fbpx
Wikipedia

Jagannath

January 10, 2023

For other uses, see Jagannath (disambiguation).

Jagannath (Odia: ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, romanized: Jagannātha, lit. 'Lord of the Universe'; formerly English: Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra, and sister, Subhadra. Jagannath, within Odia Hinduism, is the supreme god, Purushottama,[1][2][3] and the Para Brahman.[4][5] To most Vaishnava Hindus, particularly the Krishnaites, Jagannath is an abstract representation of Krishna, or Vishnu,[6][7] sometimes as the avatar of Krishna or Vishnu.[8][9] To some Shaiva and Shakta Hindus, he is a symmetry-filled tantric form of Bhairava, a fierce manifestation of Shiva associated with annihilation.[10][11]

Jagannath
Jagannath idol in 2011
AffiliationVaishnavism, Para Brahman
AbodeMount Nila
MantraOm Jagannāthāya Namah
WeaponSudarshana Chakra, Panchajanya Sankha
MountGaruda
Personal information
SiblingsBalabhadra and Subhadra
SpouseSridevi and Bhudevi
Translations of
जगन्नाथ (Jagannātha)
Sanskritजगन्नाथ (Jagannātha)
Assameseজগন্নাথ (Jagannāth)
Bengaliজগন্নাথ (Jôgônnath)
Hindiजगन्नाथ (Jagannāth)
Odiaଜଗନ୍ନାଥ (Jagannātha)
Glossary of Hinduism terms

The Jagannathism (a.k.a. Odia Vaishnavism) — the particular sector of Jagannath as a major deity — emerged in the Early Middle Ages[12][13] and later became an independent state regional temple-centered tradition of Krishnaism/Vaishnavism.[14]

The idol of Jagannath is a carved and decorated wooden stump with large round eyes and a symmetric face, and the idol has a conspicuous absence of hands or legs. The worship procedures, sacraments and rituals associated with Jagannath are syncretic and include rites that are uncommon in Hinduism.[15][16] 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.[17] Some scholars interpret hymn 10.155.3 of the Rigveda as a possible origin, but others disagree and state that it is a syncretic/synthetic deity with tribal roots.[18][15][17] The English word juggernaut comes from the negative image of the deity presented by Christian missionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Jagannath is considered a non-sectarian deity.[19][20][21] He is significant regionally in the Indian states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, Manipur and Tripura.[22] 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.[23] 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, namely Odisha art and architecture.[24] It has been one of the major pilgrimage destinations for Hindus since about 800 CE.[24]

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 (ଶ୍ରୀ ମନ୍ଦିର, Śrī Mandir). 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.[25]

Etymology

Jagannath is a Sanskrit word, compounded of jagat meaning "universe" and nātha meaning "Master" or "Lord". Thus, Jagannath means "lord of the universe".[26][27]

Jagannatha, according to them is a generic term, not unique, as much as Lokanatha or Avalokiteswara. ln fact, the name Jagannatha could be applied to any Deity which is considered supreme.

— Surendra Mohanty, Lord Jagannatha: the microcosm of Indian spiritual culture[28]

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 Kalia (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"), Chakā ākhi (ଚକା ଆଖି) or Chakānayan (ଚକା ନୟନ "With round eyes"), Cakāḍōḷā (ଚକା ଡୋଳା "with round pupils") are also in vogue.[29][30][31]

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.[32] 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.[33]

Iconography

 
 
Two versions of Jagannath iconography

The icon of Jagannath in his temples is a brightly painted, rough-hewn log of neem wood.[34] 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).[35] 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.[36] 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.[36]

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".[37]

 
Jagannath icons are produced from wood. They are replaced every 8 or 12 or 19 years. Above: logs in transport to prepare the Jagannath icon.

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.[38][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.[39] Jagannath iconography, when he is depicted without companions, shows only his face, neither arms nor torso. This form is sometimes called Patita Pavana,[40] or Dadhi Vaman.[41]

The murtis of Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshana Chakra are made of neem wood.[42] Neem wood is chosen because the Bhavishya Purana declares it to be the most auspicious wood from which to make Vishnu murtis.[37] The idol of Shri Jagannatha, Shree Balabhadra, Maa Subhadra and Sri Sudarshana is re-painted every week in the Shri Mandira or Shree Jagannatha Temple, Puri. 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.[43]

Attributes

In the Jagannath tradition (Odia Vaishnavism), Lord Jagannath is most frequently identified with an abstract form of Krishna as the supreme deity.[6][7][44]

Jagannath is considered as equivalent to the Hindu metaphysical concepts of Brahman/Para Brahman and Purushottama/Shunya Purusha, wherein he then is the Avatarī, i.e., the cause and equivalence of all avatars and the infinite existence in space and time.[1][2][3][45][4][46] 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[5]

In the Jagannath tradition, he has the attributes of all the avatars of Krishna/Vishnu. This belief is celebrated by dressing him and worshipping him as different avatars on special occasions.[47] 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.[48] Every year in the month of Bhadra, Jagannath is dressed and decorated in the form of the Vamana avatar of Vishnu.[46] 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.[49][50]

Sometimes one regards him as one of the avatars (incarnations) of Krishna (i.e., Buddha-Jagannath) or Vishnu (i.e., Vamana).[8][9][51] His name does not appear in the traditional Dashavatara (ten avatars) of Vishnu,[52] though in certain Odia literature, Jagannath has been treated as the avatar of Krishna, as a substitute for or the equivalent of the avatar Buddha from Dashavatara.[8][45]{

Tantric deity

Outside of Vaishnava tradition, Jagannath is considered the epitome of Tantric worship.[53] The symmetry in iconography, the use of mandalas and geometric patterns in its rites support the tantric connection proposal.[54]

Jagannath is venerated as Bhairava or Lord Shiva, the consort of Goddess Vimala, by Shaivites and Shakta sects.[10] The priests of Jagannath Temple at Puri belong to the Shakta sect, although the Vaishnava sect's influence predominates.[55] As part of the triad, Balabhadra is also considered to be Shiva and Subhadra, a manifestation of Durga.[56] In the Markandeya Purana the sage Markandeya declared that Purushottama Jagannath and Shiva are one.[57] Jagannath in his Hathi Besha or Gaja Besha (elephant form) has been venerated by devotees like Ganapati Bappa of Maharashtra as Ganesha.[49]

Origins

Vedic origin of Jagannath

In hymn 10.155 of the Rigveda, there is mention of a Daru (wooden log) floating in the ocean as apurusham.[17][58] 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.[17]

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.[24]

Buddhist origins

 
The Jagannath festivities in Puri attract crowds with no class or caste barriers. Some 19th-century writers saw this as one evidence for Buddhist origins,[54] now a discredited theory.[59]

The Buddhist origins of Jagannatha stems from the reliquary worship associated with Jagannatha, a concept integral to Buddhism but alien to Hinduism. For example, there exists an unexamined relic in the Jagannath shrine in Puri,[60] and the local legends state that the shrine relic contains a tooth of the Gautama Buddha – a feature common to many cherished Theravada Buddhist shrines in and outside of India.[24][61] 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.[62] 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.[60] 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.[62]

Another 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.[24] Faxian (c. 400 CE[63]), 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.[62][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.[54][66] 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.[59] This reconciliation is also weak because Jagannath is venerated by all Hindu sects,[47] not just Vaishnavas or a regional group of Hindus, and Jagannath has a pan-Indian influence.[10][67] The Jagannath temple of Puri has been one of the major pilgrimage destination for Hindus across the Indian subcontinent since about 800 CE.[24]

Yet another 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.[62] 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 Buddha as one among the Dasavatara. Indrabhuti, the ancient Buddhist king, describes Jagannath as a Buddhist deity in Jnanasidhi.[62] Further, as a Buddhist king, Indrabhuti worshipped Jagannath.[68] This is not unique to the coastal state of Odisha, but possibly also influenced Buddhism in Nepal and Tibet. Shakyamuni Buddha is also worshipped as Jagannath in Nepal.[69] 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.[68]

Some scholars argue that evidences of Jagannatha's Buddhist nature are found from Medieval Odia Literature. Many medieval Odia poets conceptualized Jagannatha as Shunya Brahman, which is similar to the great void found in Mahayana Buddhist philosophies.[70] Odia poet Sarala Dasa of 15th century in his Mahabharata describes Jagannatha as Buddha.

Deul Bhitore Sinmhasane Bije Hoi, Bouddha Rupare Prabhu Sankha Chakra Bahi.

He remains in the throne inside the temple, holding the Conch and Discuss in the form of Buddha.

— Mahabharata of Sarala Dasa.[note 3][71]

Later poets such as Darika Dasa and Magunia Dasa mentioned Buddha as an incarnation of Jagannatha instead of Vishnu.[note 4][72] However, in some these references Buddha is mentioned as incarnation of Vishnu or Jagannath, not vice versa,[73][74][75][76][77][78] therefore Jagannath is considered as the source of all incarnations. Furthermore, the mention of Buddha as part of ten avatara was prevalent across many Hindu sects other than Jagannath cult and was a broader movement in Vaishnavism to incorporate Buddha as one of the ten main avatara of Vishnu between fifth and the sixth century,[79][80] who was in turn linked with Jagannath as a source of all avataras starting from Jayadeva of 12th century.[81] So, the mention of Buddha as Jagannath does not proof the Buddhist origin of Jagannath, rather assimilation of Buddha in Hinduism.[82]

Jain origins

Pandit Nilakantha Das suggested that Jagannath was a deity of Jain origin because of the appending of Nath to many Jain Tirthankars.[83] 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.[84] 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.[54]

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.[85] 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.[86]

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.[86] 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.[86]

Vaishnava origins

 
An old Dadhivaman deity in Kendrapara, Odisha. Shrila Bhakti Vinod Thakur's great forefather Krishnanada started worshipping this deity in mid-14th century AD.

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.[87]

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.[87] 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.[87]

Tribal origins

 
Jagannath in the Narasimha or Nrusingha Besha in Koraput

The tribal origin theories rely on circumstantial evidence and inferences such as the Jagannath icon is non-anthropomorphic and non-zoomorphic.[32] 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.[37] The practice of using wood for making murti is unusual, as Hindu texts on the design and construction of images recommend stone or metal.[24] 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.[24][33]

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.[88] 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.[33] 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.[33]

 
 
Jagannath (left) may have roots in Narasimha[89] (right, man-lion avatar of Vishnu who fights evil demon and ends religious persecution).[90]

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.[89] 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.[89] 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.[89]

In contemporary Odisha, there are many Dadhivaman temples with a wooden pillar god, and this may be same as Jagannath.[91]

Syncretic origins

According to H.S. Patnaik and others, Jagannath is a syncretic/synthetic deity that combined aspects of major faiths like Shaivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism, Jainism, and Buddhism.[21][15][92][20] Jagannath is worshipped as Purushottama form of Vishnu,[93] Krishnaite sampradayas, as example, Gaudiya Vaishnavs, have identified him strongly with Krishna.[7][94] In Gaudiya Vaishnav tradition, Balabhadra is the elder brother Balaram, Jagannath is the younger brother Krishna, and Subhadra is the youngest sister.[11]

Balabhadra considered the elder brother of Jagannath is sometimes identified with and worshipped as Shiva.[94] Subhadra now considered Jagannath's sister has also been considered as a deity who used to be Brahma.[94][95] 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".[96]

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.[97] The Shaiva element in the tradition of Jagannath overlap with the rites and doctrines of Tantrism and Shaktism. According to the Shaivas, Jagannath is Bhairava.[98] Shiva Purana mentions Jagannatha as one of the 108 names of Shiva.[99] The tantric literary texts identify Jagannath with Mahabhairav.[11] 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.[98]

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.[98] 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.[100]

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]

In the words of the historian Jadunath Sarkar:[101]

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

 
Shri Jagannath with Shri Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra

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.[102] The Sanskrit play "Anargharaghava" composed by Murari mentioned only Purushottama Jagannath and his consort Lakshmi with no references to Blabhadra and Subhadra.[102] 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.[102] 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.

 
Balarama, Subhadra and Jagannath in the temple at Puri, with many human and sacred figures, buildings and animals. Oil painting by a painter of Puri, Orissa, ca. 1880/1910.

During the rule of Anangabhima III [1211–1239], Balabhadra and Subhadra find the earliest known mention in the Pataleshwara inscription of 1237 CE.[102] 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.

Theology

The theology and rituals associated with the Jagannatha tradition combine Vedic, Puranic and tantric themes. He is the Vedic-Puranic Purushottama (lit.: the Upper Person),[2][3] as well as the Puranic Narayana and the tantric Bhairava.[24] According to the Vishnudharma Purana (ca. 4th century), Krishna is woshipped in the form of Purushottama in Odra (Odisha).[103] He is same as the metaphysical Para Brahman, the form of Krishna that prevades as abstract kāla (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).[24] According to Salabega, the Jagannath tradition assimilates the theologies found in Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, Buddhism, Yoga and Tantra traditions.[104]

The Jagannath theology overlaps with those of Krishna. For example, the 17th-century Odia 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.[105] 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 Odia text, centers around supreme light being same as "love in the heart".[106] 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.[107]

The medieval era Odia 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.[45][108]

In Hindu texts and traditions

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.[109]

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.[109]

Stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata

According to Prabhat Nanda, the Valmiki Ramayana mentions Jagannath.[110] 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.[111] The Mahabharata, states Das, describes King Indradyumna's Ashvamedh Yajna and the advent of the four deities of the Jagannath cult.[111]

Sarala Dasa Mahabharata version

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.[112]

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,[113] 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.

 
The Ashwadwara at Puri with the statue of Jagannath on a white horse and Balabhadra on a black horse

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.[114] 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 Uchchhishta 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.[115] J.P. Das [116] 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 modern culture, Kanchi Vijaya is a major motif in Odissi dance.[117]

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.[118] The first Odia drama written by Ramashankar Ray, the father of Odia drama in 1880 is Kanchi Kaveri.[119]

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.[120][verification needed]

Early Vaishnava traditions

Vaishnavism is considered a more recent tradition in Odisha, being historically traceable to the Early Middle Ages.[13][12][121] Already, according to the Vishnudharma Purana (ca. 4th century), Krishna is woshipped in the form of Purushottama in Odra (Odisha).[103]

Ramanujacharya the great Vaishnav reformer visited Puri between 1107 and 1111 converting the King Ananatavarman Chodaganga from Shaivism to Vaishnavism.[122] 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 culture was increasingly identified with Vaishnavism.[8]

Under the rule of the Eastern Gangas, Vaishnavism became the predominant faith in Odisha.[123] Odia 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.[121] The Ganga Kings respected all the ten avatars of Vishnu, considering Jagannath as the cause of all the avatars.

The Vaishnava saint Nimbarkacharya visited Puri, establishing the Radhavallav Matha in 1268.[122] The famous poet Jayadeva 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. And the Jagannath Temple, Puri became a place where for the first time the famous Krishnaite poem Gita Govinda was introduced into the liturgy[124] 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 Buddha-Jagannath as one of the avatars of Krishna.[8] Sometimes Jagannath venerated as Vamana, the avatar of Vishnu.[9][125]

In the 16th century, the worship of Gopal (Krishna), associated with Jagannath, already flourished in Odisha. Thus the raja Languliya Narasimha Deva installed the image called Gopinath with eight figures of gopi. And during Hera-Panchami festival, Jagannath regarded as Krishna.[126][127]

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Gaudiya Vaishnavism

Gaudiya Vaishnavism (also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism[128] 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.[129]

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.[130] 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 philosophy. He left a great influence on the then king of Odisha, Prataprudra Deva, and the people of Odisha.[131] According to one version Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is said to have merged with the idol of Jagannath in Puri after his death[130]

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu changed the course of Oriya Vaishnav tradition emphasising Bhakti and strongly identifying Jagannath with Krishna.[94] 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

 
Shrila Prabhupada in Golden Gate Park with Jagannath deity to his right: February, 1967

Prior to the advent of ISKCON movement, Jagannath and his most important festival, the annual Ratha Yatra, were relatively unknown in the West.[132] 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 a deity of Jagannath in ISKCON temples around the world.[133] 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.[132] 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[134]

Jagannath in Shaktism

Vimala (Bimala) is worshipped as the presiding goddess of the Purushottama (Puri) Shakti Pitha by Shaktas.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.[135] Conversely, Tantrics consider Jagannath as Shiva-Bhairava, rather than a form of Vishnu.[136] While Lakshmi is the traditional (orthodox tradition) consort of Jagannath, Vimala is the Tantric (heterodox) consort.[137] Vimala is also considered the guardian goddess of the temple complex, with Jagannath as the presiding god.[138]

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"[139] 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.

Jagannath and other religions

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.[140] 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.[141] However, the Muslims were not always destructive. For example, during the rule of Akbar, the Jagannath tradition flourished.[141] However, states Starza, "Muslim attacks on the Puri temple became serious after the death of Akbar, continued intermittently throughout the reign of Jahangir".[141]

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.[141] 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.[142]

Jagannath and Sikhism

 
 
The Sikh emperor Ranjit Singh revered Jagannath. He bequeathed the Koh-i-noor diamond (left) to the Jagannath temple in Puri.[143]

In 1506 [144] or 1508[145][146]Guru Nanak the founder of Sikhism made a pilgrimage to Puri to visit to Jagannath.[147] during his journey (called "udaasi") to east India.[144][145] The Sikh Aarti Gagan mai thaal was recited by him [148] at the revered Jagannath Temple, Puri. This arti is sung (not performed with platter and lamps etc.) daily after recitation of Rehraas Sahib & Ardās at the Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar and at most Gurudwara sahibs.

Later Sikh gurus like Guru Teg Bahadur also visited Jagannath Puri.[149] 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.[150]

Jagannath and Christianity

 
Claudius Buchanan's writings on "Juggernaut" were the first introduction of Indian religions to the American audience, and one that originated and constructed intercultural misunderstanding.[151][152]

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".[153] 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.[151] 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".[151] In his letters, states Altman, Buchanan "constructed an image of Juggernaut as the diametric opposite of Christianity".[151]

These views are picked up in Letitia Elizabeth Landon's posthumous poetical illustration to The Temple of Juggernaut,[154] a picture by Alfred Gomersal Vickers. However, she counters them not so much with hostility but with the Christian doctrine of 'Faith, Hope, and Love'.

 
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
The Temple of Juggernaut, picture by A. G. Vickers, poetical illustration
by L. E. L.

In his book Christian Researches in Asia, published in 1811,[155] 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.[151] 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.[151] According to William Gribbin and other scholars, Buchanan's Juggernaut metaphor is a troublesome example of intercultural misunderstanding and constructed identity.[152][156][157]

Due to persistent attacks from non-Indic religions, even to this day, devotees of only Dharmic religions are allowed entry in the Jagannath puri temple.[158][159][160]

Influence

 
The Jagannath symbol is a part of the Krishna iconography in ISKCON events around the world.

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".[161] 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.[161] 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.[161]

According to Kanungo, states Goldie Osuri, the Jagannath tradition has been a means of legitimizing royalty.[162] 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.[162] 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.[162]

Jagannath became an influential figure and icon for power and politics during the 19th-century colonialism and Christian missionary activity, states Osuri.[162] 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.[163][note 5][note 6] 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.[162][165] 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.[166][167]

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.[168]

Festivals

Main article: List of festivals observed at Jagannatha Temple, Puri

A large number of traditional festivals are observed by the devotees of Jagannath. Out of those numerous festivals, thirteen are important.[169]

  1. Niladri Mahodaya
  2. Snana Yatra
  3. Ratha Yatra or Shri Gundicha Yatra
  4. Shri Hari Sayan
  5. Utthapan Yatra
  6. Parswa Paribartan
  7. Dakhinayan Yatra
  8. Prarbana Yatra
  9. Pusyavishek
  10. Uttarayan
  11. Dola Yatra
  12. Damanak Chaturdasi[170]
  13. Chandan Yatra

Ratha Yatra is most significant of all festivals of Jagannath.

Ratha Yatra

Main article: Ratha Yatra (Puri)
 
Rath Yatra in Puri (2007).

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.[171] 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.[172] The huge chariot of Jagannath pulled during Ratha Yatra is the etymological origin of the English word juggernaut.[173] 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.[174]

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[175] 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.[176] 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.[177] [178]

Temples

Main article: Jagannath Temple (disambiguation)

Besides the only temple described below, there are many temples in India, three more in Bangladesh and one in Nepal.

 
 
The Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha. It is a major historic Hindu pilgrimage site. Left: An artist's sketch in 1915.

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.[179]

Temple of Jagannath at Puri has four distinct sectional structures, namely -

  1. Deula or Vimana (Sanctum sanctorum) where the triad deities are lodged on the ratnavedi (Throne of Pearls);
  2. Mukhashala (Frontal porch);
  3. Nata mandir/Natamandapa, which is also known as the Jaga mohan, (Audience Hall/Dancing Hall), and
  4. Bhoga Mandapa (Offerings Hall).[180]
 
The Jagganath temple in Ranchi, Jharkhand

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.

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.

There is a temple situated in Mahesh, Serampore in West Bengal, which is famous for Rathayatra of Mahesh.

The temple's historical records Madala panji maintains that the temple was originally built by King Yayati of the Somavamsi dynasty on the site of the present shrine. However, the historians question the veracity and historicity of the Madala Panji. As per historians, the Deula and the Mukhashala were built in the 12th century by Ganga King Anangabheemadeva, the grandson of Anantavarman Chodaganga and the Natamandapa and Bhogamandapa were constructed subsequently during the reign of Gajapati Purushottama Deva (1462–1491) and Prataprudra Deva (1495–1532) respectively. According to Madala Panji, the outer prakara was built by Gajapati Kapilendradeva (1435–1497). The inner prakara called the Kurma bedha (Tortoise encompassment) was built by Purushottama Deva.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The shape of Balabhadra's head, also called Balarama or Baladeva, varies in some temples between somewhat flat and semi-circular.[38]
  2. ^ The same ancient monastic practice of 3-4 months temporary retirement of all monks and nuns, to take shelter at one place during the heavy rainfalls of monsoons, is found in the Hindu and Jain monastic traditions.[64][65]
  3. ^ "Deul Bhitore Sinmhasane Bije Hoi, Bouddha Rupare Prabhu Sankha Chakra Bahi", which can be translated as, "He remains in the throne inside the temple, holding the Conch and Discuss in the form of Buddha."
  4. ^ "In Magunia Dasa's "Darubramha" Canto 5 Sloka 31-32, Dasa writes, "Saw on top of the throne, In the form of Buddha, Existed Darubramha Jagannatha, without his hand or feet."
  5. ^ Claudius Buchanan mentions the Pilgrim Tax was collected from Hindus after they had walked very long distances, for many weeks, to visit the Puri temple. Anyone refusing to pay would be denied entry to the city.[164]
  6. ^ The pilgrim tax was not a British invention, and was a religious tax on Hindus introduced by the Muslim rulers during the Mughal era.[142]

References

  1. ^ a b Eschmann, Kulke & Tripathi 1978, pp. 31–98.
  2. ^ a b c Rajaguru 1992.
  3. ^ a b c Starza 1993, pp. 72–77, Cult Purusottama at Puri.
  4. ^ a b Miśra 2005, p. 99, chapter 9, Jagannāthism.
  5. ^ a b Ray 2007, p. 151.
  6. ^ a b Mukherjee 1981, p. 67.
  7. ^ a b c Hardy 1987, pp. 387–392.
  8. ^ a b c d e Mukherjee 1981, pp. 155–156.
  9. ^ a b c Starza 1993, pp. 73, 76.
  10. ^ a b c Jagannath Mohanty (2009). Encyclopaedia of Education, Culture and Children's Literature: v. 3. Indian culture and education. Deep & Deep Publications. p. 19. ISBN 978-81-8450-150-6.
  11. ^ a b c Das, Suryanarayan (2010). Lord Jagannath. Sanbun. p. 89. ISBN 978-93-80213-22-4.
  12. ^ a b Mukherjee 1981.
  13. ^ a b Eschmann, Kulke & Tripathi 1978.
  14. ^ Mukherjee 1981; Eschmann, Kulke & Tripathi 1978; Hardy 1987, pp. 387–392; Rajaguru 1992; Guy 1992, pp. 213–230; Starza 1993; Ray 1993; Patnaik 1994; Kulke & Schnepel 2001; Miśra 2005, chapter 9, Jagannāthism.
  15. ^ a b c Patnaik 1994, chapter 6. Sanatana Dharma: The Great Synthesis.
  16. ^ "Synthetic Character of Jagannath Culture", Pp. 1–4 8 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ a b c d Patra 2011, pp. 5–16.
  18. ^ Starza 1993, p. 72.
  19. ^ Pradhan, Atul Chandra (June 2004). "Evolution of Jagannath Cult" (PDF). Orissa Review: 74–77. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  20. ^ a b Miśra 2005, p. 97, chapter 9, Jagannāthism.
  21. ^ a b Patnaik, Bibhuti (3 July 2011). "My friend, philosopher and guide". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  22. ^ Tripathy, B; Singh P.K. (June 2012). "Jagannath Cult in North-east India" (PDF). Orissa Review: 24–27. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  23. ^ See: Chakravarti 1994, p 140
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Bijoy M Misra (2007). Edwin Francis Bryant (ed.). Krishna: A Sourcebook. Oxford University Press. pp. 139–141. ISBN 978-0-19-803400-1.
  25. ^ James G. Lochtefeld (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduikm: N-Z. Rosen Publishing. p. 567. ISBN 978-0-8239-3180-4.
  26. ^ Eschmann, Kulke & Tripathi 1978, p. 537.
  27. ^ Das, Basanta Kumar (2009). "Lord Jagannath Symbol of National Integration" (PDF). Orissa Review. Retrieved 10 December 2012. The term Jagannath etymologically means the Lord of the Universe
  28. ^ Mohanty, Surendra. Lord Jagannatha: the microcosm of Indian spiritual culture, p. 93. Orissa Sahitya Academy (1982)
  29. ^ "::: LordJagannath.Co.in ::: Lord Jagannath (Names)". lordjagannath.co.in. 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2012. Different names of Shree Jagannath
  30. ^ "The Sampradaya Sun - Independent Vaisnava News - Feature Stories - March 2008".
  31. ^ "64 Names of Lord Jagannath Around Odisha | PURIWAVES". puriwaves.nirmalya.in. Retrieved 11 December 2012. Sri Jagannath is being worshipped throughout Orissa over thirty districts in 64 names.
  32. ^ a b Joshi, Dina Krishna (June–July 2007). "Lord Jagannath: the tribal deity" (PDF). Orissa Review: 80–84. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  33. ^ a b c d Starza 1993, pp. 65–67 with footnotes.
  34. ^ Wendy Doniger; Merriam-Webster, In (1999). Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions. Merriam-Webster. p. 547. ISBN 978-0-87779-044-0.
  35. ^ Santilata Dei (1988). Vaiṣṇavism in Orissa. Punthi. pp. 58–59. ISBN 978-81-85094-14-4.
  36. ^ a b Starza 1993, pp. 48–52.
  37. ^ a b c Chowdhury, Janmejay. "Iconography of Jagannath" (PDF). Srimandir: 21–23. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  38. ^ a b Thomas E. Donaldson (2002). Tantra and Śākta Art of Orissa. DK Printworld. pp. 779–780. ISBN 978-81-246-0198-3.
  39. ^ Pattanaik, Shibasundar (July 2002). "Sudarsan of Lord Jagannath" (PDF). Orissa Review: 58–60. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  40. ^ "The origin of Patita Pavana" (PDF). Sri Krishna Kathamrita. Sri Gopaljiu. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  41. ^ Das, Madhavananda (8 June 2004). . Vaishnav News. Archived from the original on 13 September 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  42. ^ Vaishnava. Cz. . Bhakti Vedanta Memorial Library. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  43. ^ Peter J. Claus; Sarah Diamond; Margaret Ann Mills (2003). South Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. p. 515. ISBN 978-0-415-93919-5.
  44. ^ Srinivasa. (2011). Hinduism For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-118-11077-5.
  45. ^ a b c Patnaik 2005, pp. 111–119.
  46. ^ a b Mishra, Kabi (3 July 2011). "He is the infinite Brahman". The Telegraph, Kolkata. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  47. ^ a b Asiatic Society of Bengal (1825). Asiatic researches or transactions of the Society instituted in Bengal, for inquiring into the history and antiquities, the arts, sciences, and literature, of Asia. p. 319.
  48. ^ Dash, Durgamadhab (June 2007). "Place of Chakratirtha in the cult of Lord Jagannath" (PDF). Orissa Review. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  49. ^ a b Mohanty, Tarakanta (July 2005). "Lord Jagannath in the form of Lord Raghunath and Lord Jadunath" (PDF). Orissa Review: 109–110. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  50. ^ Patra 2011, pp. 4–18.
  51. ^ Asiatic Journal. Parbury, Allen, and Company. 1841. pp. 233–.
  52. ^ Wilkins, William Joseph (1900). Hindu Mythology, Vedic and Puranic. London: Elibron Classics. ISBN 978-81-7120-226-3.
  53. ^ Jitāmitra Prasāda Siṃhadeba (2001). Tāntric Art of Orissa. Gyan Books. p. 146. ISBN 978-81-7835-041-7.
  54. ^ a b c d Patra 2011, pp. 8–10, 17–18.
  55. ^ Starza 1993, pp. 64.
  56. ^ James G. Lochtefeld (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: Volume Two. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 665. ISBN 978-0-8239-3180-4.
  57. ^ . Markandeya. 2009. pp. 18, 19. Archived from the original on 1 September 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  58. ^ Ralph TH Griffith. Rig Veda. verse 10.155.3: Wikisource.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link); Quote: अदो यद्दारु प्लवते सिन्धोः पारे अपूरुषम् । तदा रभस्व दुर्हणो तेन गच्छ परस्तरम् ॥३॥
  59. ^ a b Starza 1993, pp. 59–60 with footnotes.
  60. ^ a b Starza 1993, pp. 58–59 with footnotes.
  61. ^ Ananda Abeysekara (2002). Colors of the Robe: Religion, Identity, and Difference. University of South Carolina Press. pp. 148–149. ISBN 978-1-57003-467-1.
  62. ^ a b c d e Starza 1993, pp. 54–56 with footnotes.
  63. ^ Faxian: Chinese Buddhist Monk, Encyclopædia Britannica
  64. ^ Paul Gwynne (2011). World Religions in Practice: A Comparative Introduction. John Wiley & Sons. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-4443-6005-9.
  65. ^ Michael Carrithers; Caroline Humphrey (1991). The Assembly of Listeners: Jains in Society. Cambridge University Press. pp. 50–51. ISBN 978-0-521-36505-5.
  66. ^ Brad Olsen (2004). Sacred Places Around the World: 108 Destinations. CCC Publishing. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-888729-10-8.
  67. ^ K. K. Kusuman (1990). A Panorama of Indian Culture: Professor A. Sreedhara Menon Felicitation Volume. Mittal Publications. p. 162. ISBN 978-81-7099-214-1.
  68. ^ a b Patra 2011, pp. 6–7.
  69. ^ Kar. Dr. Karunakar. Ascharja Charjachaya. Orissa Sahitya Akademy (1969)
  70. ^ Mansinha Mayadhar. "History of Oriya Literature." Sahitya Akademi, 1960. 70-72.
  71. ^ Das, Suryanarayan. "Jagannath Mandir O' Jagannatha Tattwa." Friend's Publishers. 1966. 90.
  72. ^ Mitra Nagendranath. "Puritirtha". Gurudas Chattopadhyay. 46.
  73. ^ Lochtefeld 2002, p. 73, 128.
  74. ^ Holt 2008, p. 18–21.
  75. ^ Coulter 2013, p. 109.
  76. ^ Srinivasan 2011, p. 182.
  77. ^ Holt, Kinnard & Walters 2012, p. 4, 95, 111.
  78. ^ Jones & Ryan 2006, p. 96.
  79. ^ Doniger O'Flaherty 1988, p. 188.
  80. ^ Holt 2004, p. 12, 15.
  81. ^ Leyden 1982, p. 22.
  82. ^ Abhimanyu Dash "Lord Buddha in the Cult of Lord Jagannath" Magazine of Govt. of Odisha. Jun 2014. 85-89
  83. ^ Mohanty, Jagannath (2009). Indian Culture and Education. Deep& Deep. p. 5. ISBN 978-81-8450-150-6.
  84. ^ Barik, P M (July 2005). "Jainism and Buddhism in Jagannath culture" (PDF). Orissa Review: 36. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  85. ^ Das, Aniruddha. Jagannath and Nepal. pp. 9–10.
  86. ^ a b c Starza 1993, pp. 62–63 with footnotes.
  87. ^ a b c Starza 1993, pp. 63–64 with footnotes.
  88. ^ Elwin, Verrier (1955). The Religion of an Indian Tribe. Oxford University Press (Reprint). p. 597.
  89. ^ a b c d Starza 1993, pp. 67–70 with footnotes.
  90. ^ Gavin D. Flood (1996). An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge University Press. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-521-43878-0.
  91. ^ Mohanty, P.C. (June 2012). "Jagannath temples of Ganjam" (PDF). Odisha Review: 113–118. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  92. ^ Mukherjee 1981, pp. 1–2.
  93. ^ . Jagannath temple, Puri administration. Archived from the original on 2 April 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  94. ^ a b c d Bryant, Edwin F (2007). Krishna: A Sourcebook. Oxford University Press. p. 142. ISBN 978-0195148916.
  95. ^ . Jagannath temple, Puri administration. Archived from the original on 2 April 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  96. ^ Behera, Prajna Paramita (June 2004). "The Pillars of Homage to Lord Jagannatha" (PDF). Orissa Review: 65. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  97. ^ Starza 1993, pp. 70, 97, 105.
  98. ^ a b c Behuria, Rabindra Kumar (June 2012). "The Cult of Jagannath" (PDF). Orissa Review. pp. 42–43. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  99. ^ Shiva Purana. "Shiva Shahasranama". harekrsna.de. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  100. ^ Patra 2011, pp. 17–18.
  101. ^ Siṃhadeba, Jitāmitra Prasāda (2001). Tāntric Art of Orissa. Evolution of tantra in Orissa: Kalpaz Publications. p. 145. ISBN 978-81-7835-041-7.
  102. ^ a b c d Tripathy, Manorama (June 2012). "A Reassessment of the origin of the Jagannath cult of Puri" (PDF). Orissa Review: 30. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  103. ^ a b Starza 1993, p. 76.
  104. ^ Sālabega 1998, pp. 13–14.
  105. ^ Dalal 2010, p. 341.
  106. ^ Dalal 2010, p. 347.
  107. ^ Dalal 2010, pp. 373–374.
  108. ^ Dalal 2010, p. 388.
  109. ^ a b Deshpande, Aruna (2005). India: A Divine Destination. Crest Publishing House. p. 203. ISBN 978-81-242-0556-3.
  110. ^ Nanda, Prabhat Kumar (June–July 2007). Shree Jagannath and Shree Ram. Orissa Review. pp. 110–111. ISBN 9789380213224. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  111. ^ a b Das, Suryanarayan (2010). Lord Jagannath. Sanbun. p. 13. ISBN 978-93-80213-22-4.
  112. ^ Das, Suryanarayan (2010). Lord Jagannath. Sanbun. p. 26. ISBN 978-93-80213-22-4.
  113. ^ Das, Suryanarayan (2010). Lord Jagannath. Sanbun. pp. 163–165. ISBN 978-93-80213-22-4.
  114. ^ . Amar Chitra Katha. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  115. ^ Mohanty 1980, p. 7.
  116. ^ Das 1982, p. 120.
  117. ^ . of Kelucharan Mohapatra. Srjan. Archived from the original on 29 October 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  118. ^ Mukherjee, Sujit (1999). Dictionary of Indian Literature One: Beginnings - 1850. Orient Longman. p. 163. ISBN 978-81-250-1453-9.
  119. ^ Datta, Amaresh (1988). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: devraj to jyoti. Sahitya Akademi. p. 1091. ISBN 978-81-260-1194-0.
  120. ^ Das 1982, p. 120-121.
  121. ^ a b Panigrahi, K.C. (1995). History of Orissa. Kitab Mahal. p. 320.
  122. ^ a b Kusuman, K.K. (1990). A Panorama of Indian Culture: Professor A. Sreedhara Menon Felicitation Volume. Mittal Publications. p. 166. ISBN 9788170992141.
  123. ^ Ray 2007, p. 149.
  124. ^ Sahoo, K.C. (1988). "Gitagovinda (Influence: Oriya)". In Amaresh Datta (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Devraj to Jyoti. Vol. 2. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. pp. 1419–1421. ISBN 81-260-1194-7.
  125. ^ Jayanti Rath. "Jagannath—The Epitome of Supreme Lord Vishnu" (PDF).
  126. ^ Mukherjee 1981, pp. 66–67.
  127. ^ Rajaguru 1992, vol 2, part 2.18. The Cult of Gopal Krsna or gopinatha.
  128. ^ Hindu Encounter with Modernity, by Shukavak N. Dasa 11 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine "
  129. ^ "All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Shri Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead." Bhagavat Purana 1:3:28
  130. ^ a b Kulke, Herman (2004). A History of India, 4th edition. Routledge. p. 150. ISBN 978-0-415-32920-0.
  131. ^ Bryant, Edwin Francis (2004). The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant. Columbia University Press. pp. 68–71. ISBN 9780231508438.
  132. ^ a b Melton, Gordon (2007). The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena. Jagannath: Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9781578592593.
  133. ^ Waghorne, J.P. (2004). Diaspora of the Gods:Modern Hindu Temples in an Urban Middle-Class World. Oxford University Press. p. 32. ISBN 9780198035572.
  134. ^ Bromley, David (1989). Krishna Consciousness in West. Bucknell University Press. p. 161. ISBN 9780838751442.
  135. ^ Tripathy, Shrinibas (September 2009). "Goddess Bimala at Puri" (PDF). Orissa Review: 66–69. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  136. ^ (PDF). Official site of Jagannath temple. Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, Puri. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  137. ^ Starza 1993, p. 20.
  138. ^ Mahapatra, Ratnakar (September–October 2005). "Vimala Temple at the Jagannath Temple Complex, Puri" (PDF). Orissa Review: 9–14. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  139. ^ Simhadeba, J.P. (2001). Tantric Art of Orissa. Gyan Books. p. 133. ISBN 9788178350417.
  140. ^ Satish Chandra (2004). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals-Delhi Sultanat (1206-1526). Mushilal Manoharlal. pp. 216–217. ISBN 978-81-241-1064-5.
  141. ^ a b c d Starza 1993, pp. 146–147.
  142. ^ a b Nancy Gardner Cassels (1988). Religion and Pilgrim Tax Under the Company Raj. Riverdale. pp. 17–22. ISBN 978-0-913215-26-5.
  143. ^ Isabel Burton (2012). Arabia, Egypt, India: A Narrative of Travel. Cambridge University Press. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-108-04642-8.
  144. ^ a b http://www.orissa.gov.in/e-magazine/orissareview/2012/Feb-March/engpdf/1-6.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  145. ^ a b "Home". 13 November 2013.
  146. ^ http://www.sikh-heritage.co.uk/Scriptures/Guru%20Granth/Guru%20Granth.htm [dead link]
  147. ^ K.K. Kusuman (1990). A Panorama of Indian Culture: Professor A. Sreedhara Menon Felicitation Volume. Mittal Publications. p. 167. ISBN 9788170992141.
  148. ^ गुरु नानक देव और उनके द्वारा प्रवर्तित मार्ग. www.livehindusthan.com (in Hindi).
  149. ^ S.S. Johar, University of Wisconsin--Madison Center for South Asian Studies (1975). Guru Tegh Bahadur. Abhinav Publications. p. 149. ISBN 9788170170303.
  150. ^ The Real Ranjit Singh; by Fakir Syed Waheeduddin, published by Punjabi University, ISBN 81-7380-778-7, 1 Jan 2001, 2nd ed.
  151. ^ a b c d e f Michael J. Altman (2017). Heathen, Hindoo, Hindu: American Representations of India, 1721-1893. Oxford University Press. pp. 30–33. ISBN 978-0-19-065492-4.
  152. ^ a b Gribbin, William (1973). "The juggernaut metaphor in American rhetoric". Quarterly Journal of Speech. 59 (3): 297–303. doi:10.1080/00335637309383178.
  153. ^ Kulke & Schnepel 2001, pp. 159–160.
  154. ^ Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1839). "poetical illustration". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1840. Fisher, Son & Co.Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1839). "picture". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1840. Fisher, Son & Co.
  155. ^ Buchanan, Claudius (1811). Researches in Asia with Notices of the Translation of the Scriptures into the Oriental Languages.
  156. ^ S. Behera (2007), Essentialising the Jagannath cult: a discourse on self and other, Journal of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics, Volume 30, Number 1-2, pages 51-53
  157. ^ Nancy Gardner Cassels (1972), The Compact and the Pilgrim Tax: The Genesis of East India Company Social Policy, Canadian Journal of History, Volume 7, Number 1, pages 45-48
  158. ^ Rautray, Samanwaya. "SC urges Jagannath temple to allow entry of non-Hindus". The Economic Times.
  159. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the : "Dear Non-Hindus, you wished to know why you aren't allowed in Jagannath Temple? Here's the Answer". YouTube.
  160. ^ http://magazines.odisha.gov.in/Orissareview/2012/June/engpdf/110-115.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  161. ^ a b c Patra 2011, pp. 5–9.
  162. ^ a b c d e Goldie Osuri (2013). Religious Freedom in India: Sovereignty and (anti) Conversion. Routledge. pp. 55–56. ISBN 978-0-415-66557-5.
  163. ^ Ingham, Kenneth (1952). "The English Evangelicals and the Pilgrim Tax in India, 1800–1862". The Journal of Ecclesiastical History. 3 (2): 191–200. doi:10.1017/s0022046900028426. S2CID 163518878.
  164. ^ Claudius Buchanan (1812). Christian Researches in Asia, Ninth edition. T. Cadell & W. Davies. pp. 20–21.
  165. ^ James Peggs (1830). Pilgrim Tax in India: The Great Temple in Orissa, Second edition. London: Seely, Fleet-Street.
  166. ^ Nancy Gardner Cassels; Sri Prabhat Mukherjee (2000). Pilgrim Tax and Temple Scandals: A Critical Study of the Important Jagannath Temple Records During British Rule. Orchid. pp. 96–108. ISBN 978-974-8304-72-4.
  167. ^ N. Chatterjee (2011). The Making of Indian Secularism: Empire, Law and Christianity, 1830-1960. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 58–67. ISBN 978-0-230-29808-8.
  168. ^ Goldie Osuri (2013). Religious Freedom in India: Sovereignty and (anti) Conversion. Routledge. pp. 56–57. ISBN 978-0-415-66557-5.
  169. ^ . nilachakra.org. 2010. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012. By large 13 festivals are celebrated at Lord Jagannath Temple
  170. ^ "Damanaka Chaturdasi - Jagannath Temple". jagannathtemplepuri.com. Retrieved 21 December 2012. This falls in the month of Chaitra. On this day, the deities pay a visit to the garden of the celebrated Jagannath Vallabha Matha where they pick-up the tender leaves of the Dayanaa unnoticed by anybody.
  171. ^ Starza 1993, p. 16.
  172. ^ Das 1982, p. 40.
  173. ^ "Juggernaut, definition and meaning". Merriam Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  174. ^ Karan, Jajati (4 July 2008). "Lord Jagannath yatra to begin soon". IBN Live. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  175. ^ Starza 1993, p. 133.
  176. ^ Mitter 1977, p. 10.
  177. ^ Starza 1993, p. 129.
  178. ^ Das 1982, p. 48.
  179. ^ . Jagannath temple, Puri. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  180. ^ "Jagannath Temple, India - 7 wonders". 7wonders.org. 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012. The temple is divided into four chambers: Bhogmandir, Natamandir, Jagamohana and Deul

Bibliography

  • Dalal, Roshen (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. New Delhi: Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
  • Das, Bikram. Domain of Jagannath - A Historical Study, BR Publishing Corporation.
  • Das, J. P. (1982), Puri Paintings: the Chitrakara and his Work, New Delhi: Arnold Heinemann
  • Das, M.N., ed. (1977). Sidelights on History and Culture of Orissa. Cuttack.
  • Das, Suryanarayan (2010). Jagannath Through the Ages, Sanbun Publishers, New Delhi.
  • Eschmann, Anncharlott; Kulke, Hermann; Tripathi, Gaya Charan, eds. (1978) [Rev. ed. 2014]. The Cult of Jagannath and the regional tradition of Orissa. South Asian Studies, 8. New Delhi: Manohar. ISBN 9788173046179.
  • Guy, John (1992). "New evidence for the Jagannatha sect in seventeenth century Nepal". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 3rd Ser. 2 (2): 213–230. doi:10.1017/S135618630000239X. S2CID 162316166.
  • Hardy, Friedhelm E. (1987). "Kṛṣṇaism". In Mircea Eliade (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Religion. Vol. 8. New York: MacMillan. pp. 387–392. ISBN 978-0-02897-135-3 – via Encyclopedia.com.
  • Hunter, W.W. Orissa: The Vicissitudes of an Indian Province under Native and British Rule, Vol. I, Chapter-III, 1872.
  • Kulke, Hermann; Schnepel, Burkhard, eds. (2001). Jagannath Revisited: Studying Society, Religion, and the State in Orissa. Studies in Orissan society, culture, and history, 1. New Delhi: Manohar. ISBN 978-81-7304-386-4.
  • Kulke, Hermann in The Anthropology of Values, Berger Peter (ed.): Yayati Kesari revisted, Dorling Kindrsley Pvt. Ltd., (2010).
  • Mahapatra, G.N.: Jagannath in History and Religious Tradition, Calcutta, 1982.
  • Mahapatra, K.N.: Antiquity of Jagannath Puri as a place of pilgrimage, OHRJ, Vol. III, No.1, April, 1954, p. 17.
  • Mahapatra, R.P.: Jaina Monuments of Orissa, New Delhi, 1984.
  • Mishra, K.C.: The Cult of Jagannath, Firma K.L. Mukhopadhyaya, Calcutta, 1971.
  • Mishra, K.C.: The Cult of Jagannath, Calcutta, 1971.
  • Miśra, Narayan (2005). Durga Nandan Mishra (ed.). Annals and Antiquities of the Temple of Jagannātha. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons. ISBN 81-7625-747-8.
  • Mitter, P. (1977), Much Maligned Monsters: A History of European Reactions to Indian Art, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 9780226532394
  • Mohanty, A. B. (Ed.): Madala Panji, Utkal University reprinted, Bhubaneswar, 2001.
  • Mohanty, B.C. and Buhler, Alfred: Patachitras of Orissa. (Study of Contemporary Textile Crafts of India). Ahmedabad, India: Calico Museum of Textiles, 1980.
  • Mohapatra, Bishnu N. Ways of 'Belonging': The Kanchi Kaveri Legend and the Construction of Oriya Identity, Studies in History, 12, 2, n.s., pp. 204–221, Sage Publications, New Delhi (1996).
  • Mukherjee, Prabhat (1981) [1940]. The History of Medieval Vaishnavism in Orissa. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. ISBN 8120602293.
  • Nayak, Ashutosh (1999). Sri Jagannath Parbaparbani Sebapuja (Oriya), Cuttack.
  • Padhi, B.M.: Daru Devata (Oriya), Cuttack, 1964.
  • Panda, L.K.: Saivism in Orissa, New Delhi, 1985.
  • Patnaik, Himanshu S. (1994). Jagannath: His Temple, Cult and Festivals. New Delhi: Aryan Books International. ISBN 81-7305-051-1.
  • Patnaik, N. (2006). Sacred Geography of Puri: Structure and Organisation and Cultural Role of a Pilgrim Centre, ISBN 81-7835-477-2
  • Patnaik, Tandra (2005). Śūnya Puruṣa: Bauddha Vaiṣṇavism of Orissa. DK Printworld. ISBN 978-81-246-0345-1.
  • Patra, Avinash (2011). Maria Joseph (Vishnupriya Dasi) (ed.). Origin & Antiquity of the Cult of Lord Jagannath. Oxford: Oxford University weekly Journal. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011.
  • Rajaguru, S.N. (1992). Inscriptions of Jagannath Temple and Origin of Sri Purusottam Jagannath. Vol. 1–2. Puri: Shri Jagannath Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya.
  • Ray, B. C., Aioswarjya Kumar Das, ed. (2010). Tribals of Orissa: The changing Socio-Economic Profile, Centre for Advanced Studies in History and Culture, Bhubaneswar.
  • Ray, Bidyut Lata (1993). Studies in Jagannatha Cult. New Delhi: Classical Publishing Company.
  • Ray, Dipti (2007). Prataparudradeva, the Last Great Suryavamsi King of Orissa (A.D. 1497 to A.D. 1540). Northern Book Centre. ISBN 9788172111953.
  • Sahu, N.K.: Buddhism in Orissa, Utkal University, 1958.
  • Sālabega (1998). White Whispers: Selected Poems of Salabega. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978-81-260-0483-6.
  • Siṃhadeba, Jitāmitra Prasāda: Tāntric art of Orissa
  • Singh, N.K.: Encyclopaedia of Hinduism, Volume 1.
  • Sircar, D.C. (1965). Indian Epigraphy, New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
  • Starza, O. M. (1993). The Jagannatha Temple at Puri: Its Architecture, Art and Cult. Studies in South Asian culture, 15. Leiden; New York; Köln: Brill. ISBN 90-04-09673-6.
  • Starza-Majewski, Olgierd M. L: The Jagannatha temple at Puri and its Deities, Amsterdam, 1983.
  • Upadhyay, Arun Kumar: Vedic View of Jagannath: Series of Centre of Excellence in Traditional Shastras :10, Rashtriya Sanskrita Vidyapeetha, Tirupati-517507, AP. [2006]

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jagannath.
 
Wikisource has the text of the 1920 Encyclopedia Americana article Jagannath.
  • Puruṣottama-kṣetra-māhātmya, Skanda Purana
  • Shri Jaganath, Official website 19 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  • Shri Jaganath Temple at Puri
  • Shri Jagannath Dham, Puri
  • Detailed description of Ratha Yatra festival of Jagannath
  • Ratha Yatra
  • Street View around Jagannath Temple
  • Mahaprabhu Sri Jagannatha The Lord of Universe (Paperback Edition)

January 10, 2023
jagannath, other, uses, disambiguation, odia, ଜଗନ, romanized, jagannātha, lord, universe, formerly, english, juggernaut, deity, worshipped, regional, hindu, traditions, india, bangladesh, part, triad, along, with, brother, balabhadra, sister, subhadra, within,. For other uses see Jagannath disambiguation Jagannath Odia ଜଗନ ନ ଥ romanized Jagannatha lit Lord of the Universe formerly English Juggernaut is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra Jagannath within Odia Hinduism is the supreme god Purushottama 1 2 3 and the Para Brahman 4 5 To most Vaishnava Hindus particularly the Krishnaites Jagannath is an abstract representation of Krishna or Vishnu 6 7 sometimes as the avatar of Krishna or Vishnu 8 9 To some Shaiva and Shakta Hindus he is a symmetry filled tantric form of Bhairava a fierce manifestation of Shiva associated with annihilation 10 11 JagannathJagannath idol in 2011AffiliationVaishnavism Para BrahmanAbodeMount NilaMantraOm Jagannathaya NamahWeaponSudarshana Chakra Panchajanya SankhaMountGarudaPersonal informationSiblingsBalabhadra and SubhadraSpouseSridevi and BhudeviTranslations ofजगन न थ Jagannatha Sanskritजगन न थ Jagannatha Assameseজগন ন থ Jagannath Bengaliজগন ন থ Jogonnath Hindiजगन न थ Jagannath Odiaଜଗନ ନ ଥ Jagannatha Glossary of Hinduism termsThe Jagannathism a k a Odia Vaishnavism the particular sector of Jagannath as a major deity emerged in the Early Middle Ages 12 13 and later became an independent state regional temple centered tradition of Krishnaism Vaishnavism 14 The idol of Jagannath is a carved and decorated wooden stump with large round eyes and a symmetric face and the idol has a conspicuous absence of hands or legs The worship procedures sacraments and rituals associated with Jagannath are syncretic and include rites that are uncommon in Hinduism 15 16 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 17 Some scholars interpret hymn 10 155 3 of the Rigveda as a possible origin but others disagree and state that it is a syncretic synthetic deity with tribal roots 18 15 17 The English word juggernaut comes from the negative image of the deity presented by Christian missionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries Jagannath is considered a non sectarian deity 19 20 21 He is significant regionally in the Indian states of Odisha Chhattisgarh West Bengal Jharkhand Bihar Gujarat Assam Manipur and Tripura 22 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 23 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 namely Odisha art and architecture 24 It has been one of the major pilgrimage destinations for Hindus since about 800 CE 24 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 ଶ ର ମନ ଦ ର Sri Mandir 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 25 Contents 1 Etymology 2 Iconography 2 1 Attributes 2 2 Tantric deity 3 Origins 3 1 Vedic origin of Jagannath 3 2 Buddhist origins 3 3 Jain origins 3 4 Vaishnava origins 3 5 Tribal origins 3 6 Syncretic origins 3 7 Transformation from unitary icon to triad 4 Theology 5 In Hindu texts and traditions 5 1 Vaishnavite version 5 2 Stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata 5 3 Sarala Dasa Mahabharata version 5 4 Kanchi conquest 5 5 Early Vaishnava traditions 5 6 Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Gaudiya Vaishnavism 5 7 The ISKCON Movement 5 8 Jagannath in Shaktism 6 Jagannath and other religions 6 1 Jagannath and Islam 6 2 Jagannath and Sikhism 6 3 Jagannath and Christianity 7 Influence 8 Festivals 8 1 Ratha Yatra 9 Temples 10 See also 11 Notes 12 References 12 1 Bibliography 13 External linksEtymology EditJagannath is a Sanskrit word compounded of jagat meaning universe and natha meaning Master or Lord Thus Jagannath means lord of the universe 26 27 Jagannatha according to them is a generic term not unique as much as Lokanatha or Avalokiteswara ln fact the name Jagannatha could be applied to any Deity which is considered supreme Surendra Mohanty Lord Jagannatha the microcosm of Indian spiritual culture 28 In the Odia language Jagannath is linked to other names such as Jaga ଜଗ or Jagabandhu ଜଗବନ ଧ Friend of the Universe Both names derive from Jagannath Further on the basis of the physical appearance of the deity names like Kalia କ ଳ ଆ The Black coloured Lord but which can also mean the Timely One Darubrahman ଦ ର ବ ରହ ମ The Sacred Wood Riddle Daruedebata ଦ ର ଦ ବତ The wooden god Chaka akhi ଚକ ଆଖ or Chakanayan ଚକ ନୟନ With round eyes Cakaḍōḷa ଚକ ଡ ଳ with round pupils are also in vogue 29 30 31 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 32 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 33 Iconography Edit Two versions of Jagannath iconography The icon of Jagannath in his temples is a brightly painted rough hewn log of neem wood 34 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 35 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 36 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 36 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 37 Jagannath icons are produced from wood They are replaced every 8 or 12 or 19 years Above logs in transport to prepare the Jagannath icon 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 38 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 39 Jagannath iconography when he is depicted without companions shows only his face neither arms nor torso This form is sometimes called Patita Pavana 40 or Dadhi Vaman 41 The murtis of Jagannath Balabhadra Subhadra and Sudarshana Chakra are made of neem wood 42 Neem wood is chosen because the Bhavishya Purana declares it to be the most auspicious wood from which to make Vishnu murtis 37 The idol of Shri Jagannatha Shree Balabhadra Maa Subhadra and Sri Sudarshana is re painted every week in the Shri Mandira or Shree Jagannatha Temple Puri 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 43 Attributes Edit In the Jagannath tradition Odia Vaishnavism Lord Jagannath is most frequently identified with an abstract form of Krishna as the supreme deity 6 7 44 Jagannath is considered as equivalent to the Hindu metaphysical concepts of Brahman Para Brahman and Purushottama Shunya Purusha wherein he then is the Avatari i e the cause and equivalence of all avatars and the infinite existence in space and time 1 2 3 45 4 46 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 5 In the Jagannath tradition he has the attributes of all the avatars of Krishna Vishnu This belief is celebrated by dressing him and worshipping him as different avatars on special occasions 47 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 48 Every year in the month of Bhadra Jagannath is dressed and decorated in the form of the Vamana avatar of Vishnu 46 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 49 50 Sometimes one regards him as one of the avatars incarnations of Krishna i e Buddha Jagannath or Vishnu i e Vamana 8 9 51 His name does not appear in the traditional Dashavatara ten avatars of Vishnu 52 though in certain Odia literature Jagannath has been treated as the avatar of Krishna as a substitute for or the equivalent of the avatar Buddha from Dashavatara 8 45 Tantric deity Edit Outside of Vaishnava tradition Jagannath is considered the epitome of Tantric worship 53 The symmetry in iconography the use of mandalas and geometric patterns in its rites support the tantric connection proposal 54 Jagannath is venerated as Bhairava or Lord Shiva the consort of Goddess Vimala by Shaivites and Shakta sects 10 The priests of Jagannath Temple at Puri belong to the Shakta sect although the Vaishnava sect s influence predominates 55 As part of the triad Balabhadra is also considered to be Shiva and Subhadra a manifestation of Durga 56 In the Markandeya Purana the sage Markandeya declared that Purushottama Jagannath and Shiva are one 57 Jagannath in his Hathi Besha or Gaja Besha elephant form has been venerated by devotees like Ganapati Bappa of Maharashtra as Ganesha 49 Origins EditVedic origin of Jagannath Edit In hymn 10 155 of the Rigveda there is mention of a Daru wooden log floating in the ocean as apurusham 17 58 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 17 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 24 Buddhist origins Edit The Jagannath festivities in Puri attract crowds with no class or caste barriers Some 19th century writers saw this as one evidence for Buddhist origins 54 now a discredited theory 59 The Buddhist origins of Jagannatha stems from the reliquary worship associated with Jagannatha a concept integral to Buddhism but alien to Hinduism For example there exists an unexamined relic in the Jagannath shrine in Puri 60 and the local legends state that the shrine relic contains a tooth of the Gautama Buddha a feature common to many cherished Theravada Buddhist shrines in and outside of India 24 61 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 62 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 60 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 62 Another 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 24 Faxian c 400 CE 63 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 62 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 54 66 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 59 This reconciliation is also weak because Jagannath is venerated by all Hindu sects 47 not just Vaishnavas or a regional group of Hindus and Jagannath has a pan Indian influence 10 67 The Jagannath temple of Puri has been one of the major pilgrimage destination for Hindus across the Indian subcontinent since about 800 CE 24 Yet another 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 62 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 Buddha as one among the Dasavatara Indrabhuti the ancient Buddhist king describes Jagannath as a Buddhist deity in Jnanasidhi 62 Further as a Buddhist king Indrabhuti worshipped Jagannath 68 This is not unique to the coastal state of Odisha but possibly also influenced Buddhism in Nepal and Tibet Shakyamuni Buddha is also worshipped as Jagannath in Nepal 69 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 68 Some scholars argue that evidences of Jagannatha s Buddhist nature are found from Medieval Odia Literature Many medieval Odia poets conceptualized Jagannatha as Shunya Brahman which is similar to the great void found in Mahayana Buddhist philosophies 70 Odia poet Sarala Dasa of 15th century in his Mahabharata describes Jagannatha as Buddha Deul Bhitore Sinmhasane Bije Hoi Bouddha Rupare Prabhu Sankha Chakra Bahi He remains in the throne inside the temple holding the Conch and Discuss in the form of Buddha Mahabharata of Sarala Dasa note 3 71 Later poets such as Darika Dasa and Magunia Dasa mentioned Buddha as an incarnation of Jagannatha instead of Vishnu note 4 72 However in some these references Buddha is mentioned as incarnation of Vishnu or Jagannath not vice versa 73 74 75 76 77 78 therefore Jagannath is considered as the source of all incarnations Furthermore the mention of Buddha as part of ten avatara was prevalent across many Hindu sects other than Jagannath cult and was a broader movement in Vaishnavism to incorporate Buddha as one of the ten main avatara of Vishnu between fifth and the sixth century 79 80 who was in turn linked with Jagannath as a source of all avataras starting from Jayadeva of 12th century 81 So the mention of Buddha as Jagannath does not proof the Buddhist origin of Jagannath rather assimilation of Buddha in Hinduism 82 Jain origins Edit Pandit Nilakantha Das suggested that Jagannath was a deity of Jain origin because of the appending of Nath to many Jain Tirthankars 83 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 84 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 54 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 85 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 86 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 86 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 86 Vaishnava origins Edit An old Dadhivaman deity in Kendrapara Odisha Shrila Bhakti Vinod Thakur s great forefather Krishnanada started worshipping this deity in mid 14th century AD 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 87 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 87 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 87 Tribal origins Edit Jagannath in the Narasimha or Nrusingha Besha in Koraput The tribal origin theories rely on circumstantial evidence and inferences such as the Jagannath icon is non anthropomorphic and non zoomorphic 32 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 37 The practice of using wood for making murti is unusual as Hindu texts on the design and construction of images recommend stone or metal 24 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 24 33 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 88 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 33 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 33 Jagannath left may have roots in Narasimha 89 right man lion avatar of Vishnu who fights evil demon and ends religious persecution 90 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 89 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 89 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 89 In contemporary Odisha there are many Dadhivaman temples with a wooden pillar god and this may be same as Jagannath 91 Syncretic origins Edit According to H S Patnaik and others Jagannath is a syncretic synthetic deity that combined aspects of major faiths like Shaivism Shaktism Vaishnavism Jainism and Buddhism 21 15 92 20 Jagannath is worshipped as Purushottama form of Vishnu 93 Krishnaite sampradayas as example Gaudiya Vaishnavs have identified him strongly with Krishna 7 94 In Gaudiya Vaishnav tradition Balabhadra is the elder brother Balaram Jagannath is the younger brother Krishna and Subhadra is the youngest sister 11 Balabhadra considered the elder brother of Jagannath is sometimes identified with and worshipped as Shiva 94 Subhadra now considered Jagannath s sister has also been considered as a deity who used to be Brahma 94 95 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 96 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 97 The Shaiva element in the tradition of Jagannath overlap with the rites and doctrines of Tantrism and Shaktism According to the Shaivas Jagannath is Bhairava 98 Shiva Purana mentions Jagannatha as one of the 108 names of Shiva 99 The tantric literary texts identify Jagannath with Mahabhairav 11 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 98 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 98 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 100 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 In the words of the historian Jadunath Sarkar 101 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 Edit Shri Jagannath with Shri Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra 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 102 The Sanskrit play Anargharaghava composed by Murari mentioned only Purushottama Jagannath and his consort Lakshmi with no references to Blabhadra and Subhadra 102 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 102 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 Balarama Subhadra and Jagannath in the temple at Puri with many human and sacred figures buildings and animals Oil painting by a painter of Puri Orissa ca 1880 1910 During the rule of Anangabhima III 1211 1239 Balabhadra and Subhadra find the earliest known mention in the Pataleshwara inscription of 1237 CE 102 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 Theology EditThe theology and rituals associated with the Jagannatha tradition combine Vedic Puranic and tantric themes He is the Vedic Puranic Purushottama lit the Upper Person 2 3 as well as the Puranic Narayana and the tantric Bhairava 24 According to the Vishnudharma Purana ca 4th century Krishna is woshipped in the form of Purushottama in Odra Odisha 103 He is same as the metaphysical Para Brahman the form of Krishna 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 24 According to Salabega the Jagannath tradition assimilates the theologies found in Vaishnavism Shaivism Shaktism Buddhism Yoga and Tantra traditions 104 The Jagannath theology overlaps with those of Krishna For example the 17th century Odia 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 105 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 Odia text centers around supreme light being same as love in the heart 106 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 107 The medieval era Odia 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 45 108 In Hindu texts and traditions EditAlthough Jagannath has been identified with other traditions in the past He is now identified more with Vaishnav tradition Vaishnavite version Edit 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 109 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 109 Stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata Edit According to Prabhat Nanda the Valmiki Ramayana mentions Jagannath 110 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 111 The Mahabharata states Das describes King Indradyumna s Ashvamedh Yajna and the advent of the four deities of the Jagannath cult 111 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 112 Kanchi conquest Edit 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 113 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 The Ashwadwara at Puri with the statue of Jagannath on a white horse and Balabhadra on a black horse 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 114 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 Uchchhishta 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 115 J P Das 116 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 modern culture Kanchi Vijaya is a major motif in Odissi dance 117 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 118 The first Odia drama written by Ramashankar Ray the father of Odia drama in 1880 is Kanchi Kaveri 119 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 120 verification needed Early Vaishnava traditions Edit Vaishnavism is considered a more recent tradition in Odisha being historically traceable to the Early Middle Ages 13 12 121 Already according to the Vishnudharma Purana ca 4th century Krishna is woshipped in the form of Purushottama in Odra Odisha 103 Ramanujacharya the great Vaishnav reformer visited Puri between 1107 and 1111 converting the King Ananatavarman Chodaganga from Shaivism to Vaishnavism 122 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 culture was increasingly identified with Vaishnavism 8 Under the rule of the Eastern Gangas Vaishnavism became the predominant faith in Odisha 123 Odia 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 121 The Ganga Kings respected all the ten avatars of Vishnu considering Jagannath as the cause of all the avatars The Vaishnava saint Nimbarkacharya visited Puri establishing the Radhavallav Matha in 1268 122 The famous poet Jayadeva 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 And the Jagannath Temple Puri became a place where for the first time the famous Krishnaite poem Gita Govinda was introduced into the liturgy 124 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 Buddha Jagannath as one of the avatars of Krishna 8 Sometimes Jagannath venerated as Vamana the avatar of Vishnu 9 125 In the 16th century the worship of Gopal Krishna associated with Jagannath already flourished in Odisha Thus the raja Languliya Narasimha Deva installed the image called Gopinath with eight figures of gopi And during Hera Panchami festival Jagannath regarded as Krishna 126 127 Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Gaudiya Vaishnavism Edit Gaudiya Vaishnavism also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism 128 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 129 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 130 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 philosophy He left a great influence on the then king of Odisha Prataprudra Deva and the people of Odisha 131 According to one version Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is said to have merged with the idol of Jagannath in Puri after his death 130 Chaitanya Mahaprabhu changed the course of Oriya Vaishnav tradition emphasising Bhakti and strongly identifying Jagannath with Krishna 94 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 Edit Shrila Prabhupada in Golden Gate Park with Jagannath deity to his right February 1967 Prior to the advent of ISKCON movement Jagannath and his most important festival the annual Ratha Yatra were relatively unknown in the West 132 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 a deity of Jagannath in ISKCON temples around the world 133 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 132 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 134 Jagannath in Shaktism Edit Vimala Bimala is worshipped as the presiding goddess of the Purushottama Puri Shakti Pitha by Shaktas 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 135 Conversely Tantrics consider Jagannath as Shiva Bhairava rather than a form of Vishnu 136 While Lakshmi is the traditional orthodox tradition consort of Jagannath Vimala is the Tantric heterodox consort 137 Vimala is also considered the guardian goddess of the temple complex with Jagannath as the presiding god 138 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 139 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 Jagannath and other religions EditJagannath and Islam Edit 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 140 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 141 However the Muslims were not always destructive For example during the rule of Akbar the Jagannath tradition flourished 141 However states Starza Muslim attacks on the Puri temple became serious after the death of Akbar continued intermittently throughout the reign of Jahangir 141 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 141 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 142 Jagannath and Sikhism Edit The Sikh emperor Ranjit Singh revered Jagannath He bequeathed the Koh i noor diamond left to the Jagannath temple in Puri 143 In 1506 144 or 1508 145 146 Guru Nanak the founder of Sikhism made a pilgrimage to Puri to visit to Jagannath 147 during his journey called udaasi to east India 144 145 The Sikh Aarti Gagan mai thaal was recited by him 148 at the revered Jagannath Temple Puri This arti is sung not performed with platter and lamps etc daily after recitation of Rehraas Sahib amp Ardas at the Harmandir Sahib Amritsar and at most Gurudwara sahibs Later Sikh gurus like Guru Teg Bahadur also visited Jagannath Puri 149 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 150 Jagannath and Christianity Edit Claudius Buchanan s writings on Juggernaut were the first introduction of Indian religions to the American audience and one that originated and constructed intercultural misunderstanding 151 152 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 153 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 151 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 151 In his letters states Altman Buchanan constructed an image of Juggernaut as the diametric opposite of Christianity 151 These views are picked up in Letitia Elizabeth Landon s posthumous poetical illustration to The Temple of Juggernaut 154 a picture by Alfred Gomersal Vickers However she counters them not so much with hostility but with the Christian doctrine of Faith Hope and Love Wikisource has original text related to this article The Temple of Juggernaut picture by A G Vickers poetical illustrationby L E L In his book Christian Researches in Asia published in 1811 155 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 151 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 151 According to William Gribbin and other scholars Buchanan s Juggernaut metaphor is a troublesome example of intercultural misunderstanding and constructed identity 152 156 157 Due to persistent attacks from non Indic religions even to this day devotees of only Dharmic religions are allowed entry in the Jagannath puri temple 158 159 160 Influence Edit The Jagannath symbol is a part of the Krishna iconography in ISKCON events around the world 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 161 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 161 Francois 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 161 According to Kanungo states Goldie Osuri the Jagannath tradition has been a means of legitimizing royalty 162 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 162 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 162 Jagannath became an influential figure and icon for power and politics during the 19th century colonialism and Christian missionary activity states Osuri 162 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 163 note 5 note 6 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 162 165 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 166 167 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 168 Festivals EditMain article List of festivals observed at Jagannatha Temple Puri A large number of traditional festivals are observed by the devotees of Jagannath Out of those numerous festivals thirteen are important 169 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 170 Chandan YatraRatha Yatra is most significant of all festivals of Jagannath Ratha Yatra Edit Main article Ratha Yatra Puri Rath Yatra in Puri 2007 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 171 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 172 The huge chariot of Jagannath pulled during Ratha Yatra is the etymological origin of the English word juggernaut 173 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 174 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 175 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 176 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 177 178 Temples EditMain article Jagannath Temple disambiguation Besides the only temple described below there are many temples in India three more in Bangladesh and one in Nepal The Jagannath temple in Puri Odisha It is a major historic Hindu pilgrimage site Left An artist s sketch in 1915 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 179 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 180 The Jagganath temple in Ranchi Jharkhand 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 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 There is a temple situated in Mahesh Serampore in West Bengal which is famous for Rathayatra of Mahesh The temple s historical records Madala panji maintains that the temple was originally built by King Yayati of the Somavamsi dynasty on the site of the present shrine However the historians question the veracity and historicity of the Madala Panji As per historians the Deula and the Mukhashala were built in the 12th century by Ganga King Anangabheemadeva the grandson of Anantavarman Chodaganga and the Natamandapa and Bhogamandapa were constructed subsequently during the reign of Gajapati Purushottama Deva 1462 1491 and Prataprudra Deva 1495 1532 respectively According to Madala Panji the outer prakara was built by Gajapati Kapilendradeva 1435 1497 The inner prakara called the Kurma bedha Tortoise encompassment was built by Purushottama Deva See also EditHindu deities Hundun Ideogram Lingam OroNotes Edit The shape of Balabhadra s head also called Balarama or Baladeva varies in some temples between somewhat flat and semi circular 38 The same ancient monastic practice of 3 4 months temporary retirement of all monks and nuns to take shelter at one place during the heavy rainfalls of monsoons is found in the Hindu and Jain monastic traditions 64 65 Deul Bhitore Sinmhasane Bije Hoi Bouddha Rupare Prabhu Sankha Chakra Bahi which can be translated as He remains in the throne inside the temple holding the Conch and Discuss in the form of Buddha In Magunia Dasa s Darubramha Canto 5 Sloka 31 32 Dasa writes Saw on top of the throne In the form of Buddha Existed Darubramha Jagannatha without his hand or feet Claudius Buchanan mentions the Pilgrim Tax was collected from Hindus after they had walked very long distances for many weeks to visit the Puri temple Anyone refusing to pay would be denied entry to the city 164 The pilgrim tax was not a British invention and was a religious tax on Hindus introduced by the Muslim rulers during the Mughal era 142 References Edit a b Eschmann Kulke amp Tripathi 1978 pp 31 98 a b c Rajaguru 1992 a b c Starza 1993 pp 72 77 Cult Purusottama at Puri a b Misra 2005 p 99 chapter 9 Jagannathism a b Ray 2007 p 151 a b Mukherjee 1981 p 67 a b c Hardy 1987 pp 387 392 a b c d e Mukherjee 1981 pp 155 156 a b c Starza 1993 pp 73 76 a b c Jagannath Mohanty 2009 Encyclopaedia of Education Culture and Children s Literature v 3 Indian culture and education Deep amp Deep Publications p 19 ISBN 978 81 8450 150 6 a b c Das Suryanarayan 2010 Lord Jagannath Sanbun p 89 ISBN 978 93 80213 22 4 a b Mukherjee 1981 a b Eschmann Kulke amp Tripathi 1978 Mukherjee 1981 Eschmann Kulke amp Tripathi 1978 Hardy 1987 pp 387 392 Rajaguru 1992 Guy 1992 pp 213 230 Starza 1993 Ray 1993 Patnaik 1994 Kulke amp Schnepel 2001 Misra 2005 chapter 9 Jagannathism a b c Patnaik 1994 chapter 6 Sanatana Dharma The Great Synthesis Synthetic Character of Jagannath Culture Pp 1 4 Archived 8 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine a b c d Patra 2011 pp 5 16 Starza 1993 p 72 Pradhan Atul Chandra June 2004 Evolution of Jagannath Cult PDF Orissa Review 74 77 Retrieved 21 October 2012 a b Misra 2005 p 97 chapter 9 Jagannathism a b Patnaik Bibhuti 3 July 2011 My friend philosopher and guide The Telegraph Retrieved 1 December 2012 Tripathy B Singh P K June 2012 Jagannath Cult in North east India PDF Orissa Review 24 27 Retrieved 10 March 2013 See Chakravarti 1994 p 140 a b c d e f g h i j Bijoy M Misra 2007 Edwin Francis Bryant ed Krishna A Sourcebook Oxford University Press pp 139 141 ISBN 978 0 19 803400 1 James G Lochtefeld 2002 The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduikm N Z Rosen Publishing p 567 ISBN 978 0 8239 3180 4 Eschmann Kulke amp Tripathi 1978 p 537 Das Basanta Kumar 2009 Lord Jagannath Symbol of National Integration PDF Orissa Review Retrieved 10 December 2012 The term Jagannath etymologically means the Lord of the Universe Mohanty Surendra Lord Jagannatha the microcosm of Indian spiritual culture p 93 Orissa Sahitya Academy 1982 LordJagannath Co in Lord Jagannath Names lordjagannath co in 2010 Retrieved 10 December 2012 Different names of Shree Jagannath The Sampradaya Sun Independent Vaisnava News Feature Stories March 2008 64 Names of Lord Jagannath Around Odisha PURIWAVES puriwaves nirmalya in Retrieved 11 December 2012 Sri Jagannath is being worshipped throughout Orissa over thirty districts in 64 names a b Joshi Dina Krishna June July 2007 Lord Jagannath the tribal deity PDF Orissa Review 80 84 Retrieved 21 October 2012 a b c d Starza 1993 pp 65 67 with footnotes Wendy Doniger Merriam Webster In 1999 Merriam Webster s Encyclopedia of World Religions Merriam Webster p 547 ISBN 978 0 87779 044 0 Santilata Dei 1988 Vaiṣṇavism in Orissa Punthi pp 58 59 ISBN 978 81 85094 14 4 a b Starza 1993 pp 48 52 a b c Chowdhury Janmejay Iconography of Jagannath PDF Srimandir 21 23 Retrieved 27 November 2012 a b Thomas E Donaldson 2002 Tantra and Sakta Art of Orissa DK Printworld pp 779 780 ISBN 978 81 246 0198 3 Pattanaik Shibasundar July 2002 Sudarsan of Lord Jagannath PDF Orissa Review 58 60 Retrieved 27 November 2012 The origin of Patita Pavana PDF Sri Krishna Kathamrita Sri Gopaljiu Retrieved 30 November 2012 Das Madhavananda 8 June 2004 The Story of Gopal Jiu Vaishnav News Archived from the original on 13 September 2010 Retrieved 27 November 2012 Vaishnava Cz Jagannatha Puri Bhakti Vedanta Memorial Library Archived from the original on 14 October 2012 Retrieved 27 November 2012 Peter J Claus Sarah Diamond Margaret Ann Mills 2003 South Asian Folklore An Encyclopedia Taylor amp Francis p 515 ISBN 978 0 415 93919 5 Srinivasa 2011 Hinduism For Dummies John Wiley amp Sons p 96 ISBN 978 1 118 11077 5 a b c Patnaik 2005 pp 111 119 a b Mishra Kabi 3 July 2011 He is the infinite Brahman The Telegraph Kolkata Retrieved 1 December 2012 a b Asiatic Society of Bengal 1825 Asiatic researches or transactions of the Society instituted in Bengal for inquiring into the history and antiquities the arts sciences and literature of Asia p 319 Dash Durgamadhab June 2007 Place of Chakratirtha in the cult of Lord Jagannath PDF Orissa Review Retrieved 27 November 2012 a b Mohanty Tarakanta July 2005 Lord Jagannath in the form of Lord Raghunath and Lord Jadunath PDF Orissa Review 109 110 Retrieved 28 November 2012 Patra 2011 pp 4 18 Asiatic Journal Parbury Allen and Company 1841 pp 233 Wilkins William Joseph 1900 Hindu Mythology Vedic and Puranic London Elibron Classics ISBN 978 81 7120 226 3 Jitamitra Prasada Siṃhadeba 2001 Tantric Art of Orissa Gyan Books p 146 ISBN 978 81 7835 041 7 a b c d Patra 2011 pp 8 10 17 18 Starza 1993 pp 64 James G Lochtefeld 2002 The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism Volume Two The Rosen Publishing Group p 665 ISBN 978 0 8239 3180 4 Index of 16 Purans Markandeya 2009 pp 18 19 Archived from the original on 1 September 2014 Retrieved 17 February 2022 Ralph TH Griffith Rig Veda verse 10 155 3 Wikisource a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location link Quote अद यद द र प लवत स न ध प र अप र षम तद रभस व द र हण त न गच छ परस तरम ३ a b Starza 1993 pp 59 60 with footnotes a b Starza 1993 pp 58 59 with footnotes Ananda Abeysekara 2002 Colors of the Robe Religion Identity and Difference University of South Carolina Press pp 148 149 ISBN 978 1 57003 467 1 a b c d e Starza 1993 pp 54 56 with footnotes Faxian Chinese Buddhist Monk Encyclopaedia Britannica Paul Gwynne 2011 World Religions in Practice A Comparative Introduction John Wiley amp Sons p 5 ISBN 978 1 4443 6005 9 Michael Carrithers Caroline Humphrey 1991 The Assembly of Listeners Jains in Society Cambridge University Press pp 50 51 ISBN 978 0 521 36505 5 Brad Olsen 2004 Sacred Places Around the World 108 Destinations CCC Publishing p 91 ISBN 978 1 888729 10 8 K K Kusuman 1990 A Panorama of Indian Culture Professor A Sreedhara Menon Felicitation Volume Mittal Publications p 162 ISBN 978 81 7099 214 1 a b Patra 2011 pp 6 7 Kar Dr Karunakar Ascharja Charjachaya Orissa Sahitya Akademy 1969 Mansinha Mayadhar History of Oriya Literature Sahitya Akademi 1960 70 72 Das Suryanarayan Jagannath Mandir O Jagannatha Tattwa Friend s Publishers 1966 90 Mitra Nagendranath Puritirtha Gurudas Chattopadhyay 46 Lochtefeld 2002 p 73 128 sfn error no target CITEREFLochtefeld2002 help Holt 2008 p 18 21 sfn error no target CITEREFHolt2008 help Coulter 2013 p 109 sfn error no target CITEREFCoulter2013 help Srinivasan 2011 p 182 sfn error no target CITEREFSrinivasan2011 help Holt Kinnard amp Walters 2012 p 4 95 111 sfn error no target CITEREFHoltKinnardWalters2012 help Jones amp Ryan 2006 p 96 sfn error no target CITEREFJonesRyan2006 help Doniger O Flaherty 1988 p 188 sfn error no target CITEREFDoniger O Flaherty1988 help Holt 2004 p 12 15 sfn error no target CITEREFHolt2004 help Leyden 1982 p 22 sfn error no target CITEREFLeyden1982 help Abhimanyu Dash Lord Buddha in the Cult of Lord Jagannath Magazine of Govt of Odisha Jun 2014 85 89 Mohanty Jagannath 2009 Indian Culture and Education Deep amp Deep p 5 ISBN 978 81 8450 150 6 Barik P M July 2005 Jainism and Buddhism in Jagannath culture PDF Orissa Review 36 Retrieved 29 November 2012 Das Aniruddha Jagannath and Nepal pp 9 10 a b c Starza 1993 pp 62 63 with footnotes a b c Starza 1993 pp 63 64 with footnotes Elwin Verrier 1955 The Religion of an Indian Tribe Oxford University Press Reprint p 597 a b c d Starza 1993 pp 67 70 with footnotes Gavin D Flood 1996 An Introduction to Hinduism Cambridge University Press p 111 ISBN 978 0 521 43878 0 Mohanty P C June 2012 Jagannath temples of Ganjam PDF Odisha Review 113 118 Retrieved 29 November 2012 Mukherjee 1981 pp 1 2 History od deities Jagannath temple Puri administration Archived from the original on 2 April 2013 Retrieved 2 December 2012 a b c d Bryant Edwin F 2007 Krishna A Sourcebook Oxford University Press p 142 ISBN 978 0195148916 History of deities Jagannath temple Puri administration Archived from the original on 2 April 2013 Retrieved 2 December 2012 Behera Prajna Paramita June 2004 The Pillars of Homage to Lord Jagannatha PDF Orissa Review 65 Retrieved 2 December 2012 Starza 1993 pp 70 97 105 a b c Behuria Rabindra Kumar June 2012 The Cult of Jagannath PDF Orissa Review pp 42 43 Retrieved 28 April 2013 Shiva Purana Shiva Shahasranama harekrsna de Retrieved 27 March 2019 Patra 2011 pp 17 18 Siṃhadeba Jitamitra Prasada 2001 Tantric Art of Orissa Evolution of tantra in Orissa Kalpaz Publications p 145 ISBN 978 81 7835 041 7 a b c d Tripathy Manorama June 2012 A Reassessment of the origin of the Jagannath cult of Puri PDF Orissa Review 30 Retrieved 4 December 2012 a b Starza 1993 p 76 Salabega 1998 pp 13 14 Dalal 2010 p 341 Dalal 2010 p 347 Dalal 2010 pp 373 374 Dalal 2010 p 388 a b Deshpande Aruna 2005 India A Divine Destination Crest Publishing House p 203 ISBN 978 81 242 0556 3 Nanda Prabhat Kumar June July 2007 Shree Jagannath and Shree Ram Orissa Review pp 110 111 ISBN 9789380213224 Retrieved 28 November 2012 a b Das Suryanarayan 2010 Lord Jagannath Sanbun p 13 ISBN 978 93 80213 22 4 Das Suryanarayan 2010 Lord Jagannath Sanbun p 26 ISBN 978 93 80213 22 4 Das Suryanarayan 2010 Lord Jagannath Sanbun pp 163 165 ISBN 978 93 80213 22 4 Purushottam Dev and Padmavati Amar Chitra Katha Archived from the original on 4 May 2012 Retrieved 17 February 2022 Mohanty 1980 p 7 sfn error no target CITEREFMohanty1980 help Das 1982 p 120 Guruji s Compositions Dance and Drama of Kelucharan Mohapatra Srjan Archived from the original on 29 October 2012 Retrieved 30 November 2012 Mukherjee Sujit 1999 Dictionary of Indian Literature One Beginnings 1850 Orient Longman p 163 ISBN 978 81 250 1453 9 Datta Amaresh 1988 Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature devraj to jyoti Sahitya Akademi p 1091 ISBN 978 81 260 1194 0 Das 1982 p 120 121 a b Panigrahi K C 1995 History of Orissa Kitab Mahal p 320 a b Kusuman K K 1990 A Panorama of Indian Culture Professor A Sreedhara Menon Felicitation Volume Mittal Publications p 166 ISBN 9788170992141 Ray 2007 p 149 Sahoo K C 1988 Gitagovinda Influence Oriya In Amaresh Datta ed Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature Devraj to Jyoti Vol 2 New Delhi Sahitya Akademi pp 1419 1421 ISBN 81 260 1194 7 Jayanti Rath Jagannath The Epitome of Supreme Lord Vishnu PDF Mukherjee 1981 pp 66 67 Rajaguru 1992 vol 2 part 2 18 The Cult of Gopal Krsna or gopinatha Hindu Encounter with Modernity by Shukavak N Dasa Archived 11 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine All of the above mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord but Lord Shri Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead Bhagavat Purana 1 3 28 a b Kulke Herman 2004 A History of India 4th edition Routledge p 150 ISBN 978 0 415 32920 0 Bryant Edwin Francis 2004 The Hare Krishna Movement The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant Columbia University Press pp 68 71 ISBN 9780231508438 a b Melton Gordon 2007 The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena Jagannath Visible Ink Press ISBN 9781578592593 Waghorne J P 2004 Diaspora of the Gods Modern Hindu Temples in an Urban Middle Class World Oxford University Press p 32 ISBN 9780198035572 Bromley David 1989 Krishna Consciousness in West Bucknell University Press p 161 ISBN 9780838751442 Tripathy Shrinibas September 2009 Goddess Bimala at Puri PDF Orissa Review 66 69 Retrieved 23 November 2012 THE TEMPLE OF JAGANNATHA PDF Official site of Jagannath temple Shree Jagannath Temple Administration Puri Archived from the original PDF on 30 May 2013 Retrieved 25 November 2012 Starza 1993 p 20 Mahapatra Ratnakar September October 2005 Vimala Temple at the Jagannath Temple Complex Puri PDF Orissa Review 9 14 Retrieved 23 November 2012 Simhadeba J P 2001 Tantric Art of Orissa Gyan Books p 133 ISBN 9788178350417 Satish Chandra 2004 Medieval India From Sultanat to the Mughals Delhi Sultanat 1206 1526 Mushilal Manoharlal pp 216 217 ISBN 978 81 241 1064 5 a b c d Starza 1993 pp 146 147 a b Nancy Gardner Cassels 1988 Religion and Pilgrim Tax Under the Company Raj Riverdale pp 17 22 ISBN 978 0 913215 26 5 Isabel Burton 2012 Arabia Egypt India A Narrative of Travel Cambridge University Press p 168 ISBN 978 1 108 04642 8 a b http www orissa gov in e magazine orissareview 2012 Feb March engpdf 1 6 pdf bare URL PDF a b Home 13 November 2013 http www sikh heritage co uk Scriptures Guru 20Granth Guru 20Granth htm dead link K K Kusuman 1990 A Panorama of Indian Culture Professor A Sreedhara Menon Felicitation Volume Mittal Publications p 167 ISBN 9788170992141 ग र न नक द व और उनक द व र प रवर त त म र ग www livehindusthan com in Hindi S S Johar University of Wisconsin Madison Center for South Asian Studies 1975 Guru Tegh Bahadur Abhinav Publications p 149 ISBN 9788170170303 The Real Ranjit Singh by Fakir Syed Waheeduddin published by Punjabi University ISBN 81 7380 778 7 1 Jan 2001 2nd ed a b c d e f Michael J Altman 2017 Heathen Hindoo Hindu American Representations of India 1721 1893 Oxford University Press pp 30 33 ISBN 978 0 19 065492 4 a b Gribbin William 1973 The juggernaut metaphor in American rhetoric Quarterly Journal of Speech 59 3 297 303 doi 10 1080 00335637309383178 Kulke amp Schnepel 2001 pp 159 160 Landon Letitia Elizabeth 1839 poetical illustration Fisher s Drawing Room Scrap Book 1840 Fisher Son amp Co Landon Letitia Elizabeth 1839 picture Fisher s Drawing Room Scrap Book 1840 Fisher Son amp Co Buchanan Claudius 1811 Researches in Asia with Notices of the Translation of the Scriptures into the Oriental Languages S Behera 2007 Essentialising the Jagannath cult a discourse on self and other Journal of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics Volume 30 Number 1 2 pages 51 53 Nancy Gardner Cassels 1972 The Compact and the Pilgrim Tax The Genesis of East India Company Social Policy Canadian Journal of History Volume 7 Number 1 pages 45 48 Rautray Samanwaya SC urges Jagannath temple to allow entry of non Hindus The Economic Times Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine Dear Non Hindus you wished to know why you aren t allowed in Jagannath Temple Here s the Answer YouTube http magazines odisha gov in Orissareview 2012 June engpdf 110 115 pdf bare URL PDF a b c Patra 2011 pp 5 9 a b c d e Goldie Osuri 2013 Religious Freedom in India Sovereignty and anti Conversion Routledge pp 55 56 ISBN 978 0 415 66557 5 Ingham Kenneth 1952 The English Evangelicals and the Pilgrim Tax in India 1800 1862 The Journal of Ecclesiastical History 3 2 191 200 doi 10 1017 s0022046900028426 S2CID 163518878 Claudius Buchanan 1812 Christian Researches in Asia Ninth edition T Cadell amp W Davies pp 20 21 James Peggs 1830 Pilgrim Tax in India The Great Temple in Orissa Second edition London Seely Fleet Street Nancy Gardner Cassels Sri Prabhat Mukherjee 2000 Pilgrim Tax and Temple Scandals A Critical Study of the Important Jagannath Temple Records During British Rule Orchid pp 96 108 ISBN 978 974 8304 72 4 N Chatterjee 2011 The Making of Indian Secularism Empire Law and Christianity 1830 1960 Palgrave Macmillan pp 58 67 ISBN 978 0 230 29808 8 Goldie Osuri 2013 Religious Freedom in India Sovereignty and anti Conversion Routledge pp 56 57 ISBN 978 0 415 66557 5 Festivals of Lord Sri Jagannath nilachakra org 2010 Archived from the original on 22 October 2012 Retrieved 3 July 2012 By large 13 festivals are celebrated at Lord Jagannath Temple Damanaka Chaturdasi Jagannath Temple jagannathtemplepuri com Retrieved 21 December 2012 This falls in the month of Chaitra On this day the deities pay a visit to the garden of the celebrated Jagannath Vallabha Matha where they pick up the tender leaves of the Dayanaa unnoticed by anybody Starza 1993 p 16 Das 1982 p 40 Juggernaut definition and meaning Merriam Webster Dictionary Retrieved 28 November 2012 Karan Jajati 4 July 2008 Lord Jagannath yatra to begin soon IBN Live Archived from the original on 29 June 2013 Retrieved 28 November 2012 Starza 1993 p 133 Mitter 1977 p 10 Starza 1993 p 129 Das 1982 p 48 Architecture of Jagannath temple Jagannath temple Puri Archived from the original on 20 November 2012 Retrieved 28 November 2012 Jagannath Temple India 7 wonders 7wonders org 2012 Retrieved 3 July 2012 The temple is divided into four chambers Bhogmandir Natamandir Jagamohana and Deul Bibliography Edit Dalal Roshen 2010 Hinduism An Alphabetical Guide New Delhi Penguin Books India ISBN 978 0 14 341421 6 Das Bikram Domain of Jagannath A Historical Study BR Publishing Corporation Das J P 1982 Puri Paintings the Chitrakara and his Work New Delhi Arnold Heinemann Das M N ed 1977 Sidelights on History and Culture of Orissa Cuttack Das Suryanarayan 2010 Jagannath Through the Ages Sanbun Publishers New Delhi Eschmann Anncharlott Kulke Hermann Tripathi Gaya Charan eds 1978 Rev ed 2014 The Cult of Jagannath and the regional tradition of Orissa South Asian Studies 8 New Delhi Manohar ISBN 9788173046179 Guy John 1992 New evidence for the Jagannatha sect in seventeenth century Nepal Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 3rd Ser 2 2 213 230 doi 10 1017 S135618630000239X S2CID 162316166 Hardy Friedhelm E 1987 Kṛṣṇaism In Mircea Eliade ed The Encyclopedia of Religion Vol 8 New York MacMillan pp 387 392 ISBN 978 0 02897 135 3 via Encyclopedia com Hunter W W Orissa The Vicissitudes of an Indian Province under Native and British Rule Vol I Chapter III 1872 Kulke Hermann Schnepel Burkhard eds 2001 Jagannath Revisited Studying Society Religion and the State in Orissa Studies in Orissan society culture and history 1 New Delhi Manohar ISBN 978 81 7304 386 4 Kulke Hermann in The Anthropology of Values Berger Peter ed Yayati Kesari revisted Dorling Kindrsley Pvt Ltd 2010 Mahapatra G N Jagannath in History and Religious Tradition Calcutta 1982 Mahapatra K N Antiquity of Jagannath Puri as a place of pilgrimage OHRJ Vol III No 1 April 1954 p 17 Mahapatra R P Jaina Monuments of Orissa New Delhi 1984 Mishra K C The Cult of Jagannath Firma K L Mukhopadhyaya Calcutta 1971 Mishra K C The Cult of Jagannath Calcutta 1971 Misra Narayan 2005 Durga Nandan Mishra ed Annals and Antiquities of the Temple of Jagannatha New Delhi Sarup amp Sons ISBN 81 7625 747 8 Mitter P 1977 Much Maligned Monsters A History of European Reactions to Indian Art University of Chicago Press ISBN 9780226532394 Mohanty A B Ed Madala Panji Utkal University reprinted Bhubaneswar 2001 Mohanty B C and Buhler Alfred Patachitras of Orissa Study of Contemporary Textile Crafts of India Ahmedabad India Calico Museum of Textiles 1980 Mohapatra Bishnu N Ways of Belonging The Kanchi Kaveri Legend and the Construction of Oriya Identity Studies in History 12 2 n s pp 204 221 Sage Publications New Delhi 1996 Mukherjee Prabhat 1981 1940 The History of Medieval Vaishnavism in Orissa New Delhi Asian Educational Services ISBN 8120602293 Nayak Ashutosh 1999 Sri Jagannath Parbaparbani Sebapuja Oriya Cuttack Padhi B M Daru Devata Oriya Cuttack 1964 Panda L K Saivism in Orissa New Delhi 1985 Patnaik Himanshu S 1994 Jagannath His Temple Cult and Festivals New Delhi Aryan Books International ISBN 81 7305 051 1 Patnaik N 2006 Sacred Geography of Puri Structure and Organisation and Cultural Role of a Pilgrim Centre ISBN 81 7835 477 2 Patnaik Tandra 2005 Sunya Puruṣa Bauddha Vaiṣṇavism of Orissa DK Printworld ISBN 978 81 246 0345 1 Patra Avinash 2011 Maria Joseph Vishnupriya Dasi ed Origin amp Antiquity of the Cult of Lord Jagannath Oxford Oxford University weekly Journal Archived from the original on 23 June 2011 Rajaguru S N 1992 Inscriptions of Jagannath Temple and Origin of Sri Purusottam Jagannath Vol 1 2 Puri Shri Jagannath Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya Ray B C Aioswarjya Kumar Das ed 2010 Tribals of Orissa The changing Socio Economic Profile Centre for Advanced Studies in History and Culture Bhubaneswar Ray Bidyut Lata 1993 Studies in Jagannatha Cult New Delhi Classical Publishing Company Ray Dipti 2007 Prataparudradeva the Last Great Suryavamsi King of Orissa A D 1497 to A D 1540 Northern Book Centre ISBN 9788172111953 Sahu N K Buddhism in Orissa Utkal University 1958 Salabega 1998 White Whispers Selected Poems of Salabega Sahitya Akademi ISBN 978 81 260 0483 6 Siṃhadeba Jitamitra Prasada Tantric art of Orissa Singh N K Encyclopaedia of Hinduism Volume 1 Sircar D C 1965 Indian Epigraphy New Delhi Motilal Banarsidass Starza O M 1993 The Jagannatha Temple at Puri Its Architecture Art and Cult Studies in South Asian culture 15 Leiden New York Koln Brill ISBN 90 04 09673 6 Starza Majewski Olgierd M L The Jagannatha temple at Puri and its Deities Amsterdam 1983 Upadhyay Arun Kumar Vedic View of Jagannath Series of Centre of Excellence in Traditional Shastras 10 Rashtriya Sanskrita Vidyapeetha Tirupati 517507 AP 2006 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jagannath Wikisource has the text of the 1920 Encyclopedia Americana article Jagannath Puruṣottama kṣetra mahatmya Skanda Purana Shri Jaganath Official website Archived 19 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine Shri Jaganath Temple at Puri Shri Jagannath Dham Puri Detailed description of Ratha Yatra festival of Jagannath Ratha Yatra 136th Jagannath Temple Ratha Yatra in Ahmedabad Gujarat Street View around Jagannath Temple Mahaprabhu Sri Jagannatha The Lord of Universe Paperback Edition Portals Hinduism India Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jagannath amp oldid 1128283574, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.