The most significant of Lord
Jagannath’s many shrines in India is the one in Puri, which we visited very
recently.
Together with Badrinath, Dwarka and
Rameshwaram, Puri is one of the Char Dhams, the four revered sites of Hinduism
identified by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. While legends attribute its origin to
divine influence, historians believe that it was built by emperor
Anangabhimadeva III, of the Ganga dynasty in the 12th century.
In the temple, Jagannath (literally,
Lord of the Universe), a form of Vishnu, is worshipped as part of a triad,
along with his sister Subhadra and elder brother Balabhadra (also known as
Balarama). Interestingly, the early epigraphic and literary sources, dating to the
12th century, refer only to a unitary deity, Purushottama Jagannath, and not
the triad. Sudarshana Chakra, a disc-like weapon used by Vishnu, is worshipped
as the fourth deity in the sanctum.
The idols have a distinct form; they
are decorated wooden stumps with large round eyes, stumps for arms, and the
conspicuous absence of legs. The images of Jagannath and Balabhadra are about 6 ft (1.8 m) tall, while Subhadra
stands a little shorter at 5 ft.
Sudarshana Chakra, approximately the same height as the two male deities, is
red. Here it is represented by a wooden pillar on which a chakra is
carved, unlike its traditional representation as a metal disc. Neem wood
considered the most auspicious wood to make idols of Vishnu (Bhavishya Purana),
is used to make all four images.
A popular legend explains the distinct
form of the idols in Jagannath Temple. During Satya Yuga, a few years after
Krishna’s death, a group of tribals found a relic of Krishna that had survived
the cremation fire. They enshrined the relic in a cave and worshipped it as
Nilamadhava. The mighty king, Indradyumna learnt about the fabled Nilamadhava
and wished to install the idol in a grand temple. Vidyapati, Indradyumna’s most
trusted minister, was assigned the task of acquiring the idol.
Vidyapati realized that his task was
difficult because the tribals were very secretive about their God, and decided
to marry the tribal king’s daughter in order to gain his confidence. As a part
of the dowry, he asked for a darshan of Nilamadhava. The tribal king
reluctantly agreed to the request, and after the wedding, a blindfolded
Vidyapati was taken to Nilamadhava’s cave shrine. But the clever Vidyapati
outwitted his father-in-law by leaving a trail of mustard seeds as he was taken
to the shrine. After the rains, the seeds sprouted into a bright yellow trail
of mustard flowers leading right up to the secret cave.
However, when King Indradyumna finally
reached the cave, Nilamadhava disappeared. God did not approve of the trickery
involved in the attempt to acquire him. After deep penance by Indradyumna,
Nilamadhava appeared in his dream one night and told him to go to the nearby
beach where he would find a log of wood with Vishnu’s symbols carved on it. The
king was instructed to use this wood to make idols for his grand temple.
The king found the log, but to his
utter dismay, despite every effort, the royal carpenters could not cut through
the wood. Eventually, an old man arrived at the court and said that he could
transform the log into images of the deity. In return, he asked to be left to
work undisturbed in a closed room. The old man was none other than Vishwakarma,
the divine architect.
Initially, the guards outside the room
could hear the sounds of cutting and hammering on the wood. Suddenly one day
there was silence. When the queen learnt of this, fearing the worst had
befallen the old man, she got to the door and opened it to check on him.
Inside, the queen did not find the old man. On being disturbed, Vishwakarma
disappeared without a word and all that was left behind were incomplete wooden
stumps. And king Indradyumna enshrined the Gods in their unfinished form in
this temple.
The wooden idols of Jagannath,
Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshana are replaced after 8, 11, 12 or 19 years from the previous
replacement based on the lunar calendar/astronomical and astrological
considerations. Wood for the new idols is from Neem trees selected by an elaborate
and religious process. The carpenters are said to be blindfolded when the idols
are finally made and the mystical inner core (said to represent the soul) is
transferred from the old body to the new one. The old idols are then buried. The
installation of the new idols is called Nabakalebara. The last one was held in
2015 and the next one will be after 19 years in 2034.
Apart from its religious significance
within Hinduism, Jagannath Temple is noted for its magnificent architecture.
The east-facing temple, built on an elevated platform, towers 65 m, which makes
it the tallest surviving temple in Odisha. The temple compound is massive,
covering an area of 37,161 sq m. The interior is protected from profane eyes,
by a massive stone wall 20 feet high. Within, rise about 120 temples dedicated
to the various forms of Hindu Gods.
The temple is similar in plan to other
Orissan styles; a central complex of four structures which is surrounded by
smaller shrines and two enclosures walls. The main group included, as elsewhere
a rekha deul, a jagamohan with a pyramidal roof,
a natamandapa, and a bhogamandapa. These four
structures stand in a line and are oriented to the east. Originally the rekha
deul and jagamohan were so placed that the rays of
the morning Sun could penetrate the depths of the shrine through the eastern
doorway of the assembly hall. These two buildings constitute the original
building. The natamandapa and the bhogamandapa were
added respectively in the late 13th and 15th centuries.
The two compound walls around the
temple are Meghanada Pracira, the outer wall, and Kurma
Pracira, the inner wall. The temple has entrance gates in all four cardinal
directions; the eastern gate is called Singha Dwara (lion gate), the southern
gate is called Ashwa Dwara (horse gate), the western gate is called Vyaghra
Dwara (tiger gate) and the northern gate is called Hathi Dwara (elephant gate).
The main entrance to the temple is
through the eastern gate which is Singha Dwara. In front of it stands the Aruna
Stambha, a 16-sided iron pillar dedicated to Aruna, the charioteer of the Sun
God. This almost 8 m high pillar stands on a carved 1.8 m high pedestal and has
a beautifully carved Aruna image on its top. The pillar, once a part of Konark
temple complex, was installed here in the last quarter of the 18th century.
To the left of the Singha Dwara is a
small water tank where devotees can wash their feet and hands before entering
the temple. Crossing the Singha Dwara, 22 steps called baisi pahacha lead
to the massive complex. On entering, there are the small temples of Shiva and
Ganesha on either side. Further inside, are two outer rings of small shrines
with the main temple in the middle.
The main temple stands on a huge
raised platform that is believed to be the base of a small hill known as
Nilagiri (or blue hill). The lowermost portion of the platform is decorated
with friezes of elephants, horses, camels and processions of warriors, while
the upper part is carved with scroll, floral, and geometric designs, as well as
processions of horses and elephants.
The main temple was once covered with
a thick layer of lime plaster to protect it from erosion. The architectural and
sculptural merits of the Purusottama-Jagannatha Temple were formerly difficult
to estimate because it was covered with lime plaster by Narasimhadeva of Khurda
in 1636-37. This earned it the title of the ‘White Pagoda’ amongst British and
other foreign sailors. Fortunately, in 1975, the Archeological Survey of India
undertook the conservation of the temple and is ensuring that it is intact.
The outer walls of Jagannath Temple as
well as the many subsidiary shrines are adorned with beautiful sculptures of
deities, scenes depicting their lives as well as floral patterns. The ten
incarnations of Vishnu are represented on the upper jangha (outer
wall), and stories from the life of Krishna can be seen along the lower jangha.
One must take time out to admire these carvings. At the same time, one must be
aware of the monkeys hopping around the complex, ready to snatch your
belongings.
The Deul consists of a tall shikhara housing
the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum), where the deities,
Jagannath, Subhadra and Balabhadra, along with Sudarshana are installed on a
platform called ratnabedi (literally, the jeweled platform).
The shikhara is
topped by an amalaka (a huge carved circular piece made of several
dressed stone blocks with carved fluting making it look like an amalaka fruit)
resting on the beki, a unique indigenous innovation of Odishan
architects. On top of the amalaka is the nilachakra,
the wheel of Vishnu, made up of ashtadhatu, an alloy of eight
metals. On every ekadasi (eleventh day of the waxing moon) a
lamp is lit on top of the temple near the wheel. The flag tied to the nilachakra is
known as Patita Pavana. It is changed daily and considered as
sacred as the deities in the sanctum sanctorum.
Like most major Vishnu temples, the
entrance doors to the sanctum depict his two semi-divine guardians Jaya and
Vijaya. The inner walls of the sanctum have three of Vishnu’s dasavtara –
Narasimha, Vahmana and Varaha – carved on a wall each. In front of the sanctum
is the audience hall, nata mandir, 21 m in length and 20 m wide. At
the far end of the hall, in the line of vision of the ratnabedi, is
the pillar called Garuda Stambha. This is the same pillar next to
which Shri Chaitanya once stood in meditation looking at his God and one can
still see, what is believed to be, the impression of his finger marks on it.
Next to the nata mandir,
on the west, is the 18 m x 17 m hall called bhoga mandapa from
where the main deities are offered food. It has a pyramidal roof and sits on a
richly-carved plinth. Its walls are adorned with sculptures and paintings
depicting stories from Krishna’s life. A passage connects the bhoga
mandapa with the kitchen complex so that offerings cooked in the
kitchen may be brought here directly.
Of the many smaller temples in the
complex, the most significant is the Ganesha Temple at the base of the
Kalpavata, the banyan tree; Bimala Temple dedicated to the guardian deity of
the temple complex, to the left of the main temple; and Lakshmi Temple,
dedicated to the consort of Vishnu (Jagannath). The ancient Kalpavata tree is
believed to have been standing at the same spot since the Jagannath Temple
complex was first built. Devotees believe it fulfils the desires of those
seeking its blessings.
The main road in front of Jagannath
Temple leading to Gundicha Temple, 3 kms away, is called Bada Danda, and is
best known for the multitudes that gather here for the annual Rath Yatra. This
wide road encompasses the pious-yet-recreational essence of Puri. It is crowded
with kiosks selling flowers, incense sticks, coconuts, earthen lamps, as well
as mahaprasad.
Further down the road, there are
colourful souvenir shops selling images of Gods and Goddesses, trinkets made of
sea shells, appliqué crafts, beautiful silver filigree jewellery and ikat weaves.
These shops come alive, especially in the evenings.
