Day 78. Legacy-15

 The Jagannath Temple is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu, at Puri ,Odisha . The present temple was rebuilt from the 10th century onwards, on the site of an earlier temple, and begun by Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva, the first king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.

The Puri temple is famous for its annual Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival, in which the three principal deities are pulled on huge and elaborately decorated temple cars. Unlike the stone and metal icons found in most Hindu temples, the image of Jagannath is made of wood and is ceremoniously replaced every twelve or 19 years by an exact replica. It is one of the Char Dhams.

The temple is sacred to all Hindus, and especially in those of the Vaishnava traditions. Many great Vaishnavasaints,suchas Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Nimbarkacharya, Vallabhacharya and Ra-mananda were closely associated with the temple. Ramanuja established the Emar Mutt near the temple and Adi Shankaracharya established the Govardhana Mutt, which is the seat of one of the four Shankaracharyas. It is also of particular significance to the followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, whose founder, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was attracted to the deity, Jagannath, and lived in Puri for many years.

The temple annals, the Madala Panji records that the Jagannath temple at Puri has been invaded and plundered eighteen times. In 1692, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb ordered to close the temple until he wanted to reopen it otherwise it would be demolished, the local Mughal officials who came to carry out the job were requested by the locals and the temple was merely closed. It was re-opened only after Aurangzeb's death in 1707.

One of the features of the temple is preparation and distribution of Prasad to large number of devotees daily.  The  prasad is prepared in earthen pots. The cooking of the prasad is a feat by  itself. Six to seven earthen pots filled with the ingredients are placed on top of the other one and the bottom one is heated. After the stipulated time the pots are removed and all the materials in different pots are cooked  well by then. This is a novel and even miraculous way of cooking, peculiar to this temple.

This year's Rathyatra, held  two days back, was a subdued one due to the current situation. The Raths were all decorated as usual and  taken to the destination with the usual pomp. Only the crowd was limited. Raths start in the morning and reaches the destination by 5.30 PM or so. First the Rath of Balarama, then that of Subhadra and finally the Rath of Jagannath move from the temple, pulled by a large number of devotees.. 

The sight is indeed so enchanting and elevating even on the net. How wonderful it will be in person? Detailed temple history should be seen from Wiki and one should visit the temple when the time permits.( Also , don't miss the nearby Sun Temple at Konark.)

Be happy. Be safe.

ॐ तत् सत्

8 AM