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Odhisa: Culture & Heritage
Facts about the Jagannath Temple that will Leave you Wonderstruck!
Jun 29, 2020
By: Student Contributor, University Blog Team
- It is observed that the flag which is located at the top of the temple dome is known as the ’Bana’ in Odia. Always waves the opposite direction of airflow.
- A ritual that goes back to 1000 years or more. A priest climbs the dome of the temple, as tall as a 45 storied building and changes the flag everyday Since 1800 years as a part of the customary rituals of the temple. And missing out on this ritual can lead to the temple shutting down for the next 18 years.
- The Colossal chakra that is the ’Sudarshan Chakra’ is 20 feet in height and weighs a ton, placed on top of the temple and is said to be visible from every corner of the city and when one takes a glance at it, it looks like it’s facing you.
- Nobody knows how the Chakra was placed. The chakra was brought all the way up on the gopuram 2000 years ago. The engineering techniques still remain as a mystery unearthed.
- The Sea. If we consider any place on earth, during daytime the breeze from the sea comes to land and vice versa in the evening but in Puri, it is observed to be just the reverse.
- Nothing flies above the temple, absolutely nothing. Strange but true! No planes, not even birds are ever spotted flying over the temple.
- An engineering marvel. The temple is constructed in such a way that the shadow of the main dome of the temple cannot be seen at any given point of time.
- The mystery of the ’Mahaprasad’ The count of devotees visiting the temple daily varies from 2000 to 20,00000. But the quantity of Mahaprasad cooked in the temple remains exactly the same throughout the year and none of it goes wasted or insufficient any given day.
- The Mahaprasad is cooked in pots using firewood. Exactly 7 pots are placed on top of another and surprisingly the topmost pot is cooked first followed by the bottom pots in order.
- The mystery of the ’Singhadwara’. There is an ocean near the temple. When one is entering the Singhadwara (The main door) of the temple, one can clearly hear the sound of the ocean. And after one passes the Singhadwara and takes a turn and walks back in the same direction you walked, you cannot hear the sound of the ocean unless one walks out of the temple.
- The annual Chariot festival is well known as ’Rath Yatra’ is a ritual being performed for centuries now. It is performed with 2 sets of chariots where the 3 idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra are placed. They are better known as siblings. There is a river flowing between the Jagannath Temple and Mausi Maa temple. The first set of chariots used to bring the deities to the river and the deities are further ferried with 3 wooden boats and then placed in the second set of chariots to reach the Mausi Maa temple.
- The idols are changed every year. The old idols of the deities are buried on one another and it is said that they disintegrate on their own.
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