With the #JagannathPuriRathYatra all set to start tomorrow( albeit with restrictions), doing a 2 part series. Today I look at Puri, and the Jagannatha Temple here.

Puri one of the holiest lands also known as Shrikshetra, Purushottamapuri, a land blessed by sages like Bhrigu, Atri, Markandeya. Also called as Shankakshetra, Neelachala. The current name is more a shorter version of Jagannatha Puri.

Puri is also one of the 4 mutts established by Adi Shankara, the others being at Dwaraka, Badrinath and Shringeri, so it occupies quite an exalted position in Indian tradition.

Apart from the Govardhana Matha established by Adi Shankara, Puri is also the site of many other Mathas. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu the great Vaishnava preacher, spent his final days in Puri and it’s believed he merged with Jagannatha here.

Radhakantha Math was established by him. Apart from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, another great Vaishnava saint who visited Puri during the 12th century was Ramanujacharya who established the Emaar Matha here.

Many places in India have been associated with some major festival. These festivals are celebrated in every part of the state, but the large scale celebration in that place makes it unique.

. Ganesh Puja in Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad, Durga Puja of Kolkata, the Navratri celebrations of Ahmedabad , Dussehra festivities in Mysore, Ram Leela celebrations in Delhi and of course the Rath Yatra of Puri.

Ratha Yatra is celebrated all over Orissa, for Lord Jagannatha is one of the most revered deities there, but it’s the Puri Rathayatra that is the most famous as it’s the abode of the Lord himself.

There is an interesting legend about the temple like most other temples of India. The story goes that Jagannatha , literally meaning Lord of the World , was worshipped as Neela Madhab by a tribal chief.

The King of Puri , Indradyumna deputed a Brahmin priest Vidyapati to find the idols and worship in his palace. Vidyapati was taken to the cave blindfolded but he managed to mark the path with mustard seeds, which later became plants.

. The King along with Vidyapati went to the cave, but was unable to find the idol. Later the king had a dream in which the Lord instructed the king to make the idols out of the tree located near the sea shore.

The king likewise instructed the celestial architect, Vishwakarma to carve the idol, on which Vishwakarma agreed, but subject to the condition that at no stage in his work would he be disturbed by any one else.

. However Indradyumna’s queen broke the rule out of curiosity and Vishwakarma, disappeared leaving the idols unfinished. That explains the peculiar design of Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra.

The temple is built in typical Kalinga architecture style by king Ananta Barma Chodaganga Dev during the 12th century A.D. Its one of the tallest structures in India, measuring a height of 214 ft from ground level.

The temple is flanked by 4 gates Simha Dwara, Aswha Dwara, Gaja Dwara and the Tiger Gate. Simha Dwara on the eastern side, is the main entrance, And this makes up the outer enclosure called the Meghanad Prachir.

18 times was the temple of Jagannatha raided by invaders and every time, the rulers put up a defiant resistance, not once were the murthis of Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra damaged, as always they were shifted to a safe location.

After the outer enclosure we enter the inner enclosure called the Kurma Bedha, which contains the sanctum sanctorum or the Vimana . This is where the Ratna Vedi is located where you can get a darshan of the deities

This contains the murthis of Lord Jagannatha along with his brother Balabhadra and his sister Subhadra. These are the 3 idols which are taken out during the Ratha Yatra which is generally held in the months of June-July as per the Hindu calendar.

The inner most enclosure also covers the Jagamohan or the Audience Hall where the audience are seated during the various festivals, the Natamandapa or the Dancing Hall where dances used to be held in ancient times and Bhoga Mandapa or the Hall of offerings.

If you take a closer look at the main shikara, you can see the Nila Chakra mounted on top. Every day a different flag is waved on top here, called as Patita Pavana. And the disc itself has 8 Navagunjaras carved on it, all facing towards the flagpost.

The Nabagunjara is a mythical beast, prominent in Odiya folklore and culture. So called as it is believed to be made up of 9 different animals, and another avatar of Vishnu. It was popularized by Odiya poet Sarala Das.

The Nila Chakra on top of the Shikara is distinct from the Sudarshana Chakra which is placed along with the deities in the Jagananth Temple. And it is a very revered symbol in the Jagannatha worship, symbolizing protection.

Also unlike most temples in India, where the murthis are made of iron or stone, in Jagannatha Temple, they are made of wood, primarily from sacred Neem logs known as Daru, and they are replaced every 12-19 years in a ceremony known as Nabakalebara.

The belief is that Jagannatha was a Adivasi deity originally, and that accounts for a lot of tribal traditions in his worship, especially the wooden murthis. The Daitapatis who perform the rituals are of tribal origin, as also many other rituals followed in the Ratha Yatra.

Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra together are considered a manifestation of Bhairava, who is worshipped in the temple along with Bimala Devi. In a sense it is a fusion of Vaishnavism, Shaktism, Shaivism, along with native tribal traditions that make up Ratha Jatra.

Matter of fact the Jagannatha worship in Puri, is symbolic of the way Hinduism is practised in Odisha, a mix of Saiva, Vaishnava, Shakti, native tribal traditions along with Jaina, Buddhist practices, making it unique in it’s own way.

Singhadwara on the Eastern side is the main entrance to the Jagannatha Temple, facing east to the Bara Danda, Puri’s main road, where the Ratha Jatra procession takes place. A flight of 20 steps called the Baisi Pachaha leads into the temple.

Right in front of the Singhadwara you have the Aruna Stambha a huge monolithic pillar, on the top of which you have an idol of Aruna, the charioteer of Surya. It is believed this pillar was bought from Konark to Puri, by Maratha guru Brahmachari Gosain.

. Other 3 entrances to the Jagannatha Temple, are the Hathidwara( Elephant Gate), Vyaghradwara( Tiger Gate) and Ashwadwara( Horse Gate). Within the complex you have temples dedicated to Bimala Devi, Mahalakshmi, Ganesha, Saraswati, Narasimha.

Apparently there was this famous story of the local Gajapati ruler Purushottama Deva, marrying the Pallava princess, Padmavati from Kanchi, and it is believed the Ucchistha Ganapati murthi here was gifted by her father

Tomorrow I will be taking a look at the #JagannathPuriRathYatra and the various rituals, phases associated with it. #JaiJagannath