Lord Jagannath: Spiritual Essence and Rhythms of Devotion

By Swetalina Senapati

Lord Jagannath: Spiritual Essence and Rhythms of Devotion

Caption Of Artwork: Reason Behind Rath Yatra -It serves as a powerful symbol of Odisha's rich cultural heritage and the deep faith of millions. It is believed that the queen Gundicha requested the king to organize this festival, so that the sinners and the poor untouchables, who were not ordinarily allowed to enter the temple, might have Darshan of Lord Jagannath in His Ratha and thus attain salvation. Gundicha Yatra has been aptly named after queen Gundicha. Ratha Katha Anukula ‘Ratha Katha Anukula’ marks the beginning of the process of rath yatra when the initiation ceremony for chariot construction for Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra in Odisha’s Puri, on the occasion of Saraswati Puja or Sri Panchami begins. Akshaya Tritiya The construction of the chariots starts on Akshaya Trutiya, the third day of the bright fortnight of Vaisakha, with ritual fire worship. Several traditional carpenters together construct three giant chariots, Nandighosh of Lord Jagannath measuring 13.9 metres high with 16 wheels, Taladhwaj of Lord Balabhadra measuring 13.5 metres with 14 wheels, and Darpadalan of Devi Subhadra measuring 12.9 metres with 12 wheels. Chandan Yatra (Chapa Khela) The Chandan Yatra which is also known as Gandhalepana Yatra of deities of Sri Jagannath temple is performed for 42 days at the pilgrim town of Puri. The Yatra is observed in two parts: Bahara Chandana and Bhitara Chandana. Bahara Chandana starts from Akshaya Tritiya and continues for 21 days. On the first 21 days the representative idols of the main deities of the Jagannath temple as well as five Shivalingas known as the Pancha Pandavas are taken in a procession from the Singhadwara or the Lion Gate of the Jagannath temple at Puri to the Narendra Tirtha. After various rituals the deities are placed on grandly decorated boats for an evening cruise of the tank. The last 21 days include rituals held inside the temple itself. Instead of the daily cruises, the playful ride happens on four occasions, the Amavasya, the full moon night, on the Shasthi and the Ekadashi of the bright fort night. The deities go out of the temple to enjoy boating in the Narendra tank for 21 days. Deva Snana Purnima and Netrotsava or Naba Yauvanotsava. Snana Purnima is the ceremonial bathing of the deities Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra. This event is held on the full moon day of the Jyestha month. On Snana Purnima, the deities are brought out from the sanctum sanctorum to the Snana Mandap, an elevated platform facing the main street, in a grand procession called ‘Pahandi'. After the ‘Mangal Arati', the deities are prepared for the ritualistic bath. They are adorned with ‘Senapatta', a special body armour made from ‘Baula' wood, by the Daitapatis (special priests who are descendants of the original tribal worshippers) who take charge of the regular priests the previous night. The deities are bathed with 108 pitchers of this water in a ritual known as ‘Jalabhisheka'. The deities are dressed in Hathi Vesha (elephant attire) after the bath. Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra are dressed like elephants, while Devi Subhadra wears a lotus flower dress. This tradition is linked to a legend where Lord Jagannath appeared in an elephant form to please a devotee of Lord Ganesha. Following Snana Purnima, the deities are kept away from public view for fifteen days in a special room called the Ratan Vedi. This period, known as ‘Anabasara Kala', involves no public worship. On the sixteenth day, the deities reappear for public viewing in an event called Netrotsava or Naba Yauvanotsava. Rath Yatra or Gundicha Yatra Ratha Yatra is also known as Gundicha Yatra. The Ratha Yatra is the source of amusement all over the Universe. The rationalism of the Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath, celebrated every year at Puri, is essentially to offer an opportunity to all people, regardless of their caste, creed, or religion, to have darshan of the Lords. The Ratha Yatra, unmistakably, is the symbol of equality among all beings. . The king of Puri himself acts as a sweeper on this occasion, thus removing ego from the mind of the ordinary people. (It is stated that ‘Chhera Panhara’ was introduced at the time of Anangabhima Deva in the 12th century when Jagannath came to be regarded as a state deity and the King as His servant) The pulling of the Ratha is the most interesting feature of the festival. Thousands of people lay their hands on the sturdy ropes to draw the Rathas, while the entire atmosphere resounds with the sacred name Hari. In the course of their journey, the deities are offered only fruits and cakes. On reaching Gundicha temple, the three Odisha Review Deities are put in ‘Dasaavatara Vesa’, and are worshipped in the form of ‘Sodasaupachara’ with all the modes of daily worship like ‘Sandhya Alati’, ‘Sandhya Dhupa’, ‘Sarvanga’ and ‘Badasinghara’. Bahuda Yatra On the day of Bahuda, the three deities, following the usual order, come to their respective chariots. On the twelfth day (Dwadasi), the deities once again go through ‘Pahandi’ to reach Their seats on the “Bejeweled Throne”. With the re-entry of Lord Jagannath into the temple, concludes the Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath. The evil of untouchability disappears, at least during the time of the Ratha Yatra. In this context, the Puranas aver that anybody who has darshan of the Lord on the Ratha, goes to the ‘Vaikuntha Bhuvana’ of Hari. Suna Besha Suna Besha, also known as Rajadhiraja besha, Raja Besha and Rajarajeshwara Besha, is an event when the Hindu deities Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra (the presiding deities of Jagannath Temple, Puri, India) are adorned with gold jewellery. Suna Bhesha event is observed on Bahuda Ekadashi during the Rath Yatra on the chariots placed at the lion's gate (also called Singhadwara). Adhara pana The Adhara Pana ritual, which witnesses serving 100 litres of pana (sweet drink) to the Deities in specially made terracotta pots,on the Trayadasi Tithi.During the ritual, the terracotta pots are placed on each chariots parked near the Lion Gate’s of the 12th century shrine. These reach up to the Lords’ lips.The pots contain 100 litres of a mixture of milk cream, cheese, sugar, banana, camphor, nutmeg, black pepper and other such spices. These are then broken to liberate the souls/spirits and other invisible beings residing in the chariots.The refreshment is only for the Gods and Goddesses, who stayed on the chariots during Rath Yatra to guard Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra which is why they are known as ‘Rath Rakhyak’. Niladri Bije Niladri Bije is the last ritual of Rath Yatra that falls on the Asadha Shukla Paksha Trayodashi tithi. It is the home coming ceremony of the deities, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Sudarshan. It is a very interesting ritual as after Lord Sudarshan, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra enters the temple, Goddess Lakshmi closes the main door of the temple. She does not allow him to enter the temple premises in retaliation for not letting her accompany him to Gundicha Temple. He tries to convince her but she refuses to let him in. The fight concludes when Lord Jagannath confesses his mistakes and offers ‘Rasagollas’ to his wife. Goddess Lakshmi calms down and accepts his apology and allows him to enter Shrimandir. This auspicious day is also observed as “Rasagolla Dibasa” in Odisha.