Bipin Chandra’s
Shree Jagannath, Puri (ShrikhyetraDham)
Jagannath (lit. 'lord of the universe') is a
deity worshipped in regional traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism in India and Bangladesh.
Jagannath is considered a form of Vishnu.[1][2] He
is part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra and
sister Subhadra.
To most Vaishnava Hindus, Jagannath is an abstract
representation of Krishna; to some Shaiva and Shakta Hindus,
he is a symmetry-filled tantric representation of Bhairava; to
some Buddhists, he is a symbolic representation of the Buddha in the
Buddha-Sangha-Dhamma triad; to some Jains, his name and his festive rituals are
derived from Jeenanath of Jainism tradition.[3]
The icon of Jagannath is a carved and decorated wooden stump
with large round eyes and a symmetric face, and the icon has a conspicuous
absence of hands or legs. The worship procedures, sacraments and rituals
associated with Jagannath are syncretic,[3] and
include rites that are uncommon in Hinduism.[4] Unusually,
the icon is made of wood and replaced with a new one at regular intervals. The
origin and evolution of Jagannath worship is unclear.[5] Some
scholars interpret hymn 10.155.3 of the Rigveda as
a possible origin, but others disagree and state that it is a syncretic deity
with tribal roots.[5] His
name does not appear in the traditional Dashavatara (ten
avatars) of Vishnu,[6] though
in certain Odia literature, Jagannath has been treated as the ninth avatar, as
a substitute for or the equivalent of the Shakyamuni
Buddha.[7]
Jagannath is considered a non-sectarian deity.[8][9][10] He
is significant regionally in the Indian states of Odisha, West
Bengal, and Assam.[11] He
is also significant to the Hindus of Bangladesh.
The Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha is
particularly significant in Vaishnavism,
and is regarded as one of the Char Dham pilgrimage
sites in India.[12] The
Jagannath temple is massive, over 61 metres (200 ft) high in the Nagara Hindu
temple style, and one of the best surviving specimens of Kalinga architecture aka Odisha art and
architecture.[13] It
has been one of the major pilgrimage destinations for Hindus since about 800
CE.[13]
The annual festival called the Ratha
yatra celebrated in June or July every year in eastern states of India
is dedicated to Jagannath. His image, along with the other two associated
deities, is ceremoniously brought out of the sacrosanctum (Garbhagriha)
of his chief temple in Puri (Oriya: Bada Deula). They are placed in
a chariot which is then pulled by numerous volunteers to the Gundicha
Temple, (located at a distance of nearly 3 km or 1.9 mi). They
stay there for a few days, after which they are returned to the main temple.
Coinciding with the Ratha Yatra festival at Puri, similar processions are
organized at Jagannath temples throughout the world. During the festive public
procession of Jagannath in Puri lakhs of devotees visit Puri to see Lord
Jagganath in chariot. [14]
Etymology
"Jagannath" is a compound word from Sanskrit,
consisting of "Jagat" and "Nath". The word nath means
"Master, Lord" (nātha) while jagan or jagat means
the "universe". Thus, Jagannath means "lord of
the universe".[
In the Odia
language, "Jagannath" is linked to other names, such as "Jagā"
(ଜଗା) or "Jagabandhu"
(ଜଗବନ୍ଧୁ)
("Friend of the Universe"). Both names derive from
"Jagannath". Further, on the basis of the physical appearance of the
deity, names like "Kālya" (କାଳିଆ)
("The Black-coloured Lord", but which can also mean "the Timely
One"), "Darubrahman" (ଦାରୁବ୍ରହ୍ମ)
("The Sacred Wood-Riddle"), "Dāruēdebatā" (ଦାରୁ ଦେବତା "The
wooden god"), Chakāākhi (ଚକା ଆଖି)
or "Chakānayan" (ଚକା ନୟନ "With
round eyes"), "Cakāḍōḷā" (ଚକା ଡୋଳା "with round pupils") are also
in vogue.[18][19][20]
According to Dina Krishna Joshi, the word may have origins in
the tribal word Kittung of the Sora
people (Savaras). This hypothesis states that the Vedic people as they
settled into tribal regions adopted the tribal words and called the deity
Jagannath.[21] According
to O.M. Starza, this is unlikely because Kittung is
phonetically unrelated, and the Kittung tribal deity is
produced from burnt wood and looks very different from Jagannath.[22]
Iconography
The icon of Jagannath in his temples is a brightly painted,
rough-hewn log of neem wood.[23] The
image consists of a square flat head, a pillar that represents his face merging
with the chest. The icon lacks a neck, ears, and limbs, is identified by a
large circular face symbolizing someone who is anadi (without
beginning) and ananta (without end).[24] Within
this face are two big symmetric circular eyes with no eyelids, one eye
symbolizing the sun and the other the moon, features traceable in 17th-century
paintings. He is shown with an Urdhva
Pundra, the Vaishnava U-shaped mark on his forehead. His dark color and
other facial features are an abstraction of the cosmic form of the Hindu god
Krishna, states Starza.[25] In
some contemporary Jagannath temples, two stumps pointing forward in hug-giving
position represent his hands. In some exceptional medieval and modern era
paintings in museums outside India, such as in Berlin states Starza, Jagannath
is shown "fully anthropomorphised" but with the traditional abstract
mask face.[25]
The typical icon of Jagannath is unlike other deities found
in Hinduism who are predominantly anthropomorphic. However, aniconic forms of
Hindu deities are not uncommon. For example, Shiva is often represented in the
form of a Shiva linga.
In most Jagannath temples in the eastern states of India, and all his major
temples such as the Puri, Odisha, Jagannath is included with his brother Balabhadra and
sister Subhadra. Apart from the principal companion deities, Jagannath icon
shows a Sudarshana Chakra and sometimes under the
umbrella cover of multiheaded Sesha Naga, both linking him to Vishnu. He was one
of the introduction to Hinduism to early European explorers and merchants who
sailed into Calcutta and ports of the Bay of
Bengal. The Italian Odoric of Pordenone who was a Franciscan
friar, visited his temple and procession in 1321 CE, and described him in the
language of the Church. William Burton, visited his temple at Puri in 1633,
spelled him as Jagarnat and described him to be "in a
shape like a serpent, with seven hoods".[26]
When shown with Balabhadra and Subhadra, he is identifiable
from his circular eyes compared to the oval or almond shape of the other two
abstract icons. Further, his icon is dark, while Balabhadra's face is white,
and Subhadra's icon is yellow. The third difference is the flat head of
Jagannath icon, compared to semi-circular carved heads of the other two.[27][note 1] They
are accompanied by the Sudarshana Chakra, the iconic weapon of Vishnu. It is
approximately the same height as Balabhadra, is red in colour, carved from a
wooden pillar and clothed, unlike its traditional representation as a chakra in
other Vishnu temples.[28] Jagannath
iconography, when he is depicted without companions, shows only his face,
neither arms nor torso. This form is sometimes called Patita Pavana,[29] or Dadhi
Vaman.[30]
The murtis of Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and
Sudarshana Chakra are made of neem wood.[31] Neem
wood is chosen because the Bhavishya
Purana declares it to be the most auspicious wood from which to make
Vishnu murtis.[26] The
wood icon is re-painted every year before the Ratha-Yatra.
It is replaced with a newly carved image every 12 or 19 years approximately, or
more precisely according to the luni-solar Hindu
calendar when its month of Asadha occurs twice in the same year.[
Attributes
Jagannath is considered an avatar (incarnation)
of Vishnu.[33] Others
consider him equivalent to the Hindu metaphysical concept of Brahman, wherein
he then is the Avatarī, i.e., the cause and equivalence of all avatars and the
infinite existence in space and time.[34] According
to author Dipti Ray in Prataparudra Deva, the Suryavamsi King
of Odisha:
In Prataparudradeva's time Odia poets accepted Sarala
Dasa's idea and expressed in their literary works as all the Avataras of Vishnu (Jagannath)
manifest from him and after their cosmic play dissolute (bilaya) in him
(Jagannath). According to them Jagannath is Sunnya Purusa, Nirakar and Niranjan
who is ever present in Nilachala to do cosmic play ... The five Vaishnavite Sakhas
["Comrades"] of Orissa during Prataparudradeva's time expounded in their
works the idea that Jagannath (Purushottama)
is Purna Brahman from whom other Avataras like Rama, Krishna, etc.,
took their birth for lilas in this universe and at the end would merge in the
self of Purna Brahman.
— Dipti Ray[35]
In the Jagannath tradition, he has the attributes of all the
avatars of Vishnu. This belief is celebrated by dressing him and worshipping
him as different avatars on special occasions.[36] However
he is most frequently identified with Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu.[37] The
Puranas relate that the Narasimha Avatar of Vishnu appeared from a wooden
pillar. It is therefore believed that Jagannath is worshipped as a wooden murti or
Daru Brahma with the Shri Narasimha hymn dedicated to the Narasimha Avatar.[38] Every
year in the month of Bhadra, Jagannath is dressed and decorated
in the form of the Vamana avatar of Vishnu.[34] Jagannath
appeared in the form of Rama, another avatar of Vishnu, to Tulsidas, who
worshipped him as Rama and
called him Raghunath during his visit to Puri in the 16th
century.[39][40]
Tantric deity
Outside of Vaishnava tradition, Jagannath is considered the
epitome of Tantric worship.[41] The
symmetry in iconography, the use of mandalas and geometric patterns in its
rites support the tantric connection proposal.[3] Jagannath
is venerated as Bhairava or Lord Shiva, the consort
of Goddess Vimala, by Shaivites and Shakta sects.[42] The
priests of Jagannath Temple at Puri belong to the Shakta sect, although the
Vaishnava sect's influence predominates.[43] As
part of the triad, Balabhadra is also considered to be Shiva and Subhadra, a
manifestation of Durga or Laksmi.[44] In
the Markandeya Purana the sage Markandeya declared
that Purushottama Jagannath and Shiva are one.[45] Jagannath
in his Hathi Besha (elephant form) has been venerated by devotees like Ganapati
Bhatta of Maharashtra as the God Ganesh.[39]
Origins: alternative theories[edit]
Vedic origin of Jagannath
In hymn 10.155 of the Rig veda,
there is mention of a Daru (wooden log) floating in the ocean as apurusham.[5][46] Acharya Sayana interpreted
the term apurusham as same as Purushottama and
this Dara wood log being an inspiration for Jagannath, thus
placing the origin of Jagannath in 2nd millennium BCE. Other scholars refute
this interpretation stating that the correct context of the hymn is
"Alaxmi Stava" of Arayi.[5]
According to Bijoy Misra, Puri natives do call Jagannatha as
Purushottama, consider driftwood a savior symbol, and later Hindu texts of the
region describe the Supreme Being as ever present in everything, pervasive in
all animate and inanimate things. Therefore, while the Vedic connection is
subject to interpretation, the overlap in the ideas exist.[13]
Buddhist origins
The Buddhist origins theory relies on circumstantial
evidence and colonial era attempts to reconcile empirical observations with the
stereotypical assumptions about Indian religions. For example, there exists an
unexamined relic in the Jagannath shrine in Puri,[48] and
the local legends state that the shrine relic contains a tooth of the Buddha – a
feature common to many cherished Theravada Buddhist shrines in and outside of
India.[13][49] Other
legends state that the shrine also contains bones of the human incarnation of
the Hindu god Krishna, after he was accidentally killed by a deer hunter.
However, in the Hindu tradition, a dead body is cremated, ashes returned to
nature, and the mortal remains or bones are not preserved or adored.[50] In
Buddhism, preserving skeletal parts such as "Buddha's tooth" or
relics of dead saints is a thriving tradition. The existence of these legends,
state some scholars such as Stevenson, suggests that Jagannath may have a
Buddhist origin.[50] However,
this is a weak justification because some other traditions such as those in
Jainism and tribal folk religions too have had instances of preserving and
venerating relics of the dead.[48]
A circumstantial evidence that links Jagannath deity to
Buddhism is the Ratha-Yatra festival for Jagannath, the
stupa-like shape of the temple and a dharmachakra-like
discus (chakra) at the top of the spire. The major annual procession
festival has many features found in the Mahayana
Buddhism traditions.[13] Faxian (c.
400 CE[51]),
the ancient Chinese pilgrim and visitor to India wrote about a Buddhist
procession in his memoir, and this has very close resemblances with the
Jagannath festivities. Further the season in which the Ratha-Yatra festival
is observed is about the same time when the historic public processions
welcomed Buddhist monks for their temporary, annual monsoon-season retirement.[50][note 2]
Another basis for this theory has been the observed mixing
of people of Jagannath Hindu tradition contrary to the caste segregation
theories popular with colonial era missionaries and Indologists. Since caste
barriers never existed among devotees in Jagannath's temple, and Buddhism was
believed to have been a religion that rejected caste system, colonial era
Indologists and Christian missionaries such as Verrier Elwin suggested that
Jagannath must have been a Buddhist deity and the devotees were a
caste-rejecting Buddhist community.[3][54] According
to Starza, this theory is refuted by the fact that other Indic traditions did
not support caste distinctions, such as the Hindu Smarta tradition
founded by Adi Shankara, and the traditional feeding of the
Hindus together in the region regardless of class, caste or economic condition
in the memory of Codaganga.[47] This
reconciliation is also weak because Jagannath is venerated by all Hindu sects,[36] not
just Vaishnavas or
a regional group of Hindus, and Jagannath has a pan-Indian influence.[42][55] The
Jagannath temple of Puri has been one of the major pilgrimage destination for
Hindus across the Indian subcontinent since about 800 CE.[13]
Yet another circumstantial evidence is that Jagannath is
sometimes identified with or substituted for Shakyamuni
Buddha, as the ninth avatar of Vishnu by Hindus, when it could have been
substituted for any other avatar.[50] Jagannath
was worshipped in Puri by the Odias as a form of Shakyamuni
Buddha from a long time. Jayadeva,
in Gita Govinda also has described Shakyamuni
Buddha as one among the Dasavatara.
Indrabhuti, the ancient Buddhist king, describes Jagannath as a Buddhist deity
in Jnanasidhi.[50] Further,
as a Buddhist king, Indrabhuti worshipped Jagannath.[56] This
is not unique to the coastal state of Odisha, but possibly also
influenced Buddhism in Nepal and Tibet. In
Nepal, Shakyamuni Buddha is also worshipped as
Jagannath in Nepal.[57] This
circumstantial evidence has been questioned because the reverent mention of
Jagannath in the Indrabhuti text may merely be a coincidental homonym, may
indeed refer to Shakyamuni Buddha, because the same name may
refer to two different persons or things.[56]
Jain origins
Pandit Nilakantha Das suggested that Jagannath was a deity
of Jain origin
because of the appending of Nath to many Jain Tirthankars.[58] He
felt Jagannath meant the 'World personified' in the Jain context and was
derived from Jinanath. Evidence of the Jain terminology such as
of Kaivalya,
which means moksha or
salvation, is found in the Jagannath tradition.[59] Similarly,
the twenty two steps leading to the temple, called the Baisi Pahacha,
have been proposed as symbolic reverence for the first 22 of the 24
Tirthankaras of Jainism.[3]
According to Annirudh Das, the original Jagannath deity was
influenced by Jainism and is none other than the Jina of
Kalinga taken to Magadha by Mahapadma
Nanda.[60] The
theory of Jain origins is supported by the Jain Hathigumpha inscription. It mentions the
worship of a relic memorial in Khandagiri-Udayagiri, on the Kumara hill. This
location is stated to be same as the Jagannath temple site. However, states
Starza, a Jain text mentions the Jagannath shrine was restored by Jains, but
the authenticity and date of this text is unclear.[61]
Another circumstantial evidence supporting the Jain origins
proposal is the discovery of Jaina images inside as well as near the massive
Puri temple complex, including those carved into the walls. However, this could
also be a later addition, or suggestive of tolerance, mutual support or close
relationship between the Jains and the Hindus.[61] According
to Starza, the Jain influence on the Jagannath tradition is difficult to assess
given the sketchy uncertain evidence, but nothing establishes that the
Jagannath tradition has a Jain origin.[61]
Vaishnava origins
The Vaishnava origin theories rely on the iconographic
details and the typical presence of the triad of deities, something that
Buddhist, Jaina and tribal origins theories have difficulty in coherently
explaining. The colors, state the scholars of the Vaishnava origin theory, link
to black-colored Krishna and white-colored Balarama. They add that the goddess
originally was Ekanamsa (Durga of Shaiva-Shakti tradition, sister of Krishna
through his foster family). She was later renamed to Shubhadra (Lakshmi) per
Vaishnava terminology for the divine feminine.[62]
The weakness of the Vaishnava origins theory is that it conflates
two systems. While it is true that the Vaishnava Hindus in the eastern region
of India worshipped the triad of Balarama, Ekanamsa and Krishna, it does not
automatically prove that the Jagannath triad originated from the same. Some
medieval texts, for example, present the Jagannath triad as Brahma (Subhadra),
Shiva (Balarama) and Vishnu. The historic evidence and current practices
suggest that the Jagannath tradition has a strong dedication to the Harihara (fusion
Shiva-Vishnu) idea as well as tantric Shri Vidya practices, neither of which
reconcile with the Vaishnava origins proposal.[62] Further,
in many Jagannath temples of central and eastern regions of India, the Shiva
icons such as the Linga-yoni are reverentially incorporated, a fact that is
difficult to explain given the assumed competition between the Shaivism and
Vaishnavism traditions of Hinduism.[62]
Tribal origins
The tribal origin theories rely on circumstantial evidence
and inferences such as the Jagannath icon is non-anthropomorphic and
non-zoomorphic.[21] The
hereditary priests in the Jagannath tradition of Hinduism include non-Brahmin servitors,
called Daitas, which may be an adopted grandfathered practice with
tribal roots. The use of wood as a construction material for the Jagannath
icons may also be a tribal practice that continued when Hindus adopted prior
practices and merged them with their Vedic abstractions.[26] The
practice of using wood for making murti is
unusual, as Hindu texts on the design and construction of images recommend
stone or metal.[13] The Daitas are
Hindu, but believed to have been the ancient tribe of Sabaras (also
spelled Soras). They continue to have special privileges such as
being the first to view the new replacement images of Jagannath carved from
wood approximately every 12 years. Further, this group is traditionally
accepted to have the exclusive privilege of serving the principal meals and
offerings to Jagannath and his associate deities.[13][22]
According to Verrier
Elwin, a Christian missionary and colonial era historian, Jagannatha in a
local legend was a tribal deity who was coopted by a Brahmin priest.[63] The
original tribal deity, states Elwin, was Kittung which too is
made from wood. According to the Polish Indologist Olgierd M. Starza, this is
an interesting parallel but a flawed one because the Kittung deity
is produced by burning a piece of wood and too different in its specifics to be
the origin of Jagannath.[22] According
to another proposal by Stella
Kramrisch, log as a symbol of Anga pen deity is found in
central Indian tribes and they have used it to represent features of the Hindu
goddess Kali with
it. However, states Starza, this theory is weak because the Anga pen features
a bird or snake like attached head along with other details that make the
tribal deity unlike the Jagannath.[22]
Some scholars such as Kulke and Tripathi have proposed
tribal deities such as Stambhesveri or Kambhesvari to be a possible contributor
to the Jagannath triad.[64] However,
according to Starza, these are not really tribal deities, but Shaiva deities
adopted by tribes in eastern states of India. Yet another proposal for tribal
origins is through the medieval era cult of Lakshmi-Narasimha.[64] This
hypothesis relies on the unusual flat head, curved mouth and large eyes of Jagannath,
which may be an attempt to abstract an image of a lion's head ready to attack.
While the tribal Narasimha theory is attractive states Starza, a weakness of
this proposal is that the abstract Narasimha representation in the form does
not appear similar to the images of Narasimha in nearby Konark and Kalinga temple artworks.[64]
In contemporary Odisha, there are many Dadhivaman temples
with a wooden pillar god, and this may be same as Jagannath.[66]
Syncretic origins
According to Patnaik and others, Jagannath is a syncretic
deity that combined aspects of major faiths like Saivism, Saktism, Vaishnavism, Jainism,
and Buddhism.[9][10] Jagannath
is worshipped as Purushottama form of Vishnu,[67] Gaudiya
Vaishnavs have identified him strongly with Krishna.[68] In
Gaudiya Vaishnav tradition, Balabhadra is the elder brother Balaram,
Jagannath is the younger brother Krishna, and
Subhadra is the youngest sister.[69]
Balabhadra considered the elder brother of Jagannath is
sometimes identified with and worshipped as Shiva.[68] Subhadra
now considered Jagannath's sister has also been considered as a deity who used
to be Brahma[68] in
some versions and worshipped as Adyasakti Durga in the
form of Bhuvaneshwari in other versions.[70] Finally
the fourth deity, Sudarsana Chakra symbolizes the wheel of Sun's Chariot, a syncretic
absorption of the Saura (Sun god) tradition of Hinduism. The conglomerate of
Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan Chakra worshipped together on a
common platform are called the Chaturdha Murty or the "Four-fold
Form".[71]
O.M. Starza states that the Jagannath Ratha Yatra may have
evolved from the syncretism of procession rituals for Siva lingas, Vaishnava
pillars, and tribal folk festivities.[72] The Saiva element
in the tradition of Jagannath overlap with the rites and doctrines of Tantrism and Shaktism Dharma.
According to the Saivas, Jagannath is Bhairava.[73] Shiva
Purana mentions Jagannatha as one of the 108 names of Shiva.[74] The
tantric literary texts identify Jagannath with Mahabhairav.[69] Another
evidence that supports syncretism thesis is the fact that Jagannath sits on the
abstract tantric symbols of Shri
Yantra. Further, his Shri Chakra ("holy wheel") is worshipped in
the Vijamantra 'Klim', which is also the Vijamantra of Kali or Shakti. The
representation of Balaram as Sesanaga or Sankarsana bears testimony to the
influence of Shaivism on the cult of Jagannath. The third deity, Devi Subhadra,
who represents the Sakti element is still worshipped with the Bhuvaneshwari
Mantra.[73]
The Tantric texts claim Jagannath to their own, to be Bhairava, and
his companion to be same as Goddess
Vimala is the Shakti. The offerings of Jagannath becomes Mahaprasad only
after it is re-offered to Goddess Vimala. Similarly, different tantric features
of Yantras have been engraved on the Ratna vedi, where Jagannath, Balabhadra
and Devi Subhadra are set up. The Kalika
Purana depicts Jagannath as a Tantric deity.[73] According
to Avinash Patra, the rituals and special place accepted for non-Brahmin Daitas priests
in Jagannath tradition, who co-exist and work together with Brahmin priests
suggests that there was a synthesis of Tribal and Brahmanical traditions.[3]
According to the Jain version, the image of Jagannath (Black
colour) represents sunya, Subhadra symbolizes the creative energy and
Balabhadra (White colour) represents the phenomenal universe. All these images
have evolved from the Nila Madhava, the ancient Kalinga Jina. "Sudarshana
Chakra" is contended to be the Hindu name of the Dharma
Chakra of Jaina symbol.[citation needed]
The diverse religions of Orissa in all
ages have tended to gravitate towards and finally merged into the Jagannath
worship, at least in theory.
Transformation from unitary icon to triad
The Madala Panji observes that Neela Madhav
transformed into Jagannath and was worshipped alone as a unitary figure, not as
the part of a triad. It is significant to note that the early epigraphic and
literary sources refer only to a unitary deity Purushottama Jagannath.[76] The
Sanskrit play "Anargharaghava" composed by Murari mentioned only
Purushottama Jagannath and his consort Lakshmi with no references to Blabhadra
and Subhadra.[76] The
Dasgoba copper plated inscription dating to 1198 also mentions only
Purushottama Jagannath in the context that the Puri temple had been originally
built by Ganga king Anantavarman Chodaganga (1078–1147) for Vishnu and Lakshmi.[76] These
sources are silent on the existence of Balabhadra and Subhadra. Such state of
affairs has led to arguments that Purushottama was
the original deity and Balabhadra and Subhadra were subsequently drawn in as
additions to a unitary figure and formed a triad.
During the rule of Anangabhima III [1211–1239], Balabhadra
and Subhadra find the earliest known mention in the Pataleshwara inscription of
1237 CE.[76] According
to the German Indologist Kulke, Anangibhima III was the originator of the triad
of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra suggesting that Balabhadra was added
after Laksmi's
transformation into Subhadra. According to Bachu Siva Reddy, Triads are the
forms of Mahavishnu and Subhadra is yogamaya and her husband is Jagannath’s
friend Arjun. [77]
According to Mukerjee, Devi Subhadra could be subsequent
addition upon the resurgence of Shaktism as
the consort ("Not sister") of Jagannath.[78]
Theology
The theology and rituals associated with the Jagannatha
tradition combine Vedic, Puranic and tantric themes. He is the Vedic
Purushottama, the Puranic Narayana and the tantric Bhairava.[13] He
is same as the metaphysical Brahman, the form of Vishnu that prevades as abstract kala (time)
in Vaishnava thought. He is abstraction which can be inferred and felt but not
seen, just like time. Jagannath is chaitanya (consciousness),
and his companion Subhadra represent Shakti (energy)
while Balabhadra represents Jnana (knowledge).[13] According
to Salabega, the Jagannath tradition assimilates the theologies found in
Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, Buddhism, Yoga and Tantra traditions.[79]
Love and compassion[edit]
The Jagannath theology overlaps with those of Krishna. For
example, the 17th-century Oriya classic Rasa kallola by Dina
Krushna opens with a praise to Jagannath, then recites the story of Krishna
with an embedded theology urging the pursuit of knowledge, love and devotion to
realize the divine in everything.[80] The
13th-century Jagannatha vijaya in Kannada language by
Rudrabhatta is a mixed prose and poetry style text which is predominantly about
Krishna. It includes a canto that explains that "Hari (Vishnu), Hara
(Shiva) and Brahma" are aspects of the same supreme soul. Its theology,
like the Oriya text, centers around supreme light being same as "love in
the heart".[81] The
15th-century Bhakti scholar Shankaradeva of Assam became a
devotee of Jagannatha in 1481, and wrote love and compassion inspired plays
about Jagannatha-Krishna that influenced the region and remain popular in Assam
and Manipur.[82]
Shunya Brahma[edit]
The medieval era Oriya scholars such as Ananta, Achyutananda
and Chaitanya described the theology of Jagannath as the "personification
of the Shunya, or the void", but not entirely in the form of Shunyata of
Buddhism. They state Jagannath as "Shunya Brahma", or alternatively
as "Nirguna Purusha" (or "abstract personified cosmos”). Vishnu
avatars are descend from this Shunya Brahma into human form to keep
dharma. [83][84]
Jagannath in Hindu texts and traditions[edit]
Although Jagannath has been identified with other traditions
in the past, He is now identified more with Vaishnav tradition.
Vaishnavite version
The Skanda Purana and Brahma
Purana have attributed the creation of the Jagannathpuri during the
reign of Indradyumna, a pious king and an ascetic who ruled
from Ujjain.
According to the second legend, associated with the Vaishnavas,
when Lord Krishna ended the purpose of his Avatar with the illusionary death by
Jara and his "mortal" remains were left to decay, some pious people
saw the body, collected the bones and preserved them in a box. They remained in
the box till it was brought to the attention of Indrdyumna by Lord Vishnu
himself who directed him to create the image or a murti of
Jagannath from a log and consecrate the bones of Krishna in its belly. Then
King Indradyumna, appointed Vishwakarma,
the architect of gods, a divine carpenter to carve the murti of the deity from a
log which would eventually wash up on the shore at Puri. Indradyumna
commissioned Vishwakarma (also said to be the divine god himself in disguise)
who accepted the commission on the condition that he could complete the work
undisturbed and in private.[85]
Everyone was anxious about the divine work, including the
King Indradyumna. After a fortnight of waiting, the King who was anxious to see
the deity, could not control his eagerness, and he visited the site where
Vishwakarma was working. Soon enough Vishwakarma was very upset and he left the
carving of the idol unfinished; the images were without hands and feet. The
king was very perturbed by this development and appealed to Brahma to help him.
Brahma promised the King that the images which were carved would be deified as
carved and would become famous. Following this promise, Indradyumna organized a
function to formally deify the images, and invited all gods to be present for
the occasion. Brahma presided over the religions function as the chief priest
and brought life (soul) to the image and fixed (opened) its eyes. This resulted
in the images becoming famous and worshipped at Jagannath Puri in the well
known Jagannath Temple as a Kshetra (pilgrimage centre). It is, however,
believed that the original images are in a pond near the temple.[85]
Stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata[edit]
According to Prabhat Nanda, the Valmiki Ramayana mentions
Jagannath.[86] Some
believe that the mythical place where King Janak performed
a yajna and
tilled land to obtain Sita is the same as the area in which the Gundicha temple
is situated in Puri, according to Suryanarayan Das.[87] The Mahabharata,
states Das, describes King Indradyumna's
Ashvamedh Yajna and the advent of the four deities of the Jagannath cult.[87]
Sarala Dasa Mahabharata version[edit]
Sarala Dasa, the great Odia poet of the 15th century while
praising Jagannath as the saviour of mankind considered him both as a form of
Buddha as well as a manifestation of Krishna.[88]
Kanchi conquest
One of the most popular legends associated with Jagannath is
that of Kanchi Avijana (or "Conquest of Kanchi"),
also termed as "Kanchi-Kaveri". According to the legends,[89] the
daughter of the King of Kanchi was betrothed to the Gajapati of
Puri. When the Kanchi King witnessed the Gajapati King sweeping the area in
front of where the chariots of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra were kept
during Ratha yatra, he was aghast. Considering the act of sweeping unworthy of
a King, the King of Kanchi declined the marriage proposal, refusing to marry
his daughter to a 'Sweeper'. Gajapati Purushottam Deva, felt deeply insulted at
this and attacked the Kingdom of Kanchin to avenge his honour. His attack was
unsuccessful and his army defeated by the Kanchi Army.
Upon defeat, the Gajapati King Purushottam Deva returned and
prayed to Jagannath, the God of land of Kalinga before planning a second
campaign to Kanchi. Moved by his prayers, Jagannath and Balabhadra, left their
temple in Puri and started an expedition to Kanchi on horseback. It is said
that Jagannath rode on a white horse and Balabhadra on a black horse. The
legend has such a powerful impact on the Oriya
culture that the simple mention of white horse-black horse evokes the
imagery of Kanchi conquest of the God in devotees minds.
On the road, Jagannath and Balabhadra grew thirsty and
chanced upon a milkmaid Manika, who gave them butter-milk/yogurt to quench
their thirst. Instead of paying her dues, Balabhadra gave her a ring telling
her to claim her dues from King Purushottam. Later, Purushottam Deva himself
passed by with his army. At Adipur near Chilika lake,
the milkmaid Manika halted the King pleading for the unpaid cost of yogurt
consumed by His army's two leading soldiers riding on black and white horses.
She produced the gold ring as evidence. King Purusottam Deva identified the
ring as that of Jagannath. Considering this a sign of divine support for his
campaign, the king enthusiastically led the expedition.
In the war between the army of Kalinga inspired by the
Divine support of Jagannath and of the army of Kanchi, Purushottam Deva led his
army to victory. King Purusottam brought back the Princess Padmavati of Kanchi
to Puri. To avenge his humiliation, he ordered his minister to get the princess
married to a sweeper.[90] The
minister waited for the annual Ratha Yatra when the King ceremonially sweeps
Jagannath's chariot. He offered the princess in marriage to King Purusottam,
calling the King a Royal sweeper of God. The King then married the Princess.
The Gajapati King also brought back images of Uchista Ganesh (Bhanda Ganesh or
Kamada Ganesh) and enshrined them in the Kanchi Ganesh shrine at the Jagannath
Temple in Puri.
This myth has been recounted by Mohanty.[91] J.P.
Das [92] notes
that this story is mentioned in a Madala panji chronicle of the Jagannath
Temple of Puri, in relation to Gajapati Purushottama. At any rate, the story
was popular soon after Purushottama's reign, as a text of the first half of the
16th century mentions a Kanchi Avijana scene in the Jagannath temple. There is
currently a prominent relief in the jaga
mohan (prayer hall) of the Jagannath temple of Puri that depicts
this scene.
In Odia
literature, the Kanchi conquest (Kanchi Kaveri) has significant bearing, in
medieval literature romanticized as the epic Kanchi Kaveri by
Purushottama Dasa in the 17th century and a work by the same name by Maguni
Dasa.[94] The
first Odia drama written by Ramashankar Ray, the father
of Odia drama in 1880 is Kanchi Kaveri.[95]
The Kanchi Kingdom has been identified as the
historical Vijayanagar Kingdom. As per historical records,
Gajapati Purushottam Deva's expedition towards Virupaksha Raya II's Kanchi (Vijayanagar) Kingdom started
during 1476 with Govinda Bhanjha as commander-in-chief. According to J. P. Das,
the historicity of Kanchi conquest event is not certain.[96][verification needed]
Early Vaishnav tradition[edit]
Vaishnavism is considered a more recent tradition in Odisha, being
historically traceable to the early Middle Ages.[97]Ramanujacharya the
great Vaishnav reformer visited Puri between 1107 and 1111 converting the King
Ananatavarman Chodaganga from Shaivism to Vaishnavism.[98] At
Puri he founded the Ramanuja Math for propagating Vaishnavism in Odisha.
The Alarnatha Temple stands testimony to his
stay in Odisha. Since the 12th century under the influence of Ramanujacharya,
Jagannath was increasingly identified with Vishnu.[7] Under
the rule of the Eastern Gangas, Vaishnavism became the predominant faith in
Odisha. [99] Oriya
Vaishnavism gradually centred on Jagannath as the principal deity. Sectarian
differences were eliminated by assimilating deities of Shaivism, Shaktism and
Buddhism in the Jagannath Pantheon.[97] The
Ganga Kings respected all the ten avatars of Vishnu, considering Jagannath as
the cause of all the Avatars. The Vaishnav saint Nimbaraka visited
Puri, establishing the Radhavallav Matha in 1268.[98] The
famous poet Jayadev was a follower of Nimbaraka and his focus on
Radha and Krishna. Jayadev's composition Gita Govinda put a new emphasis on the
concept of Radha and
Krishna in East Indian Vaishnavism.[100] This
idea soon became popular. Sarala Dasa in his Mahabharat thought of Jagannath as
the universal being equating him with Buddha and Krishna. He considered Krishna
as one of the Avatars of Jagannath[7]
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Gaudiya Vaishnavism(also known as Chaitanya
Vaishnavism[101] and Hare
Krishna) is a Vaishnava religious movement founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India in the
16th century. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gauda
region (present day Bengal/Bangladesh)
with Vaishnavism meaning "the worship of the monotheistic Deity or Supreme
Personality of Godhead, often addressed as Krishna, Narayana or Vishnu".
The focus of Gaudiya Vaishnavism is the devotional worship (bhakti)
of Krishna,
as Svayam Bhagavan or the Original Supreme
Personality of Godhead.[102]
Shree Jagannath has always been very close to the people
of Bengal.
In fact, upon visiting the main temple at Puri, almost 60% of
the present pilgrims can be found to be from Bengal. Besides,
Ratha Yatra is pompously celebrated in West
Bengal, where Lord Jagannath is worshipped extensively in Bengal homes and
temples. The day also marks the beginning of preparations for Bengal's biggest
religious festival, the Durga Puja. This extensive popularity of Shree Jagannath
among Bengalis can be related to Shree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spent the last 20 years of his life in
Puri dedicating it to the ecstatic worship of Jagannath whom he considered a
form of Krishna.[103] Mahaprabhu
propagated the Sankirtan movement which laid great emphasis on
chanting God's name in Puri. He converted noted scholars like Sarvabhauma
Bhattacharya to his philososphy. He left a great influence on the then king
of Odisha,
Prataprudra Deva, and the people of Odisha.[104] According
to one version Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is said to have merged with the idol of
Jagannath in Puri after his death[103]
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu changed the course of Oriya Vaishnav
tradition emphasising Bhakti and strongly identifying Jagannath with Krishna.[68] His
Gaudiya Vaishnav school of thought strongly discouraged Jagannath's
identification with other cults and religions, thus re-establishing the
original identity of Lord Jagannath as Supreme Personality of Godhead Shri
Krishna.
The ISKCON Movement
Prior to the advent
of ISKCON movement, Jagannath and his most important festival, the annual
Ratha Yatra, were relatively unknown in the West.[105] Soon after its founding, ISKCON started founding temples in the
West. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada popularly called Shrila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON, selected
Jagannath as one of the chosen forms of Krishna installing an deity of
Jagannath in ISKCON temples around the world.[106] ISKCON has promoted Jagannath throughout the world. Annual Ratha
Yatra festival is now celebrated by ISKCON in many cities in the West where
they are popular attractions.[105] ISKCON devotees worship Jagannath and take part in the Ratha Yatra
in memory of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spending 18 years in Puri worshipping
Jagannath and taking an active part in the Ratha Yatra[107]
Jagannath in
Shaktism[edit]
Vimala (Bimala) is worshipped as the presiding
goddess of the Purushottama (Puri) Shakti Pitha by Shaktas. In a departure from
tradition Jagannath, is worshipped as the Bhairava, traditionally always a form
of Shiva. Jagannath-Vishnu equated with Shiva, is interpreted to convey the
oneness of God. Also, in this regard, Vimala is also considered as Annapurna, the consort of Shiva.[108] Conversely, Tantrics consider Jagannath as Shiva-Bhairava, rather than a form of Vishnu.[109] While Lakshmi is the traditional (orthodox tradition) consort of
Jagannath, Vimala is the Tantric (heterodox) consort.[110] Vimala is also considered the guardian goddess of the temple
complex, with Jagannath as the presiding god.[111]
Jagannath is
considered the combination of 5 Gods Vishnu, Shiva, Surya, Ganesh
and Durga by Shaktas. When Jagannath has his divine slumber (Sayana Yatra) he
is believed to assume the aspect of Durga. According to the "Niladri
Mahodaya"[112] Idol of Jagannath is placed on the Chakra Yantra, the idol of Balabhadra on the Shankha Yantra and the idol of Subhadra
on the Padma Yantra.
In the Skanda Purana, Subhadra is identified with Katyayini manifestation of Shakti. The 16th-century poet Balarama Dasa described Jagannath being attended
by 64 Yoginis, Katyayini, Saptamatrikas, Vimala, and Viraja.[citation needed]
Jagannath and other
religions
Jagannath and
Sikhism
Later Sikh gurus
like Guru Teg
Bahadur also visited
Jagannath Puri.[115] Maharaja Ranjit Singh the famous 19th-century Sikh ruler of
Punjab held great respect in Jagannath, willed his most prized possession
the Koh-i-Noor diamond to Jagannath in Puri, while on his
deathbed in 1839.[116]
Jagannath and Islam
During the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire era, Jagannath temples were one of the
targets of the Muslim armies. Firuz Tughlaq, for example raided Odisha and
desecrated the Jagannath temple according to his court historians.[117] Odisha was one of the last eastern regions to fall into the control
of Sultanates and Mughal invasion, and they were among the earliest to declare
independence and break away. According to Starza, the Jagannath images were the
targets of the invaders, and a key religious symbol that the rulers would
protect and hide away in forests from the aggressors.[118] However, the Muslims were not always destructive. For example,
during the rule of Akbar, the Jagannath tradition flourished.[118] However, states Starza, "Muslim attacks on the Puri temple
became serious after the death of Akbar, continued intermittently throughout
the reign of Jahangir".[118]
The local Hindu
rulers evacuated and hid the images of Jagannath and other deities many times
between 1509 and 1734 CE, to "protect them from Muslim zeal" for
destruction. During Aurangzeb's time, an image was seized, shown to the emperor
and then destroyed in Bijapur, but it is unclear if that image was of
Jagannath.[118] Muslim rulers did not destroy the Jagannath temple complex because
it was a source of substantial treasury revenue through the collection of
pilgrim tax collected from Hindus visiting it on their pilgrimage.[119]
Jagannath and Christianity
For Christian
missionaries who arrived through the ports of eastern states of India such
as Calcutta in the 18th- and 19th-centuries, Jagannath was the "core of
idolatry" and the target of "an all-out attack".[122] Jagannath, called Juggernaut by the Christian
missionary Claudius
Buchanan, was through
Buchanan's letters the initial introduction in America of Hinduism, which he
termed as "Hindoo". According to Michael J. Altman, a professor of
Religious Studies, Buchanan presented Hinduism to the American audience,
through Juggernaut, as a "bloody, violent, superstitious and
backward religious system" that needs to be eliminated and substituted
with the Christian gospel.[120] He described Juggernaut with Biblical terminology
for his audience, called him the Moloch, and his shrine as Golgatha – the place where Jesus Christ was crucified, but with the
difference that the "Juggernaut tradition" was of endless meaningless
bloodshed, fabricating allegations that children were sacrificed in the
"valley of idolatrous blood shed to false gods".[120] In his letters, states Altman, Buchanan "constructed an image
of Juggernaut as the diametric opposite of Christianity".[120]
In his book Christian
Researches in Asia, published in 1811,[123] Buchanan
built on this theme and added licentiousness to it. He called hymns in language
he did not know nor could read as "obscene stanzas", art works on
temple walls as "indecent emblems", and described
"Juggernaut" and Hinduism to his American readers as the religion of
disgusting Moloch and false gods. Buchanan writings formed the "first
images of Indian religions" to the American evangelical audience in early
19th-century, was promoted by American magazines such as The Panoplist and his book on "Juggernaut"
attracted enough reader demand that it was republished in numerous editions.[120] Buchanan's writings on "Juggernaut" influenced the
American imagination of Indian religions for another 50 years, formed the
initial impressions and served as a template for reports by other missionaries
who followed Buchanan in India for most of the 19th century.[120] According to William Gribbin and other scholars, Buchanan's
Juggernaut metaphor is a troublesome example of intercultural misunderstanding
and constructed identity.[121][124][125]
Influence
The English
traveller William Burton visited the Jagannath temple. According to Avinash
Patra, Burton made absurd observations in 1633 that are inconsistent with all
historical and contemporary records, such as the image of Jagannatha being
"a serpent, with seven heads".[126] Burton described it as "the mirror of all wickedness and
idolatry" to the Europeans, an introduction of Hinduism as "monstrous
paganism" to early travellers to the Indian subcontinent. Jean-Baptiste
Tavernier never saw the
Puri temple icon and its decorations, but described the jewelry worn by the
idol from hearsay accounts.[126] François
Bernier mentioned the
Puri chariot festival, in his 1667 memoir, but did not describe the icon of
Jagannath raising the question whether he was able to see it.[126]
According to
Kanungo, states Goldie Osuri, the Jagannath tradition has been a means of
legitimizing royalty.[127] Codaganga, a benevolent ruler of the Kalinga region (now Odisha and nearby regions), built the extant Puri temple. Kanungo states
that this endeavor was an attempt by him to establish his agency, and he
extrapolates this practice into late medieval and modern era developments.[127] According to him, Muslim rulers attempted to control it for the
same motivation, thereafter the Marathas, then East India Company and then the
British crown over the colonial era sough to legitimize its influence and
hegemonic control in the region by appropriating control over the Jagannath
temple and affiliating themselves with the deities.[127]
Jagannath became an
influential figure and icon for power and politics during the 19th-century
colonialism and Christian missionary activity, states Osuri.[127] The British government initially took over the control and
management of major Jagannath temples, to collect fees and Pilgrim Tax from
Hindu who arrived from all over the Indian subcontinent to visit.[128][note 3][note 4] In contrast, Christian missionaries
strongly opposed the British government association with Jagannath temple
because its connected the government with idolatry, or the "worship of false god". Between 1856 and 1863, the
British government accepted the missionary demand and handed over the Jagannath
temples to the Hindus.[127][130] According to Cassels and Mukherjee, the British rule documents suggest
that the handing over was more motivated by the growing Hindu agitation against
the Pilgrim Tax that they considered as discriminatory targeting based on
religion, and rising corruption among the British officials and their Indian
assistants, in the handling of collected tax.[131][132]
To colonial era
Hindu nationalists in the late 19th-century and 20th-century, Jagannath became
a unifying symbol which combined their religion, social and cultural heritage
into a political cause of self-rule and freedom movement.[133]
Festivals
A large number of
traditional festivals are observed by the devotees of Jagannath. Out of those
numerous festivals, thirteen are important.[134]
- Niladri Mahodaya
- Snana Yatra
- Ratha Yatra or Shri Gundicha Yatra
- Shri Hari Sayan
- Utthapan Yatra
- Parswa Paribartan
- Dakhinayan Yatra
- Prarbana Yatra
- Pusyavishek
- Uttarayan
- Dola Yatra
- Damanak Chaturdasi[135]
- Chandan Yatra
Ratha Yatra is most
significant of all festivals of Jagannath.
Ratha Yatra[edit]
The Jagannath triad
are usually worshipped in the sanctum of the temple, but once during the month
of Asadha (rainy season of Odisha, usually falling on the month of June or July), they are brought out
onto the Bada Danda (Puri's main high street) and travel 3 km to the
Shri Gundicha Temple, in huge chariots, allowing the public to
have Darshan (i.e., holy view). This festival is
known as Ratha Yatra, meaning the festival (yatra) of the chariots (ratha).
The rathas are huge wheeled wooden structures, which are built
anew every year and are pulled by the devotees. The chariot for Jagannath is
approximately 14 metres (45 ft) high and 3.3 square metres
(35 sq ft) and takes about 2 months to construct.[136] The artists and painters of Puri decorate the cars and paint flower
petals etc. on the wheels, the wood-carved charioteer and horses, and the
inverted lotuses on the wall behind the throne.[137] The huge chariot of Jagannath pulled during Ratha Yatra is the
etymological origin of the English word juggernaut.[138] The Ratha Yatra is also termed as the Shri Gundicha Yatra.
The most significant
ritual associated with the Ratha Yatra is the chhera pahara. During
the festival, the Gajapati king wears the outfit of a sweeper and
sweeps all around the deities and chariots in the Chera Pahara (Sweeping
with water) ritual. The Gajapati king cleanses the road before the chariots
with a gold-handled broom and sprinkles sandalwood water and powder with utmost
devotion. As per the custom, although the Gajapati king has been considered the
most exalted person in the Kalingan kingdom, still he renders the menial
service to Jagannath. This ritual signified that under the lordship of
Jagannath, there is no distinction between the powerful sovereign, the Gajapati
king, and the most humble devotee.[139]
Chera pahara is held on two days, on the first day
of the Ratha Yatra, when the deities are taken to the garden house at Mausi Maa Temple and again on the last day of the
festival, when the deities are ceremoniously brought back to the Shri Mandir.
As per another
ritual, when the deities are taken out from the Shri Mandir to the chariots
in Pahandi vijay, disgruntled devotees hold a right to offer kicks,
slaps and make derogatory remarks to the images, and Jagannath behaves like a
commoner.
In the Ratha Yatra,
the three deities are taken from the Jagannath Temple in the chariots to the
Gundicha Temple, where they stay for seven days. Thereafter, the deities again
ride the chariots back to Shri Mandir in bahuda yatra. On the way
back, the three chariots stop 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.
The observance of
the Ratha Yatra of Jagannath dates back to the period of the Puranas.[citation needed] Vivid
descriptions of this festival are found in Brahma Purana, Padma Purana and
Skanda Purana. Kapila Samhita also refers to Ratha Yatra. During the Moghul period, King Ramsingh of Jaipur, Rajasthan, has also been described
as organizing the Ratha Yatra in the 18th century. In Odisha, kings of Mayurbhanj and Parlakhemundi also organized the Ratha Yatra, though
the most grand festival in terms of scale and popularity takes place at Puri.
In fact, Starza[140] notes
that the ruling Ganga
dynasty instituted the
Ratha Yatra at the completion of the great temple around 1150. This festival
was one of those Hindu festivals that was reported to the Western world very
early. Friar Odoric of Pordenone visited India in
1316–1318, some 20 years after Marco Polo had dictated the account of his travels while in a Genovese prison.[141] In his own account of 1321, Odoric reported how the people put the
"idols" on chariots, and the king and queen
and all the people drew them from the "church" with song and music.[142] [143]
Jagannath temples
Besides the only
temple described below, wiki-commons lists fifteen more temples in India, three
more in Bangladesh and one in Nepal.
The Temple of
Jagannath at Puri is one of the major Hindu temples in India. The temple is
built in the Kalinga style of architecture, with the Pancharatha (Five chariots) type consisting of two anurathas, two konakas and
one ratha. Jagannath temple is a pancharatha with well-developed pagas.
'Gajasimhas' (elephant lions) carved in recesses of the pagas, the 'Jhampasimhas'
(Jumping lions) are also placed properly. The perfect pancharatha temple
developed into a Nagara-rekha temple with unique Oriya style of subdivisions
like the Pada, Kumbha, Pata, Kani and Vasanta. The Vimana or the apsidal
structure consists of several sections superimposed one over other, tapering to
the top where the Amalakashila and Kalasa are placed.[144]
Temple
of Jagannath at Puri has
four distinct sectional structures, namely -
- Deula or Vimana (Sanctum
sanctorum) where the
triad deities are lodged on the ratnavedi (Throne of Pearls);
- Mukhashala (Frontal porch);
- Nata mandir/Natamandapa, which is also known as
the Jaga mohan, (Audience Hall/Dancing Hall), and
- Bhoga Mandapa (Offerings Hall).[1
5.
The temple is built on an elevated platform, as compared
to Lingaraja temple and other temples
belonging to this type. This is the first temple in the history of Kalingaan temple
architecture where all the chambers like Jagamohana, Bhogamandapa and
Natyamandapa were built along with the main temple. There are miniature shrines
on the three outer sides of the main temple.
6.
The Deula consists of a tall shikhara (dome) housing the sanctum
sanctorum (garbhagriha). A pillar made of fossilized wood is used
for placing lamps as offering. The Lion Gate (Singhadwara) is the main gate to
the temple, guarded by two guardian deities Jaya
and Vijaya. A 16-sided, 11-metre-high (36 ft) granite monolithic
columnar pillar known as the Aruna Stambha (Solar Pillar) bearing Aruna, the
charioteer of Surya, faces the Lion Gate. This column was brought here from the Sun
temple of Konark.
Thanking You!
Written By:Bipin Chandra's
No comments:
Post a Comment