Mysterious Jagannath Puri
Bhagavat-Sangi-Sangasya
Mysterious Jagannath Puri
Who says that we cannot see God? Who says that miracles happen in Grandma fairy tales? Actually Facts are stranger than Fiction. The Holy Land of Jagannath Puri stands testimony to this statement. If you don’t believe, then pick up your compass and find your way to 19o18’17” latitude and 85o51’39” longitude and see for yourself the wonderful pastimes of Krishna on earth.
Jagannath Puri is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in India, located 300 miles from Kolkata in the state of Orissa. There the Lord of the Universe resides in His most unique form of Jagannath along with His brother Balaram and sister Subhadra. The history of how, why and when Jagannath first appeared on earth is vividly described in Purushottam-Kshetra-Mahatmya, a section of Skanda Purana.
Once you are there, you would have an out-of-the-world experience. The place is unlike any other in the world. The culture of Deity worship is rich in variety. Lord Jagannath is worshiped as a King in the mood of opulence and grandeur. More than 30,000 men, women and children are fully engaged in His worship. The kitchens house an astounding 752 wood-burning stoves. Offerings for the Lord are cooked in earthen pots. A nine-pot pyramid is placed directly over the stove and all nine pots together receive heat and smoke from the wood fire below. Mysteriously, the top most pot gets cooked first.
The different services rendered by devotees are opening the locked door of temple each morning before anyone enters, supplying and maintaining of dress for the Deities, cooking and carrying bhoga (offering for the Lord), supplying tooth cleaning sticks for the Lord, placing colorful flags atop the temple and putting a lamp there on Ekadasi at sundown. Each of these services and countless more are passed on from father to son generation after generation for centuries.
Life in Jagannath Puri is filled with festivals round the year. The most popular one is the Rath Yatra when the Deities come out of the temple of Jagannath Puri and travel to the Gundicha Devi temple on grand chariots pulled by devotees with great love. The architectural design of the temple is another wonder. At any time of the year or day, the temple does not cast its shadow on the ground. The idea is that no one should even accidentally step on the shadow of the temple. Non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple premises. The temple has a flat wheel (chakra) on the top which, seen from anywhere and any direction in Puri, appears to be facing the observer.
The glories of Jagannath Puri are infinite and unending. We will post sequence of articles on this topic for interested readers and travel enthusiasts. And what can be better than packing up your bags and paying a visit to Jagannath Puri this winter? Jai Jagannath!!