lord jagannath,puri,orissa

[Guest guest]

The Jagannathdesh Utkal Pradesh, the modern-day Orissa represents a

miniature India that is a composite mosaic of various cultures. The

presiding deity of this religious state of India is Lord Jagannath or

the Lord of the Universe. Jagannath Puri has played a vital role in

encouraging the socio-cultural integration of this vast country. It

has embodied and given full expression to the Indian concept of

dharma, which aims at continuance of social solidarity and social

well-being. The cult of Lord Jagannath has allowed the followers of

all religions to flourish in India. Various scholars have emphasised

on the presence of a humanistic approach in the philosophy of Lord

Jagannath.

 

Religion, according to Jagannath dharma, signifies human welfare and

cultural union of the entire mankind. The ancient Hindus had made it

mandatory for every Indian to undertake a religious journey, as a

matter of duty, at least once in his life-time to the four religious

dhaams (shrines) in the four remotest corners of the country—Amarnath

in the north, Dwarka in the west, Rameshwaram in the south and

Jagannath Puri in the east.

 

With this, people from different regions of India come to understand

and appreciate the various lifestyles and cultural values existing in

each region. This ensures the integration of the entire Indian

society into one living and dynamic cultural pattern. It was with the

institution of Jagannath at Puri that the concept of Hinduism as a

pioneer all-embracing religion was given birth. The unique and

unparalleled Jagannath cult assimilates the untouchables, the tribes,

the followers of Islam into its broad-based concept of dharma.

 

In the idols of Lord Jagannath, of his elder brother Balabhadra and

of his sister Subhadra, people can see the symbols of world unity and

world peace—the black colour of Jagannath represents the black

people, white colour of Balabhadra stands for the White race while

the yellow colour of Subhadra signifies the Mongolians.

 

Lord Jagannath is popularly called the `god of the common masses'. In

his large, hospitable and one of the biggest kitchens in the world,

food is cooked for the pilgrims by laying stress on the importance of

swadeshi culture—use of imported food items, such as sugar and

potatoes, are considered a taboo here. The food offered daily to Lord

Jagannath is cooked by steaming so that the valuable nutrients are

retained which otherwise get lost through boiling or frying. His food

is made out of rice-bran and pot-herbs which constitute the staple

diet of the poor in Orissa.

 

Legends are many to prove the absence of the caste system in the

Jagannath shrine. It is through distribution of the mahaprasad, that

maitri or friendship is established among all the castes. Even a

conservative Hindu of a high caste has no objection to sharing with a

person of lower caste the mahaprasad from the same plate.

 

Jagannath dharma means universal religion. The Buddhists tried to

superimpose their thought process over the symbols used for

representing Lord Jagannath. Even Jain thinkers attempted to prove

the legitimacy of their ideals drawn from the clues from Jagannath.

The Shaivites, the Shaktas and the Ganapatayas have also accepted the

Jagannath cult as it suited their way of life.

 

No one is accorded special privilege in the cult of Lord Jagannath.

There is no distinction between a panda (priest) and the daita

(servant of God). The ruler and the ruling class are all equal in the

cult. Jagannath is the most democratic god of all and also the most

humane. He lives like a man with his brother and sister and takes the

common man's food. The main objectives of humanism are deeply

implanted in Jagannath culture—a culture which is considered the

essence of human civilisation by his believers and followers.

 

It was with the institution of Jagannath at Puri that the concept of

Hinduism as a pioneer all-embracing religion was given birth.

 

It is through distribution of the mahaprasad, that maitri or

friendship is established among all the castes. Even a conservative

Hindu of a high caste has no objections to sharing with a person of

lower caste the mahaprasad from the same plate.

 

 

The Jagannathdesh Utkal Pradesh, the modern-day Orissa represents a

miniature India that is a composite mosaic of various cultures. The

presiding deity of this religious state of India is Lord Jagannath or

the Lord of the Universe. Jagannath Puri has played a vital role in

encouraging the socio-cultural integration of this vast country. It

has embodied and given full expression to the Indian concept of

dharma, which aims at continuance of social solidarity and social

well-being. The cult of Lord Jagannath has allowed the followers of

all religions to flourish in India. Various scholars have emphasised

on the presence of a humanistic approach in the philosophy of Lord

Jagannath.

 

Religion, according to Jagannath dharma, signifies human welfare and

cultural union of the entire mankind. The ancient Hindus had made it

mandatory for every Indian to undertake a religious journey, as a

matter of duty, at least once in his life-time to the four religious

dhaams (shrines) in the four remotest corners of the country—Amarnath

in the north, Dwarka in the west, Rameshwaram in the south and

Jagannath Puri in the east.

 

With this, people from different regions of India come to understand

and appreciate the various lifestyles and cultural values existing in

each region. This ensures the integration of the entire Indian

society into one living and dynamic cultural pattern. It was with the

institution of Jagannath at Puri that the concept of Hinduism as a

pioneer all-embracing religion was given birth. The unique and

unparalleled Jagannath cult assimilates the untouchables, the tribes,

the followers of Islam into its broad-based concept of dharma.

 

In the idols of Lord Jagannath, of his elder brother Balabhadra and

of his sister Subhadra, people can see the symbols of world unity and

world peace—the black colour of Jagannath represents the black

people, white colour of Balabhadra stands for the White race while

the yellow colour of Subhadra signifies the Mongolians.

 

Lord Jagannath is popularly called the `god of the common masses'. In

his large, hospitable and one of the biggest kitchens in the world,

food is cooked for the pilgrims by laying stress on the importance of

swadeshi culture—use of imported food items, such as sugar and

potatoes, are considered a taboo here. The food offered daily to Lord

Jagannath is cooked by steaming so that the valuable nutrients are

retained which otherwise get lost through boiling or frying. His food

is made out of rice-bran and pot-herbs which constitute the staple

diet of the poor in Orissa.

 

Legends are many to prove the absence of the caste system in the

Jagannath shrine. It is through distribution of the mahaprasad, that

maitri or friendship is established among all the castes. Even a

conservative Hindu of a high caste has no objection to sharing with a

person of lower caste the mahaprasad from the same plate.

 

Jagannath dharma means universal religion. The Buddhists tried to

superimpose their thought process over the symbols used for

representing Lord Jagannath. Even Jain thinkers attempted to prove

the legitimacy of their ideals drawn from the clues from Jagannath.

The Shaivites, the Shaktas and the Ganapatayas have also accepted the

Jagannath cult as it suited their way of life.

 

No one is accorded special privilege in the cult of Lord Jagannath.

There is no distinction between a panda (priest) and the daita

(servant of God). The ruler and the ruling class are all equal in the

cult. Jagannath is the most democratic god of all and also the most

humane. He lives like a man with his brother and sister and takes the

common man's food. The main objectives of humanism are deeply

implanted in Jagannath culture—a culture which is considered the

essence of human civilisation by his believers and followers.

 

It was with the institution of Jagannath at Puri that the concept of

Hinduism as a pioneer all-embracing religion was given birth.

 

It is through distribution of the mahaprasad, that maitri or

friendship is established among all the castes. Even a conservative

Hindu of a high caste has no objections to sharing with a person of

lower caste the mahaprasad from the same plate.

[Guest guest]

Shakti resides as Bimala and Kamala resides as Lakshmi in the same

temple compound of Lord Jagannath. Saints like Nanak and Chaitanya

specially went to meet the Lord there. The famous song "Gagan Thaal

Mein" was composed by Guru Nanak after observing the Aarti to the

Lord. He said the sky with the stars and the moon are His Aarti and

why are you waving small lamps before the Lord.

 

Chaitanya spent the latter part of his Sannyas years at Puri and

even they say he left his body there. The Pancha Sakhas during the

time of Chaitanya had already started the Bhakti Renaissance which

was so infused with Gnana that at every temple songs were sung which

explained about the body ie Pinda and the Universe ie Brahmanda.

 

Devi worship and Shiva's temples are all over Orissa. Every village

had a Gramya Devi presiding over that village. Sarala Das wrote the

Oriya Mahabharata after getting the blessings of Mother Sarala.

Upendra Bhanja also got the blessings of Vakdevi and became a great

poet and a whole town was named after him as Bhanja Nagar where

Sharada is worshipped. If i get a chance I will upload her picture.

 

As a seat of Tantra, Orissa is well known. My city was named after

Cuttack Chandi. Mother is worshipped as Mangala Tara Tarini Vimala

Chandi Biraja Sarala Durga Kali etc. It is said, "In Bhubaneswar, the

8th-century Vaital temple has a reputation of being a powerful

tantric center. Inside the temple stands the mighty Chamunda (Kali),

wearing a necklace of skulls with a corpse at her feet. Tantrics find

the dimly lit interior of the temple an ideal place for absorbing age-

old currents of power that emanate from this spot.".