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Legends of Jagannath

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Legends of Jagannath is cult spans millennia. Countless have come from every corner of the country Hto catch a glimpse of that black face, those saucer-like eyes, that plump shapeless figure. He has not been made in the image of man. Tribal descendants play an important role in His daily worship and festivals. His holy food is partaken of by priest and Pariah alike from the same plate. Why ? Many answers come to mind to someone steeped in his lore. A tribal god. A Jain Tirthankar. The Buddhist Trinity - Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Tantricism. He embraces all with those Legends of stumplike outstretched arms, Symbol of a grand synthesis. Jagannath A god of such hoary antiquity. A temple eight centuries old. So legends lace Jagannath like the fragrant garlands that adorn his broad Padmalaya Das bust. Skanda Purana The Utkala Khanda of the Skanda Purana relates this story about the origin of Jagannath. Vishnu, in the form of a boar, rescued the Earth Goddess after the Great Deluge. Brahma created the entire universe. When Brahma asked Vishnu how all living creatures could attain salvation, Vishnu told him that He Himself would be living at Purushottam (Puri) in the form of Nila Madhava. Whoever had his Darshan would attain heaven. But due to the sanctity of this place, the work of Yama (the God of Death) was hampered. So he sought a remedy from Vishnu. And the god promised that He (Nila Madhava) Himself would vanish after ODISHA REVIEW * May-June - 2015 49 sometime, but Yama's glory would not continue With Narada, the divine sage, for guide, in this place. Indradyumna started on his journey to On top of Nilgiri (the eminence on Purushottam. On the frontier of Utkal, the King which the present temple of Jagannath stands) of Orissa met him. He crossed the river is the mighty Kalpa Vriksha. To the west of the Mahanadi, went via Bhubaneswar and had tree is the Rohini Kunda (a water cistern still in Darshan of god Kapoteswara. Then he existence). To the north of it Saora Viswavasu reached the Nilakantheswar temple on the worshipped Nila Madhava. At that time the eastern boundary of Purushottam. There he glory of this place of pilgrimage was still a was saddened to hear from Narada that Nila secret. But the heavenly denizens daily Madhava had disappeared. The divine sage descended to worship Nila Madhava here. consoled him by saying that God himself would give him darshan in the form of four wooden In the Satya age the fifth generation figures. Then the king reached Nilgiri. On the descendant of Brahma, Indradyumna of the advice of Narada, the king built near Surya dynasty, reigned at Avanti. He was a Nilakantheswara a temple for god Narasimha. great Vaishnavite, learned in the scriptures. Narada himself performed the consecration One day he convened a meeting of learned ceremony on the fifth day and installed the men and asked, "Where can I really see Vishnu image in the temple. with my own eyes ?" A mendicant-pilgrim replied, "At Purushottam the Lord Purushottam Then Indradyumna made himself resides. Obtain his Darshan and arrangements for performing the 1000 horse worship him." sacrifice. Madhava appeared to Indradyumna So Indradyumna sent his priest in a dream. Vidyapati to Utkal or Orissa. Vidyapati reached For the ceremonial ablutions after the Purushottam and stayed at a Saora village to sacrifice, a bath-house was built near the west of Nilgiri. He introduced himself to Beleshwara temple on the sea-shore. The Viswavasu there and told him the cause of his servants reported to Indradyumna that a journey. "Indradyumna will be fasting till my mighty tree with four branches was floating in return. Make arrangements for me to have the sea and moving towards the bath-house. It Darshan of Nila Madhava." emitted rays like the rising sun. Red in colour, Viswavasu pitied Vidyapati and took it had a conch-shell mark. The king questioned him by the hand, led him over a narrow track Narada about this mystery. Narada said, "The to the top of Nilgiri and showed him Nila god who appeared to you in your dream - it is Madhava. Then the Brahman returned to the hair fallen from his body that has been Avanti. Meanwhile, in keeping with his promise transformed into this tree. Bring this Vishnu- to Yama, Nila Madhava hid himself beneath a form tree, build a Mandap (pavilion) for it and mass of sand. make idols from it. 50 ODISHA REVIEW * May-June - 2015 With great ceremony Indradyumna duly All the contemporary kings of India were brought the tree and placed it on the Mahavedi engaged in this temple-building. Before the (Great Altar). While he discussed with Narada temple-building was over, on the advice of about the construction of images, a divine voice Narada, Indradyumna went to heaven with the said, "Jagannath will Himself come to the divine sage to invite Brahma for consecrating Mahavedi for the construction of the image. the temple. The Mahavedi will remain covered and secret. Brahma was completely absorbed in For 15 days the Mandap will remain closed. listening to music at that time. When he spoke This old man with tools that you see, take him to Indradyumna at last, a long time had and place him inside the Mandap and close elapsed. Brahma said to Indradyumna, "This the door. Till the images are ready, various types of musical instruments must be played music festival is over. But for you it's a very outside. For, if the sound of construction long age. During the period of your stay here reaches the ears, it will result in deafness, one age has passed. None of your blindness, death of sons and life in hell. descendants are also left. Go down soon to Therefore, never see the work being done or the earth, and bring the gods and the temple enter the place of image construction. If any under your control. I am following you." one other than the person appointed to do the Indradyumna reached earth with task sees this, what king what kingdom, all will Narada, Brihaspati and other heavenly be mortally afraid." And Vishnu himself arrived denizens. He was happy to find the temple had there in the guise of an old man. been completed. He prepared three chariots The king placed the old man inside and and brought the images in them from the locked the door. After 15 days, the images of mahavedi. Balarama, Subhadra, Jagannath and While Indradyumna was away in Sudarshana were found. Again the divine voice heaven, a king called Gala had gained control directed the king to dress the images of the temple and was worshipping an image beautifully in silk, to build a magnificent palace of Madhava he had installed. Indradyumna had of specified proportions for them at a specific the image removed to another small temple. spot and take the images there. The king On hearing about this, Gala got wild and followed the instructions, installed the images rushed to Purushottam with his army. But on and worshipped them. He gave away innumerable gifts to Brahmans. The hole dug seeing the preparations of Indradyumna, the by the milling hooves of the cows that were presence of the heavenly beings and hearing gifted to the Brahmans got filled up with the about his journey to heaven, he did not dispute water used for washing hands at the time of further, but aided Indradyumna. He expressed the gift-giving and was transformed into a regret for not having worshipped the wooden sacred lake - the present Indradyumna tank. images so far. Brahma arrived and consecrated Then Indradyumna started building a temple. the temple and installed the images. ODISHA REVIEW * May-June - 2015 51 Indradyumna handed over the temple burnt. Arjuna placed the body in the sea. After to Gala and left for Brahmalok (heaven). instructing Jara to follow the body and find out where it would touch the shore and become So ends the story. famous, Arjuna returned to Dwaraka. The Brahma Purana, Narada Purana One day Krishna appeared in a dream and Padma Purana do not possess the wealth to Jara and told him to worship his body. And of details given in the Skanda Purana. Both Jara discovered near him an image of Vishnu. the Brahma Purana and the Narada Purana So he took it to the Dhauli hill, kept it beneath mention only three images - Balabhadra, a tree there and worshipped it reverently with Subhadra and Jagannath, and say that Brahma offerings of wild fruits, leaves and water. He and Vishnu together made the images. The kept it a secret even from his son and wife. Brahma Purana says stone was brought from Some years passed. the Vindhya mountains for building the temple. There is hardly any difference between these Gala Madhava, the king of Kanchi, was two Puranas. But the Skanda Purana described a great devotee of Vishnu. Daily he used to the images of Balabhadra and Jagannath as see the picture of Vishnu in the handful of water having four arms and of Gala's annexation of with which the ritualistically offered food to the the temple. god, before eating. After the death of Krishna, he no longer saw the god's reflection in the Sarala Dasa water. So the king fasted. He then heard that Sarala Dasa, the 14th-15th century arjuna had set the body of the god afloat on poet and author of the Oriya Mahabharata the sea. So he sent messengers in the four mentions that Jagannath appeared after the directions.
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