Sri Jagannath Temple

The Jagannath Temple

The Jagannath temple is located in Puri district in eastern coast of Odisha. It is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath, which is a form of Vishnu. It was built by ,the first king of the eastern ganga dynasty, Anantavarman Chodaganga deva. The temple is famous for its festival called Ratha Yatra which held annually . it is also called chariot festival, in which the three principal dieties lord jagannath, lord Balabhadra, and lord Subhadra are pulled on huge and elaborately decorated temple cars by a large number of devotees. 

History

People says that Indradyumna was a king who worshipped Lord Vishnu very much. Once the king was informed that Lord Vishnu has come in the form of Nila Madhava so the king sent a priest named Vidyapati to search for him. While travelling, Vidyapati reached a place where Sabaras(people lived in forest and hunt for food) were residing. Vishvavasu was the local chief who invited Vidyapati to live with him. Vishvavasu had a daughter named Lalita and Vidyapati married her after sometime. Vidyapati noticed that when his father-in-law returns, his body had a good smell of sandalwood, camphor, and musk. On asking his wife, she told him about the worship of Nila Madhava by her father. Vidyapati asked his father-in-law to take him to Nila Madhava. Visvavasu blindfolded him and took him to the cave. Vidyapati took with him seeds of mustard which he dropped on the way so as to remember the route to the cave. Vidyapati informed the king so he came to the place but, to his disappointment, the deity disappeared. In order to see the deity, he observed fast unto death on Mount Neela. Once he heard a voice saying that he will see the deity so he sacrificed a horse and built a temple and Narada installed the idol of Sri Narsimha in the temple.

                            One night the king slept and saw Lord Jagannath in his dream. He also heard a voice telling him about a fragrant tree and ordered him to make idols from it. So the king made the idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra. Along with it, he also made the Sudarshan Chakra. Then the king prayed to Lord Brahma to visit the temple and the deities. Lord Brahma was very pleased when he saw the temple asked about a desire which he (Lord Brahma) can fulfil. The king asked that there shall be no issues in his life and he should be the last one from his family. He also asked that if anybody is left in his family, then he should work for the temple and not the society.

Divine Site

The temple is one of the holiest Vaishnava Hindu Char Dham (four divine sites) including Rameswaram, Badrinath, and Dwarka. The four monasteries lie across the four corners of India and their attendant temples are Badrinath Temple at Badrinath in the North, Jagannath Temple at Puri in the East, Dwaraka-dheesh Temple at Dwarka in the West and Ramanatha swamy Temple at Rameswaram in the South. Though ideologically the temples are divided between the sects of Hinduism, namely Saivism and Vaishnavism. There are four abodes in Himalayas called Chota Char Dham (Chota meaning small): Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri - all of these lie at the foothills of Himalayas. The name Chota was added during the mid of 20th century to differentiate the original Char Dhams. The journey across the four cardinal points in India is considered sacred by Hindus who aspire to visit these temples once in their lifetime. Traditionally the trip starts at the eastern end from Puri, proceeding in clockwise direction and ends at Badrinath at the Northern end.

Nila Chakra

The Nila Chakra (Blue Discus) is the disc mounted on the top of the Jagannath Temple. As per custom, everyday a different flag is waved on the Nila Chakra. The flag hoisted on the Nila Chakra is called the PatitaPavana (Purifier of the Fallen) and is equivalent to the image of the deities placed inside the temple. The Nila Chakra is a disc with eight Navagunjaras carved on the outer circumference, with all facing towards the flagpost above. It is made of alloy of eight metals (Asta-dhatu) and is 3.5 Metres (11 feet and 8 inches) high with a circumference of about 11 metres (36 feet). During the year 2010, the Nila Chakra was repaired and restored by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Nila Chakra is different from the Sudarshana chakra which has been placed with the deities in the inner sanctorum. Nila Chakra is the most revered iconic symbol in the Jagannath tradition. The Nila Chakra is the only physical object whose markings are used as sacrament and considered sacred in Jagannath worship. It symbolizes protection by Lord Jagannath.

Rath Yatra at Puri

 The Jagannath triad are usually worshiped inside the temple at Puri, but once during the month of Asadha (Rainy Season of Orissa, usually falling in month of June or July), they are brought out onto the Bada Danda (main street of Puri) and travel (3 km approx) to the Shri Gundicha Temple, in huge chariots (ratha), allowing the public to have darsana (Holy view). This festival is known as Rath Yatra, meaning the journey (yatra) of the chariots (ratha). The Rathas are huge wheeled wooden structures, which are built new every year and are pulled by the devotees. The chariot for Jagannath is approximately 45 feet high and 35 square feet and takes about 2 months to construct.The artists and painters of Puri decorate the cars and paint flower petals and other designs on the wheels, the wood-carved charioteer and horses, and the inverted lotuses on the wall behind the throne.

                       The most significant ritual associated with the Ratha-Yatra is the chera pahara. During the festival, the Gajapati King wears the outfit of a sweeper and sweeps all around the deities and chariots in the Chera Pahara (sweeping with water) ritual. The Gajapati King cleanses the road before the chariots with a gold-handled broom and sprinkles sandalwood water and powder with devotion. As per the custom, although the Gajapati King has been considered the most important person in the Kalinga kingdom, he still renders the menial service to Jagannath. 

                        This ritual signified that under the lordship of Jagannath, there is no distinction between the powerful sovereign Gajapati King and the most humble devotee. Chera pahara is held on two days, on the first day of the Ratha Yatra, when the deities are taken to garden house at Mausi Maa Temple and again on the last day of the festival, when the deities are ceremoniously brought back to the Shri Mandir. As per another ritual, when the deities are taken out from the Shri Mandir to the Chariots in Pahandi vijay. In the Ratha Yatra, the three deities are taken from the Jagannath Temple in the chariots to the Gundicha Temple, where they stay for nine days. Thereafter, the deities again ride the chariots back to Shri Mandir in bahuda yatra when they are placed back in their original position at Shri Mandir.

Some facts about the Temple

• The Wooden idols - The idols are made of wood and are replaced with new idols during Nabakalebara. This ritual is done once after every 8, 12, or 19 years. Sacred neem trees with rigid specifications are selected and used for the purpose. The carving is done in secrecy by selected carpenters within a period of 21 days. The old idols are buried near the Koili Vaikuntha. The last Nabakalebara took place in 2015 and millions of devotees witnessed the event.

• The Flag - The flag a top the Jagannath Temple flutters in a direction opposite to the direction in which the wind blows. This science-defying phenomenon remains inexplicable till date. The 20 feet wide triangular flag is changed manually every day by trained priests who climb up the structure of the temple to change it. It is said that if this ritual is skipped even for a day then the temple will remain closed for 18 long years.

• Rath Yatra - The annual Rath Yatra is the chariot festival in which the three deities mount on their decorated chariots and set forth across the streets of Puri to visit their maternal aunt in the Gundicha temple. They stay there for seven days then come back to the temple. Lakhs of devotees gather from all around the world to witness the God who steps out of the temple and graces his devotees with his presence.

• Attacked 18 times - The Temple is home to ancient riches in the form of gems and gold. This made it sensitive to as many as 18 invasions in the past. During the reign of Aurangzeb, the temple remained closed and was only reopened after his death.

• No Shadow! - No matter what time of the day it is, no matter where the sun is peeping through in the sky, the temple doesn’t have a shadow. That’s not a metaphor. There is really no shadow. Now if that is an architectural wonder or simply a miracle, that’s for you to decide.

• Abadha Mahaprasad - The Mahaprasad is served to Lord Jagannath in 5 phases and consists of 56 different items. It is of two types, the sukhila and the shankhudi. The sukhila consists of all the dry confectionaries and the shankhudi consists of rice, dal, and other items. It is available for the devotees in a market called the Ananda Bazaar which is located in the temple premises itself.

• Preparation of the Mahaprasad - The Mahaprasad is prepared by thousands of priests, in more than 750 clay pots. 7 earthen pots are placed one above the other and the food is cooked over firewood. It is said that the food in the topmost pot gets cooked first followed by the rest. 

• The Mahaprasad never goes to waste - In a country that is known to have wasted 68 million tons of food in a year, there is a temple where the food prepared for lakhs of people never goes to waste. Not even a morsel!

•  Sound of the waves - Once you step inside the temple, you stop hearing the sound of the sea. According to myth, Goddess Subhadra wished that the temple would be a place of serenity, and in order to please her, the temple mutes the sound of the sea.

• Smaller Temples and Pancha Tirtha - The temple complex has over 30 other small temples in it. Two of these temples, the Vimala Temple and the Narasimha Temple, or older than the Jagannath Temple itself! Along with the temples, the complex also has five sacred fish tanks- Indradyumna, Rohini, Narendra, Markandya, and Swetaganga.