Lord Jagannath & Ratha Yatra - Stephen Knapp.

[Guest guest]

The Appearance of Lord Jagannath &

Ratha-Yatra Festival at Jagannatha Puri

 

http://www.stephen-knapp.com/rathayatra_festival_at_jagannath_puri.htm

By Stephen Knapp (Srinandanandana dasa ACBSP)

 

 

 

Jagannatha Puri, a town of 75,000, is one of the most important pilgrimage

centers and one of the four holiest cities in India. These four cities

are Badrinatha in the north, Dvaraka in the west, Ramesvaram in the south,

and Puri in the east. Badrinarayan in Badrinatha was especially worshiped

in Satya-yuga, Rama in Ramesvaram in Treta-yuga, Dvarakanatha in Dvaraka

was especially worshiped in Dvapara-yuga, but Lord Jagannatha in Puri can

be worshiped by everyone in Kali-yuga. In fact, the importance of Jagannatha

Puri, sometimes called Purushottama-Ksetra, is explained in chapters 52

through 57 of the Uttarabhaga section of the Narada Purana. There we find

it stated that simply by visiting Puri, which is rarely achieved except

for those who have performed many pious acts, and by seeing the Deity of

Jagannatha (Krishna), one can easily attain freedom from future births

and reach the spiritual abode.

 

 

 

In the middle of this city is the large temple dedicated to Lord Krishna

as Jagannatha, meaning " Lord of the Universe. " From the Skanda Purana we

get information that the original construction of the first Jagannatha

temple was in Satya-yuga, millions of years ago. It is related that Lord

Jagannatha told Maharaja Indradyumna that He first appeared in the Svayambhuva

manvantara of the first part of Satya-yuga, on the full moon day, after

being pleased by devotion. This is about 153 million years ago. Then Brahma

installed the Deities in the temple. This appearance is celebrated by the

Snana Purnima, or Snana-Yatra, which is the public bathing of Lord Jagannatha,

His brother Balarama, and His sister Subhadra. The celebrated Ratha-Yatra

festival is said to have started in the time of Svarochisha Manu, or the

second manvantara period, and is predicted to continue until the end of

the second half of Lord Brahma's lifetime. Even in the Ramayana by Valmiki

Muni (Uttara Khanda 108.30) it is related that when Lord Rama was getting

ready to leave this world he told Vibhishan, Ravana's younger brother,

that in His absence he should worship Lord Jagannatha, the Lord of the

Iksvaku dynasty.

 

 

 

The Skanda Purana also fixes the date of the Ratha-Yatra festival, which

should be celebrated on the second day of the bright fortnight if the month

of Ashadha, a day called Pushyami Nakshatra by astrological calculations.

The Padma Purana describes (as related in Sanatana Goswami's Dig Darshini

Tika to his Brihad-Bhagavatamrita, 2.1.159) that in Purushottama-kshetra,

or Jagannatha Puri, the supremely blissful Personality of Godhead pretends

to be made of wood. In this way, although the Lord takes on what appears

to be a material form, it is completely spiritual by the causeless mercy

of the Lord for the conditioned souls who cannot perceive the transcendental

domain.

 

 

 

The main temple building, called Sri Mandir, was built in the 12th century

by King Chodaganga Deva, though the site goes back much farther as described

above. This is a huge complex where buildings house as many as 5,000 priests

and assistants. The whole compound is surrounded by a thick stone wall

20 feet tall that encloses an area 665 feet by 640 feet. The wall has four

large gates, one on each side. The additional smaller buildings were added

after the 16th century. The main temple, which reaches 215 feet in height,

is where we find the six foot tall Deities of Jagannatha, Balarama, and

the shorter Subhadra. They stand on a five foot high throne facing the

pilgrims as they enter the temple room. Outside the main temple hall are

over 100 smaller shrines dedicated to the various demigods. There is an

arati ceremony six times a day from 4 AM to 9 PM when devotees come in

for darshan of the Deities, in which they sing, chant, or worship the Deities

in ecstasy. As many as 50,000 people come to the Jagannatha temple in a

day. Unfortunately, foreigners are not allowed into the temple grounds,

but you can get a look at the temple from the roof of the Raghunandan Library

across the street for a donation.

 

 

 

The temple compound also has a huge kitchen, employing over 650 cooks

and helpers who make hundreds of vegetarian preparations for the 54 separate

offerings that are given to the Deities every day. After the food is given

to the Deities it becomes prasada, or the Lord's mercy. By taking such

spiritually powerful food it is said that one becomes more and more spiritually

surcharged and free from past karma. Much of the prasada is sold or given

to people who depend on the temple. When I had my ricksha driver buy some

for me, I got a basket with several clay pots filled with a variety of

rice, vegetable, dahl, and sweet preparations. It was absolutely delicious

and was enough for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for two days. Taking this

prasada at Puri is to partake in a tradition that goes back thousands of

years and is considered especially purifying. It is said that only by Krishna's

grace does one get the opportunity to receive the remnants of food offered

to Him.

 

 

 

The Appearance of Lord Jagannatha

 

The significance of Jagannatha Puri and the story of how the Deities

first appeared goes back many hundreds of years to the time of King Indradyumna,

who was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. It is related that one time in

his court the King heard from a devotee about an incarnation of Lord Vishnu,

named Nila-madhava. (Nila-madhava is the Deity form of Lord Vishnu.) The

King very much wanted to see this form of the Supreme and sent many Brahmanas

to search for Nila-madhava. All came back unsuccessful except for Vidyapati,

who did not come back at all. He had wandered to a distant town which was

populated by a tribe of people known as Shabaras of non-Aryan heritage.

He had stayed in the house of Visvasu, and later, at Visvasu's request,

married his daughter, Lalita.

 

 

 

After some time Vidyapati noticed that Visvasu would leave the house

every night and return at noon the next day. Vidyapati asked his wife about

this. Though her father had ordered her not to tell anyone, she told Vidyapati

that Visvasu would go in secret to worship Nila-madhava. After repeated

requests, Vidyapati finally got permission to go see Nila-madhava, only

if he went blindfolded. But Vidyapati's wife had bound some mustard seeds

in his cloth so that a trail could be left to follow later. When they reached

the shrine, Vidyapati saw the Deity Nila-madhava after the Shabara took

off the blindfold, and he felt great ecstasy.

 

 

 

The story continues to relate that while Visvasu was out collecting

items for worship, Vidyapati saw a bird fall into the nearby lake and drown.

The soul of the bird suddenly took a spiritual form and ascended back to

the spiritual world. Vidyapati wanted to do the same and climbed the tree

to jump in the lake. Then a voice from the sky declared that before he

jumped he should tell Indradyumna that he had found Nila-madhava.

 

 

 

When Visvasu returned to worship the Deity, Nila-madhava spoke and said

that He had accepted the simple worship from him for so many days, but

now He wanted to accept the opulent worship that would be offered by King

Indradyumna. When Vidyapati went back to tell the King, Indradyumna immediately

went to find Nila-madhava but could not locate Him. So the King arrested

Visvasu, but a voice told him to release the Shabara and that he should

build a temple on top of Nila Hill where the King would see the Lord as

Daru-brahman, the wooden manifestation of the Absolute.

 

 

 

After great endeavor, King Indradyumna built the temple at Sri Kshetra,

now known as Jagannatha Puri, and later prayed to Lord Brahma to consecrate

it. However, Lord Brahma said that it was not within his power to consecrate

the temple since Sri Kshetra is manifested by the Supreme's own internal

potency and is where the Lord manifests Himself. So Brahma simply put a

flag on top of the temple and blessed it, saying that anyone who from a

distance saw the flag and offered obeisances would easily be liberated

from the material world. Nonetheless, after much waiting the King became

anxious since Nila-madhava had not manifested Himself. Thinking his life

was useless, the King decided he should end his life by fasting. But in

a dream the Lord said that He would appear floating in from the sea in

His form as Daru-brahman.

 

 

 

The King went to the shore and found a huge piece of wood that had the

markings of a conch, disc, club, and lotus. This was Daru-brahman. But

try as they might, the men could not budge the wood. In a dream the Lord

spoke to the King and instructed him to get Visvasu and put a golden chariot

in front of Daru-brahman. After doing this and forming a kirtana party

to chant the holy names, and praying for Daru-brahman to mount the chariot,

Daru-brahman was easily moved. Lord Brahma performed a sacrifice where

the present temple now stands and installed a Deity of Lord Narasimhadeva,

the Deity that is now on the western side of the temple.

 

 

 

From the wooden Daru-brahman, the King requested many expert carvers

to carve the form of the Deity, but none could do so for their chisels

immediately broke when they touched the wood. Finally the architect of

the demigods, Visvakarma, (some say the Lord Himself) arrived as an old

artist, Ananta Maharana, and promised that he would carve the Deity form

of the Lord inside the temple in three weeks if the King would allow him

to work behind closed doors. But after 14 days the King became very anxious

because he could no longer hear the sounds of the carving. Finally he could

stand it no more. On the advice of the queen he personally opened the doors

of the temple to see what was happening. Then he saw the forms of Lord

Jagannatha, Lord Balarama, and Lady Subhadra. But because the King had

opened the doors sooner than he was supposed to, the Deities were not completed;

Their feet and hands had not yet been carved. Thus, the Supreme manifested

Himself in this form.

 

 

 

The King felt he had committed a great offense for having opened the

doors before the allotted three weeks had passed, so he decided to end

his life. But in a dream Lord Jagannatha told the King that though he had

broken his promise, this was just a part of the Supreme's pastimes to display

this particular form. The King was told that this form, even though it

appeared to be incomplete, was actually the form of the Lord that was meant

to be worshiped in this age of Kali-yuga. Occasionally the King could decorate

the Deity with golden hands and feet. Yet those devotees filled with love

would always see the form of Lord Jagannatha as the threefold bending form

of Syamasundara, Krishna, holding a flute. Thus, the Supreme appeared in

this form so that people could approach and see Him, especially as He rides

through town on the huge carts during the Ratha-Yatra festival.

 

The Ratha-Yatra Festival

 

 

 

During the Ratha-Yatra festival is the most popular time to go to Jagannatha

Puri. This is usually in July when it is very hot. But thousands upon thousands

of pilgrims flock to Puri to take part in this auspicious event, which

is said to have been celebrated for thousands of years, making it one of

the oldest and one of the biggest religious festivals in the world. This

is the time when the Deities come out of the temple for all to see. It

is also the time when as many as a million people gather in this small

city with one purpose: to show their faith and devotion to God in the form

of Lord Jagannatha.

 

 

 

As big as this festival is, it can be quite expensive. The only festival

in the world that is bigger than this is the Kumbha Mela festival that

draws many more millions of people. The Ratha-Yatra festival is financed

primarily by the Orissan government with an annual budget of $50,000, which

is a very large sum for India. But with the number of pilgrims that come

to Puri each year, the temple and surrounding businesses also are benefitted

with the extra financial income.

 

 

 

The actual construction of the carts begins two months before the festival

day, on the third day of the bright fortnight of Vaisakha (April-May).

More than 600 trees, or 400 cubic meters of wood, are needed for the

construction,

taken from the local forests along the banks of the Mahanadi River. Using

the same simple tools and procedures as they have for the past hundreds

of years, once the basic elements are made, such as the wheels, then the

actual construction begins only a few weeks before the festival. When I

saw the carts a few days prior to the festival, I doubted that they would

be finished in time. However, the construction crew works on them night

and day, and everything was ready the day before the festival.

 

 

 

In the main road in front of the temple huge stacks of wood are used

to assemble the three chariots which will reach up to three storeys tall

and will roll on wheels, each eight feet high. The chariots are painted

with bright colors and the tops are covered with red, black, yellow, or

green canopies. The colors signify which chariot is for which Deity. Lord

Jagannatha uses red and yellow, Lord Balarama uses red and green, while

Subhadra uses red and black. The Deities are also painted with particular

colors that mean something. Jagannatha's blackish color represents faultless

qualities; Balarama's white color signifies enlightenment; and Subhadra's

yellow color signifies goodness.

 

 

 

Each cart is different. The cart of Lord Jagannatha is called Cakradhvaja

or Nandigosha, which means tumultuous and blissful sound. Using 16 wheels,

it rises 45 feet tall, and weighs 65 tons. It also carries a figure of

Garuda on its crest, and is drawn by four white wooden horses. Balarama's

cart is called Taladhvaja, meaning the sound of significantly powerful

rhythm. It has 14 wheels, and is drawn by four black wooden horses. It

carries Hanuman on its crest. Subhadra's cart is called Padmadhvaja or

Darpadalan, which means destroyer of pride. It has a lotus on its crest,

uses 12 wheels, and is drawn by four red wooden horses. After the Ratha-Yatra

festival the wood from the carts is used as fuel for the big kitchen in

the temple, which can last up to nine months.

 

 

 

About two weeks before the festival, the Deities of Jagannatha, Balarama,

and Subhadra are given a ritual bath, which is performed on the front main

wall of the temple, which allows everyone to observe it from the street

below, or one of the surrounding buildings. This is called the Snana-Yatra.

After this They play the pastime of getting a cold. They are then taken

to a designated area and given special treatments and offerings. They may

also be repainted at this time. About every 12 or 19 years the bodies of

the Deities are replaced with new ones carved from a ritualistically selected

Daru-Brahman in the form of a nima tree. This is known as the Nava-Kalevarna

festival. It occurs when there is a leap (additional) month in the Vedic

calendar that appears between Snana-Yatra and Ratha-Yatra. This was last

performed in 1996, 1977, and 1969. After such an occurrence, the crowd

that attends the Ratha-Yatra in Puri expands from the usual 700,000 or

so to as many as two-and-a-half million.

 

 

 

As the Ratha-Yatra festival draws near, thousands of pilgrims come to

Jagannatha Puri, but as many as a million or more people may be in town

on the day of the festival. Some are top officials in the Indian government

or other VIPs. Many people begin arriving in front of the temple near the

carts on the morning of the festival. At first it is very interesting to

wander about looking at the nicely decorated carts and all the pilgrims

who have attended. But then the police begin cordoning off the area around

the carts. Then there are only certain areas where people can get between

the carts and the buildings. This creates bottlenecks which can be very

dangerous when too many people are pushing on each other trying to get

through. I saw people begin to panic at times because of the pressure on

them, and worried mothers had to hold their babies above the crowd to make

sure they did not get crushed.

 

The Ratha-Yatra festival can be both spiritually ecstatic and physically

exhausting. Though July is in the monsoon season, if the rains have not

arrived yet, it gets very hot. When it is hot, you will be soaked with

sweat a few hours after the sun comes up. In fact, from where I was, I

saw dozens of Indian people who had collapsed from the heat and had to

be carried away from the crowd on stretchers. The heat can take a lot out

of you, especially when in a crowd of many thousands. So it is best to

have a source of water with you, like a canteen.

 

 

 

A good place to be during the festival, if you do not want to be on

the street amongst the people, is on a rooftop. But you have to make

reservations

and pay for your seats several days in advance. Even then there may not

be any guarantee that you will get the seats you want.

 

 

 

I have been at Jagannatha Puri to attend two Ratha-Yatra festivals,

once in 1991, and another in 2001. At each one things happened at different

times of the day. In 1991 it was around eleven in the morning when the

temple priests came out to sanctify the carts. In 2001, everything got

started much earlier, and the priests came out before 9 AM. They walk up

the gangplanks to the platform on the cart and sprinkle holy water around

while circumambulating it three times and chanting specific mantras for

purification. Later, the priests bring out the small Deities that will

also ride on the cart.

 

 

 

When the big Deities are brought out, first there is Lord Balarama,

then Lady Subhadra, and then Lord Jagannatha. Each time excitement suddenly

fills the air and many men blow conch shells and bang on drums and cymbals

to announce the arrival of the Deities at the main gate of the temple complex.

Then the smiling face of Lord Balarama appears through the doorway and

the crowd shouts and chants, " Jai Balarama. Baladeva ki jai! " Generally,

however, unless you are situated on a tall building, you cannot see the

faces of the Deities because there are so many assistants that help move

Them. But you can easily see the huge headdress They wear. Once the Deity

is on the cart, the headdress is torn off and distributed amongst the people

as prasada.

 

 

 

Daityas, strongly built men who lift the Deity, carry Lord Balarama.

It is described that they move Him from one large cotton pillow to another,

however, I couldn't see any. Lord Balarama is five feet and five inches

tall and has an arm span of 12 feet. When carried, there are five men on

each arm, with up to 50 men pulling in front and 20 offering support in

the back. All of these carriers are Daityas, members of the Dayitapati

family who are descendants of Visvavasu. Gradually, taking about a half

hour or so, Lord Balarama moves from the temple gate to the chariot and

is placed on it so everyone in the crowd can see Him. Then Subhadra, who

is less than five feet tall, is also carried from the temple to Her chariot.

And finally Lord Jagannatha is brought out. He is five feet and seven inches

tall with an arm span of 12 feet, and also needs many assistants to be

moved.

 

 

 

In 1991 it was around two o'clock, when the King of Puri arrived in

a procession, walked up the planks to the platform and swept the cart with

a gold handled broom, and then sprinkles sandalwood scented water on them.

He circumambulates the platform three times and is assisted by the priests.

He does this to each of the carts. In 2001, however, this took place around

10 AM, and everything that year happened in a much more timely manner.

 

It should be pointed out here that the way the King sweeps the carts

is an example of how the festival has changed over the years. If you read

accounts of the Ratha-Yatra festival as described in the Caitanya-caritamrta,

there are some major differences in the festival we find today compared

to 500 years ago. The King used to sweep the street in front of the carts

as they paraded down through the town. The reason he no longer does this

is related in a story I was told. It seems that at one time years ago a

King of Puri, Purusottama Dev, was to marry a princess who was the daughter

of a king, Maharaja Sallwo Narasingha, from the district of Kanchi. When

the Ratha-Yatra festival was to take place, the father of the princess

was invited, but sent his minister Chinnubhatta Godaranga instead. When

he attended, the King of Puri performed the devotional tradition of sweeping

the road in front of the carts. The visiting minister, however, rather

than being impressed with the devotion of the King for Lord Jagannatha,

did not approve of him sweeping the road, even if it was for the Lord.

When he reported this to King Sallwo Narasingha, the king objected to the

idea of his daughter marrying the King of Puri since he was merely a street

sweeper. Purusottama Dev was extremely angry that he, as the servant of

Lord Jagannatha, would be insulted for his service like that. So he gathered

his troupes and went to Kanchi to teach King Sallwo a lesson. Unfortunately,

King Purusottama Dev was badly defeated.

 

 

 

On returning to Puri in such a downcast mood, he stopped at the simple

cottage of Saikatacharya, a great ascetic, householder devotee of Lord

Jagannatha. This devotee pointed out that the King had forgotten to ask

permission from Lord Jagannatha before he went to attack King Sallwo. With

this realization, the King returned to Puri and visited the temple of the

Lord, crying over his defeat, asking why the Lord had let this happen.

He spent the night in the temple, and with doors closed, before the night

came to an end, the King heard a voice asking why he was so distraught

over such a simple thing. The voice said to go gather his troupes again,

and that we two brothers, Jagannatha and Balarama, would go along to fight

on the King's behalf. As the news spread, many people, both old and young,

joined the King's forces to fight with Their Lordships. However, as they

went, the King was filled with some doubts whether Their Lordships were

really going with him.

 

While the King and his army went onward, far ahead were two soldiers

that rode on one black horse and one white horse. They stopped to quench

Their thirst at a small village near Chilika Lake by buying some yogurt

from a devotee named Manika. She offered Them yogurt, but when she asked

for payment, they said They had no money. Instead They gave her a jeweled

ring and told her to give it to King Purusottama Dev, who would then give

her payment.

 

 

 

After some time, the King caught up to the lady, who flagged him down

to give him the ring and asked for payment for the soldiers' drink. The

king was shocked to see the ratnamudrika ring of Lord Jagannatha and then

regained his confidence that, indeed, Their Lordships had certainly come

with him. In payment for the ring, the king gave her the whole village,

which is still named Manikapatna. After this the king and his troupes were

victorious over King Sallwo, and he also took King Sallwo's daughter as

well. However, he did not marry her after the insult her father had given

him. He instructed his minister to see that she get married to a qualified

sweeper. After one year, at the next Ratha-Yatra, the King again performed

his sweeping ceremony. At that time, the king's minister announced that

the king was the most qualified sweeper, since he swept for Lord Jagannatha,

and that the princess, Padmavati, should marry him. Then Maharaja Purusottama

Dev married the princess and she later gave birth to a great devotee of

Lord Caitanya, who became known as King Prataparudra. Anyway, at some point

after this, the King of Puri discontinued sweeping the streets and now

sweeps the carts.

 

 

 

The festival parade also used to start in the morning and then stop

at noon near the Jagannatha Vallabha Gardens where the Deities would get

offerings of food, worship, etc., from the many devotees. There would also

be many groups of people singing devotional songs, and though you will

still see some people in kirtana groups, there were very few in 1991, while

there were several big kirtana parties in 2001, including a large one consisting

of the devotees from the Iskcon temple in Mumbai (Bombay).

 

 

 

After the King has swept the carts, they quickly begin to disassemble

the gangplanks that lead up to the cart and begin to fasten the wooden

horses that point the direction. Many thousands of devotees surround the

carts and the people in the front take up the long, thick ropes to pull

the chariots down the main road to the Gundicha temple, where the Deities

stay for a week. Then the leaders on the carts that ride near the wooden

horses direct those who are pulling the ropes to take up the slack. When

everything is ready, a whistle is blown by the chariot driver and a hundred

people on each of four ropes begin to pull. Then the numerous priests and

assistants on the carts that ride along begin to bang on the gongs and

cymbals, and suddenly the cart lurches forward and begins to move.

 

 

 

Once the carts get going, you mostly hear the spectators simply shout

out, " Jayo, Jai Jagannatha, " and raise their hands in the air and watch

the cart go by. Many police have to guard the chariot wheels to make sure

no one gets too close and is crushed under them. In 1991 it was after five

o'clock before Lord Balarama's cart got started and loudly rumbled down

the road and soon reached the Gundicha temple. In 2001 it started by about

10:30 AM or so. Subhadra's cart began to move a while later.

 

 

 

Lord Jagannatha's cart did not get started until after six o'clock in

1991, which was quite late, but got started by 11 AM in 2001. However,

both times it did not make it to the Gundicha temple until the next day.

The people pulled it about two-thirds of the way before it almost ran into

some shops on the side of the road. So Lord Jagannatha spent the night

wherever the cart had stopped. The following morning the people redirect

the cart and continued with the Ratha-Yatra to finish pulling it to the

Gundicha temple about two miles down the road from the main temple where

the Deities stay for a week before returning to the temple in a similar

parade.

 

 

 

Sometimes the chariots mysteriously stop, though everyone is pulling

hard. In fact, it is not unusual, as in the case of this festival, that

a chariot may stop completely and stay there overnight and then continue

the next day. Sometimes if there is difficulty, the local government minister

will pray to Lord Jagannatha for forgiveness from whatever offenses the

residents of the town may have committed. Then the chariots begin to move

again as if they move only by the will of Jagannatha.

 

 

 

The parade is a fascinating event in which to participate and see. But

when the chariots get rolling, the crowd gets very intense. You either

have to get out of the way to let them by, or struggle, as you get pushed

this way and that, to move with the crowd as it goes with the cart. Many

people try to pull the ropes and it is not easy, and can be dangerous,

to get a place nearby.

 

 

 

The Deities spend the first two nights on the carts outside the Gundicha

temple, or wherever else They may be if They do not make it there the first

night. During this time, pilgrims can climb up on the carts and see the

Deities very closely and even embrace Them. But the priests are quick to

charge everyone a certain number of rupees for this opportunity, which

makes for a very good business for the priests. When I climbed a cart and

was about to give a " donation, " as many as five of the attendants grabbed

the money at once before I let go of it. And when I did not let go of it

right away, they started to get very angry. This was after I had been assured

that I could climb the cart to see the Deity of Lady Subhadra and there

would be no charge, and I would also be allowed to take a photograph. I

indeed was allowed to see Lady Subhadra and even embrace Her, which is

a rare event for any pilgrim, what to speak of a Westerner. But after I

had given my donation, I took out my camera to take a photograph and a

guard immediately came over and objected and ordered me to get down off

the cart. So that brought an abrupt end to the episode.

 

 

 

Nonetheless, if

one can overcome this businesslike atmosphere, it can still be a very devotional

and memorable event. And you can also go up on the carts of Lord Jagannatha

and Lord Balarama as well, if you can handle the crowds and the many priests

who ask for donations, or who want to direct people, sometimes forcefully

with the use of sticks. Some people simply stay on the ground and offer

prayers and small ghee lamps from a distance. Others climb all three carts

to get the personal darshan of all three Deities.

 

 

 

The Deities are then taken inside the Gundicha temple only on the third

night. After the Deities' stay at the Gundicha temple, They return a week

later to the main temple in a similar parade that is attended by fewer

people. This can be a time when you can get much closer to the carts and

walk more easily with the parade, providing you have time to stay in Puri

for this event. Again, the Deities come out of the Gundicha temple as before

and are placed on the carts with much fanfare from the devotees. Then again

the King of Puri comes to cleanse the carts, and shortly thereafter the

carts are ready to be pulled in a most festive parade back to the main

temple. The return trip usually happens all in one day.

 

 

However, again

the Deities stay outside on the carts for two nights, allowing everyone

who wants to climb up on the cart for a close darshan. Then on the third

night there is the Suna Vesa festival in which the Deities are dressed

in gold outfits. Again, the city becomes extremely crowded as people want

to see the Deities in the golden ornaments. These include gold crowns,

hands and feet, golden peacock feather, gold earrings, different golden

necklaces, and ornaments such as a silver conch and gold disk for Lord

Jagannatha and golden club and plow for Lord Balarama. These are all solid

gold, and all together weigh up to one ton.

 

 

 

No one is allowed on the carts for the gold festival except for the

intimate servants of the Deities. The way the crowd works for this festival

is that they approach the carts from the main road. The closer to the carts

you get, the thicker the crowd becomes. You are then directed by numerous

police to walk with the crowd around the front of the carts and then down

a side street. The police will also not let you stop along the lanes, but

make sure everyone keeps moving. As you walk, you can then look toward

the Deities to see Them in Their unique gold ornaments. They look especially

powerful dressed as They are like this.

 

 

Your darshan is only as long as

it takes for the crowd to move, and then you must continue on, or come

back around again, all of which can take an hour to make it through the

crowds. Then as you come back around, the street is divided into two lanes,

one for those approaching the carts and the other for those leaving. So

you have to continue a ways away before you can begin to come back around.

Getting directly in front of each of the carts is the only way you can

have a direct line of sight toward the Deity during this event.

 

After this, the Deities stay on the carts one more day and are then

taken into the main temple the following evening, as They were when taken

into the Gundich temple. Then the Ratha-Yatra festival is completely finished

until next year.

 

 

 

The Internal Meaning of the Ratha-Yatra Festival

 

The meaning of the Ratha-Yatra parade is steeped in religious sentiment.

The form that Lord Krishna takes as Jagannatha is the manifestation of

His ecstasy that He feels when He leaves the opulence of His palaces in

Dwaraka, represented by the Puri temple, to return to the town of Vrindavan

and the simple and pure spontaneous love the residents there have for Him.

Thus, there is no difference between Lord Krishna and Lord Jagannatha.

So in the mood of separation from His loving devotees, Jagannatha mounts

His chariot and returns to Vrindavan, which is symbolically represented

by the Gundicha temple. In this way, the esoteric meaning of the Ratha-Yatra

parade is that we pull the Lord back into our hearts and rekindle the loving

relationship we have with Him. Many great poems and songs, such as

Jagannatha-astakam,

have been composed describing the event and the highly ecstatic devotional

mood one can enter while participating. Many verses are also written in

the Caitanya-caritamrita that describe the pastimes Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

had during these Ratha-Yatra festivals 500 years ago.

 

 

 

To explain the internal meaning of Ratha-Yatra further, Lord Jagannatha

is the embodiment of Lord Krishna's love for Srimate Radharani. While Lord

Krishna was living in Dwaraka, he felt great separation from Radharani

and the residents of Vrindavana. On the day of one solar eclipse, He traveled

to Kuruksetra with His brother Balarama and His sister Subhadra on His

chariot. There He met Srimate Radharani and other residents of Vrindavana,

all of which wanted to take the Lord back to Vrindavana. While traveling

and thinking of this meeting, He entered mahabhava, the highest sentiments

of loving exchange. In that state, His eyes dilated like fully bloomed

lotuses, and His hands and legs retreated into His body. In this way, the

form of Lord Jagannatha is called radha-viraha-vidhura, the separation

from Radharani, and also mahabhava-prakasha, the manifestation of mahabhava

for Radharani. Lord Caitanya was the embodiment of Srimate Radharani's

love for Lord Krishna. So Lord Caitanya taking Lord Jagannatha from the

main temple to the Gundicha corresponds to Srimate Radharani's wanting

to take Lord Krishna from Dwaraka back to Vrindavana, the place of spontaneous

and ecstatic love of God.

 

 

 

It is also explained that by participating in this festival, chanting

and dancing, or helping pull the ropes of the chariots, one becomes free

of many lifetimes of karma. One can even become liberated due to the spiritual

potency of Lord Jagannatha's presence. One of the ways this happens is

explained as follows: at the very end of one's life when the memories of

his activities pass through the mind, when he remembers the amazing Ratha-Yatra

festival his mind stops and focuses on that event. Thus, he dies thinking

of Lord Jagannatha and is liberated from material existence and returns

to the spiritual world, just like a yogi is transferred to the spiritual

strata when his mind is fixed on the Supersoul at the time of death. This

is why thousands of pilgrims come to Jagannatha Puri every year for Ratha-Yatra.

 

 

 

Other Places of Spiritual Importance in Jagannatha Puri

 

While in Jagannatha Puri, there are many other places of interest that

pilgrims come to see, so I will describe a few of these. About a quarter

mile from the Jagannatha temple, walking toward the beach, is Siddha Bakula.

This is where, 500 years ago, the great saint Haridas Thakur used to live

and chant the Hare Krishna mantra 300,000 times a day and where Sri Caitanya

would visit him. Since Haridas could not enter the Jagannatha Temple, being

of a Muslim family, Lord Caitanya took the stick He had used as His toothbrush

and stuck it in the ground. It immediately grew into a beautiful shade

tree, under which Haridas Thakur lived. Sanatana Gosvami had also stayed

here for a time as well.

 

 

 

Haridas attained such an elevated position of ecstasy from chanting

the Hare Krishna mantra that even though a beautiful prostitute came to

tempt him with sex, he was not interested. Thus, he is called the namacarya:

the master of chanting the holy names. In 1991, a small shrine was found

here, along with the old and bent tree under which Haridas would chant.

However, since then, as found in 2001, there is a nice temple and plenty

of walled protection for the tree at this place. The tomb of Haridas Thakur,

where you'll also see beautiful Radha Krishna Deities as well as an image

of Haridas, is located next to Purusottama Gaudiya Math near the beach.

This is an important place of pilgrimage.

 

 

 

A 15 minute walk from here is the temple of Tota-Gopinatha. The Radha

Krishna Deities here are especially beautiful, and it is accepted that

Sri Caitanya ended his life by entering into the Deity of Tota-Gopinatha.

Also near this area is the old house of Kashi Mishra. It is now used as

part of a temple and has nice diorama exhibits of Sri Caitanya's life.

It is here we find the Gambhira room, which is where Sri Caitanya lived

for 12 years. Through a small window you can see Sri Caitanya's original

wooden sandals, water pot, and bed.

 

 

 

A short walk to the east of the Jagannatha temple is the Gaudiya Math

temple and the place where Srila Bhaktisiddhanta took birth. A little farther

east is the Jagannatha Vallabha Garden, which is almost across from the

Balagandhi temple which used to be where Lord Jagannatha would stop during

His Ratha-Yatra parade to accept food offerings from all the devotees.

At this garden, Sri Caitanya had many pastimes and is where He saw Lord

Krishna manifest Himself. A little ways away from the garden is Narendra

Sarovara, a small lake where many festivals have taken place with Sri Caitanya

and his associates. Even now many pilgrims will visit and take a holy bath

in this lake. The Govinda Deity from the Jagannatha temple is brought here

for festivals where He is given boat rides. There is also a little temple

with Lord Jagannatha Deities located here. So if foreigners want to see

Lord Jagannatha they can usually come here for darshan, unless it is during

the Ratha-Yatra festival.

 

 

 

Farther down the main road of town near the Gundicha Mandir is the very

old temple dedicated to Lord Narasimha, which we can enter to view the

Deity. This is also where Sri Caitanya engaged in many kirtanas with his

close associates. Not far away is Indradyumna Lake where Sri Caitanya once

manifested His Mahavishnu form showing His associates His supernatural

qualities as an incarnation of God.

 

 

 

About 14 miles from Jagannatha Puri is the Alarnatha temple at Brahmagiri.

Lord Alarnatha is a four-handed form of Lord Vishnu. Whenever the Jagannatha

Deities in Puri would be removed from the altar before the Ratha-Yatra

festival for two weeks, Sri Caitanya would stay here. This is a temple

where, at the end of the kirtana hall in front of a Deity of Sadbhuja,

there is a large stone slab with the imprint of Sri Caitanya's body. Once

when He fell onto the stone in an ecstatic trance, the stone melted leaving

the imprint of Sri Caitanya's body as we find it today. Across from the

Alarnatha temple is another Gaudiya-Math temple that was established by

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta. It is also here where we find the small Alarnatha

Deity that was uncovered during excavations around the main Alarnatha temple.

However, once when Srila Bhaktisiddhanta was staying at his temple, the

priest at the Alarnatha shrine had a dream in which the Lord came to him

and said that He wanted to accept the worship of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta.

Then the priest brought the small Alarnatha Deity to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta

who worshiped Him, and where the Deity has remained since then. Also in

this town of Bentapur we can see the birthplace of Ramananda Raya, a close

associate of Sri Caitanya.

 

 

 

Nineteen miles north of Jagannatha Puri is Konarka, a most interesting

temple to Surya, the sun-god. Although it is very old and no longer used

for worship, many people come here every day. A Surya temple was here as

long ago as the 9th century, but the present temple was built in the 13th

century to resemble a huge chariot and has 24 gigantic stone wheels all

around it. There are also carvings of seven strong horses who pull the

chariot, and the temple is covered with many panels of stone figures depicting

many aspects of life, such as scenes with hunters, soldiers, ascetics,

maidens, birds, elephants, etc. There are also three green chlorite deities

of Surya in niches on the outside of the temple, reached by ascending flights

of stairs. The interior has been filled in and blocked up to help support

it. Outside the temple grounds are many shops who sell food or the usual

gamut of nick-nacks.

 

 

 

About six miles from Puri is the Saksi-gopala temple, located between

the Jagannatha Puri and Khurda Road Junction railway stations. A new station

called Saksi-gopala is there where people get off to visit the temple.

The Saksi-gopala Deity is the Gopala Deity who walked from Vrindavan to

Vidyanagara, a town located 20 to 25 miles from Rajahmundry on the banks

of the Godavari River. How this happened was that two brahmanas were traveling

and visiting the holy places. One was poor and young and was serving the

older and richer brahmana. The older one was so satisfied with the charitable

service of the younger brahmana that he vowed in front of the Gopala Deity

that he would give his daughter to the younger brahmana to be his wife.

Later, when they returned home, the older brahmana hesitated to fulfill

his promise due to pressure from his family. There was some controversy

about this between the two brahmanas and in a meeting with the people of

the town it was agreed that if the Deity Gopala would come to testify as

a witness, the older brahmana would give his daughter as promised.

 

 

 

The younger brahmana went back to Vrindavan and related the situation

to the Gopala Deity who finally agreed to walk. He told the brahmana that

He would follow him and that the sound of His ankle bells would indicate

He was there, but if the brahmana turned around to look, He would walk

no farther. So for 100 days they walked toward Vidyanagara, then the sound

of the Deity's ankle bells ceased to sound. The brahmana looked back and

the Deity was standing there smiling. The brahmana went to gather the people

of the town who were amazed to see the Deity. Then the older brahmana agreed

to give his daughter in marriage as promised and a temple was built for

the Deity. Later the King of Orissa, Purusottama, was insulted by the King

of Kataka (Cuttack). So Purusottama fought and defeated the King of Kataka

and took charge of the city. He then brought the Gopalaji Deity from Vidyanagara

to Kataka and built a temple there. The Deity also stayed in the Jagannatha

Temple for some time, but then was moved to a village about six miles from

Puri, called Satyavadi. Some time after that a new temple was constructed

where we find the Saksi-gopala Deity today.

 

 

Though the temple does not

allow foreigners inside, many people visit this temple with the understanding

that whether the Supreme is in the spiritual realm or expands Himself in

the material realm in the form of a stone Deity, He can change what is

spiritual into material and vice versa whenever He wants. This is why a

stone Deity can do what is considered miraculous things, like walk, talk,

etc. Thus, it is accepted that the bona fide Deity of the Supreme is

nondifferent

from the Supreme Himself.

 

 

 

These are some of the significant events and places that we can find

in and around the town of Jagannatha Puri.

 

 

 

[Click

here] to see some most interesting photographs of the amazing Ratha-Yatra

festival at Jagannatha Puri of June, 2001.

 

 

What if a “dirty bomb” exploded over a large segment of U.S.population that

simultaneously exposed citizens to Hepatitis B,Hepatitis A, tetanus, pertussis,

diphtheria, three strains of polio viruses, three strains of influenza, measles,

mumps, and rubella viruses, two types of meningitis, four strains of herpes

viruses, the chickenpox virus, 7 strains of Streptococcus bacteria, and four

strainsof rotavirus.

 

• We would declare a national emergency.

• It would be an “extreme act of BIOTERRORISM

• The public outcry would be immense and our government would react accordingly.

 

 

 

And yet, those are the very organisms we inject into our babies and our small

children in multiple doses, with immature, underdeveloped immunesystems, many at

the same time with vaccines.

But instead of bioterrorism, we call it “protection.” Reflect on that irony.

 

- Dr Sheri Tenpenny, MD

 

 

 

 

 

 

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