Lord of the Universe, Puri Jagannatha
The Jagannath temple at Puri is one of the four main holy Hindu pilgrimage sites (char dham). Adi Sankara established a Vedanta math here. The wooden deities in the Jagannath temple are all-weather sculpturesthey remain unspoiled as they are made from margosa or neem wood. According to legend, Biswabasu, a tribal devotee, worshipped Jagannatha in the form of Nilamadhava. Another legend says that Lord Vishnu was the carpenter of these wooden images. An impatient Gundica, the queen of Indradyumna opened the doors of the carpenter's workshop after 14 days whereas they were to remain closed for three weeks. Disturbed, the divine carpenter vanished, leaving his work unfinished. This is the explanation given for the unusually stocky depiction of Krishna. Subhadra and Balabhadra- the three divine siblings. The earliest reference to Lord Jagannatha is found in the puranas and other ancient literature. Since the images look unfinished, there was uncertainty as to whether they would evoke feelings of devotion among the people. Myth has it that that is why Krishna's idol here was designated Jagat-natha, Lord of the Universe. Jagannatha is a magical word and evokes shraddha immediately. The deity Puri Jagannatha was characterised as the Buddha incarnation and also the Narasimha incarnation, but is widely accepted as Krishna. Oriya poet Kavindra Upendra Bhanja Deva said that since God is formless, Puri Jagannatha represents the nirguna (formless) rood of God. Jagannatha also reflects the varied perceptions of devotees. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu worshipped Jagannatha and was guided by Him to go to Vrindavan. Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa regarded the Jagannatha aspect as Vishnu's paraт dhama. When asked by his devotees to visit Jagannatha he would say that if he were to go there it would be impossible for him to come back. Poet Jayadeva's Gita Govinda, referring to the love of Krishna for Radha and the gopis would be recited before the Puri deities every night. It is said that a gardener's daughter went around plucking flowers while singing the Gita Govinda. Jagannatha followed her closely and His clothes got torn in the thorn bushes. The next morning the temple sevaks noticed that the clothes of the deity were torn. When the mystery was revealed, King Prataparudradeva prohibited the recitation of Gita Govinda outside the temple! The car festival is held every year on Ashada Shukla Dwitiya. It is known as the rath yatra, Gundicha yatra or garden yatra. The three wooden deities are taken out of the temple and placed in their respective chariots, then taken in procession to the Gum dicha ghar tem ple for a seven day sojourn. Gundicha ghar is believed to be home of Lord Jagannath's aunt. The deities are taken out from the Ratnasimghasan to the accompaniment of the strains of the ghanta, Kahali and Telingi Baja. During these seven days the deities are dressed in Dasaavatara Besa (ten incarnations form). On the ninth day the deities start their return journey on Ashadha Shukla Dashami. In the Jagannath Puri festival the king works as a sweeper, cleaning the pathway ahead of the chariot, denoting that no labour is insignificant if done for a higher cause. People from all communities get together to draw the chariots with great enthusiasm, upholding the spirit of celebration and exalting the concept of dignity of labour.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Seema Burman kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Seema Burman Speaking Tree,Times of India
Lord of the Universe, Puri Jagannatha
The Jagannath temple at Puri is one of the four main holy Hindu pilgrimage sites (char dham). Adi Sankara established a Vedanta math here. The wooden deities in the Jagannath temple are all-weather sculpturesthey remain unspoiled as they are made from margosa or neem wood. According to legend, Biswabasu, a tribal devotee, worshipped Jagannatha in the form of Nilamadhava. Another legend says that Lord Vishnu was the carpenter of these wooden images. An impatient Gundica, the queen of Indradyumna opened the doors of the carpenter's workshop after 14 days whereas they were to remain closed for three weeks. Disturbed, the divine carpenter vanished, leaving his work unfinished. This is the explanation given for the unusually stocky depiction of Krishna. Subhadra and Balabhadra- the three divine siblings. The earliest reference to Lord Jagannatha is found in the puranas and other ancient literature. Since the images look unfinished, there was uncertainty as to whether they would evoke feelings of devotion among the people. Myth has it that that is why Krishna's idol here was designated Jagat-natha, Lord of the Universe. Jagannatha is a magical word and evokes shraddha immediately. The deity Puri Jagannatha was characterised as the Buddha incarnation and also the Narasimha incarnation, but is widely accepted as Krishna. Oriya poet Kavindra Upendra Bhanja Deva said that since God is formless, Puri Jagannatha represents the nirguna (formless) rood of God. Jagannatha also reflects the varied perceptions of devotees. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu worshipped Jagannatha and was guided by Him to go to Vrindavan. Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa regarded the Jagannatha aspect as Vishnu's paraт dhama. When asked by his devotees to visit Jagannatha he would say that if he were to go there it would be impossible for him to come back. Poet Jayadeva's Gita Govinda, referring to the love of Krishna for Radha and the gopis would be recited before the Puri deities every night. It is said that a gardener's daughter went around plucking flowers while singing the Gita Govinda. Jagannatha followed her closely and His clothes got torn in the thorn bushes. The next morning the temple sevaks noticed that the clothes of the deity were torn. When the mystery was revealed, King Prataparudradeva prohibited the recitation of Gita Govinda outside the temple! The car festival is held every year on Ashada Shukla Dwitiya. It is known as the rath yatra, Gundicha yatra or garden yatra. The three wooden deities are taken out of the temple and placed in their respective chariots, then taken in procession to the Gum dicha ghar tem ple for a seven day sojourn. Gundicha ghar is believed to be home of Lord Jagannath's aunt. The deities are taken out from the Ratnasimghasan to the accompaniment of the strains of the ghanta, Kahali and Telingi Baja. During these seven days the deities are dressed in Dasaavatara Besa (ten incarnations form). On the ninth day the deities start their return journey on Ashadha Shukla Dashami. In the Jagannath Puri festival the king works as a sweeper, cleaning the pathway ahead of the chariot, denoting that no labour is insignificant if done for a higher cause. People from all communities get together to draw the chariots with great enthusiasm, upholding the spirit of celebration and exalting the concept of dignity of labour.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Seema Burman kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Seema Burman Speaking Tree,Times of India