Jagannath Dham
कदाचित् कालिन्दी तट विपिन सङ्गीत तरलो
मुदाभीरी नारी वदन कमला स्वाद मधुपः
रमा शम्भु ब्रह्मामरपति गणेशार्चित पदो
जगन्नाथः स्वामी नयन पथ गामी भवतु मे ॥१॥
Jagannath Dham, Puri
Jagannath Temple:
Puri is one of the significant Dham in all four
Char Dham. Puri, the holy land of Lord Jaganath, has many names. It is
mentioned in Puranas as Srikshetra, Shankhakshetra, Neelāchala, Neelādri,
Purusottama Dhāma, Purusottama Kshetra, Purusottama Puri and Jagannath Puri.
The word “Puri” in Sanskrit means ‘town’ or ‘city’ and is related with polis in
Greek. It is possible that Puri is a shortened name for Jagannath Puri or
Purusottama Puri.
Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and
Goddess Subhadra
Location of Puri Temple:
Puri is a holy city and the district headquarters of Puri district, Odisha, eastern India. It is located on the Bay of Bengal, 60 kilometres (37 mi) south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the 11th-century Jagannath Temple situated in the city. It is one of the original Char Dham pilgrimage sites for Indian Hindus, of which the other sites are Dwaraka, Badrinath and Rameswaram. As per to Hindu teachings, a pilgrimage of the temples of India is not considered complete without a journey to Puri.
The word “Puri” in Sanskrit means ‘town’ or
‘city’ and is related with polis in Greek. It is possible that Puri is a
shortened name for Jagannath Puri or Purusottama Puri. In some records
pertaining to the British rule, the word ‘Jagannath’ was used for Puri. It is
the only shrine in India, where Radha, along with Lakshmi, Durga, Sati,
Parvati, and Shakti abodes with Krishna, also known as Jagannath.
Night
view of Jagannath Dham
About Puri Town:
Puri is a city and a municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, 60 kilometres south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar.
New Jagannath Sadak connects Puri with western and southern Odisha.
Puri Beach is a famous beach resort. Sun Temple
Konark is at distance of around 35 km from Puri.
Significance of Puri Temple:
Purusottama Puri and Jagannath Puri.
The temple is of utmost importance to the Hindu devotees as it is one of the Char-Dham Pilgrimages. It also serves as a mighty historical structure built about millennia ago, in the year 1078. Millions of people visit Odisha to gain Lord Jagannath blessings.
About Jagannath temple and
architecture:
The wooden form of Jagannatha, Balabhadra and
Subhadra are worshiped at Jagannath Temple, Puri!
The Nila Chakra is a disc with eight
Navagunjaras and daily a different flag is waved on the Nila Chakra!
The Jagannath Temple in Puri is a well-known,
holy Hindu temple devoted to Jagannath and situated on the eastern coast of
India, at Puri in the state of Odisha. The name Jagannath comes from the word
Jagat-Nath which means ‘Lord of the Universe’ (Jagat = world, Nath =
Master/protector).
In Jagannath, the ‘t’ word becomes an ‘n’ to
mean lord (nath) of the world. and also, the word “Jagannatha” is evolved from
“Jagati” (as an elevated platform or “Ratnabedi” on which the wooden form of
Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra are worshiped on or the temple) and “Natha”
(means “Lord”). Even in the western language, there exists a word ‘juggernaut’
that means once a person or artifact gets going, it cannot be stopped,
thrashing all that comes in its way.
The temple is a significant pilgrimage
destination for many Hindu traditions, particularly worshippers of Krishna and
Vishnu, and part of the Char Dham pilgrimages that a Hindu is likely to make in
one’s lifetime.
Even though most Hindu deities that are
worshiped are made out of stone or metal, the image of Jagannath is wooden.
Every twelve years these wooden figures are ritually replaced by using sacred
trees that have to be carved as an exact replica. The reason behind this
ceremonial tradition is the highly secret Navakalevara (‘New Body’ or ‘New
Embodiment’) ceremony, an intricate set of rituals that accompany the renewal
of the wooden statues.
The temple was built in the 12th century atop
its ruins by the progenitor of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, King Anantavarman
Chodaganga Deva. The temple is well-known for its annual Rath Yatra, or chariot
festival, in which the three main temple deities are hauled on huge and
elaborately decorated temple cars. Since medieval times, it is also associated
with intense pious fervor.
Structure of temple:
The temple is sacred to the Vaishnava
traditions and saint Ramananda who was closely associated with the temple. It
is also of specific importance to the followers of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism
whose founder, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was attracted to the deity, Jagannath, and
lived in Puri for many years.
The central forms of Jagannath, Balabhadra and
the goddess Subhadra constitute the trinity of deities sitting on the bejeweled
platform or the Ratnavedi in the inner sanctum. The Sudarshan Chakra, deities
of Madanmohan, Sridevi and Vishwadhatri are also placed on the Ratnavedi. The
deities of Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan Chakra are made from
sacred Neem logs known as Daru Bramha. Depending on the season the deities are
adorned in different garbs and jewels. Worship of the deities pre-date the
temple structure and may have originated in an ancient tribal shrine.
The huge temple complex covers an area of over
400,000 square feet (37,000 m2), and is surrounded by a high fortified wall.
This 20 feet (6.1 m) high wall is known as Meghanada Pacheri. Another wall
famous as kurma bedha surrounds the main temple. It contains at least 120
temples and shrines. With its sculptural richness and fluidity of the Oriya
style of temple architecture, it is one of the most magnificent monuments of
India. The temple has four distinct sectional structures, namely as Deula,
Vimana or Garba griha (Sanctum sanctorum) where the triad deities are lodged on
the ratnavedi (Throne of Pearls).
Nata mandir/Natamandapa, which is also famous
as the Jagamohan (Audience Hall/Dancing Hall), and Bhoga Mandapa (Offerings
Hall).
The main temple is a curvilinear temple and
crowning the top is the ‘srichakra’ (an eight spoked wheel) of Vishnu. Also
known as the “Nilachakra”, it is made out of Ashtadhatu and is considered
sacrosanct. Among the present temples in Orissa, the temple of Shri Jagannath
is the highest. The temple tower was built on a raised platform of stone and,
rising to 214 feet (65 m) above the inner sanctum where the deities reside,
dominates the surrounding landscape. The pyramidal roofs of the surrounding
temples and adjoining halls, or mandapas, rise in steps toward the tower like a
ridge of mountain peaks.
The Singhadwara:
Singhadwara
The Singahdwara, which in Sanskrit means The
Lion Gate, is one of the four gates to the temple and forms the Main entrance.
The Singhadwara is so named because two huge statues of crouching lions exist
on either side of the entrance. The gate faces east opening on to the Bada
Danda or the Grand Road. The Baisi Pahacha or the flight of twenty two steps
leads into the temple complex. An idol of Jagannath known as Patitapavana,
which in Sanskrit, means the “Saviour of the downtrodden and the fallen” is
painted on the right side of the entrance. In ancient times when untouchables
were not allowed inside the temple, they could pray to Patita Pavana. The
statues of the two guards to the temple Jaya and Vijaya stand on either side of
the doorway. Just before the commencement of the Rath Yatra the idols of
Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken out of the temple through this
gate. On their return from the Gundicha Temple they have to ritually placate
Goddess Mahalakshmi, whose statue is carved atop the door, for neglecting to
take her with them on the Yatra. Only then the Goddess allows them permission
to enter the temple. A wonderful sixteen-sided monolithic pillar known as the
Arun stambha stands in front of the main gate. This pillar has an idol of Arun,
the charioteer of the Sun God Surya, on its top. One significant thing about
Arun stambha is that prior it was located in the Konark Sun temple, later, the
Maratha guru Brahmachari Gosain brought this pillar from Konark. The Puri
Jagannath Temple was also saved by Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
from being plundered at his times from the Mughals.
Mini Temples:
There are many smaller temples and shrines
within the Temple complex where active worship is frequently conducted.
The Vimala Temple (Bimala Temple) is considered
one of the most important of the Shaktipeeths marks the spot where the goddess
Sati’s feet fell. It is located near Rohini Kund in the temple complex. Until
food offered to Jagannath is offered to Goddess Vimala it is not considered
Mahaprasad.
The temple of Mahalakshmi has a significant
role in rituals of the main temple. It is said that preparation of naivedya as
offering for Jagannath is supervised by Mahalakshmi.
The Kanchi Ganesh Temple is dedicated to
Uchhista Ganapati. Belief reveals the King of Kanchipuram (Kanchi) in ancient
times gifted the idol, when Gajapati Purushottama Deva married Padmavati, the
kanchi princess.
There are other shrines specifically
Muktimandap, Surya, Saraswati, Bhuvaneshwari, Narasimha, Rama, Hanuman and
Eshaneshwara.
The Mandapas:
There are numerous Mandapas or Pillared halls
on raised platforms within the temple complex meant for sacred worshipers.
The most prominent is the Mukti Mandapa the
congregation hall of the holy seat of selected learned Brahmins. Here important
decisions regarding conduct of daily worship and festivals are taken.
The Dola Mandapa is noteworthy for a
beautifully carved stone Torana or arch which is used for constructing a swing
for the annual Dol Yatra festival. During the festival the idol of Dologobinda
is placed on the swing.
The Snana Bedi is a rectangular stone podium
where idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are placed for ceremonial
bathing during the annual Snana Yatra.
History of Jagannath Dham:
As per to the recently discovered copper plates
from the Ganga dynasty, the construction of the current Jagannath temple was
initiated by the ruler of Kalinga, Anantavarman Chodaganga Dev. The Jaga mohan
and the Vimana portions of the temple were built during his reign (1078 – 1148 CE).
However, it was only in the year 1174 CE that the Oriya ruler Ananga Bhima Deva
rebuilt the temple to give a shape in which it stands today.
Jagannath worship in the temple continued until
1558, when Odisha was attacked by the Afghan general Kalapahad. Afterward, when
Ramachandra Deb established an independent kingdom at Khurda in Orissa, the
temple was consecrated and the deities reinstalled.
Legendary account as found in the
Skanda-Purana, Brahma Purana and other Puranas and later Oriya works state that
Lord Jagannath was originally worshipped as Lord Neela Madhaba by a Savar king
(tribal chief) named Viswavasu. Having heard about the god, King Indradyumna
sent a Brahmin priest, Vidyapati to locate the deity, who was worshipped
secretly in a dense forest by Viswavasu. Vidyapati tried his best but could not
locate the place. But at last he managed to wed Viswavasu’s daughter Lalita. At
constant request of Vidyapti, Viswavasu took his son-in-law blind folded to a
cave where Lord Neela Madhaba was worshipped.
Vidyapati was very intellectual. He dropped
mustard seeds on the ground on the way. The seeds germinated after a few days,
which enabled him to find out the cave later on. On hearing from him, King
Indradyumna proceeded instantly to Odra desha Orissa on a pilgrimage to see and
worship the God. But the deity had disappeared. The king was saddened. The
Deity was hidden in sand. The king was determined not to return without having
a darshan of the deity and observed fast unto death at Mount Neela, Then a
celestial voice cried ‘thou shalt see him.’ Later the king performed a horse
sacrifice and built a magnificent temple for Vishnu. Sri Narasimha Murti
brought by Narada was installed in the temple. During sleep, the king had a
vision of Lord Jagannath. Also an astral voice directed him to receive the
fragrant tree on the seashore and make idols out of it. Accordingly the king
got the image of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Chakra Sudarshan made
out of the wood of the divine tree and installed them in the temple.
An another old story concerning the origins of
the Lord Jagannath temple is that here the original image of Jagannath (a deity
form of Vishnu) at the end of Treta yuga manifested near a banyan tree, near
seashore in the form of an Indranila nilamani or the Blue Jewel. It was so
amazing that it could grant instant moksha, so the god Dharma or Yama wanted to
hide it in the earth, and was successful. In Dvapara Yuga King Indradyumna of
Malwa wanted to find that mysterious image and to do so he performed harsh
penances to obtain his goal. Vishnu then instructed him to go to the Puri
seashore and find a floating log to make an image from its trunk.
The King found the log of wood. He did a yajna
from which god Yajna Nrisimha appeared and instructed that Narayana should be
made as fourfold expansion, i.e. Paramatma as Vasudeva, his Vyuha as
Samkarshana, Yogamaya as Subhadra, and his Vibhava asSudarsana. Vishwakarma
appeared in the form of artist and prepared images of Jagannath, Balabhadra and
Subhadra from the tree. When this log, radiant with light was seen floating in
the sea, Narada told the king to make three idols out of it and place them in a
pavilion. Indradyumna got Visvakarma, the architect of Gods, to build a
magnificent temple to house the idols and Vishnu himself appeared in the guise
of a carpenter to make the idols on condition that he was to be left
undisturbed until he finished the work.
But just after two weeks, the Queen became very
nervous. She took the carpenter to be dead as no sound came from the temple.
Therefore, she requested the king to open the door. Thus, they went to see
Vishnu at work at which the latter abandoned his work leaving the idols
unfinished. The idol was devoid of any hands. But a divine voice said Indradyumana
to install them in the temple. It has also been widely believed that in spite
of the idol being without hands; it can watch over the world and be its lord.
About Festivals and RathYatras:
There are sumptuous daily worship services.
There are many festivals each year attended by millions of people. The most
important festival is the Rath Yatra or the Chariot festival in June. This
spectacular festival includes a procession of three huge chariots bearing the
idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra through the Bada Danda meaning the
Grand Avenue of Puri till their final destination the Gundicha Temple.
Many festivals like Dol Yatra in spring and
Jhulan Yatra in monsoon are celebrated by temple every year.Pavitrotsava and
Damanaka utsava are celebrated as per panchanga or panjika.There are special
rituals in the month of Kartika and Pausha.
The annual shodasha dinatmaka or 16 day puja
beginning 8 days prior to Mahalaya of Ashwin month for goddess Vimala and
ending on Vijayadashami, is of great importance, in which both the utsava murty
of lord Madanmohan and Vimala take part.
Pana Sankranti: Also famous or Vishuva
Sankranti and Mesha Sankranti: Special rituals are performed at the temple.
Ratha Yatra/Car festival:
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. On the way back, the three chariots halt at the
Mausi Maa Temple and the deities are offered Poda Pitha, a kind of baked cake
which are generally consumed by the poor sections only.
Mausi Maa Temple
Conclusion:
Puri is a significant pilgrimage center for
Hindus, situated in Puri district in the Indian state of Orissa. Located
towards the south of Bhubaneshwar, capital of Orissa, Puri is one of the holy
cities in India and one of the Dhams out of four, according to Chaar (four)
Dham Yatra of Hindus. It is believed that one’s pilgrimage journey is
unfinished without a visit to this place. This coastal district situated at Bay
of Bengal is known for its architectural magnificence and spiritual
significance. This place is also famously referred to as Jagannath Puri after
the revered Jagannath temple situated at this city.
Various other attractions in Puri are Shree
Jagannath Puri Temple,Swargadwar Beach,Narendra Tank,Markandesvara
Temple,Ganesha Temple,Puri Beach,Jagannath Rath Yatra,Lakshmi Temple,Chilika
Lake,Loknath Temple,Museum and Sudarshan Workshop,Gundicha Temple,Vimala
Temple,Mausi Ma Temple,Sakshi Gopal etc.
Written by
Subhadarsini Sethi
Student of Department of Management Studies
Geeta Engineering College, Panipat
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