Srimandira JAGANNATH PURI - the Abode of the God of the Universe l Biranchi Narayan Dash Jagannath Puri, which is simply every year have converged towards Puri from different parts of India and abroad called Puri, the abode of Sri Jagannath, since the days of the Vedas and Puranas. the God of the Universe, is mentioned in On the sacred soil of Orissa, the God has the Puranas as Shri Kshetra, Purusottama become the most popular God of the Kshetra and Nilachala. The temple of Shri Hindu pantheon. Gradually, he has been Jagannath is well known throughout India worshipped as the God of the Universe. as a place of pilgrimage from days of yore, Evidences to this effect are found in the along with its antiquity. In this temple are Rig veda. In a Sukta there is reference to installed Sri Jagannath Deb, his elder Daru which runs thus "Ado yaddaru brother Balabhadra, their sister Subhadra plavate sindhoh pare apurusam, tada and Sudarsan Chakra. rabhasva durhano tena gaccha History is silent about the origin of parastaram." Sayanacharya has Sri Jagannath. Even then we collect interpreted this sukta in the following informations from the Vedas, the manner. There exists on sea-shore in a Upanishads; ancient epics like the far off place, the image of a deity of the Ramayan, the Mahabharat, various name Purusottama, which is made of Puranas, and the legends, which bear wood floating as it were in the sea. O ye, testimony to the fact that Purusottama by worshipping that wood indestructible, Kshetra, the seat of the God of the attain the supreme place of the Universe is a heaven on earth. It has been Vaisnavas. There are other three Suktas conceived by the Gods. Kshetram, in the Rig Veda which regard the Daru as Devaistu Kalpitam. Of all the places of the the symbol of Brahman. earth, India is the noblest and of all the In post Vedic period, the Upanishads States of India, Utkal boasts of the highest described Purusa as the creator of the renown as the seat of the Sri Jagannath Universe. The Swetaswatara Upanishad of the universe. and the Kaivalya Upanishad give Sri Jagannath in Indian literature : descriptions about Purusa. The Purusa is The worship of Jagannath at one who is not having hands and legs. He Shrikshetra Puri, in Orissa is so old that has no eyes but sees, no ears but hears. its history is lost in obscurity. The God has He is unknowable but knows everything. been enshrined in many temples which He is the supreme being, Jagannath is the have perished in course of time before the symbol of this Purusa. construction of the present temple. From Chapter XV of the Bhagavad Gita time immemorial, Puri has been a leading describes the God of the Universe as pilgrim centre in India. Roads of Purusottama. He who recognizes the God pilgrimage carrying millions of devotees as Purusottama shifts his love from the 6 Srimandira entire universe and focusses it wholly and prove that Jagannath is no other than God solely on Purusottama. Krishna. The famous poets Balarama, In the Ramayana, we find description Achyuta, Jasobanta, Ananta, Upendra of Jagannath. In the Uttara Khanda of the Bhanja, Baladeva, Dinakrushna, Valmiki Ramayana, Sri Rama advises Jadumani have all sang invocations, Vibhisana to devote himself to the worship songs and prayers in honour of of Sri Jagannath, the family deity of the Jagannath. Even the poet Salabega, who Ikshvaku Kula or Surya Vamsa. was a Muslim, was no exception. Thus since the writing of the oldest Vedic Even today, the ritual Vibhisana verses, we find references to Sri Bandapana is observed in the temple of Jagannath. Shri Jagannath. In the Kiskinda Kanda of the Ramayana, there are references to the The visit of spiritual personalities : names of Sri Jagannath and other deities. Many spiritual personalities have Thus in the age of the Ramayana, Sri visited Jagannath Temple in the past. Sri Jagannath was a popular deity in India. Ramanuja, the great Vaishnavite preacher In the epic Mahabharata, we find the of Visistadwaita philosophy visited Puri in story of Indradyumna and the tank named course of his journey from Melukote to after him. In this epic, there is description Delhi between 1107 to 1117 A.D. and of Vedi, which is identified by the scholars stayed here for sometimes. Under his as Antarvedi or the seat of Sri Jagannath. influence Chodaganga Deva, the king of In the Santi Parva of the Mahabharata, Orissa became a Param Vaishnava. The we find a reference to Jagannath Dharma. present Ramanuja Math has been named after him. His disciple Govinda We also find references about established the Emar Math, which is the Sri Jagannath and the Purusottama biggest Math of Puri. Kshetra in Matsya Purana, Vishnu Purana, Agni Purana, Padma Purana, Vishnuswami, another famous Narada Purana, Brahma Purana and preacher of Vaishnava Dharma in south Skanda Purana. In some famous Sanskrit India also visited Puri in the second half texts like Kapilasamhita, Tirtha of the twelfth century and established a Chintamani, Niladri Mahodaya, Math near the Markandeswar tank, which Rudrayamala, Tantrayamala, is called the 'Vishnuswami Math.' Purusottama Tatwa etc. we find Nimabarka, another famous references to Sri Jagannath. The Vaishnava reformer of south India visited Jagannath Astakam of Adi Sankaracharya Puri and established a Math of his is another important text on Jagannath religious faith. Among the five Maths of which provides information about the his sect at Puri, the Radhaballava Math temple of the God. It stands on the top of is well known. It is situated just to the east the Blue Mountain near the sea. Some of the Lion's gate of the Jagannath famous Oriya authors like Sarala Das, Temple. Sishu Krishna Das and Jagannath Dash In the last part of the twelfth century, identify Sri Jagannath of Kaliyuga with Madhavacharya or Ananda Tirtha, a Srikrishna of Dvapara yuga and try to Vaishnava reformer of south India came 7 Srimandira to Puri. The visit of these four famous Puri when Madana Mohana, the Vaishnava reformers of south India made representative deity of Sri Jagannath is Puri the centre of Vaishnavism in India. ceremonially installed on a swing and Abir Sankaracharya, the greatest Hindu is placed on his feet by pilgrims from philosopher visited Puri and established different parts of India. the Gobardhana Math. His text Chandan Yatra is another important "Jagannath Astakam" provides festival observed at Puri. This festival information about the environment of Puri. lasts for 42 days. First 21 days are known Kabir came to Puri and preached as the period of Bahara Chandan, harmony between Hinduism and because during this period Rama, Islamism. He advocated that the God of Krishna, Madana Mohana, Laxmi and the Hindus is not different from the God Saraswati are taken outside in procession of the Muslims. to Narendra tank. There they play in the boat and enjoy different types of worship. After Kabir, came Sri Chaitanya, The other 21 days are known as the days during the 15th and 16th centuries. He of Bhitara Chandan. During this period, was a great devotee of Sri Jagannath. He the festival takes place inside the temple. spent the last 12 years of his life here at Millions of devotees come to Puri and pay Puri, in a tiny room called Gambhira. He their homage to the God. walked on foot to south, Dwarka and Brindavan and convinced people that Sri On Jyestha Purnima day, the Snana Jagannath is the supreme deity who can Jatra or the Bathing Festival of Sri give salvation to man. Jagannath is observed. The main images of Sri Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra William Bruton, an English traveller along with Sudarsan are brought to the visited Puri in 1633 and published his Snanamandapa (Chaka) by processions account in 1638 on Jagannath Temple. known as Pahandi and at about midday Another foreigner named T. Matto who 108 pots of water is poured over the came to Orissa in 1776 mentions Puri deities. town as the capital of the Gajapati kings of Puri where existed the Jagannath On this occasion, the devotees and Temple. Thus Sri Jagannath became pilgrims are allowed to touch and embrace famous both inside and outside India. The the images. A large congregation of men, visit of these personalities popularised women and children from different parts Jagannath culture both inside and outside of the country see this festival. After this India. festival, the four deities go back to the temple in Pahandi and remain there in the The cycle of festivals : Anasara for 15 days. The annual cycle of festivals of Sri On the day of the Ratha Yatra the Jagannath begins with the Abhiseka or the four deities appear before the public on coronation ceremony of the God on full- the Bada Danda through Pahandi Bije. moon-day in the month of Pausha. It is This Pahandi Bije is a colourful show. known as Pusyabhiseka. The deities sit on their respective The Dola Yatra is a great festival at Rathas and the Rathas travel about 8 Srimandira three kilometres. In Gundicha Ghara, performed inside the temple during a year. they remain for 7 days and come back Banabhoji Vesa, Kaliya Dalana Vesa, to the main temple on the 9th day i.e. on Pralambasura Badha Vesa, Rama- the day of Bahuda Dashami. The return Balarama Vesa, Raja Vesa, Rai Damodara festival is known as Bahuda Yatra. The Vesa, Thiakia Vesa, Bankachuda Vesa, Ratha Yatra is an important part of the Padma Vesa, Gaja Udharana Vesa, cycle of festivals observed for the God. Tribikrama Vesa, Bamana Vesa, Pilgrims and devotees come to Puri in Nrusingha Vesa, Adakia Vesa, Dalikia large numbers from different states of Vesa, Raghunath Vesa, Laxmi Narayan India and also from outside the country Vesa and Nagarjuna Vesa constitute the to see the festival.