Jagannath Temple, Puri – Tapasvi Hanuman Shrine

Jagannath Temple, Puri – Tapasvi Hanuman Shrine

Tapasvi Hanuman Shrine is located at the north gate (elephant gate or Hasti Dwara) of Jagannatha Temple for the protection of the Temple. He is also called as Chari Chakra Hanuman and Asta Bhuja Hanuman. Chari Chakra means he is holding four Chakras in his hands. This deity of Hanuman is four feet in height and faces east. Four Hands holding Sudarsana Chakra, Two Hands were chanting the holy name of Lord and other two hands were offering pranams. He is in Padmasana posture.

Legends

Once, Sudarsana Chakra of the Lord became proud of being associated with Lord. Lord Jagannath did not like the pride of Sudarsana Chakra. It started to think, he was most powerful as the Lord was protected by him & dependent upon him. Lord Jagannatha decided to correct Sudarshan Chakra pride. Lord sent Sudarsana chakra to call Hanuman. Hanuman was engaged in Tapasya at Abhayaranya at that time.

Sudarsana Chakra informed Lord Hanuman that Lord Jagannath wanted to see him. Immediately, Lord Hanuman started his journey to meet his Lord. After informing Hanuman the Sudarsana Chakra immediately returned to the temple, reaching before Hanuman. As Hanuman neared the temple gates, the Sudarsana chakra started to move swiftly around the temple premises blocking the path of Hanuman and preventing him from reaching the Ratna Simhaasana.

Lord Hanuman prayed to Lord Jagannath. Lord blessed him with extra six extra arms from His shoulders Thus he became Ashta Bhuja Hanuman. Four Hands holding Sudarsana Chakra, Two Hands were chanting the holy name of Lord and other two hands were offering pranams. Lord Hanuman then proceeded towards the Ratna Simhaasana to meet with Lord Jagannath. After some time, Sudarsana chakra also reached there in great distress.

Lord Jagannath wanted to punish the Sudarsana chakra for his offence to hanuman and also wanted to destroy his great pride. Sudarsana chakra was ashamed to see Hanuman more powerful than him and he had not been able to prevent Hanuman from entering the temple. Thus, the Lord cursed the Sudarsana chakra that in the age of kali he will not have his disc form rather he would take the form of a pillar/stambha which will always be at the left side of Lord Jagannath.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2020/01/puri-odisha-connectivity-puri.html

Location

Puri, Odisha – Connectivity

Puri, Odisha – Connectivity

Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri (The Abode of Lord Jagannath) or Purushotama Puri, is a renowned city and headquarters of Puri District in the Indian state of Odisha (formerly Orissa). Puri is located at about 36 Kms from Konark, 58 Kms from Bhubaneswar Airport, 58 Kms from Bhubaneswar Railway Station, 63 Kms from Bhubaneswar, 72 Kms from Bhubaneswar New Railway Station, 82 Kms from Cuttack and 497 Kms from Kolkata.

By Road:

Puri is well connected to Bhubaneshwar, Capital City of Odisha, Konark, Cuttack and other parts of Odisha by Road. Regular bus services both in public and private sector operate to and from various places including Bhubaneswar. Puri can be reached in 1.30 hours by Road from Bhubaneswar. There are regular bus links with Calcutta, Raipur, Tatanagar, Ranchi, Visakhapatnam and Durgapur. NH 203 links the city with Bhubaneswar, the state capital, NH 203 B connects the city with Satapada via Brahmagiri. Marine drive, which is part of NH 203 A, connects Puri with Konark.

Taxis can also be hired from Bhubaneshwar to reach Puri. In Puri, you can use cycle or auto rickshaws but agree a price before you set off. Just to avoid a horrible experience in the beginning confirm twice on the price, as they frequently try to charge you more than you agreed on. There are places on C.T Road where you can hire an Enfield motorbike, good if you want to drive along the coast to Konark (Sun Temple).

By Train:

Puri is a railway terminus on South-Eastern Railway. Puri is well connected by railways. Trains are available from Kolkata (Howrah junction), New Delhi, Ahmedabad, etc. It is also a major railhead on the East Coast Railway, bifurcated from Khurda Road Jn. Puri railway station is located in the heart of the town and near to all hotels. If you arrive by train go to the Odisha State Tourist counter at the station for advice; they are usually very helpful and speak English. The MCO Booth is also quite helpful.

By Air:

The nearest airport is the Biju Patnaik International Airport at Bhubaneswar.

Jagannath Temple, Puri – Rosaighara

Jagannath Temple, Puri – Rosaighara

Rosaighara is a traditional kitchen of Jagannatha temple, Puri, Odisha, India. The temple's kitchen is the largest in the world. The Rosaighara is located in the temple's south-east direction in the outer compound. After entering the temple through the main entrance on the east and ascend the flight of steps leading to the main temple, on the left side, Rosaighara can be found.

Legends:

Tradition holds that all Mahaprasad cooking in the temple kitchens is supervised by the Goddess Mahalakshmi, the empress of Srimandir herself, and that if the food prepared has any fault in it, a shadow dog appears near the temple kitchen, a sign of her displeasure. If the shadow dog is seen, the food is promptly buried, and a new batch cooked. 

Rosaighara:

Rosaighara is 150 feet long, 100 feet wide and about 20 feet high. There are 32 rooms with 250 earthen hearths within. Around 600 chefs known as suaras and 400 assistants together cook every day. There are three types of hearths in the kitchen; Anna Chuli the rice hearth, Ahia Chuli and Pitha Chuli the dessert hearth. The rice hearth is 4 feet long 2.5 feet wide and 2 feet high. The rectangular space created between two rice hearths is known as Ahia. Lentil and other curries like Besara, mahura are cooked in the Ahia Chuli. There are ten cement-based Pitha chuli in Rosaighara.

The food is cooked by suaras (also known as mahasuara or supakara), a sect that is given the charge since the beginning of the temple. The food cooked in Rosaighara is vegetarian and use of onion, garlic, potatoes and bottle gourd are not allowed. A particular kind of earthenware known as kudua are used for cooking. Water drawn from two wells near the kitchen called Ganga and Jamuna are used for cooking.

Over 500 varieties of food raja bhoga, Chatra bhoga and jajamani bhoga are cooked that are offered to Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra in the temple pedestal ratnabedi and food offering pedestal Bhoga Mandapa five times a day. Chapana bhoga, 56 varieties of cooked food are offered almost every day. Kotha Bhoga or Abadha that is offered as lunch around 1 in the afternoon is the most important food. The food, after being offered to Jagannath, is sold at Ananda Bajara as Abadha.

Every day food for over 5000-10000 is cooked where in special occasions food for over 10 million people is cooked in Rosaighara. There are two passages to the food out from the kitchen; the first one leads to bhoga mandapa for larger Kotha bhoga and Chatra bhoga, and the other one leading to the inner sanctuary of the temple for the Kotha bhoga offering. Except the suaras no one is allowed to go near the kitchen or even touch the food until they are offered at the traid of the temple.

Ananda Bajara:

Ananda Bajara is an open market for selling the temple prasadams, located to the North-east of the Singhadwara (major entrance) inside the temple complex.

Jagannath Temple, Puri – Entrance Gates

Jagannath Temple, Puri – Entrance Gates

The Outerwall of the temple complex is pierced by four gates, facing the four directions. These four gates symbolize the four fundamental principles of Dharma (right conduct), Jnana (knowledge), Vairagya (renunciation) and Aishwarya (prosperity). The gates are crowned with pyramid shaped structures.

There are four gates to the Jagannatha temple as follows:

·        The Eastern Singhadwara (Lion Gate)

·        The Southern Ashwadwara (Horse Gate)

·        The Western Vyaghradwara (Tiger Gate)

·        The Northern Hastidwara (Elephant Gate)

Singhadwara:

The Singhadwara, which in Sanskrit means The Lion Gate, is one of the four gates to the temple and forms the Main entrance. The Singhadwara is so named because two huge statues of crouching lions exist on either side of the entrance. The gate faces east opening on to the Bada Danda or the Grand Road. The Baisi Pahacha or the flight of twenty-two steps leads into the temple complex. The Lion Gate is guarded by two guardian deities Jaya and Vijaya on either side of the doorway. 

Just before the commencement of the Rath Yatra the idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken out of the temple through this gate. On their return from the Gundicha Temple they have to ceremonially placate Goddess Mahalakshmi, whose statue is carved atop the door, for neglecting to take her with them on the Yatra. Only then the Goddess allows them permission to enter the temple.

Arun Stambha:

There is a stone pillar in front of the Singhadwara, called the Aruna Stambha, 11 metres (36 ft) in height with 16 faces, made of chlorite stone; at the top of the stambha an elegant statue of Aruna (charioteer of the Sun God Surya) in a prayer mode is mounted. One significant thing about Arun stambha is that prior it was located in the Konark Sun temple, later, the Maratha guru Brahmachari Gosain brought this pillar from Konark. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu usually saw Lord Jagannatha from a distance from behind this column. Behind this Sthamba, there is a ditch, which was filled with tears of Lord Gauranga and his handprint is melted into the Garuda Stambha.

Patitapavana:

An idol of Jagannath known as Patitapavana, which in Sanskrit, means the "Saviour of the downtrodden and the fallen" is painted on the right side of the entrance. In ancient times, when untouchables were not allowed inside the temple, they could pray to Patita Pavana. It is visible from the road, so the Non-Hindus can have a darshan from outside.

Ashwadwara:

Ashwadwara (Horse Gate) is the southern gate to the Jagannatha temple. It is named after the sculptures of horse guarding the gate.

Vyaghradwara:

Vyaghradwara (Tiger Gate) is the western gate to the Jagannatha temple. It is named after the sculptures of tiger guarding the gate.

Hastidwara:

Hastidwara (Elephant Gate) is the Northern gate to the Jagannatha temple. It is named after the sculptures of elephant guarding the gate. The north gate is mainly meant for the God himself in as much as, the logs of wood out of which, the images are fabricated, make their entry into the temple premises through this gate, when the Navakalevara ceremony takes place. There are pyramidal structures over the four gates, which are not very old.

Jagannath Temple, Puri – Legends

Jagannath Temple, Puri – Legends

Indradyumna:

According to legend, the construction of the first Jagannath temple was commissioned by King Indradyumna, son of Bharata and Sunanda, and a Malava king, mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Puranas. The traditional story concerning the origins of the Lord Jagannath temple is that here the original image of Jagannath (a deity form of Vishnu) at the end of Treta yuga manifested near a banyan tree, near seashore in the form of an Indranila Mani or the Blue Jewel. He is called as Lord Neela Madhaba. It was so dazzling that it could grant instant moksha, so the God Dharma or Yama wanted to hide it in the earth, and was successful.

The legendary account as found in the Skanda-Purana, Brahma Purana and other Puranas and later Odia works state that Lord Jagannath was originally worshipped as Lord Neela Madhaba by a Savar king (tribal chief) named Viswavasu. Having heard about the deity, King Indradyumna sent a Brahmin priest, Vidyapati to locate the deity, who was worshipped secretly in a dense forest by Viswavasu. Vidyapati tried his best but could not locate the place.

After traveling for a while Vidyapati came to an area inhabited by non-Aryans called Sabaras. He stayed at the house of a local chief, called Visvavasu. When he arrived Visvavasu was not there, but his daughter Lalita was. Vidyapati stayed there for some time and eventually married Lalita, the daughter of the Sabaras. Vidyapati noticed some peculiar behaviour of his host. Visvavasu would go out every day around noon and would return back to the house scented with fragrances of sandalwood, camphor and musk.

Vidyapati asked his wife about this and she informed him that his father would go daily to worship Nila Madhava. Lalita had been told by her father not to tell anyone about Nila Madhava, but she had overstepped that order by telling her husband. Vidyapati repeatedly requested to see Nila Madhava. Finally, Visvavasu bound Vidyapati eyes and took him to see Nila Madhava. Vidyapati secretly carried some mustard seeds in his cloth and he dropped them onto the path as he was walking. When he reached Nila Madhava, the blind fold was removed and Vidyapati saw Nila Madhava.

Visvavasu went out to collect some forest flowers to worship and Vidyapati stayed near the Deity. During this time a crow fell off the branch of a tree into a nearby lake and drowned. It immediately took a four-armed Vaikunda form and started back to the spiritual world. Vidyapati then climbed up onto the tree and was about to jump into the lake. A voice came from the sky and said, "Since you have seen Nila Madhava, you should inform King Indradyumna."

Visvavasu returned and started his daily worship of Nila Madhava. Suddenly the Lord spoke to him and said, "I have accepted for many days the simple forest flowers and roots offered to me by you. Now I desire the royal worship offered to me in devotion by King Indradyumna." Visvavasu felt cheated by his son-in-law; therefore, he bound him up and kept in his house. After repeatedly being requested by his daughter he let him go. The brahmana then went to King Indradyumna and told him about his discovery.

By following the mustard seeds, which had grown into small plants, they were able to follow the path to Nila Madhava. When they reached the spot, they could not find him. King Indradyumna had the village besieged and arrested Visvavasu. Suddenly a voice came from the sky, “Release this sabara. On top of Nila hill you should construct a temple. There I will manifest as Daru-brahman (the Absolute Truth manifested in a wooden form). You will not see me as Nila Madhava.

The King constructed a temple. The King wanted Lord Brahma to consecrate the temple. So, he travelled to Brahmaloka and waited there for him. During this time the temple became covered by sand. While he was gone, first Suradeva and then Galamadhava became king of the area. King Galamadhava uncovered the temple from the sand. Shortly afterwards, King Indradyumna return from Brahma's abode. Indradyumna claimed that he had built the temple and Galamadhava also claimed the same thing.

There was an old crow in the nearby banyan tree who was constantly singing the glories of Lord Rama. The crow had seen the construction of the temple and said that Indradyumna had built the temple and that Galamadhava had just uncovered it. Because he had not told the truth Galamadhava was ordered by Brahma to live outside the temple compound on the western side of Indradyumna Sarovar Lake. Indradyumna then asked Lord Brahma to consecrate the temple and the surrounding area, which was called Sri Kshetra and gives the highest type of liberation.

Lord Brahma told him that Sri Kshetra is manifested by the Supreme Lord's internal potency and that the Supreme Lord manifests Himself. Therefore, he could not install the Lord here, but Lord Jagannath and his abode are eternally situated in the material world. He said he would install the flag on the temple and that anyone who sees this flag and offers prostrated obeisance would easily be liberated. After a while King Indradyumna became frustrated with not seeing Nila Madhava. He decided to lie on a bed of Kusa grass and to fast until death.

Lord Jagannath came to him in a dream and told him I shall come floating from the sea in my wooden form as Daru-brahman at the place called Bakimuhan. The King went to this place and saw a huge piece of wood which had the marks of a conch, club, disc and lotus on it. Many men and elephants tried to move Daru-brahman, but they could not move him. That night Lord Jagannatha spoke to Indradyumna in a dream and told him to bring Visvavasu, who used to serve Nila Madhava and bring a golden chariot in front of Daru-brahman. The king did this and Daru-brahman easily was placed onto the chariot.

Lord Brahma then performed a sacrifice and established a Deity of Narasimhadeva on the raised platform of the sacrifice arena. It is said that the Deity of Narasimha in the present temple compound, which is on the western side of the Mukti-Mandapa, is the original Narasimha Deity. King Indradyumna had the best sculptors come to carve the Deity of Lord Jagannath from Daru-brahman. As soon as they started their chisels broke to pieces. The Supreme Lord Himself came in disguise as an old artist who called himself Ananta Maharana (According to the Narada Purana, Visvakarma, the architect of the demigods carved the Deities by the desire of Lord Vishnu, who took the form of an old brahmana).

He said that if he was able to work behind closed doors for 21 days then the deities could be carved. The old sculptor then took Daru-brahman into the temple and the doors were closed. After 14 days passed, the king could not hear any sounds of the artist's tools and he became fully anxious. The king then personally opened the door of the temple by force. The King did not see the sculptor, but instead he saw the three forms of Lord Jagannath, Subhadra and Lord Balarama. Their fingers and toes were unfinished.

Thinking himself a great offender the king decided to give up his life. He then lay on a bed of Kusa grass and began to fast. Lord Jagannath appeared to him in a dream. He told the king that he is eternally situated here in Nilachala in the form of Lord Jagannath as Daru-brahman. In the material world, I descended in 24 Deity incarnations along with my abode. I have no material hands and feet, but with my transcendental senses I accept all the items offered by my devotees.

The fact that you broke your promise is part of the pastime for me to manifest in the form of Jagannath. Those devotees whose eyes are smeared with the salve of love will always see me as Syamasundara, holding a flute. The King prayed to Lord Jagannath that those in the family of the sculptor who manifested your form will continue to assist in constructing the three carts. He also told him that the descendants of Visvavasu, who served me as Nila Madhava, should generations after generations serve me. They shall be called as dayitas.

The descendants of Vidyapati born from his brahmana wife should perform the deity worship to me. The descendants born from his sabari wife, Lalita, should cook my food. They shall be known as suyaras. King Indradyumna then requested Lord Jagannath, that the doors of the temple should be closed only 3 hours a day. The King also requested that he should not have any descendants, so that no one in the future would claim the temple of Lord Jagannath as their own property.

Puranas:

Glories of Sri Purushottama-kshetra Jagannatha Puri Dhama are mentioned in different Puranas: Skanda Purana, Brahma Purana, Vamadeva Samhita, Kapila Samhita, Padma Purana and Niladri Purana.

Narada Purana:

It is said in the Narada Purana (Uttara Khanda 52.123), that the Supreme Lord Narayana told Lakshmi Devi: "In that great abode known as Purushottama-kshetra, which is rarely achieved among all the three worlds, the Kesava Deity, who was fashioned by the Supreme Lord Himself is situated. If men simply see that Deity, they will be easily able to come to my abode."

Skanda Purana:

In Skanda-Purana (Utkala-khanda) it is mentioned that this most beautiful Sri Kshetra is spread over 10 yojanas (128 Kms or 80 miles) and surrounded by sands. Utkala is another name of Orissa. Utkala is described in scriptures as the most holy place on this planet. Utkala is divided into four parts which represent the weapons of Lord Vishnu. These four Kshetrams are known as Sankha-kshetra (Puri town), Padma-kshetra (Konark), Cakra-kshetra (Bhubaneswar) and Gada-kshetra (Jajapura, where the Viraja Devi temple is).

Within this area of 10 yojanas, Puri is known as Sankha-kshetra because its shape resembles a conch shell. This Puri-kshetra covers an area of 5 krosa, 3 of which are immersed under the ocean, and 2 on land. This land is covered with golden sands and decorated with a blue mountain. The Lord Himself in His archa-vigraha form is residing here on the bank of the ocean atop the blue mountain. Sankha-kshetra spreads from east to west. Its head is towards west where Lokanatha Mahadeva resides.

Different Names:

Puri-Dhama is known by different names: Purushottama-kshetra, Sri Kshetra, Nilachala-dhama, Jagannatha-dhama, Yamanika-tirtha, Martya Vaikunda, Nilagiri, Sankha-kshetra, Dasa-Avatara-Kshetra and Narasimha-kshetra.

Pandavas worshipped Lord Jagannatha here:

The Pandavas of the Mahabharata are believed to have come here and offered worship to Jagannatha.

Jagannath Temple, Puri – Veshas (Dresses)

Jagannath Temple, Puri – Veshas (Dresses)

Daily Dresses:

Cemedi Vesha:

Every morning for Mangala Arati, Lord Jagannatha is dressed in a cotton sari. This is called Cemedi Vesha.

Tadapa Vesha:

For taking his morning bath, Lord Jagannatha is dressed in a 16’ long by 4’ wide orange and white cotton cloth. This is called Tadapa Vesha.

Utari Vesha:

Utari means chadar or wrapper. After his morning Darshan, Lord Jagannatha wears a 24’ long silk cloth as a chadar.

Bada Shringara Vesha:

For brief details, please refer below link;

Makhamala Vesha: After the Bada Shringara Vesha, Lord Jagannatha is dressed in a special white cloth for sayanalila, his pastime of taking rest. This is called Makhamala Vesha.

Special Dresses:

In addition to different daily dresses offered to Lord Jagannatha, His servant offers him special dresses at different special time of the year. Some of them are listed below;

Month of Vaisakha (April – May):

Chandan Vesha: 

Chandan Vesha is done for 42 days, every third bright day of the month Vaisakha (April-May) starting from Akshaya Tritiya day. Faring, sandal paste oil on the body of deity and decoration of flowers (Chula, Alaka, and Topar) is known as Chandan Vesha. First 21 days from Akshaya Tritiya are known as outer Chandan yatra and second 21 days are known as inner Chandan yatra. In first 21 days beginning from Akshaya Tritiya, the Lord Madan Mohan, representative of Lord Jagannath along with Sreedevi (Lakshmi) and Bhudevi (Saraswathi) ascending on Biman, Ram and Krishna in a palki along with local Sivas (Jameswar, Lokanath, Kapala Mochan, Markandeswar and Neelkanth) goes in procession to Narendra Tank for bath and boat journey.

Month of Jyestha (May – June):

Rukmini Harana Vesha: 

The tenth canto of Shrimad Bhagavatam describes how Krishna kidnapped Rukmini and accepted her as his wife. At that time, he came dressed as a powerful king. To commemorate this story, on the Sukla Ekadasi of the month of Jyestha Sri Madan Mohan dresses as an opulent ruler.

Hati Vesha:

Hati means elephant. The full moon day of the month of Jyestha is the occasion of Lord Jagannatha’s Snana Yatra, when the Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra Deities are bathed. Snana means bathing. This is done on Jyestha Purnima. The main deities along with Sudarsana disc are bought to the snana mandapa (a platform in front of the temple). Around mid-day 108 pots of water are poured on the deities from a sacred well which is dear to the goddess Sitala. An emissary of the king of Orissa ceremonially sweeps the platform. Then elephant-head masks are put on the deities. This is their Hati Vesha (Elephant dress). The deities are then offered cooked food and an arati is performed. This is the only time in a year that the public can see a food offering to the deities.

Month of Asadha (June – July):

Suna Vesha:

The Suna Vesha consists of many solid gold ornaments.  The 11^th day of the bright fortnight in the month of Ashadha is known in Orissa as Bahuda Ekadasi, when the deities return from the Gundicha temple on their chariots; they appear in the Suna (Gold) Vesha when they have arrived in their cars near the Lion Gate of Jagannatha Temple. They are decorated with golden ornaments and wear gold crowns. Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra appear with hands and feet made of gold. Lord Jagannath holds a golden chakra in his right hand and a silver conch shell in his left. Lord Balabhadra holds a golden club in his right hand and a golden plough in his left.

Month of Sravana (July – August):

Chita Lagi Vesha: 

In Orissa the new moon day in the month of Sravana is known as Chita Lagi Amavasya. Lord Jagannatha for most of the year wears a golden flower ornament on his forehead known as Chita. On the Snana Purnima day this ornament is removed. On the Chita Lagi Amavasya it is again put on the forehead of Lord Jagannatha.

Rahurekha Lagi Vesha: 

On Snana Yatra day in the karna patra or golden earring of lord Jagannatha are removed. On the fifth day of the bright moon of the month of Sravana they are again put on the Deities. This is known as the Rahurekha Lagi Vesha.

Month of Bhadrapada (August – September):

During the month of Bhadrapada Jagannatha is offered several special dresses. After Janmashtami, from the Dasami to the Dwadasi, three different dresses, all relating to Krishna’s pastimes in Vraja, are worn by Lord Jagannatha, Vanabhojana Vesha, Kaliya Damana Vesha and Pralamba Vadha Vesha. The King of Puri takes charge of all these dresses.

Vanabhojana Vesha:

The Vanabhojana Vesha is offered to the deities on the tenth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada. Lords are dressed like cowherd boys going on a picnic in the forest with their friends. Many Gopis, Gopas, Cows, Birds and Peacocks made of Sola are placed on the altar to create the mood of Vrindavana. Vana means forest, and Bhojana means to take one’s meal.

Kaliya Damana Vesha:

This Besha is being celebrated to commemorate how Krishna controlled the proud Kaliya, the multi hooded snake residing in Kalandi, lake at the bank of river Yamuna and forced him to quit the lake along with his family. A huge snake is built (30 feet) long for the Besha purpose. The hood of the snake placed at the feet of Sri Jagannath at the time Besha. Everything is made of Sola. This Besha is continued till completion of Sandhya Dhupa. (Evening dhupa).

Pralamba Sura Vesha:

On the 12th day dark fortnight of the month of the month of Bhadraba Jagannatha is offered the Vesha known as Pralamba Sura or Pralamba Vadha. In the Krishna Lila (Dwapar yuga) to celebrate the killing of a demon named Pralamba Sura by Lord Balarama, Lord Balaram (Baladeva) wears this decoration known as the Pralamba Vadha Vesha. This Besha is made on Baladeva only while Jagannath & Subhadra remain in general form.

Jagannath Temple, Puri – Religious Significance

Jagannath Temple, Puri – Religious Significance

Tribal Influence:

Starting from Lord Jagannath himself, history has it that he was a tribal deity, adorned by the Sabar people, as a symbol of Narayan. Another legend claims him to be Nilamadhava, an image of Narayana made of blue stone and worshipped by the aboriginals. He was brought to Nilagiri (blue mountain) or Nilachala and installed there as Shri Jagannath in company with Balabhadra and Subhadra. The images made of wood are also claimed to have their distant linkage with the aboriginal system of worshipping wooden poles. To cap it all the Daitapatis, who have a fair share of responsibilities to perform rituals of the Temple, are claimed to be descendants of the aboriginals or hill tribes of Odisha. So, we may safely claim that the beginning of the cultural history of Shrikshetra is found in the fusion of Hindu and Tribal Cultures.

Fusion of Religions:

Jagannath is worshipped as Vishnu or Narayana or Krishna and Lord Balabhadra as Shesha. Simultaneously, the deities are regarded as the Bhairava with Vimala (the devi or the consort of Shiva) installed in the campus of the temple. So ultimately we find a fusion of Saivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism of the Hindu religion with Jainism and up to an extent Buddhism in the culture of Jagannath and the cultural tradition so reverently held together in Shrikshetra.

Acharyas visit to Jagannatha Puri:

All of the renowned acharyas including Madhvacharya have been known to visit this kshetra. Adi Shankara established his Govardana matha here. There is also evidence that Guru Nanak, Kabir, Tulsidas, Ramanujacharya, and Nimbarkacharya had visited this place. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu of Gaudiya Vaishnavism stayed here for 24 years, establishing that the love of God can be spread by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. Shrimad Vallabhacharya visited Jagannath Puri and performed a 7-day recitation of Shrimad Bhagavat. His sitting place is still famous as "baithakji." It confirms his visit to Puri.

A famous incident took place when Vallabhacharya visited. There was a discourse being held between the Brahmins and 4 questions were asked. Who is the highest of Gods, what is the highest of mantras, what is the highest scripture and what is the highest service. The discourse went on for many days with many schools of thought. Finally, Shri Vallabh said to ask Lord Jagannath to confirm Shri Vallabh's answers. A pen and paper were left in the inner sanctum. After some time, the doors were opened, and 4 answers were written. 1) The Son of Devaki (Krishna) is the God of Gods 2) His name is the highest of mantras 3) His song is the highest scripture (Bhagavat Geeta) 4) Service to Him is the Highest service.

The king was shocked and declared Shri Vallabh the winner of the discourse. Some of the pandits who participated became jealous of Shri Vallabh and wanted to test him. The next day was Ekadashi, a fasting day where one must fast from grains. The pandits gave Shri Vallabh rice Prasad of Shri Jagannathji. If Shri Vallabh ate it, he would break his vow of fasting but if he did not take it, he would disrespect Lord Jagannath. Shri Vallabh accepted the prasad in his hand and spent the rest of the day and night explaining slokas of the greatness of Prasad and ate the rice the next morning.

Char Dham:

The temple is one of the holiest Hindu Char Dham (four divine sites) sites comprising Rameswaram, Badrinath, Puri and Dwarka. Though the origins are not clearly known, the Advaita school of Hinduism propagated by Sankaracharya, who created Hindu monastic institutions across India, attributes the origin of Char Dham to the seer. The four monasteries lie across the four corners of India and their attendant temples are Badrinath Temple at Badrinath in the North, Jagannath Temple at Puri in the East, Dwarakadheesh Temple at Dwarka in the West and Ramanathaswamy Temple at Rameswaram in the South. Though ideologically the temples are divided between the sects of Hinduism, namely Saivism and Vaishnavism, the Char Dham pilgrimage is an all Hindu affair. 

There are four abodes in Himalayas called Chota Char Dham (Chota meaning small): Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri - all of these lie at the foot hills of Himalayas. The name Chota was added during the mid of 20^th century to differentiate the original Char Dhams. The journey across the four cardinal points in India is considered sacred by Hindus who aspire to visit these temples once in their lifetime. Traditionally the trip starts at the eastern end from Puri, proceeding in clockwise direction in a manner typically followed for circumambulation in Hindu temples.

Temple Records:

The records maintained by the Pandas in the Puri temple contain reliable materials to show that for centuries past, people from the whole of India have been visiting Puri in course of their pilgrimage.