There is no place in the world as culturally rich as India, and if there is one place that is known for its cultural, religious and historic significance, the Jagannath Puri temple in Orissa definitely tops that list. The word Jagannath is derived from a confluence of two Sanskrit words, Jagat meaning “universe” and nātha meaning “Master” or “Lord”. Thus, Jagannath means “lord of the universe”. The trio of deities consisting of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are worshipped at the temple.
A part of char Dham:
Jagannath Temple is the most prominent temple in the Char-Dham circuit. The four main religious destinations are – Rameswaram, Dwarka, Badrinath, and Jagannath Puri. Lord Jagannath is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This temple is home to the idols of two brothers and one sister. The elder brother is Dau ji (Lord Balram)and the sister is Subhadra ji. There are four entrances to the Jagannath Temple. In the East direction is Sinha Dwaar (Lion Gate). In the West, there is Baagh Dwaar (Tiger Gate). In the North is Haathi Dwaar (Elephant Gate). In the South is Ghoda Dwaar (Horse Gate).
Abhada Bhog:
The main attraction of the temple ceremony is the Bhog (religious offering). Bhog is cooked in earthen utensils and we cook a total of 56 different dishes.. There are 3-4 varieties of rice, khichdi, dal, and vegetables! There are some dry Prashad like Khaja, Barfi, etc. The temple has an arrangement so that devotees can receive that Bhog too. Inside the temple complex, there is an Anand Bazaar, where you will enjoy eating the Prashad.
Flag of Jagannath temple:
The Temple flag, Dhwajaa, is replaced every day in the evening. Every evening, between 4 and 5 pm, the temple Dhwajaa is changed. There is a family whose job it is to change that Dhwaja. There are 36 such families, who serve inside the temple premises. For your information, mobile phones and cameras are prohibited inside the temple premises. You can keep your belongings safe outside stalls.
Old Temple;
This Temple was first constructed in the 12th century by Anantavarman Chodaganga of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. It’s India’s one of the oldest and most significant sites for the Indians. The temple is constructed in the pristine Kalinga architecture with a height of 65 meters placed on an elevated platform. Daily, we can see approximately 30,000 visitors, but on auspicious occasions, the number of devotees on a single day can go up to 3,00,000.
Story Behind Lord Jagannath:
The temple of lord Jagannath is considered an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and related to Lord Krishna. At the end of Mahabharata Gandhari was experiencing an immense loss and pain due to the death of her sons. She believed that Lord Krishna would have averted the war with his divine powers, but he did not, so she cursed Lord Krishna that in the next 35 years, he and his Yaduvansh would face death by killing each other, and Dwarka would be flooded. Time flew by, and after 35 years, her curse began to take place as a dispute arose between the Yadavas as they started killing each other, which led to the destruction of Dwarka, too.
One day Lord Krishna was lying down under a tree on the bank of a river when a hunter named Jara visited the forest and thought a deer was hiding behind the tree, so he fired a deadly arrow towards the deer and ran near the tree when he saw that his arrow had penetrated Krishna’s feet. He misunderstood the foot of Krishna for hiding dear. After realizing his mistake, he begged and pleaded with the Lord to forgive. The death of lord Krishna was supposed to be done by Jara. Deeply sorrowed, Arjuna performed the last rituals of Lord Krishna. His entire body was turned into ashes except for his heart. His heart was vibrant and it remained unaffected.
The rebirth of Jara with his tribal community, sabaraz discovered the heart of lord Krishna, which was in the form of a concentrated blue stone. Indra Dumna, the king of Malwa country and an immense devotee of lord Vishnu, was aware of the idol of Neel Madhav and wished to possess it. He had a dream where lord Vishnu advised him that a wooden plank of neem plant was floating across the ocean of Puri, and as you are my immense devotee, you should make the idols through that particular wood and place it in the temple. Also, you should install Neel Madhav in the sculptures.
Jagannath Puri Temple flag
The direction of the flag at the top of the temple is one of the most intriguing mysteries about the Jagannath Puri temple. In contradiction to the natural laws of wind, the flag flies in the opposite direction. A priest climbs the temple daily to change the flag and this tradition is 1800 years old.
According to the legends, if the ritual is not performed, the temple will be closed for 18 years.
A marvellous act put up by the local priests every day to climb the tower of the temple without any headgear to hoist the flag is such a stunning site for visitors.
Rath yatra on the grand road:
The Jagannath Temple Rath Yatra is one of the most celebrated events in the country and so many people all around the country and the world come here to Witness this magnanimous Rath Yatra. The Rath Yatra starts from the temple on Neelgiri to the Gudchika temple and then back to the Temple. You’ll see three chariots, one is for Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra. All three chariots are of different sizes and shapes. Every year, New chariots are made for this event, and all the chariots are made of wood.
Some amazing facts about jagannath temple Puri are changing of idol evert 12-15 yrs, Abhada mahaprasad, weaving of flag opposite to wind, replacement of brahma, the grand Rath yatra, sudarshan chakra, sound of waves, devation to concept of land and sea breeze.
- The kitchen of Jagannath Temple is reputed as one of the world’s largest kitchens. It contains 54 mandatory items on the menu. It is said that Goddess Laxmi supervises this whole process.
- This temple is one of the few temples where the idols are made of neem wood, and the idols get replaced with new ones every 12-15 years.
- On the new Moon of Jyestha, the bathing of Lord Jagannath and his siblings takes place in the temple compound. No Darshans are allowed for 15 days after that. The reason is that Priests think that Lord Jagannath has gotten the flu and they are treating the Lord with some herbal medicines.
- During the midnight the brahma padartha is replaced from the old to new ideals. No one knows what this Brahma padartha is except the priests.
There are many such things related to this temple for which even science does not have the answer. Today we are telling you about various such things related to this historical Temple which are very mysterious.
The Jagannath flag
The Jagannath temple flag is quite unique. The temple flag always flies against the direction of the wind. The flag flies in the opposite direction of the direction in which the wind blows. Till now people are not able to guess what is the reason behind this thing.
The Sudarshan Chakra
The chakra on the temple is 20 feet high and weighs more than a ton. This chakra is fixed on the upper part of the temple but the most important thing related to this cycle is that you can see this cycle from any part of the city. The engineering behind this wheel is also a mystery. If you stand in any part of the temple you will feel that the wheel of the temple is turning towards you.
Nothing Flies Above The Temple
You will be surprised to know that neither an aeroplane ever flies over the temple nor any bird can pass over this Temple. This has not been seen in any other Temple of India. Those who believe in God believe that not the state government, but God has declared this area as a no-flying Zone.
Absence of Shadows
Another engineering marvel of this Temple is that the shadow of the temple is not formed at any time of the day which means you will not see the shadow of the temple the whole day many people tell this the reason for the excellent design of the temple while many people say that it is the power of God
No sound of the waves
There are four gates in the Jagannath temple of Puri; the name of the main gate of these four Gates is Samadra. When the devotees enter the temple from Samhadwam till then they hear the Roar of the sea but the Roar of the sea disappears as soon as they enter the temple through the gate and as long as someone lives inside the temple the sound of the sea does not come inside the temple if you are present near the sea in any corner of the world you will find that during the day the wind blows from the sea to the plains while in the evening the wind blows from the plains to the sea but the wind speed also changes near the sea in Puri here the reverse happens.
Abadha Mahaprasadam
The prasad made in the temple never gets wasted. It is believed that 2000 to 20,000 devotees visit the Jagannath Puri temple on any given day but the amount of prasad made in the temple Remains the Same throughout the year despite this the prasad neither falls short nor becomes more. There is also a different technique to make prasad. These offerings are made in pots, and these seven different pots are kept on the fire. The surprising thing is that the Prasad being cooked in the topmost Potter utensil is prepared first, and then the lower prasid gets cooked.
Reverse Breeze
According to science, the sea breeze blows towards the land during the day and vice, but here in the temple, all laws of science are defined because during the day, the breeze flows from land to the sea, which is a miracle in itself.
Jagannath Temple is filled with a lot of mysteries, and I hope you enjoyed reading about the history and the mysteries of the temple.
