atha vamanah

Ramo Ramascha Krishnascha Buddhah Kalki

Cha Te Dasha 11. 15/25 (Soura Purana)

Matsya (fish), Kurma (Turtle), Baraha (Boar),Narasingha (man-lion), Vaman (Dwarf-man),Rama, Balaram, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki areten incarnation of Vishnu. Here Balaram isregarded as Vishnu. Now he is regarded as Debataor God. So Balarama became (Bala+Deva)Baladeva. Krishna and Balarama are regardedas Hari and Hara. Here Balarama is regarded asLord Siva. Siva is helping Vishnu in everyincarnation like Rama-Laxman in Tretaya Yuga.In Dwapar Yuga as Krishna-Balarama and in KaliYuga they are Jagannath and Balabhadra.Balarama like Laxamana is a yogi, traveller, silentworker, renunsation, truthful and Sanyasi asdescribed in different Puranas. Poet YosabantaDas said in Prema Bhakti Brahma Gita thatRudra-Siva is Balarama or Balabhadra :-

"Tahum Se Ambhe Tini BhrataYekante Bhaliu Gupata.

Rahilu Se PurusottamNitya Rahasa Arupam.

Ye Rudra Balabhadra RupaAtanti Ananta Swarupa.

Ambe Shree Jagannath DehiBrahma Subhadra Hoi Tahi.

Radha Gupata Anga HeuAtma Sangate Puja Pau.

Poet Yosobanta Das, one of the great poet ofPanchasakha group told that Balaram, Srikrishnaand Subhadra took rebirth in Purusottam Dhamas Balabhadra, Jagannath and Subhadra who arethe Supreme Gods Rudra, Vishnu and Brahmarespectively.

Sarala Das one of the greatest poets ofmedieval India in his magnum opus SaralaMahabharat in 15th Century AD already told thesame thing-

"Rama Krishna Subhadra Je E Tini PratimaShree Purusottame Bije Hali Hari Brahma"

Here the poet told that Balaram, Krishnaand Subhadra in Dwapar Yuga are the sameBalabhadra, Jagannath and Subhadra inNilachala.

Accordingly to Prof. Prabhat Mukherjeein about 5th Century AD Sankarsana andVasudeva came to be known as Jagannath andBalabhadra in Orissa. Brihat Samhita ofVarahmihira (6th Century AD) enjoins to placeEkanamsa (Subhadra) between Baladev andKrishna.A stone image of Balarama which is nowpreserved in Lucknow Provincial Museum is asure proof that his worship was prevalent inMathura during the Sunga period (2nd centuryBC). The deity holds club (Masala) in his righthand and Hala (plough) in the left.

The earliest representation so far availableof the holy triad of Krishna-Vasudeva, Subhadra



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(Ekanamsa) and Sankarsana-Balarama ispreserved in Karachi Musuem, Pakistan (2ndcentury AD). Here two armed Balarama is instanding pose and holding a colossal plough (hala)in his right hand. The association of KrishnaBalaram in a few Jain reliefs from MathuraMuseum and datable to the Kusan Period is alsoworthy take note of.

Besides image of Balarama, somecarvings representing some incidents of the life ofBalarama and Krishna of 2nd or 3rd Century ADhave been discovered from Tumain (ancientTumbavana) in Gwalior State. It is found in anancient building decorated with beautiful andinteresting carvings.

Worship of Balarama are found from thearchaeological exeavation at Paharpur in Rajsahidistrict of Bangladesh. One gray sand-stonesculpture of Balarama, one of the ten incarnationof Vishnu depicted here with plough (Hala) undersnake-hood is found there. Fight of Balarama andKrushna with Chanura and Mustika the twowrestlers of Kansa is depicted clearly. Anotherscene of dragging of Kamsa by Balarama andKrishna is found there which shows that theBalarama worship spread to Bengal.

From Imadpur in Muzaffarpur district ofBihar one bronze image of Balarama having fourhands with snakehood along with Ekanamsa andKrishna were recovered which now adorns theKing Edward VII Gallery of the British Musuemshowing the Balarama worship in Bihar.

In Orissa Balarama, Ekanamsa andKrishna are worshipped at Ananta-Vasudevatemple at Bhubaneswar and Balaram(Balabhadra), Subhadra and Jagannath areworshipped in Jagannath temple at Puri.

Swarupa of Lord Balarama is describedby Balaram Das, one of the poets of Panchasakha

group in his Dandi Ramayan so magnificently asfollows:-

"Jaya Tu Srihari He Ashesa JanadhariRohini Nandana Tu Pralamba HotakariRebati Kanta Kalandi Jale Tora KhelaNilabastra Paridhan Ayudha To Hala

Taladvaja Aharam Sirare KundaliJara Pade lule Sarba Devanka Mauli

Sudha Spatikaku Jini Tora Deha VarnaSwarna Kundali Sobhita Tora Beni KarnaMastaket to Sapta Phani Kirita Mukuta

Mukuta Kadamba To Shohai Kantha Tata"

Balabhadra you are Vishnu, Rohini Nandan,Pralamba Killer, Rabatikanta, playing inside thewater of Kalindi, wearing blue dress your attributsis Hala (plough), riding Taladhvaja chariot havingheaddresses. All devatas worship you. You areas white as spatika and wearing gold ornamentsin the ears with snake hood in head and jewelnakelace on your neck.

Puri is called Shreekhetra or Purusottamakhetra. Here Lord is Uttama-Purusa having hiswife Laxmi, elder brother Balarama and sisterSubhadra. Shree is Laxmi, when Shree left Shreekhetra only Khetra (field) remains there. PoetBalaram Das describes in his 'Laxmi Puran' thatwhen Laxmi left Uttam-Purusa, the Purushabecame helpless and lived without food. Onceelder brother Balarama showed his admistrativepower over his family members. One day auntouchable lady Sriyachandaluni worshippedMahalaxmi deeply. Laxmi went to Sriya's house.Elder brother Balaram knew the fact and directedLord Jagannath to drive Mahalaxmi from Shree-Mandir as she went to a chandal house. Mahalaxmileft Shree-Mandir, as a result of which Balaramand Jagannath could not get Mahaprasad (rice)as they were anti-Laxmi (Laxmidrohi). Nobodygave them food. At last they went to SriyaChandaluni's house where Mahalaxmi dwelt. Theywere satisfied with usual food and Podapitha(cake) distributed by Shreeya. Mahalaxmhi came


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back to Sri Mandir again. Here in the Laxmipuranthe greatness of Laxmi has been established. Sheis the cause of all happiness of Lord Balaram andJagannath.

Balarama, the elder brother of Srikrishnawent on tour to different places duringMahabharat War without supporting eitherKauravas or Pandavas. Pravachana Yagnya wasorganised by Rishi Lomaharshana in the holy forestof Naimishyaranya. Rishi Lomaharshana sat onthe sacred chair of Vyasa. Balarama after returingfrom his travel trip entered Naimishyaranya duringthe course of Pravachana programme. All Rishisand devotees paid respect to Balaram except RishiLomaharshana. Balarama threw his sharpencrusha to Lomaharshana and he was killed. AllRishis denounced Balaram and ultimately he wentto different holy places to have bath in holy waterto wave out his sin.

It is said that Balaram went to Jajapur todip in water of Baitarani river to wave out his sin.He fought with demon Kandarasur at Kendraparaand killed him on Kartika Akadasi day. Balarammarried his daughter Tulasi on Dwadasi day ofKartika. Every year Tulasi Bibaha festival isperformed on this day at Baladev Jew temple atKendrapara.

According to Srimad Bhagabat, it is saidthat while Akrura was returning from Gopa toMathura along with Balaram and Krishna, he sawthe miracle inside Kalandi water during his bath.He saw Srikrishna sat on the lap of Ananta(Balaram), the bright white Sheshanag havingthousand snake-hoods:-"Sahasra Shirasam Debam Sahasra Phana MaulinamNilambar Bisashvetam Shrungeih Shvetamiba SthitamTasvota sange Ghanashyama Pitakausheya vasasamPurusham Chaturbhujam Shantam Padma-Putrarunekshyanam."

(Bhagabat-10-40-(45-46)

Here Balarama is called 'Ananta' or'Shesa Naga'. Balaram while on death bed, was

described as in Naga (snake)form. When Jaduclan was destroyed one Anantanaga emerged fromBalaram's mouth and entered into the ocean.Jagannath Dash, one of the greatest poet of Orissadescribes like this:-"Jadaba Bala Nasta Dekhi ! Rama Bujhile Beni Akhi

Takhyane Nija Yogabale ! Ananta Paseele Patale"

Now Balarama, Subhadra and Krishnaare worshipped in Shree Mandir at PurusottamaKhetra Puri as Lord Balbhadra, Subhadra andLord Jagannath.

Famous Indian Poet Bidyakar MishraBajapayee in his "Nityachar Paddhati' praysLord :-

"Namasteastu Jagannath Namasteastu Pitamaha,Narayan Namasteastu Balabhadra Namostute"

References :1. Bharatiya Paramparare Devatrayi by

Khagendra Nath Mallik 'Jhankar'-55th year 4thissue.

2. The History of Medieval Vaishnavism inOrissa by Prof. Pravat Mukhree, Orissa DistrictGazetteers, Puri.

3. V.S. Agrawala-A Short Guide Book to MathuraMuseum.

4. (a)Interrelation between Vaisnavism andSaktism in Orissa by Mahesh Prasad Dash,the OHRJ-Vol-XI-1963.(b) Krishna and Baladev as attendant figuresin early Indian Sculpture-R.C.Agrawala-IHQ-XXXVIII March 1962.

5. Vaisnavism-Kunja Govinda Goswami-IHQ-Vol.-XXX

6. Vaisnavism-Kunja Govinda Goswami IHQ-Vol.-XXXI

7. The cult of Ekanamsa-Shyam Chand Mukherji-IHQ.Vol.-XXXV

8. Kendrapara Zilla Itihas-Pratap Kumar Roy.

Er. Nirakar Mahalik lives at N1/82, IRC Village,Bhubaneswar-15.



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Lord Jagannath is the master of the universe. Heis Lord Purushottam as described in manyPuranas such as the Bhagavata Purana, BhabisyaPurana, Vaman Purana, Vishnu Purana and so on.Lord Purushottam first established himself inOdisha - "Odre tu Purushottamam." In no otherpart of the country the supreme Lord isworshipped as Purushottam or Jagannath.

Lord Jagannath - Purushottam exercisesdeep influence in social and religious linesof Odisha. For Hisantiquity, age-old rituals,traditions, festivals,legends etc. has been theprime adorable deity of thecountry as a whole. For Hisstrange visage and fibrecatholicity Car-Festival andsplendid fame made him mostvisited and favourable amidpeople of the whole world.His edifice, Mahaprasadand participation of innumerable people in Hisservice do cast a spell over all who becomeinquisitive of Lord Jagannath. He sees nodiscrimination among his children. He always isremembered right from birth to old age and dawnto dusk. His concept may be difficult tounderstand yet very clear and familiar. He stands

for fine characteristics of the Vedanta such asuniversality, impersonality, rationality, catholicityand optimism. He is the reminiscient of all religiousactivities undertaken by great asceties and seersof the country. People bear Him in mind duringall stages of life namely childhood, householder,wandering mystic and renunciation and mentalstatus like consciousness, unconsciousness andtrance. His Car-festival is equally enjoyed by childand old, poor and rich, people of all places, races,

religions, castes, colours andstatus.

The unmanifested(Nirguna) supreme soul was

only available when and wherethere was nothing besides utter

darkness. He desired to bemanifested and reign the total

universe as Lord Purushottam.He completed the process

of creation within a twinkleof eye in ten stages. These

stages are named as creation of Mahatattwa.Ahankar, Tamasik Ahankar, Rajasik Ahankar,Sattwik Ahankar, Ignorance, trees, birds andanimals, human beings and divine elements. Thiswas possible after the convulsion of primary natureby His river of illusion instilling life force. All thecreatures inherited three qualities of nature like

Realization of Lord Jagannath

Ramesh Chandra Dash


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Sattwa, Raja and Tama by the sweet will of theLord Himself. The qualities are bestowed as perthe record of past deeds. His creation is endowedwith 24 Tattwas (essences) such as Purusha(Kaal-death-time), Prakruti (Prime nature),Mahatattwa (the great essence), Ahankar (Pride),five fundamental elements (sky, air, light, earth andwater), five senses (vision, hearing, taste, smell,touch), five sense organs of knowledge (eye, ear,tongue, nose, skin), five sense organs of action(mouth, hand, foot, genital and anus). Mind iscreated of food and is added to the essences asthe 25th.

Mind is the controller of all the senses. Ithas three substances (sattwa, raja, tama), threelayers (conscious, unconscious, meditative), fourabilities (reason, conscience, intelligence andpride) and five stages (scattered, ignorant,converging, concentrated and restrained). It is theroot cause of love, manners, determination,bondage and salvation etc.

However, man is blessed with essencesof the creation and the soul remains as the witnessto all our activities. The prime aim of the creatureor soul is to unite with the great soul. He is tochoose the best among all pursuits like piety, lust,material prosperity and emancipation. LordJagannath is the image of Purushottam. Manthrives to commune with Him for fulfillment ofindividual goals. But devotion without any goal isthe best among them.

Lord Purusottam has established Himselfas Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in appearances ornames like Subhadra, Jagannath and Balabhadrabeing endowed with Rajasik, Sattwik andTamasik qualities. Lord Brahma creates, LordVishnu protects (By Sudarshan) and sustains andLord Shiva annihilates the creation.

"Satwam rajastama iti prakruterguraasteirjuktahParah purush eba ihasya dhatte,

Sthi tyaadaye Hari Biranchi Hareti SargyaahShreyaamsi tatra khalu sattwataronru namsyah"

-The Bhagabata

Thus these three deities are highlightedas Trinath, Trideva or Triratna etc. But the lordcan take any number of appearance in any mediumof life when Dharma (righteousness), His creationgets endangered and blemished. He may incarnateas a divinity, ascetic, man, aquatic, bird, animal atonce or to dislay a life for the betterment ofpeople. The incarnation has three main aims-protection of pious people, punishment of impioussouls and re-establishment of Dharma as the righttrack. The purposes are described in the Gita,Bhagavata and other Puranas. However, the Lordis not required to come down Himself with all Hissplendour. Thus six varieties of incarnation areunderlined in our scriptures such as- Partial,Interposing, full fastive, incarnation of qualities(Gunavatara), incarnation of Manwantaras (timeunits) and Jugavatara (Ages like Satya, Treta,Dwapara and Kali) and special incarnation. LordPurushottam-Jagannath is the source of allincarnation. All incarnations emerge from Him andmerge into Him after the objectives arematerialised.

There is no certainty of occurrence,variety, time, quality etc. of incarnations. That isthe Lord's figment of imagination. However, aresearch has tried to make a chronological list ofincarnations. It may not be so accurate. In general,we know about ten incarnations as laid by PadmaPurana or Geet Govinda namely Matsya, Kurma,Varaha, Nrusingha, Vamana, Parshuram, Sri Ram,Balaram, Sri Krishna, Buddha and Kalki. Manyauthorities like the Mahabharat, writings ofRamanuja are silent on accurrance of Buddha asan incarnation.

However, the Bhagavata, Matsya,Harivamsa, Bishnu Garbha Puranas have



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highlighted many incarnations. Among them, thelist of the Bhagavata containing 24 incarnations ismost popular. But the sources also revealinformation as much as 45 incarnations as follows-Purusha, Ananta, Pouskar, Sanak, Hansa,Narada, Matsya, Sri Hari (Saviour of Dhruva andGajendra), Pruthvi, Jagna, Kapila, Varaha,Nrusingha (Killer of Hiranyakasipu and saviourof divine consorts), Bibhu, Satyasena, Nara-Narayan, Vaikuntha, Ajit, Kurma, Dhanwantari,Mohini, Vamana, Sarbabhouma, Rushabh,Viswaksena, Dharmasetu, Swadham, Jogeswar,Brihadbhanu, saviour of Balakhilya ascetic, curseliberator of Indra, Bharat, Mandhata Chakrabarti,Parsuram, Vyaasa, Sri Ram, Balaram, SriKrishna, Pradyumna, Anirudha, Sisumar, Jayant,Buddha and Kalki.

The incarnation always carry the samesaviour of Lord Purushottam, all are divine andfull in every respect. Though Orissa has no suchancient shrine like that of Jangi-Dasavataratemple, yet Saintala (Balangir district) hasaccommodated remains of such a shrine of 6thcentury A.D. Till today, we find sculptural piecesdepicting ten Avataras on the edge of the sculpturethat surround the standing posture of Lord Vishnu.

Interestingly, Puri Jagannath templedepicts Avataras on corner projections as that ofNrusingh temple in the same campus. The lattermonument displays a fish and a tortoise at therespective niches in place of Lord Matsya Avataraor Kurma Avatara. Jagannath temple is the hubof all religious activities - Vaishnavism, Saivism,Saktism, Buddhism and so on. Naturally the roofof entrance passage of Jagamohan exhibits 31niches for 31 avataras probably in conformity with

the Bhagavata which provides earliest referenceto Lord Jagannath at many instances.

A devotee sees Lord Jagannath as thegreatest pleasure and the Lord is kind-heartedand unilateral. he comes down to the Badadanda(Grand Road) to offer visual to millions ofonlookers devotees of all age, caste, creed,colour, sex, status etc. Infact, in His eyes there isno discrimination. He is worshipped in all forms-may be of Vaishnavism, Saivism, Saktism,Tantricism, Souraism, Vinayak, Ramaite andothers. He is prayed as Lord Vishnu, Rudra, Sakti,Surya and Ganesh principally while His 'gem dias'contains other sculptures like Madhab, Srideviand Bhudevi in addition.

It is an irony of thought that people visitHim to satiate piety, material prosperity, lust andemancipation as four goals of life (Purushartha)when scriptures advise that devotion without anydesire is the best way to obtain Him. It is wise tokeep mind peaceful, purified action and speechin right prospective, lest devotion and prayer haveno meaning. Presently we run after youthfulness,wealth, authority, unconsciousness which will nothelp to fulfill the real goal of life. To getPurushottam, one is to do moral activities, performjagna, munificence, austerities, read holy books,control mind, restrain senses, give up bad habits,practise Astangika Yoga, devotion and indifferencein right sense, gather spiritual knowledge and seeothers in same way like self. This is the righteous-way to realise Lord Purushottam-Jagannath.

Ramesh Chandra Dash is the Tourist Officer, Keonjhar,Madhapur, Dist.-Keonjhar.


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The holy city of Puri is a famous pilgrim centreand is well-known in global areas as JagannathDham or Srikshetra. Lord Jagannath is thepresiding deity of Orissa and Srikshetra, the nervecentre of various religious sects and philosophicaldoctrines. Srimandir is situated on a side ofSrikshetra having four famous deities situated onRatna Simhasana. Sri Jagannath, Sri Balabhadra,Maa Subhadra, Sri Sudarshan presentthe aggregate of sum total of all the soulsin the universe, which is contained inthem. That is why He iscalled the Supreme Lord ofthe Universe.

Sri Jagannath(Vishnu) is of black colour,Sri Balabhadra (Shiva) ofwhite colour and MaaSubhadra (Brahma) ofyellow colour. The humanbeing in global areas are ofthese three coloured people.Generally the colour of MaaSubhadra represents the colour ofthe Indians, Sri Jagannath representsthe colour of the Africa people of and some Indiansalso. Sri Balabhadra represents the colour of theWestern countries. The colour of trinity representsthe colour of the people of global areas. If the

Sri Jagannath Represents Orissa in Global Affairs

Dr. Ramakanta Kar

ethics of trinity is scientifically analysed, there isthe evidence proved by 21st century of SrimadBhagabat Gita at H.E. Research, WestgateLane, Puri, Sri Krishna says to Arjun (14/3) mamyoni Mahat Brahma that means His sparkBrahma impregnates the mahat (hydrogen) in theyoni or in the crater of the galaxy which makespossible from the selves to come into being. Here

Mahat is hydrogen or proton, electronand neutron, The two eyes of Lord

Jagannath represent symbolicallytwo Protons, that of

Balabhadra represent twoneutrons and two eyes ofMaa Subhadra representtwo electrons. In the wholebody of these three deities,their eyes are mostprominent. These threeautomatic particles whenfuse with Brahman, itbecomes an individual soul.The Brahman is actually

placed within these deitiessymbolizing this very fact.

Sri Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadrarepresent the aggregate or sum total of all the soulsin the universe which is contained in them. That iswhy He is called the Supreme Lord of the



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Universe. Brahma is not a worshippable deity,yet He is worshipped as Subhadra in Srimandir.As electrons, protons and neutrons originate froma single source, they are therefore, like brothersand sisters. Protons and Neutrons are SriJagannath and Sri Balabhadra respectively twobrothers and electron their only sister Subhadra.One jean produces three years just as one Daru(wooden-shape) creates three darus or deities SriJagannath, Sri Balabhadra and Maa Subhadra.As the principle of Indian philosophy, the trinityhave been produced from a single, the supreme.The Trinity (GOD) have been created from onesource i.e. the supreme power (Durga Shakti).The supreme produces the root Shakti(Yogamaya) or Subhadra (Brahma)-G (generator)then Vishnu were produced as Sri Jagannath O(organizer) and Sri Balabhadra (Shiva) wasproduced as the Destroyer-D. These Trinity wereproduced from one gem. So Upanishad proved,

Yaha Brahma Sa Bishnuhu Sa Aba Maheshwar:

That means the trinity in one. This ethiccovers the universal or global thought ofphilosophy.

In the classifications of human caste inglobal affairs mainly one is male and other isfemale. So in Srimandir Sri Jagannath, SriBalabhadra and Maa Subhadra are worshippedas Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma respectively. Likethis these three deities are males and alsoworshipped as Tara, Bhubaneswari andDakshinakali as females in classical ethics. It isdescribed in Mahanirvan Tantra .

Tara Sakshyat Shulapani Subhadra Bhubaneswari.Niladrau tu Jagannathah Sakshyat Dakshinakalika .

So there is the system of rituals inSrimandir. Bhoga is offered to trinity by

Devamantras and Devi Mantras based on Tantratradition. There is no any discriminations orfeelings of caste, creed, colour, religion orSampradaya. These three deities are very peculiarto see because Sri Jagannath is deeply blackhaving two big eyes without eyelids. SriBalabhadra is deeply white in colour having nopalms and feet. Ma Subhadra also yellowcoloured having no hands and legs. Despite theshape these deities attract all the devotees of theworld. The temple of Lord Jagannath is famousthroughout the Hindu world, but Lord JagannathHimself is accepted by all the religions of theglobal affairs. Sri Jagannath stands as the symbolof equality, fraternity and the progress of entirehuman civilization.

In Madala Panji, it is mostly describedthat a large number of Mathas, Kotas, Jagasand Akhadas or religious monasteries belongingto different sects are located here centring aroundthe shrine of Sri Jagannath, as the different priests,preachers, tourists, poets, saints etc. of the worldhave visited in the past and established their ethicalcentres at Puri. The devotees of all faiths havevisited to Puri and they described in their spiritualbooks regarding their own feelings. So theirMathas are interconnected with Srimandir and allthe devotees of all faiths of the world come toPuri to see the art and architecture of the templesand the locality and enjoy the world famousRathyatra and also get self satisfaction seeing Lorddirectly. At that time Lord Jagannath representsOrissa in global affairs.

Dr. Ramakanta Kar is the Editor of Yoga Pallava ,Gudia Sahi, Puri-1


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The Full LimbedLord Jagannath of Jagulei Patna

Braja Paikaray

Lord Jagannath belongs to both Aryans and Non-Aryans. Though Srimandir, Puri is his permanentabode, Lord Jagannath manifests his divineself inforests, in villages and in different Mathas in allcorners of the State of Orissa.

Once upon a time, Khurda, the land ofKhandayats and Paiks was the capital of theGajapati Kings. Lord Jagannath had joined in themilitary expedition to Kanchi as a horse ridingPaik and hence the Lord desired to manifest hisdivineself at Jaguleipatna, Khurda having full limbsand accordingly Lord Jagannath, LordBalabhadra and Goddess Subhadra havemanifested themselves having full hands and legs.As per the version of the local people LordJagannath has manifested himself here as theKalki Avatar . But as per the local legend a

holyman namely Mahanta Raghubar Das was anardent devotee of the Lord. He established aMatha at village Jaguleipatna when the village wasencircled with forest and thick bushes. Once inhis dream Mahanta Raghubar Das was orderedby Lord Jagannath to establish the Daru Bigrahawith full limbs at his Matha and to offer sevapuja. It was also ordered by the Lord to collectthe Holy Daru from the jungle of BeruanVillage near Khurda. As per the Lord s desireMahanta Raghubar Das collected the HolyDaru and established the three Bigrahas atJaguleipatna Matha and started the Ratha Yatra

in the year 1918 with the co-operation of thelocal people.

After some years a strange incidentoccurred. The house in which the Bigrahas wereoffered seva puja was completely burnt but thefire had not touched the Daru Bigrahas .

After the death of Mahanta Raghubar Dashis chief disciple Digambar Baba continued theseva puja of the Lord and the Ratha Yatra wasalso being observed as usual. But after the deathof Digambar Baba the Jaguleipatna Matha wascompletely forgotten from the minds of the people.

In the year 1980 due to the sincere effortof the local people and with the active co-operation of the then local M.L.A. Dr. PrasanaKumar Patsani, a concrete building wasconstructed for the Daru Bigrahas and oneGaruda Stambha was installed at Jaguleipatna

Matha and Ratha Yatra was restored with greatenthusiasm. In the present time the number oftourists, research scholars and visitors haveincreased to Jaguleipatna Matha to have aDarshan of the full limbed Jagannath, Balabhadraand Subhadra.

Braja Paikaray is an Advocate & Notary Public,Bhubaneswar Court, Bhubaneswar - 14.



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The theory of the universe, or in other wordsexplanation of the uncaused cause has ever beenthe first problem in every religion. Like thePuranas and Tantric texts, the Panchasakhaliterature also abounds with it.

The Panchasakha starts with the eternalquestion of who was there when all thisphenomenal universe was not . The problem ofthe Prime Mover is still beyond our reach andcan only be explained negatively- He is not this,not this-"neti neti . The PrajnaparamitaHrdayagarbha, a later Buddhist scripturedescribes Sunyata as neti neti . Therefore, itseems that there is a lot of similarities betweenthe Panchasakha ideology of Sunyata and thatof the Buddhists. The concept of Sunyata, beingthe most characterstic ideology behind Jagannath,formulated by the Panchasakhas can be no doubtthe continuation of the Vajrayana idea of the voidaccepted by Vaisnavism after identifying it withthe Vedantic idea of Nirguna Brahma.

The factor of compassion (the secondfactor which necessitates the function of worldcreation the first factor being the factor of conflictor imperfection) in which Balarama Dasa andAchytananda Dasa think that compassion movedGod to creation. after crores of years,compassion came to me and I wished a creationor when all was submerged in the Sunya

Brahma, the God wished to create. He becamecompassionate and his bliss percolated out as theSabda . This idea of compassion reminds us ofthe development of Karuna in MahayanaBuddhism. Buddha was then meditated upon asthe Lord of Mercy.

The Panchasakha and other Vaisnavas ofOrissa become one with the Vajrayanists inmaintaining this Sunya as a Supreme Being- theSunya Purusa, who appears to be the same asVajrasattva.

Achyutananda Dasa in his SunyaSamhita states- You have well asked me ofthe esoteric mystery. The Sunya Purusa is just aprisoner in Sunya, and creating all illusions. Heremains quite indifferent to them. But at the sametime, he is very kind to all and he also resides inall the created things. Moreover, he is well versedin crafty devices and so is the author of all sortsof performances.1 Another member of thePanchasakha group, Balarama Dasa in his VirataGita and Chaitanya Dasa (a contemporary of thePanchasakhas) in his Visnugarbha Purana havealso described about the Sunya Purusa.

Almost all the writings of many otherVaisnavas of Orissa are replete with similar brilliantdescription of the Sunya Purusa, who issometimes called Virata Purusa, Nirakara andAdi Brahma.

Panchasakha and TheirCosmological Theory

Sasanka Sekhar Panda


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The same ideas may also be traced in thedescription of the Vajrayanists.

A Buddhist work, the Jnanasiddhi ofSambala king Indrabhuti, for example, states, He(Vajrasattva) is the Being without origin and endthe all good the soul-substance of all, theenlightened one included in him all the static andthe dynamic.2

In the Sri Vajra-Mandalankaraquoted in the Jnanasiddhi, it is said, he eternallybelongs to all the elements, to all the beings. Heremains pervading all the bodies in the form ofthe flow of consciousness.

He is immutable, unthinkable, pure,passionless, perfect void like the sky, free fromexistence and non-existence.3 Example of this typeare abound in the Vajrayana works likePrajnopaya Viniscaya Siddhi, AdvayavajraSamgraha, Hevajra Tantra, Samputika etc.

The Sunya Purusa of the Jagannath cultas expressed in the Panchasakha literature inOrissa is an expression of Chidvilas embodyingthereby the conception of the Vajrasattva ofTantric Buddhism. It may also be pointed out thatboth Sunya Purusa and Vajrasattva are alikeregarded as the non-dual state of Sunyata andKaruna and are characterized as the PrimalEnlightened One-Adi Buddha or Adi Brahma.

The theory of five Dhyani Buddhas,expounded in Tantric Buddhism has found astriking exposition in Visnugarbha Purana ofChaitanya Dasa where it has been given a novelVaisnavite setting.

This great philosopher conceives of sixVisnus one of whom known as Nirakara Visnuis characterized as the shapeless and figurelessSunya and hence is the same as Vajrasattva,while the other five who are emanations ofAlekhaPurusa do undoubtedly resemble the five Dhyani

Buddhas- Vairocana, Aksobhya, Ratnasambhava,Amitabha and Amogha Siddhi.

The tradition about the position of thePanca-Dhyani Buddhas in the Mandalas andsimilar mystic diagrams, is also to be found inliterature. In the Visnugarbha Purana the sixVisnus including Nirakara Visnu are given similarpositions in the Sunya Mandala (N.N.Basu, inhis Archaeological Survey of Mayurbhanj, PP.CL.XXXVII has also brought the identificationof five Visnus with the five Dhyani Buddhas).

Even the colour scheme found in theBuddhist pantheon is not missed, and in themanner of the six Tathagatas these six Visnusare represented in different colours like white,yellow, saffron, red, blue and green.4 Moreover,as the five Tathagatas have their respectiveBodhisattvas, four of these Visnus have fourBrahmas of their own, who are credited with thecreation of eighty four worlds.

It may also be pointed out that theconception of the five Tathagatas is present inthe Yogic speculation of the Jagannath cult, wherefive out of the six plexuses (Satcakra) of the humanbody are presided over by five Devas, viz.Ganesa, Kamadeva, Brahma, Vishnu and Sivaand the sixth one by Anadi the analogue of Adi-Buddha. The noticeable fact is that the five Devasare represented with a number of accessories i.ethe divine Saktis, Vahanas (Mounts),Bijamantras, colours, Karmas (Actions),Pranas and vital winds almost in the manner ofthe Five Tathagatas (Dhyani Buddhas).

The minor differences existing betweenthe accessorial schemes of the Dhyani Buddhasand the Devas are very probably due to theassimilative nature of the Jagannath cult itself (asexpounded in the Pancasakha literature).

In this way one can find a lot of similaritiesbetween the cult of Jagannath and Buddhism the



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reasons for which are critically analysed anddiscussed in the following manner.

The great Jagannath cult of Orissa hasbecome symbol of universal brotherhood wheremost of the important religious movementsoccurred in India have amalgamated. In a longcourse of time and passing through many changesand religious cross currents of variegated naturethe deity has obtained its present form.

Archaeologically as well as epigraphicallythe historical importance of Puri in connection toPurusottama cann t be established prior to the7th century A.D. For the first time the names ofPurusottama (Jagannath) and his elder brotherBalabhadra (Balaram) occurred in the Neulpurgrant (copper-plate inscription) of the Bhaumaking Sivakaradeva. The Brahmdeo templeinscription, dated in the Kalachuri era 840 (1088A.D)5 can be taken as the first epigraphicevidence where the earliest mention of thePurusottam Ksetra occurs.

It has been known from Dathavamsathat Khema, one of the disciples of the Buddhatook the tooth-relic from his funeral pyre andgave it to king Brahmadatta of Kalinga whoconstructed a shrine for it in Dantapura, his capitalcity. The Mahaparinibbana Sutta of DighaNikaya also refers to this event.6 Scholars likeN.L. Dey thinks Puri to be Dantapura, the ancientseat of the Kalingan capital.7 In this connectionthe story relating to Guhasiva, another king ofKalinga can be taken into account, who was adevout worshipper of this tooth-relic. He facedattack from a neighbouring king Khiradhara, fellin the battle and as instructed by him before hisdeath, the tooth-relic was taken away to Srilankafor safety by his son-in-law Dantakumara anddaughter Hemamala.. As mentioned by thescholar D.K.Ganguli in his book The HistoricalGeography & Dynastic History of Orissa

(page-26) This tooth-relic is worshipped evennow-a-days in the shrine at Kandy (Srilanka).Therefore there are ample evidences to belief thestory of king Guhasiva and his sacred tooth-relic.King Guhasiva was ruling Kalinga in the 4th

century A.D.8

As the antiquity of Jagannath as a Hindugod is yet to be traced back to the 4th centuryA.D archaeologically and epigraphically, it can bepresumed that the story of the Kalinga invasionof Yavana Raktavahu in 323 A.D9 (as narrated inthe Jagannath temple records Madalapanji) hasa striking similarity to the Kalinga invasion ofKhiradhara. Both invasions took place in the 4th

century A.D.. Therefore, it seems that the storyof Jagannath being taken away to some unknownplace for safety by the the then Kalingan kingSobhanadeva due to the invasion of YavanaRaktavahu is a clever representation of theDathavamsa story of Khiradhara s invasion ofKalinga and the shiefting of the tooth-relic toSrilanka by the son-in-law and daughter of thethen Kalingan king Guhasiva.

It is more probable that Madalapanji(which is a much later work) has borrowed thestory from Dathavamsa.

Nothing is known with certainty regardingthe history of Orissa in between the 2nd centuryA.D and the 6th century A.D. This period is knownas a dark period in the history of Orissa.

Mr.James Fergusson is of the opinion thatthe Jagannath temple of Puri now occupies thesite where there former stood the shrine containingthe tooth-relic.10 The present temple was built byKing Chodagangadeva (12th century A.D). ButMadalapanji attributes the construction of thefirst Purusottama temple to Yayati Kesari (can betaken as Yayati II of the 2nd quarter of the 11th

century A.D). This Yayati belonged to theSomavamsi Kesari dynasty. This king came from


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the Daksina Kosala region (modern westernOrissa). King Yayati is said to have started theconstruction which king Chodagangdeva finished.

The cult of the wooden post wasprevalent in Western Orissa (Daksina Kosala)since circa 500 A.D and is still practiced togetherwith the rituals of renewal (Navakalevara).H.Kulke, A.Eschmann and G.C.Tripathi11 are ofthe opinion that king Yayati took this cult to Puri,as wooden gods are not known to Hinduism.Therefore, many scholars12 are believing thatJagannath was originally a tribal deity. K.C. Mishrais of the opinion that Jagannath was brought toPuri from Seorinarayan, which lies near to thehistorical site of Sirpur (Chhattisgarh.), the seatof the ancient capital of Daksina Kosala, fromwhere the Panduvamsi kings were ruling.Jagannath, originally being a tribal deity is alsocorroborated by traditions, where He is said tobe worshipped by a tribal chief, namedViswavasu.

Saraladasa, the author of OdiaMahabharat, a famous Oriya poet belonging tothe early 15th century is also of the opinion thatJagannath was brought to Puri fromSavarinarayana (Seorinarayan). Therefore itseems that the existing deity Jagannath wasbrought to Puri from Seorinarayan where it wasa t ribal deity, by the Kesari ruler ofKosalotkala,Yayati Kesari-II, who originallybelonged to the Daksina Kosala region.Seorinarayan being very near to the historical siteSirpur it seems quite feasible that Seorinarayanwas the chief tribal deity of the Daksina Kosalakingdom, and therefore, Yayati might have thoughtit wise to take the chief deity of his region alongwith him to Utkala, which he ruled in the laterperiod.(1st half of the 11th century, 1025-1040A.D.)

Daksina Kosala was a strong centre ofTantric Buddhism, where the great king Indrabhuti

ruled, and where the Buddhist Tantric PhilosopherNagarjuna lived. Therefore, there is everypossibility of this tribal deity, Seorinarayan, beinginfluenced by the Buddhist rituals.

Buddhist influence on the Savaras(aborigines) was not only confined to the westernpart of Orissa, but also present in the north-east.About the 5th-6th century A.D, the present districtsof Balasore and Keonjhar happened to be theseats of the Mahayanists, who used to worshiptheir deities in association with the Savaras. Forexample, in Sitabhinji (Keonjhar District) thereare some monuments of that period where theSavaras act as the main priests.13 Therefore, asgoddess Parna Savari was highly regarded in theMahayana School of Buddhism,14 the GodSavarinarayana (Seorinarayan) can either be takenas a tribal deity or a deity of the MahayanaSchool, worshipped by the tribals (Savaras) ofDaksina Kosala region, who was taken to Puriby king Yayati only in the 11th century A.D, andwas soon taken into the Hindu fold.

It seems more probable that the followersof the Jagannath Cult borrowed the Snana Yatra(Bathing Festival) and Ratha Yatra (Car Festival)from the Buddhists which are said to be prevailingas Buddhist festivals in Khotan and Pataliputra,as testified by the Chinese pilgrim Fa Hien. Thereis a stone sculpture where the ancient Car festivalis carved, Which is kept in the Orissa StateMuseum.

As recorded by Fa Hien, the Car Festival(Ratha Yatra) was celebrated by the Buddhistsof Khotan on the 1st day of Asadha. The pilgrimnoticed a similar festival at Pataliputra, celebratednearly the same day of the year in Asadha. As theBhaumakara kings of Orissa had close culturalties with China, they might have borrowed thistradition either from Khotan (which was situatedin the north-western part of India and was not far



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off from the India-China trade route) or fromPataliputra.

In the ancient and early medieval periodsthere was a close cultural relation between Orissaand Assam. The main deities, Jagannath andKamaksya, respectively of Orissa and Assamwere established in the spots bearing the identicalname Nilachala. The Hindu Tantrik text KalikaPurana mentions Odra (Orissa) and Kamarupa(Assam) as two glorious seats of Tantrik cult.15

The Buddhist Tantrik texts Hevajra Tantra16 andSadhanamala17 refer to Odiyana or Uddiyana(Orissa) and Kamaksya or Kamarupa (Assam)as two primary centres of Vajrayana or TantrikBuddhism.

Besides, other Tantra works entitledRudrayamala18 and Kubjika Tantra19 15 alsomention both Assam and Orissa as principal seatsof Tantricism.

The Vajrayana Goddess Tara in the tribalcult of Tara-Tarini suggest that there are Buddhistelements. A small Boddhisattva image isworshipped together along with the goddess Tara-Tarini in the Garbhagrha. Tarini is also the nameof a tribal or semi-tribal goddess worshipped inthe Keonjhar area.20 Twine Goddess Tara-Tarinihas been taken into the Hindu fold. Therefore, itseems that the Hinduization was proceeded byan incorporation of a tribal cult into Buddhism.The same thing might have happened to the tribaldeity Savarinarayana also. It might have beentaken into the Tantrik Buddhist fold at first andthen into the Hindu fold as Purusottama in thelater period.

Therefore many tribal and Buddhisttraditions persist in the Jagannath cult till thesedays.

When the three wooden images are takenout in a procession in three cars every year during

the Car Festival to the garden house, the worshipis done by certain priests, who are said to be thedescendants of the Savaras (aborigines), knownas Daita-Pati.

Scholar R.L.Mitra found the oldest workwith a fixed date, Dasavatara Carita byKsemendra where Buddha has been replaced byJagannath as an Avatara of Visnu. This work canbe assigned to the 11th Century A.D.

Therefore it seems more probable thatthe tribal-cum-Tantrik Buddhist deitySavarinarayana was taken away from DaksinaKosala by king Yayati Kesari and was installed inPuri in the present form. It is quite feasible thatthe tooth-relic of Buddha, which was worshippedin a shrine in Dantapura was taken away toSrilanka in the 4th century A.D.

Tradition everywhere accepts Jagannathto be the same with the Buddha avatara, andthe image of that divinity has been accepted to benothing more than a mystification of Buddhistmonogram. The idea was first put forth by Mr.Stevenson in a paper in the Journal of the RoyalAsiatic Society of Great Britain,21 reiterated byMr. Laidlay in his English version of the Travelsof Fa Hien ,22 and subsequent ly fullydemonstrated by General Cunningham.23 Lookingmoreover, to the history of Buddhism in otherparts of India, and the way in which the Buddhistdoctrine of the identity of the human soul with thedivinity was appropriated by some of theVedantists, the Buddhist belief of the sanctity ofthe Bo tree made a part of the Hindu religion; theBuddhist repugnance to animal sacrifices takenup by the Vaisnavas; and Buddhist emblem,Buddhist temples; Buddhist sacred places, andBuddhist practices appropriated to Hindu usages.It is impossible to resist the conclusion that Puriwas a place of Buddhist sanctity, and graduallyconverted to Hinduism.


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Jayadeva, (a 12h century poet), in hisDasavatara hymn, has also admitted Jagannathas the 9th incarnation of Visnu in place of theBuddha. Bipra Nilambara s Deula-Tola-Suanga,has also discussed in the last chapter, an allegoricalrepresentation of this metamorphosis.24 Mostprobably it was Ramanuja who gave the final touchto the fusion of the Buddha and Visnu in the god-head of Jagannath, for which the Tantrik Buddhistsprobably had already prepared an excellentfoundation.

According to the Aisvarika School ofTantrika Buddhism the visible is created as a resultof the union between Adi Buddha and AdiPrajna, and this concept with some modificationis noticed in the speculative philosophy of theJagannath Cult.. The theory of the transformationof the Buddha, the first jewel of the Buddhist Tri-Ratna, into Jagannath has its corroboration in theliterary tradition of the Dharma Cult (of Bengal)also.

There are also similarities between thecosmological theory of Orissa Vaisnavism (asexpounded by the Panchasakha School along withChaitanya) and the Jagannath Cult, and the SarvaSunyata doctrine of Buddhism. The cosmologicaltheory of the Panchasakha has many things incommon with the Buddhist Philosophy ofVoidness.

Buddhagupta, the Guru of Lama Taranathis said to have visited many sacred places likeJagannath and Jharikhanda.25 Therefore, it seemsthat, in his days also, Jagannath (Puri) wasregarded as a place of pilgrimage by the followersof Tantrik Buddhism.

The theory of five Dhyani Buddhas,expounded in the Tantrik Buddhism has found astriking exposition in the Visnugarbha Puranaof Chaitanya Dasa, where it has been given anovel Vaisnavite setting.

In many of the Tantrik centres Buddhistimages are also found. A seated Buddha figurewas observed by this scholar while on a tour tothe famous Tantrik centre Ranipur-Jharial (Dist.Balangir, in the historical Daksina Kosala region).The furious-looking tribal deity, housed in thetemple of Narasimhanath hill (Dist. Bargarh-in thehistorical Daksina Kosala region) as observed bythe late scholar A.Eschmann of HeidelbergUniversity (Germany) is also a clear inter-mixtureof Tantric Buddhist and tribal deity. Narasimhahill, was the place where the Tantrik Buddhistphilosopher Nagarjuna is believed to have lived.

Therefore, it is believed by this scholarthat if Jagannath was originally a tribal deity,named, Savarinarayan of the Daksina Kosalaregion, there is every possibility of this deity tohave been influenced by the Tantrik Buddhism,of which Daksina Kosala was a famous centre.

The Panchasakha poets of medievalOrissa, contemporary of Chaitanya (namelyBalarama Dasa, Ananta Dasa, Yasovanta Dasa,Jagannath Dasa and Achyutananda Dasa) wereat once Buddhists, Vaisnavites and Tantriks, stillneither of the three wholly. The history of Vedicand Tantrik ways with all their ratifications, andBuddhism with its later development intoVajrayana also show that they were all offshootsof the same fundamental religious aspiration in manand only differ in their approaches, again shapedby objective conditions.

To think that Lord Jagannath is exclusivelya Hindu, Tantric, tribal or Buddhist deity is touproot religion of it s environmental dynamics andfancy an assembly of values.

In the post-10th century A.D. there wasan attempt on the part of Brahmanism to absorbthe declining Buddhism in its fold while Buddhismwas also making efforts to retain its identity bytaking in, a part of Brahmanism, viz Tantricism.



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From the Buddhist ruins discovered at Udayagiri,Lalitagiri, Ratnagiri and Baudh, we find traces ofthe influence of Tantrik cult in those days, whichinfluenced Buddhism, Saivism and Vaisnavism atthe same time.

Borrowing a term of the psycho-analysts,let us conclude that there are also the universaltypes in religious culture. Man s religiousconsciousness has universally bifurcated itself intothe two salient channels, those of pure wisdomand worship. This worship counterpart has givenbirth to Tantra, to Purana and to the many otherlater developments. The interesting suggestionsof the Tantra can be so clearly read in Buddhism,in Brahmanism, in Jainism and even in the Cult ofthe Blacks (of Africa). To deny that the Tantraswere not a homogeneous movement in Orissa isto deny a universal and almost inevitable religiousexpression to her cultural history. The tendencydid exist in the land, even flourished side by sidewith other and often diverse tendencies.

Only it modified itself into new shapes andcharacters by coming in contact with others. Andall these tendencies together moulded the religiousculture of the people and integrated themselvesround the institution of Jagannath.

Lord Jagannath can be taken as a symbolof the universal religious aspiration of the mankind,where all forms of religious experiments haveassimilated themselves in a long course of thehistory.References :

1. Sunya Samhita, Ch. VIII, Bhala Pacarilu guptasandhi, Sunya Purusa sunyapure vandi, SunyaPurusa udasare rahe, Sunya purusa savu mayavyaye, Sunya purusa dayalu atai, Sunya purusasarva ghate rahi.

2. Jnanasiddhi, p.84, the translation of the passageis taken from Dr. S.B. Dasgupta, Introduction toTantric Buddhism , p.88.

3. Vide Jnanasiddhi, p.84.

4. Visnugarbha Purana, Ch.III.

5. H.K. Mahtab, History of Orissa, Voll. II, p.515.

6. Digha Nikaya-II, 167; Dathavamsa, p.38.

7. N.L. Dey, The Geographical Dictionary ofAncient and Medieval India, p.53.

8. R.C. Mitra, Antiquities of Orissa, Vol.II, p.176

9. A stirling, An Account of Orissa Proper, pp.67-68.R.L. Mitra, The Antiquities of Orissa, Vol.II, pp.174-175.

10. Sir Apud M. Coomara Swami s Dathavamsa, p.99.

11. Kulke, Eschmann, Tripathi (Chap.X) TheFormation of the Jagannath Triad, p.176.

12. H. Kulke, A. Eschmann, G.C. Tripathi and K.C.Mishra.

13. K.C. Mishra, The Cult of Jagannath.

14. Sadhamamala, Intro. P.XLVI.

15. Kalika Purana, p.410.

16. P.C. Bagchi, Studies in the Tantras, I, P.38 (quoted)

17. Sadhanamala, Vol.II, p.37.

18. Tantrasara, pp.521-522 (quoted)

19. Pranatosani Tantra, p.234 (Quoted)

20. A. Eschmann (Article) Hinduisation of theTribal Deities in Orissa, p.91 (Book-JagannathTradition).

21. Vol.VII, p.67.

22. Ibid, p.21.

23. Bhilsa Topes, pp.351 f.

24. M. Mansinha, History of Oriya Literature, p.88.

25. R.C. Mitra, Decline of Buddhism in India, p.99.

Sasanka Sekhar Panda lives at Qtr. No.VR-23, Unit VI,Bhubaneswar-751001 and e-mail address : sasepa [email protected].


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The composite culture of Jagannath is very ancientand vast. The early history of this cult is difficultto know owing to lack of facts and recordedhistory. The Indradyumna episode suggests itsorigin in a blue hill or (Nilakandara). Narasimhawas the primordial deity of this cult. Later on weworship Lord Jagannatha not as a solitary deitybut in the form of a Triad. Credit goes toChodagangadeva of Ganga dynasty whopopularized this cult. The Patalesvara templeinscription describes for the first time the name ofJagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra. Theepigraphs dated 1237 A.D. of the time ofAnangabhimadeva mention the names of threedeities as Halin (Balabhadra) Chakrin(Purushottama) and Subhadri (Subhadra), thegreat Triad consisting of Lord Jagannatha, theprincipal deity with His two companion deities,Lord Balabhadra and Subhadra. The popularJagannath culture is a mysterious conception.Many distinguished scholars from different partsof the country have attempted to solve the mysteryof origin and evolution of Lord Jagannath. It isagreed by many scholars that the Jagannatha cultis in fact mystery and unfathomable.

Sri Jagannath is not an idol, though it isaccepted by many as an idol or Vigraha. But Heis actually accepted as a symbol. For this Heappears in ceremonies in various forms andsymbols. He does not belong to any faith but Heis the symbol of all religions. For this, the Jains,the Buddhists, Vaishnavas, Saivas, Saktas andother cultists have accepted Him as their owndeity. In the past many religious revolutions and

Shree Jagannath and Lord BuddhaKeshava Dhruta Buddha Sarira, Jaya Jagadisa Hare

Dr. C. B. Patel

evolutions wanted to bring this cult under theirfold; but all the faiths ultimately got assimilated inthis cult and now Lord Jagannath is beingrecognized as the universal God. Buddhism hasoccupied a special status in this cult. There is lotof controversy among the historians regarding thebirth place of Gautam Buddha. In the opinion ofsome scholars he was born in Nepal, some otherthink that he was born at Piprawa in Uttarprdeshof India. But scholars like P.C.Tripathi,A.K.Tripathi, Dr. C. B. Patel and many othershave argued that the real birth place of Buddhawas at Kapileswar in Orissa. This fact iscorroborated from the discovery of a stoneinscription from Kapileswar in Orissa. Theepigraph describes that king Devanam PriyadarsiAsoka after 20 years of his anointment came toKalinga and worshipped at this spot, becauseBuddha Sakyamani was born here. He alsocaused a stone pillar to be set-up and made thevillage of Lummuni tax free. This inscription is nowin Asutosh Museum of Kolkata. In addition tothis there are also many other archaeologicalevidences which suggest that Buddha was bornhere. Lord Buddha entered into his mother'swomb in the form of a white elephant. Tomemorise this king Asoka sculptured an elephant,which is now dazzling at Dhauli hill. All theBuddhist literature has mentioned the name ofTapasu and Bhallika, the two merchant brothersfrom Kalinga to have become his first disciples.In this way many strong evidences are availableregarding the birth of Gautam Buddha in Orissa.Lord Buddha is also depicted as ninth incarnation



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(Avatara) of Jagannatha cult. Undoubtedly theexistence and extinct of Buddhism is intimatelyassociated with Orissa.

The above researches have stronglyreflected the Buddhist connection with Jagannathacult. This is proved by the fact that the mention ofLord Jagannath is found for the first time in theBuddhist literature of Indrabhuti, the king ofSambalaka, the famous preacher of VajrayanaBuddhism. It is described in his Gyanasiddhi:-

Pranipatya Jagannatham Sarvajina Vararchitam.Sarva Buddha Mayam Siddhi Vyapinam

Gaganopamam.

It is evident from these lines thatIndrabhuti tried his best to bring unity and integrityamong the Jagannatha culture and Buddhism.Lord Jagannath is mentioned as Buddha for thefirst time in this scripture. The goal of Buddhismis to achieve Nirvana or Salvation. For achievingthis one should follow the three jewels (Tri Ratna)of Buddha i.e. Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

Similarly in Jagannatha cult, to getSalvation from this illusory world, one should takerefuse at the feet of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadraand Subhadra. The Triad of Jagannatha isrecognized as Buddhists triad of Buddha, Dharmaand Sangha. Unlike Buddhism the Jagannatha cultalso symbolizes non-violence and harmony.

The famous historian W. Hunter in hisbook The Indian Empire compared the CarFestival of Lord Jagannath with the tooth-relicceremony of Lord Buddha. The famous Chinesetraveller Hieun-Tsang also stated that in order tocommemorate the day of enlightenment ofGautam Buddha, the Buddhists take his remainsin chariot to celebrate the car festival. This viewis also accepted by great historian R.L.Mitra.According to him the car festival of LordJagannatha and other ceremonies have beenderived from the Buddhist cult after the Nirvanaof Lord Buddha at Kusinagara. A person namedTherakhema brought his tooth-relic to Kaling,which is evident from the Buddhist literature. It

was worshipped by the then emperor of Kalingaat Dantapuri i.e. present Puri. Installing the relicin the chariot the annual car festival was beingorganised. It is believed by many scholars thatthe Navakalevara or the new embodiment of LordJagannatha is also connected with Buddhism. Atthis time the Danta or Brahma Dhatu i.e the originalBuddhist relic were shifted into the new woodendeity.

It is believed by many that Brahma Dhatuof Jagannatha is in fact the tooth relic of LordBuddha. There is a resemblance of one incompleteJagannatha with Buddha at Bodhagaya. For thismany scholars have accepted Lord Jagannathaas the symbol of Lord Buddha. The incarnation(Avatara) of Jagannatha in the form of LordBuddha has also given the strong evidence to theabove contention. Many Puranas, Kavya andPoems have depicted Lord Jagannath and LordBuddha as one and indivisible. Not only the Oriyaliterature but also the other frontier literaturedescribe Jagannath in the similar way.

In the past Puri was known as Dantapurias Therakshema brought the tooth relic of LordBuddha. It was a big port and the traders fromSouth-East Asia brought large amount of wealththrough commercial transaction. From 6th

century A.D. to 8th century A.D. there was a greatrevolution of Tantric Buddhism in Orissa. Part ofthe Vajrayanic Buddhism is linked with theJagannatha cult. It is seen that most of theVajrayanic Tantra of Buddhism like Rudra Yamalatantra, Brahma Yamala mantra and Kalika Puranawere prevalent from 10th century A.D. in theworship of Lord Jagannath. During the time ofNavakalevara ceremony of Lord Jagannatha, thesoul i.e. the tooth relic is transfered to new woodenimage amidst esoteric practices. At last LordBuddha was assimilated in the form of ninthincarnation of Lord Jagannatha and lost hisseparate existence.

Dr. C.B. Patel is the Superintendent of Museum, Orissa,Bhubaneswar.


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He is the ocean of mercy and affection,That devotees can realize ;He takes care of the whole universe,Repentance for sin is His advice.

He is the mountain of patience,Controller of time, illusion and nature;Never bothers for the blame of others,Solves all the problems that ever occur.

Forgiveness is His main attitude,As He is the saviour of all;He punishes the sinner, but excuses him as well.

He is the supreme judge,Always in support of proper justice;His judgment balances the creation,Sun, Moon and Wind move at His wish.

Impartiality is His main stand,As He is the creator of all;To take care of all equally well,He balances everyone s rise and fall.

Attributes of AlmightyEr. Niranjan Rath

He is of all but not of any one,It is His main philosophy;He loves the living beings,Without any attachment but with philanthropy.

He is the origin of meditation,With spiritual power in His hand;Visualises every moment and event,It is His service in grand.

He is invincible, munificent, beauty and truth,He is righteous and perfect master of all the arts;He is omnipresent, omniscient and omniform,He is the Almighty with all these attributes.

Car festival is a tribute to His attributes,Oh ! Lord Jagannath, that all devotees pray;Under His care and custody,Let all live with good health, wealth and joy.

Er. Niranjan Rath, lives at S-2 617, Niladri Vihar,P.O.- Sailashree Vihar, Bhubaneswar 21.



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Left us Darling ! long long back.Went to Mathura and Dwaraka later.Wedded Rukmini and settled well.Erected majestic castles there.

Repressed pastimes at Yamuna bankwith Radha, your heart of heartAbandoned Brindaban, blooming arbour.Forsook comely Kadamb plant.

Deserted Brindaban, marooned mates.Left beloved parents, oh Love !What a stone heart you possess Shyam !We all bemoan and hearts throb.

Come to taste charm of pastime again.We will adorn well with blossoms freshwith passion flower, daisy, Jasminelotus and lily and all rejoice.

You went astray with pomp and powerEffaced love of beloved matesWould you not come to wood-land, Love !Our pangs and sorrows, to redress !

Ah ! the Gopals in guise of Daitasrushed forth Nilachal, Swarmed around.Pulled Jagannath from sacred altarmade Him move with musical sound.

Nilachal thronged with sounds of gongs and tabourKalia moved swinging, seeking left and rightThe blossom-crown tossing front and rearWhat a marvellous, graceful sight !

Don t Tarry Darling !Don t Tarry !!

Er.Raghunath Patra

Gopals cling His body with heavenly love,Calling Move fast, don t tarry mate !Don t exhibit your royal splendour.We know you well, you are great !At Singhadwar assembled Gopis thousandsin guise of Vaisnavas, eagerly waitWhen their bossom Shyam will come,take Him Brindaban for hearts content. You can t say Nay We will never refrain.Pangs of separation parched a lotHow could betray us Darling ! so longHow love of Radha does not haunt !You are Jagannath, happy to hearAre you not Gopinath, Would you not admit.Brindaban was your pastime- land.Now hide in Nilachal, Oh ! great Cheat !Wish your prosperous bright career.Remain happy with your beloved spouse.Come to Brindaban at intervals, Love !to make us ecstatic, all arouse.Your delight is our delight, Shyam !Your grief our gangrine, choice our choiceWherever you remain happy.We will cheer all, will rejoice.Chariot wheeled on Gundicha MandirGopi and Gopals rapture no boundPoet s heart immersed in celestial love.Tears rolled down with Chariot-sound.

Er. Raghunath Patra lives at Brindaban Dham, LokanathRoad, Patnahat Sahi Chhak, Puri-752001.


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Let's go and beholdthe Round Eyed, Oh my tired mind !and sanctify the couple of eyesin the Sankha-Nabhi Mandal.

Passing along the Eighteen Tunnel BridgeJust have a glance on GoddessBata Mangala, five senses exist together,Let's bath in the Narendra.

Then step up to the Grand Corridorand put into the mouth the Sacred dustshalting a while under the holy umbrellaextend services to the righteous persons.

There is a big rush in the Main Gatecanning is charged on pilgrimsLet's pass forcibly bearingall shocks and knocks.

Near Baishi PahachaKaivalya is soldOne Kudua costs only four AnasLet's satisfy our internal hunger.

Glimpse from behind the Garuda Pillarhow the Black Faced Deity shinesThus speaks Saria Bhika,Also talk to Balaram.

Ramakanta Rout lives at Plot No.1175/3203, Laxmisagar Uparasahi, Bhubaneswar-751006.

Let's Go Tired Minds(Thaka Mana Chala Jiba)

Odia poem by Saria BhikaTran. by Ramakanta Rout



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Car Festival,A festival with a differenceNo advertisement, no campaignNothing sort of it.

The name is enoughA physical sensationA metaphysical obligationA feeling of universal intimacyPeople rush to Puri,The famous Jagannath DhamBy air, road, train, on foot tooSomething beat them insideProbably a religious spurring,an emotional urge.

Nobody asks why ?We must see Jagannath,Only a few hours beforePeople flooded the holy land.

Front, back, left, rightWherever your eyes can goPeople and people sorround the cars.

A sight beyond descriptionA feeling beyound conceptionThe cars, the people and the deitiesSeem to be one blended figureFlying on the Grand Road as one entity.

Here everything is GodThe cars, the Deities, the horses, theCharioteers, the ropes andthe soil of the Road too.

No prayers, no worship, no prostrationNothing of the kind.A glance is enoughWhat a tremendous faith !A touch is a special graceHolding ropes of the carsconsidered a bliss.

All the three cars stop at Gundicha templeTo their heart's contentPeople see their Lords on the carsJagannath, Balabharda, SubhadraThey feel their presenceThey are nearer to them than the nearest.

Eternal and intimateWith rapture and ecstasy of joysome rush unto the cars andembrace the Lords withreligious devotional emotionA scene not to be found anywhere in the world.

Dinabandhu Rath lives at Tiadi Sahi, Puri - 752001.

The Car FestivalDinabandhu Rath


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Oh mighty ! My Lord Jagannath !I am that meek

for ages, forever whom you seek.

I am that downtroddentrampled and weak

When strong and stoutsecure the field,you, you aloneare my shield.

Far above you areOh Mighty ! I am meek,

Eternity sponsorsour hide and seek.

Oh Lord !how strange it isYou fall sick !

What I understandthat is your trick.

"Seek in meand be concerned for me"

is the message.

In a pretext you leave the palaceto grant the devotees utmost solace

With you in the chariotwithin your tight embrace,

might in the meekis awakened

and that is the grace.

The GraceProf. Rajat Kumar Kar

Prof. Rajat Kumar Kar lives at Ananya Niketan, N-1/183, IRC Village, Bhubaneswar.



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Adyontonadih SakalagunavrndekasadanamSvasaktayedam Visvam Srujati Sutaram Pati Harate

Jagatkrdakari NijajanadayadananiratoJagannathah svami nayanapathagami bhavatu me ||1||

You are the First, the Last and as such the Eternal entity having no beginning. You are the store house ofall the qualities. You by your own power create, protect and destroy this universe at will like a toy andplay with it. You are pleased to grant the desired objects to your own devotees. May the same Lordand God of the Universe, Jagannath be within the ambit of my sight. [1]

Kadambachhayayam DyutabipinapuspabharanakaSribhangakaro ya krtamadhuravesikalakhah

Kataksaksepena Brajapurabandhunam hi sukhadoJagannathah svami nayanapathagami bhavatu me ||2||

In the shadow of Kadamba tree decorating yourself with vanomaalaa, the flowers of the forest, whenyou stand in a particular pose called 'tribhanga' (i.e. bending oneself at three places viz. at the knee,the waist and the neck) and blow the flute in a sweet melodious manner and throw side-long glances onthe ladies of Vraja, they become happy. May the same Lord and God of the Universe, Jagannath bewithin the ambit of my sight. [2]

Sada Vrndaranye VaramadhuravamsidhvaniratoNikunje bhrungadhye bahusurabhisamcaranaparah

Suhrudbhirgo palessukhitabadaneryotisusubheJagannathah svami nayanapathagami bhavatu me ||3||

In the forest of Vrundavana being engaged in creating very sweet sound from the flute, you made yourways in the scented bowers hummed by honey-bees and looked bright with buoyant cowherdcompanions. May the same Lord and God of the Universe, Jagannath be within the ambit of mysight. [3]

Manoharihari hari Brajabanabihari YadupatiDvisaddari tari hrdisivavicari sumanasamSada sancari yo dinapatikumarikalatate

Jagannathah svami nayanapathagami bhavatu me ||4||

Sri JagannathastakamEight Quatrains on Sri Jagannatha

Mahamedhanandanath Saraswati


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You are captivator, looter and roamer in the forest of Vraja. You rent as under the foes of Yadu-clan.You are redeemer and think at heart the wellbeing of good people. You roam on the banks of riverYamuna flowing with an indistinct sound. May the same Lord and God of theUniverse, Jagannath bewithin the ambit of my sight. [4]

Bhavantaryami yo Varavihagagami SvasukhadahSatamatmarami katikanakadami bibhubapuh

Sudhamasamdhama Janasugatikami KarunayaJagannathah svami nayanapathagami bhavatu me ||5||

You know all inside this world of happennings. You move in the sky on your best vehicle Garuda. Yougrant pleasure to your own people. You are delighted by being in the heart of the virtuous people. Youput on a golden girdle on your waist. You are omnipresent. Your abode is excellent and auspicious. Youtake pity and wish that all people should have a noble way of life and get liberation. May the same Lordand God of the Universe, Jagannath be within the ambit of my sight.[5]

Pravire rajantyam madanavalaseneyasubhagehSudharmayam Simhasanavaragato yotisusubheCaturbahu Syamo Dhanursigadadyayudhadharo

Jagannathah svami nayanapathagami bhavatu me ||6||

In the council of gods you the Black Lord, having weapons like a bow, a sword, a mace etc.in your fourarms being in the company of great heroes viz. Aniruddha, Balarama and Satyaki very well adorn thebest throne decorated with lions. May the same Lord and God of theUniverse, Jagannath be within theambit of my sight. [6]

Nihanta Kamsa Ca PravalamurabhaumadinikaraTriyanta visvasya pracurapasandadalanah

Suyanta SangotpamarapatiswtasyatmabibhaveJagannathah svami nayanapathagami bhavatu me ||7||

He, the slayer of violent demons like Kamsa, Mura and Naraka; the regulator of the universe; thecrusher of a huge number of heretics; on own power is the controller and protector of the son of Indra.May the same Lord and God of the Universe, Jagannath be within the ambit of my sight.[7]

Saravyastere yo VarabharatasatrghnasahitaSumitraputrena prabilasati lilatilalitah

Suhrutbhisamyukto DhrtasasarakodandasubhujoJagannathah svami nayanapathagami bhavatu me ||8||

He having the bow and arrows in his good arms, who with friends and brothern Bharata, Satrughna andLaksmana sported gracefully on the banks of river Sarayu; may the same Lord and God of the Universe,Jagannath be within the ambit of my sight.[8]

Mahamedhanandanath Saraswati, Srividya Samskruti Samsthan, Khandagiri, Bhubaneswar-751030.


Kalima1.tif

ORISSA REVIEW

E-mail : [email protected]@rediffmail.comVisit : http://orissagov.nic.inContact : Ph. 0674-2394839

VOL. LXVI NO. 12 JULY - 2010

SURENDRA NATH TRIPATHI, I.A.S.Commissioner-cum-Secretary

BAISHNAB PRASAD MOHANTYDirector-cum-Joint Secretary

SASANKA SEKHAR PANDAJoint Director-cum-Deputy Secretary

Editor

Editorial AssistanceBibhu Chandra Mishra

Bikram Maharana

Production AssistanceDebasis PattnaikSadhana Mishra

Manas R. NayakCover Design & Illustration

Hemanta Kumar SahooManoj Kumar Patro

D.T.P. & Design

Raju SinghManas Ranjan Mohanty

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The Orissa Review aims at disseminating knowledge and information concerning Orissa ssocio-economic development, art and culture. Views, records, statistics and information publishedin the Orissa Review are not necessarily those of the Government of Orissa.

Published by Information & Public Relations Department, Government of Orissa,Bhubaneswar - 751001 and Printed at Orissa Government Press, Cuttack - 753010.For subscription and trade inquiry, please contact : Manager, Publications, Information &Public Relations Department, Loksampark Bhawan, Bhubaneswar - 751001.

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CONTENTS

Secret Mystery of Sri Daru Vigraha Sudarshan Sahoo ... 1

Lord Jagannath : Presiding Deity of Nilachal Dham -the Lord of the Universe Ganeswar Jena ... 7

Shree Jagannath and Shree Mandira in the Indian Dr. Satyabrata DasScriptures / Puranic Texts Dr. Uday Nath Sahu ... 10

The Genesis of Jagannath Triad at Puri Dr. Janmejay Choudhury ... 15

Shree Jagannath in Astrology Dr. Pradeep Kumar Choudhury... 18

Influence of Sri Jagannath Culture on Socio-Economicand Religious Life of the People of Odisha Dr. Jagannath Mohanty ... 22

The Gajapati of Puri and Lord Jagannath Bhagaban Mahapatra ... 29

Oh, Lord Jagannath Bikram Keshari Barma ... 25

Srimandir and Its Architectural Features Padmanabha Mahapatra ... 26

Universal Brotherhood and the Temple ofLord Jagannath at Paradip Prabhat Kumar Nanda ... 29

Revival of Car Festival of Lord Jagannatha - A SpecialReference to "Srikrsna-Bhakta-Vatsalya-Caritam" Dr. Trinath Hota ... 34

Purusottama - Jagannath Kalyan Kumar Panda ... 40

Goddess Hingula and Her Association with Jagannath Cult Rabinarayan Pani ... 43

Some Vital Statistics of Jagannath Temple Complex Pramod Chandra Pattanayak ... 45

Devotion of Devotee Bhaktakavi Dinakrushna Das Pitambar Pradhani ... 48

Prayer to Lord Jagannath Miss Padmalaya Pradhani ... 49

The Jagannath Temple of Manipur Santosh Kumar Mohanty ... 50

A Comparative Study - Lord Jagannath Temple andT.T. Devasthanam Sarat Chandra Mahapatra ... 52

I Pray Somanath Khuntia ... 60


Place of Maharaja Indradyumna in the Cult ofLord Jagannath Durgamadhab Dash ... 61

Mahabahu ! Please Save Me Siba Sundar Pattanaik ... 66

Holy Pilgrimage of Sankardev to Puri Paban Kumar Kalita ... 68

1972 - A Miraculous Incident Paresh Rath ... 70

Narasimha Temple at Puri Ratnakar Mohapatra ... 72

The Special Rituals on Thursdays Mahimohan Tripathy ... 77

Patitapabana Jagannath Dr. Saroj Kumar Panda ... 78

World Famous Lord Jagannath Naresh Chandra Rout ... 80

Lord Balaram Er. Nirakar Mahalik ... 87

Realization of Lord Jagannath Ramesh Chandra Dash ... 91

Sri Jagannath Represents Orissa in Global Affairs Dr. Ramakanta Kar ... 94

The Full Limbed Lord Jagannath of Jagulei Patna Braja Paikaray ... 96

Panchasakha and Their Cosmological Theory Sasanka Sekhar Panda ... 97

Shree Jagannath and Lord Buddha Dr. C.B. Patel ... 104

Attributes of Almighty Er. Niranjan Rath ... 106

Don't Tarry Darling ! Don't Tarry !! Er. Raghunath Patra ... 107

Let's Go Tired Minds Odia poem by Saria Bhika ... 108Tran. by Ramakanta Rout

The Car Festival Dinabandhu Rath ... 109

The Grace Prof. Rajat Kumar Kar ... 110

Sri Jagannathastakam : Eight Quatrains on Sri Jagannath MahamedhanandanathSaraswati ... 111


(1) Chaka or the wheels (2) Dandia (3) Ara (4) Banki (5) Hansa Pata (6) Kani (7) Sankha-dwara(8) Jali (9) Gaipata (10) Singhasana (11) Kanak Mundai (12) Bhumi (13) Sola Nahaka (14) MakaraDanda (15) Basanta (16) Duar Ghoda (17) Sarathi Pida (18) Kumbha Pati (19) Rahu Pati(20) Athanahaka (21) Banki (22) Pida (23) Rusi Pata (24) Danda (25) Para Bhadi (26) Khapuri(27) Pada (28) Olata Sua (29) Dadhi Nauti (30) Kalasa (31) Kasthi (32) Danda (33) Chakra(34) Copi Ketana or the flag.

34

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24

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32

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4

THE PARTS OF A CHARIOT


SANKHA KSHETRA

1. Balabhadra,Jagannatha,Subhadra & Sudarsan

2. Khetreswari Vimala3 Mahalaxmi4. Uttar Durga5. Bata Mangala6. Garuda Stamva7. Bhoga Mandap8. Kalpabrukhya9. Rohini Kunda10. Bata Ganesh11. Uchsta Ganapati12. Sri Saraswati Devi13. Nabagraha14. Konark Suryadev15. Padapadma16. Yagnyabata17. Angeswar18. Indranidevi19. Khetrapala20. Swana Vairabi21. Mukteswari22. Chstrakali23. Batamarkandeya24. Katyayani25. Gopeewara26. Beda Kali27. Pataleswara28. Bhubaneswari

29. Vaikuntheswara30. Yagnyaswari31. Isaneswar32. Sitaia Devi33. Pakasala34. Dakhineswara35. Kundaleswara36. Ram Chaitanya Temple37. Baravai Hanuman38. Nirmalya Hanuman39. Alaka Batika40. Chakra Narayan41. Rameswar42. Chaturdhama43. Kanapata Hanuman44. Niladri Vihari45. Bavabyeswara46. Sialilata47. Koili Vaikuntha48. Tapaswi Hanuman49. Survarnakupa50. Ananda Bazar51. Devasnana Mandapa52. Meghanada Prachira53. Singhadwara (E.gate)54. Aruna Sthamva55. Badachhata Math56. Chhauni Math57. Pejanala

58. Prahari Hanuman59. Dakhinadwar (S.gate)60. Durgamadhava61. Mangaleswari62. Paschimadwar(W.gate)63. Uttardwar (N.gate)64. Sri Lokanath65. Rameswara66. Kandunursingha67. Kandu Asrama68. Nikumvilabata69. Harachandi70. Chamundeswari71. Banadurga72. Basheli73. Kapalmochana74. Manikarnika Teertha75. Ghatamangala76. Vagabati77. Markandeswara78. Markandeya Teertha79. Saptamatruka80. Alamba Devi81. Atharnala82. Makardhwaj Hanuman83. Vargavi River84. Mukteswara85. Bata Mangala86. Kapoteswara

87. Vilweswara88. Siddha Hanuman89. Indradyumna Teertha90. Nilakantheswara91. Adinrusingha92. Gundicha Mandapa93. Mausima94. Marchika Devi95. Charchika Devi96. Sodasha Putri97. Narayani98. Angirasrama99. Angirabata100. Dakhina Kali101. Ugreswarashrama102. Swetaganga103. Muktisila104. Adisankara Pitha105. Swargadwara106. Varahi Devi107. Shyama Kali108. Bedi Hanuman109. Chakra Teertha110. Chakra Narayan111. Mahodadhi Tirtha112. Jagannatha Ballava113. Kashi Biswanatha114. Visweswari115. Narendra Sarovar


secret mystery of sri daru vigraha -...

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