The most attractive and beautiful face of Lord Jagannath.
| History |
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| The origins or the worship of Lord Jagannath and the temple dedicated to him in Jagannath puri are lost in the sands of history. Scholastic attempts to trace the same are superficial at best. The devout Hindu devotee believes that Lord Jagannath is eternal. Thus we have two versions of the origins. One is the popular legends based on Puranas and Folklore. The other is the statements of the scholars who have tried to collate evidences from known history, archeology and ancient literature to draw surmises about the history and the origins.
The history of the present temple goes back to about 12th century A.D. when the founder King of the Ganga Dynasty, King Chodaganga Deva began it’s construction. The construction was finished by King Anangabhima Deva. History records indicate that the temple existed in one form or the other since ancient times sometimes patronized by the Kings ruling Orissa at the time and sometimes having been neglected. From the times of the Ganga Kings that the temple received offical patronship fully. The King acknowledged Lord Jagannath is the actual ruler of the kingdom and he was his deputy.
Over the years, the royal worship continued until the invading Afghans defeated the Orissa Kings and plundered the temple in the 16th Century. The temple priests saved the deities from the invaders and preserved them secludedly. During the succeeding centuries, the Temple Administration and the Kingdom of Orissa had a very chequered history. Often the temple was invaded by the Muslim Moghuls, worship stopped and again it was restored. For some time, the Marathas ruled the Orissa region and during such time the temple worship went unhindered. However, the advent of the Imperial British East India Company and it’s successor British rule by the crown again brought the temple Management under stress. However, to the credit of the British it must be said that they respected the right to worship of the Hindus at Jagannath and indirectly allowed patronage. They recognized that Jagananth Puri's King of Orissa (Gajapati Maharaj) as the Superintendent of the Temple and granted some revenue rights and privileges to the temple to run it's affairs. |
Jagannath Puri, is the abode of Lord Jagannath or Purushotham, the Lord ofthe Universe or the Supreme Personality of the Universe.
Jagannath Puri Dham or Jagannath Puri or even Puri as it is called, is situatedon the sea shore of the Bay of Bengal in the State of Orissa (India). It is one of thefour Holy Kshetras of India including temples at Rameshwaram, Dwaraka, Badrinath and Puri. The Annual Rathayatra festival is the high point of all the Festivals celebratedand has been attracting lakhs of devotees and pilgrims since time immemorial. To see the Lord on the Chariot on the Rathayatra day is to secure salvation from the cycles of birth and death.
Lord Jagannath presides the Jagannath temple in fact he is none other than Sri Krishna accompanied by His Divine Brother Sri Baladeva & Divine Sister Srimathi Subhadra Devi.
From Left to Right:
Lord Baldeva or Balabhadra
Smt Subhadra Devi
Lord Jagannath
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| The Deities of Lord Sri Krishna and Balram at Puri. |
The Main Temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri. Please see the Aruna Stamba in front of the main gate of Jagannath Temple. Carrying on the top of the stamba is the figure of Aruna the charioteer of Sun God.
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| The Samadhi of Srila Haridas Thakur at Puri. |
Please note the huge canopy also known as Biman is the first part. It sports regally a metal disc called the Neela Chakra and a flag mast. The site of the flag fluttering at the high level is gorgeous.
Lord Sri Chaitanya revealing his six armed form to Sarvabhoum Bhattacharya at Puri.
The Deities of Namacharya Srila Haridas Thakur at Jagannath Puri
NANDIGOSH RATH: This Chariot is of Lord Jagannath, it is 45ft (13.71mts) high and having sixteen wheels. The fabric of the roof is in Red and Yellow colour.A wheel is placed on the top of the chariot.
Location and Routemap Jagannath Puri is situated on the sea coast of Bay Of Bengal in the state of Orissa. It is 60KM away from the state capital (Bhubaneshwar) and 90KM from Cuttack. One can visit Jagannath Puri very conveniently from any part of India by Road, by Rail and by the Public Transport System. Good accommodation is provided for the Pilgrims and for the tourist in Hotels, Lodging Houses and Dharmshalas. The majestic ancient temple of Lord Jagannath is situated in the middle of the Jagannath Puri.
