மாறிமாறிப் பலபிறப்பும் பிறந்து அடியை
அடைந்து உள்ளம் தேறி*
The aim of life is to reach Him by serving Him and those who do
kainkaryam to Him. Srivaishnavaite way of life is singing paeans,
chanting divyaprabandham, doing service and having darshan at His various
abodes. For us, Kovil
Thirumalai Perumal Kovilwould
mean the divyadesams of ‘Thiruvarangam,
Tirumala Thirupathi and Thirukachi’. When we think of temples, the one at Thiruvallikkeni and
other divyadesams – its tall gopurams, the divine Vimanas and the most merciful
Moolava vigrahams and blemishless Uthsava vigrahams come readily to mind.
There are more ~those sung by Alwars being 108 Sri Vaishnava divyadesams and
the centuries old temples associated with our Acharyars being ‘Abimana sthalams’.
Just like our Kovil
Ozhugu, there is Madala Panji, a chronicle describing the historical
events of Odisha Jagannath Temple. In the state of Odisha [Orissa] lies
the famous ‘Jagannath temple’ in Puri, situate on the east coast. The
moolavar idols of Northern India are different than the ones in South India,
mostly in white marble. Puri Jagannath is different – Perumal is made of
sacred wood, which are ceremoniously replaced after few years. The
Navakalevara ceremony is an intricate set of rituals that accompany
the renewal of the wooden statues.
The Puri temple was
built in the 12th century
atop its ruins by the progenitor of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, King
Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva. The temple is famous for its annual Rath Yatra,
or chariot festival, in which the three main temple deities are hauled on huge
and elaborately decorated temple cars. Lakhs of devotees descend here at this
holy temple town for this festival.
Inside the huge temple,
the presiding deities are : Sri Jagannath (Lord Krishna), Balabhadra
(Balarama) and the Goddess Subhadra constituting trinity of deities
worshiped at the temple. The temple iconography depicts these three Gods
sitting on the bejewelled platform [ Ratnabedi ] in the inner sanctum.
Lord Jagannatha is the supreme God and the sovereign monarch of the
Odishan empire. The Deities are adorned with cotton and silk fabrics, Gold
Ornaments studded with precious stones, flowers of different varieties, Tulsi
leaves, sandal paste, camphor. These articles are used in the daily and
periodical rituals.
Pic credit : http://jagannathtemplepuri.com
Lord Jagannath temple at
Puri is built on a gigantic raised platform. The temple
complex is enclosed by a wall about seven meters high. The area of this platform
is more than 4,20,000 sq.ft. The wall is pierced by four gates, facing the four
directions. On the east-facing gate, there are stone images of two lions and it
is called the Simha dwara [Lions Gate]. The north, south and west facing gates
are similarly known as the Elephant Gate, the Horse Gate and the Tiger
Gate. As one stands at the Simha dwara, there is a monolithic
pillar about 10 meters high. This pillar is known locally as the Aruna
Stambha, associated with Aruna, charioteer of the Sun-god.
The main temple is a
curvilinear temple and crowning glory is the 'Sudarshana chakra /
Ssrichakra' (an eight spoked wheel) of Vishnu. Also known as the
"Nilachakra", it is made out of Ashtadhatu and is considered
sacrosanct. The vimana or tower is 215ft high, and in the evening, a temple
sevaka called Garuda sevaka climbs up to the tower to tie pieces of cloth
on the flagpole. This chakra is visible from almost all parts of Puri and would
appear to be facing you from wherever you are. The flag atop is believed
to flap in the opposite direction of the breeze.
The temple is situate on
expansive landscape and attracts crowds throughout the year; it swells by a few
more lakhs during the annual Rath Yatra. Sure you have heard of the word ‘juggernaut’ which in
English language is a literal or metaphorical of mighty force that is rolling. The
word is coined in an allegorical reference to the
famous Temple Car of Puri. The word has
its origin to Sanskrit Jagannātha ("Lord of the Globe",
combining Jagat ("world") and Natha ("lord"), which is one
of the names of Krishna found in the Sanskrit epics.
The annual Rath Yatra is
celebrated in the month of Ashada [June-July] whence the Presiding deities Lord
Jagannatha along with Lord Balabhadra and Subhadra – come out of the main
temple for an annual sojourn on decorated chariots, travel to Gundicha temple
about two and half miles to the northeast.
The festivity is of very
huge proportion, living embodiment of the synthesis of the locals, showcasing
the rich traditions of arts of Odisha.
Each year, the three chariots are constructed anew and decorated by a
large group of dedicated artisans of carpentry, ironsmiths, tailors, sculptors,
painters and other skilled. The chariots
of Lord Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra called Nandighosa, Taladhvaja and
Devadalana have 16,14, 12 wheels respectively and are over 40 ft tall. They are tastefully decorated with painted
wood carvings, Parsav devatas and a sarathi [charioteer], appliqué patterns,
flat metal shape and profuse flower garlands.
The chariots have canopies of different coloured cloth.
Gundicha temple
The much awaited event –
the ‘Ratha Yatra’ takes place on Asadha Shukla dvitiya, the 2nd day
in the bright fortnight of the first monsoon month. First in pahandi, the deities come out of the
Temple to the blowing of trumpets, ringing of bells, claning of cymbals,
beating of drums reaching a crescendo.
The Gajapati king of Puri sweeps the floor of each chariot with a golden
broom, sprinkles flowers and fragrant water. Then occurs the pulling of the Chariots after
the wooden horses are tethered.
The chariot of Lord
Balabhadra moves first, then Goddess Subhadra and then Lord Jagannath – a sea
of humanity fills every inch of the grand avenue of Puri and lakhs throng the famed
Puri for having darshan of this Rath Yatra.
The destination is the Gundicha temple, considered the birth place and
their garden house. The deities are kept
and worshipped here for a week, then they ride their chariots back to the main
temple.
A visit to the holy land
kindles our spirits and makes us feel happy enjoying the divine sublime
atmosphere. Here are some photos of the
Rathas taken last year.
adiyen Srinivasa dhasan.
26th June
2017.
