Sri Sri Jagannath lord of the Universe is the supreme solace and saviour of countless devotees around the world. since time immemorial, His monumental and magnificent shrines at Shree Purusottam-Kshetra (Puri, Odisha) one of the four major Dhamas of India has been a most sacred centre of pilgrimage and worship symbolising and uploading one of the greatest spiritual and cultural heritages of the worldThe puri temple is an important pilgrimage destination for many Hindu traditions. particularly worshippers of god Krishna and god Vishnu, and part of the Char Dham pilgrimages that a Hindu is expected to make in one's lifetime.
The image of Jagannath created in wooden materials . Every
twelve or nineteen years these wooden figures are ceremoniously replaced by
using trees, that have to be carved as an exact replica. The reason behind this
ceremonial tradition is the highly secret Navakalevara ('New Body' or 'New
Embodiment') ceremony, an intricate set of rituals that accompany the renewal
of the wooden statues.
The temple was built in the 12th century atop its ruins by
the progenitor of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva.
Origins of the temple
the construction of the current Jagannath temple was
initiated by the ruler of Kalinga, 'Anantavarman Chodaganga The Jaga mohan
and the Vimana portions of the temple were built during his reign (1078 - 1148
CE). However, it was only in the year 1174 CE that the Oriya ruler Ananga Bhima
Deva rebuilt the temple to give a shape in which it stands today.
Legends
Legends
Legendary account as found in the different purana like
Skanda-Purana, Brahma Purana and other Puranas and later Oriya 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. But at last he managed to marry Viswavasu's daughter Lalita.
At repeated request of Vidyapti, Viswavasu took his son-in-law blind folded to
a cave where Lord Neela Madhaba was worshipped.
A regional people : preforming as a Viswavasu role in shree jagannath TV serial
Vidyapati was very intelligent. He dropped mustard seeds on
the ground on the way. The seeds germinated after a few days, which enabled him
to find out the cave later on. On hearing from him, King Indradyumna proceeded
immediately to Odra desha (Odisha) on a pilgrimage to see and worship the
Deity. But the deity had disappeared. The king was disappointed. The Deity was
hidden in sand. The king was determined not to return without having a darshan
of the deity and observed fast unto death at Mount Neela, Then a celestial
voice cried 'thou shalt see him.' Afterwards the king performed a horse
sacrifice and built a magnificent temple for Vishnu. Sri Narasimha Murti
brought by Narada was installed in the temple. During sleep, the king had a
vision of Lord Jagannath. Also an astral voice directed him to receive the
fragrant tree on the seashore and make idols out of it. Accordingly, the king
got the image of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Chakra Sudarshan made
out of the wood of the divine tree and installed them in the temple.
