Who Is Jagannath? Why Is He So Special?

The famous Puri Jagannatha

Who is this god who is so beloved by the people of Odisha; with large, bright eyes and ever open arms? Who has become famous all around the world? In this post I will try to explain just that and how he has truly gone abroad.

Jagannatha is unique among gods, he lives a full life in Puri. He and his siblings Subhadra and Baladev are born during the Nabakalebara, keep court and visit with devotees and eventually even get sick and die, only to be reborn again. Jagannatha is special for being so attainable and relatable to every day people. After all, if we see god himself go through trials and tribulations, we gain strength to do the same in our own lives.

In India there are many Jagannatha temples but out of all of them the temple in Puri is undoubtedly the first to hold the ever smiling face. Since times long since past he has been the pride and joy of the Odiya peoples as well as their courage at certain points in history.

Jagannatha in Sanskrit literally means the lord of the universe (Jagan= Universe, Nath= Master or lord). There is a legend (that I will not cover in it's entirety here) that a king wanting to serve the lord after not being able to see the famous Nila Madhava deity of Krishna (a deity lost but supposedly made of solid sapphire) had Vishvakarma, the celestial architect agree to make deities of Krishna, his brother Balarama, and their sister Subhadra  as well as the Sudarshan chakra from a Neem tree or Daru that had floated onto the beach in Puri. Vishvakarma asks that the temple doors are left shut for 21 days and he is not bothered while he crafts the wooden deities. The King becomes curious and intrudes on Vishvakarma after just 18 days. Who becomes upset at the disturbance and leaves the deities half finished. The King and Lord Bramha, with no other alternative, then consecrate them to be worshiped.

During the Mughal period, mostly between the 15th and 18th centuries, attacks on the temple in Puri forced the deities of the temple to be taken and hidden away a minimum of ten times and at least 18 times.

There are some legends that inside the deity of Jagannatha is a treasure from days past. Some say it is the preserved heart of Lord Krishna from his time on earth, some say a shalagram but no one is certain. The deities, being wooden, are replaced ever 12-19 years during the Nabakalebara rituals. During this time by law in Puri the entire city is put into blackness while the head priest of the Puri temple, who's eyes are covered and hands wrapped in clothe remove the "soul of Jagannatha" and places it inside the new deity. The last Nabakalebara in 2015 caused quite an uproar with corrupt officials and dayapati's not doing their jobs, rituals that have been done on time for hundreds of years being held up due to confusion and people clambering trying to see things no one is meant to intrude on. Thankfully the deities were not harmed in the process... but I fear we may have a price to pay for doing anything in the temple with corruption involved.

The Ratha Yatra (Literally Pilgramage of the Carts) is the most famous festival of Puri and has now began to be celebrated all over the world. Two months in advance craftsman build from scratch the beautiful 4 story Ratha's that will carry the holy trinity. I will do a post separately about only the Ratha Yatra and it's specific rituals.

The most famous festival of Jagannatha is the Ratha Yatra (Literally Pilgramage of Carts).