Questions on Jagganath Puri

[Guest guest]

JAi shri Krishna

Im writing a summary of the main Vishnu Kshetras in India and i have a few quieries regarding Jagganth puri so if anyone can help me that would be great!!!

 

1) why is holy dhama often called Purushotama Kshetra and Shankha KShetra??

2) How often are the Dieties changed??

3) what is the significance of the Mahaprasad in this dhama???

 

thanks!!

[Guest guest]

1)because Purushottama, the Supreme Living Being, the Supreme Enjoyer, is Krsna, Jagannatha..

2)i don't know

3)the same significance of getting Krsna prasadam in every krsna temple all over the world, adding the fact that being Jagannath Puri a holy dham like Mayapur and Vrindavan, all his citizens are citizens of Goloka.. so their offerings to Krsna are 100% surely pure..

 

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

You can hear some nice lectures on navakalevara (the change of Lord Jagannatha's body) here:

 

http://www.atmatattva.com/jagannatha.htm

 

This occurs once in twelve years.

 

Besides this, every day the deity is repainted, and just prior to the Ratha Yatra festival the deity is completely opened and redone. The deities are made by wrapping silk thread around the wooden logs thousands of times till the silk is around 1 foot thick. Then this silk thread is covered with a medicinal paste made from chandana wood and other herbs. Aftwerwards the deity is rubbed with a special stone that makes the outer covering smooth, and then is painted with natural paints. These paints are made from sea shells and other natural ingredients. Thus when I say the deity is reopened, it means all the layers of silk thread are opened and redone.

 

There is a lot more involved, but these are just some of the things from the top of my head.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for that description of the Jagannatha deities.