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Sri Ramakrishna & His Disciples in Orissa

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Sri Ramakrishna & His Disciples in Orissa Preface Pilgrimage places like Varanasi, Prayag, Haridwar and Vrindavan have always got prominent place in any pilgrimage of the devotees and its importance is well known. Many mythological stories are associated to these places. Though Orissa had many temples, historical places and natural scenic beauty spot, but it did not get so much prominence. This may be due to the lack of connectivity. Buddhism and Jainism flourished there followed by Shaivaism and Vainavism. After reading the lives of Sri Chaitanya, Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and direct disciples we come to know the importance and spiritual significance of these places. Holy Mother and many disciples of Sri Ramakrishna had great time in Orissa. Many are blessed here by the vision of Lord Jagannath or the Master. The lives of these great souls had shown us a way to visit these places with spiritual consciousness and devotion. Unless we read the life of Sri Chaitanya we will not understand the life of Sri Ramakrishna properly. Similarly unless we study the chapter in the lives of these great souls in Orissa we will not be able to understand and appreciate the significance of these places. If we go on pilgrimage to Orissa with same spirit and devotion as shown by these great souls, we are sure to be benefited spiritually. This collection will put the light on the Orissa chapter in the lives of these great souls and will inspire the devotees to read more about their lives in details. This will also help the devotees to go to pilgrimage in Orissa and strengthen their devotion. This attempt had been made by studying numbers of books as well as reminiscences of many monks and devotees. Many people were involved in this project including monks and devotees of Orissa especially Puri, Bhuvaneshwar, Kothar, Berhampur and Cuttack. They provided us not only references but also the rare and old photographs. The relevant information has also been collected from many websites like Ramakrishna Math Puri. ORISSA, THE LAND OF TEMPLES Orissa or Odhisha, a state of India, is located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. Orissa was earlier known as Utkal or Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. This state has a history spanning a period of over 3,000 years. It has several popular destinations, some of which are Puri, Konark, Bhuvaneshwar, Chilika Lake. The Jagannath Temple of Puri, the Sun Temple of Konark, the Lingaraj Temple of Bhuvaneshwar and the Barabati Fort of Cuttack are important in the archaeological history of India. BHUVANESHWAR Bhuvaneshwar is the capital of Orissa. Historically Bhuvaneshwar has been known by different names such as Toshali, Kalinga Nagari, Ekamra Kanan, Ekamra Khetra and Mandira Malinya Nagari. With its large number of Hindu temples, Bhuvaneshwar is often referred to as a Temple City of India. It is also said to be the seat of Tribhuvaneshwar or Lord Lingaraj. Lingaraj Temple: The 11th century Lingaraj temple of Bhuvaneshwar is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The surface of the 54.86 mt high Lingaraj temple is covered with carvings. According to the tradition the Lingaraj Temple is visited before visiting the Jagannath temple at Puri. The temple is adorned with beautiful images and carvings on its spire. The temple has the Trident of Lord Shiva and the Chakra of Lord Vishnu on either side of its main gate. A pond named Bindu Sagar lying just north of the Lingaraj temple, is said to contain water from every holy stream, pool and tank in India. There are a number of temples and shrines around it. In the centre of it is a water pavilion where, once in a year, the Lingaraj temple’s deity is brought for ritual bathing. There is also a temple of Divine Mother named Kedar Gauri where there is a well called Gauri Kund. Another important temple in Bhuvaneshwar is Mukteshwar temple. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Its ornamental gateway which is known as torana shows the influence of Buddhism. Another fascinating temple in Bhuvaneshwar is Rajarani Temple. It is wonderfully constructed from red and gold sandstone, which is locally called as Rajarani. Hence, it is called Rajarani Temple. This temple doesn’t have a presiding deity. Other important temples of Bhuvaneshwar are Vaital Deul Temple dedicated to Goddess Chamunda, located near the Bindusagar Lake, Parasurameshwar Temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and Brahmeshwar Temple is the first temple to portray the musicians and dancers on its external walls. Ramakrishna Math Bhuvaneshwar: Swami Brahmananda, a monastic disciple of Sri Ramakrishna and the first President of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, started a centre at Bhuvaneshwar in 1919 as a retreat centre for monks. This Math was sanctified by the visits of many direct disciples like Swamis Shivananda, Saradananda, Akhandananda, Turiyananda, Subodhananda, Vijnanananda and others. AROUND BHUVANESHWAR AND PURI Khandagiri and Udayagiri (Jain Heritage): The twin hills of Khandagiri and Udayagiri, 8 km from Bhuvaneshwar railway station, served as the site of an ancient Jain monastery, which was carved into cave like chambers in the face of the hill. These caves, with artistic carvings date back to the 2nd century BC. Of particular note of their artistic carvings are the Rani Gumpha (Queen’s Cave) and the Hati Gumpha (Elephant Cave). In the Hati Gumpha the chronicles of King Kharavela’s reign are carved. Holy Mother visited this place and meditated in one cave. Dhauli Giri: Dhauli 9 km away from Bhuvaneshwar Math looking down on the plains that bore witness to the gruesome war waged on Kalinga by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka the Great, stand the rock edicts of Dhauli. It was here that Ashoka, filled with remorse after the Kalinga War in 261 BC, put an end to his bloodthirsty campaign and turned to Buddhism. Ashoka erected two main edicts in Kalinga, one in Dhauli and the other in Jayagarh. The principles of Ashoka, which reflect his compassion, were inscribed on all the other edicts in his empire except Kalinga. A sculpted elephant, the universal symbol of Lord Buddha, tops the rock edicts. The Shanti Stupa or the peace pagoda, built through the Indo-Japanese collaboration, is located on the opposite hill. Nandankanan: It is a Biological Park around 20 km away from Bhuvaneshwar where a variety of animals are kept in their natural habitat. A centrally located lake divides the Zoo from the Botanical Gardens. Tigers, Lions, Clouded Leopards, Black Panthers, European Brown Bear, Himalayan Black Bear, Gharials, Rosy Pelican, Grey Pelican, Indian Python, King Cobra, etc. are among the attractions of the zoo, which is famous for its White Tigers. The exotic Botanical Garden on the other side of the zoo preserves varieties of indigenous plants. Konark: Konark, which is near Puri, is famous for its Sun temple. The Orissan King Narsimhadev built it in mid 13th century. The temple is a great architectural achievement conceived as the chariot for the Sun god with 24 wheels, 7 horses pull the temple and 2 elephant-crushing lions guard the entrance. Today the main sanctum of the temple is in ruins, but the Dance Hall and Audience Hall are intact. The most amazing fact is that the number twelve is closely related to this temple. Neel Madhav: On the bank of river Mahanadi, 90 km from Bhuvaneshwar is a beautiful temple of Neel Madhav in Khandapara of Puri district. Descendents of the hunter who shoot the arrow in the leg of Sri Krishna worship Neel Madhav. This temple was constructed earlier than the Jagannath temple at Puri. It is believed that the Vigraha of Lord Jagnnath was brought from this place. JAGANNATH PURI The name Puri perhaps took the shortened form from Purusottama Puri or Jagannath Puri. The holy land of Lord Jagannath, the paramount deity of Puri, is known by several names. It is mentioned in Puranas as Srikshetra, Neelachala, Neeladri, Purusottama Dhama, Purusottama Kshetra, Purusottama Puri, Jagannath Puri and Shankhakshetra. Shankha means conch shell. The geographical shape of Puri resembles a right oriented conch shell, the ‘Dakshinavarta Shankha’. It is in this shape of conch that all the sacred centres like temples, mathas, sacred tanks, trees and various other sacred sites are located. Shankha Kshetra is about ten miles in extent, of which a part is submerged in the sea and the remaining rises above. In the centre of the area lies the elevated part known as Nilagiri where Lord Vishnu resides in the famous temple in the form of Jagannath or Lord of the world. Puri is 60 km away from Bhuvaneshwar. The biggest attraction of Puri is the Jagannath temple, where Lord Jagannath is seated with his sister Subhadra and elder brother Balbhadra. History: The legendary account of Jagannath’s creation as mentioned in the ‘Skanda Purana’, ‘Brahma Purana’ and other Puranas state that originally Lord Jagannath was worshipped as Neel Madhav by Viswavasu, a Savar King (Tribal Chief) secretly in the forest. Having heard about the deity, King Indradyumna of Kalinga, sent a brahmin, Vidyapati, to locate the deity. After much toil and tactics, Vidyapati succeeded in locating Neel Madhav. However the king failed to catch a glimpse of the deity. At last, the king’s determination to have a glimpse of the deity was rewarded by the gods. He had an oracular dream in which he was instructed to worship Lord Jagannath- an Incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was asked to build the idol with a piece of Neem wood that would be found at the seashore. As per the prophecy, the king found the Neem wood at the seashore and requested Lord Vishwakarma, the heavenly mason, to model the idol of Lord Jagannath.
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