Alarnath Temple, Brahmagiri – Legends

Alarnath Temple, Brahmagiri – Legends

Temporary abode of Lord Jagannath during Anavasara period:

As per legend, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to have darshan of Lord Jagannath daily during his stay in Puri. He was not able to have darshan during Anavasara period. Anavasara is the two weeks period when Lord Jagannatha and his sibling deities take rest in isolation in a secret chamber from the rest of the world after suffering from fever due to the annual bathing festival (Snana Yatra). He prayed to Lord Jaganath and said that if he did not get darshan of Jagannatha during Anavasara period, he would end his life by plunging into the ocean. Pleased with his prayers, Lord Jagannatha directed him to go to Brahmagiri and visit the Alarnath temple.

As directed, he came to Alarnath temple and visualized the appearance of Lord Jagannath here. He spent the entire Anavasara period worshipping the deity here. It is believed that those who cannot worship Lord Jagannath during the Anavasara period can get the blessings of the deity if they visit the Alarnath temple. Hence, the place came to be called as the temporary abode of Lord Jagannath during the Anavasara period. During these days, same amount of Prasad is offered to Alarnath everyday as it happens in Jagannath Temple in Puri.

Kheer Bhog:

There is a legend behind the blister marks on the right hand, the face, and the chest of the Lord. As per legend, a poor Tamil Kama Brahmin priest named Sri Ketan was serving the Lord here. He had a 12-year-old son named Madhusudan. Once, the priest had to travel to distant land, so he asked his son to serve the Lord. The boy served the Lord sincerely and performed pooja in the absence of his father. One day, the boy prepared Kheer Bhog in a bowl in the Kitchen and placed the bowl before the Lord. He offered the Kheer Bhog as Naivedya to the Lord and closed the door of the temple.

Then, the boy went out to play with his friends. After a while, the boy returned, opened the temple door, and found that the bowl of the Kheer Bhog empty. He returned to his home happily and handed over the empty bowl to his mother. The mother was surprised to see the empty bowl and enquired about the prasad. He replied that Lord had eaten all the Kheer Bhog. She felt his son was lying. The next day she went along with his son to watch his son activities. She saw he offered the Kheer bhog and closed the sanctum door.

She saw the bowl containing the Kheer Bhog in the sanctum through a small hole in the door. To her surprise, Lord descended from his place and started eating the Kheer. Once, her husband returned home, his wife told him about the entire incident. He didn’t believe and accused his son of being untruthful. Next day, the priest asked his son to offer the Kheer Bhog to Lord to prove his innocence. Madhusudan offered the Kheer to the Lord and prayed to him eat the Bhog to save him from the anger of his father. He found the bowl was empty when they opened the door.

The Brahmin was astonished and asked Madhusudan to prepare the Kheer again and offer it to the Lord. Fearful of his father, Madhusudan followed his instruction and offered the Kheer Bhog even though it was very hot. The father then watched through the hole the offering of Kheer made by his son to the Lord and was astonished to see the Lord consuming the Kheer. While the Lord was eating the hot Kheer, the Brahmin opened the door and as a result the hot Kheer spilled over the body of the Lord which left these blister marks on the body of the Lord.

The Lord bore the blister marks as symbol of love for his devotee Madhusudan. Lord asked the priest to request for a boon from him. But the priest was worried about the consumption of Kheer Bhog by Lord. As Lord eaten the Kheer Bhog, he worried that he might end up without food. Seeing his attitude, Lord got annoyed and eliminated him and his entire clan. He took the Madhusudan to his abode, Vaikunda. After this incident, no worship took place here for several years due to the absence of priest.

When King Purusottam Dev of Gajapati dynasty was returning home after his victorious southern campaign, he went through this place and noticed the plight of this temple. He made the arrangement for the pooja by sending two Brahmin families from Bashista gotra and one family from Bharadhwaja gotra. These three Brahmin families carried on the pooja of the Lord according to the scriptures. The descendants of these three families are carrying out the poojas in this temple even today.

Brahmagiri:

During Satya Yuga, Lord Bramha came here and worshipped Lord Vishnu on top of a hill. Pleased with his worship, Lord Vishnu appeared before him and asked him to make a four-armed deity of Lord Vishnu holding shankha (conch shell), chakra (disk), gada (club), and padma (lotus) and Garuda. Further, Lord Vishnu said that this place would be called as Brahmagiri in remembrance of your worship of me. As per another legend, Lord Brahma had come down to earth to consecrate the Sri Jagannath temple at Puri. It is said that Lord Brahma landed first on earth here. Hence, the place came to be called as Brahmagiri.

Alwarnath / Alarnath:

As per legend, the rulers of Alwar in Rajasthan had established the temple here. Thus, Lord came to be called as Alwarnath / Alarnath.