Worship of Lord Jagannatha

By editor, 7.5 2015

Excerpts from "Daily Life And Work In India" by W.J. Wilkins, c. 1881.

A short description of the worship of Lord Jagannatha in India, in the main temple in Puri, Orissa, and the festivals celebrated, during the 19th century, from the point of view of a British Christian missionary.

Holy Places And Pilgrims

The next place of pilgrimage is Puri, the scene of Jagannatha's worship; or if the distance is too great, as similar images with their cars are to be seen elsewhere, the people visit one of these minor shrines.

The object of a visit to Puri is to see Jagannatha, as the sight of this deity is said to have the same effect as bathing in the Ganges at Saugar. To see Jagannatha is to cleanse the soul from sin. All other temples are visited with the object of worshipping the idols; but it is to seeJagannatha, or rather his image, that is considered the great good.

It is not a difficult thing for the pilgrims to see the image of Jagannatha in the temples where he is worshipped, excepting at Puri, his chief shrine, of which in some respects the other places are but copies, for in the village temples the image is generally visible; but at Puri, it is almost impossible for it to be seen. The explanation is this. The sanctum in which it is kept is quite dark, the image is black, and the pilgrims are not allowed to remain long in front of it, but are hurried along by the temple officials. Before entering the promenade in front of the image, they have to walk round the building two or three times. During this walk, their attention being directed towards the high walls, the glare from the sky on the whitewashed walls is such that when the people enter the temple they can see nothing for a time, and as they pass out have to confess that they could not see Jagannatha… At certain festivals the people come in tens of thousands to this place, and as the image is then fully exposed to view, they are able to catch sight of it. Many die on the journey to and fro; but there is this consolation for them - the Hindu scriptures distinctly promise that if a pilgrim sets out for Jagannatha's temple and die on the way, he secures all the benefits that would have come to him had he lived until he reached the place.

The image of Jagannatha … is an almost shapeless block of wood, with no legs, and stumps only for arms. A legend accounts for this. Centuries ago, as the worship of Vishnu - and Jagannatha is declared to be only another form of Vishnu, - had ceased in the district, a king prayed to the god to appear and re-establish his worship there. The request was acceded to: the god manifested himself to the king, and instructed him to build a temple, and promised to send the architect and builder of the gods to prepare an image, by which he could be always represented upon earth. The king, delighted with this honour, did his part; and when all was ready, Visvakarma, the divine workman, came down and began his work in an enclosure that was protected by high walls from the gaze of the multitude. Not wishing to be seen at his work, the heavenly visitor gave strict orders that he was not to be overlooked as he prepared the idol. For some days his wishes were respected; but at length the curiosity of the king overcame his discretion, and led him to get a ladder that he might have a peep at the great work in progress. But this curiosity was not passed over: the angry deity returned to heaven, leaving the image in its unfinished state. The king was greatly disappointed at first as he saw the shapeless block of wood, but was reassured by Vishnu that … it should still be regarded as his representative. To this day, whenever the idols are renewed at Puri, this … model is followed. On the festival days of Jagannatha, gold or silver hands are fixed to the stumps of arms. …

It is a very noticeable thing that at Puri, Hindus of all castes eat together. In the presence of the god, the caste distinctions that are elsewhere so carefully observed that many would die rather than neglect them, are at the feasts within the temple enclosure quite forgotten; and the high and low caste people may be seen partaking together of the rice that has been sanctified by being cooked in this holy place, which to many of the people is the most sacred upon earth. …

Religious Festivals

The Jagannatha festivals are three in number, there being an interval of about a fortnight between the first and second, and between the second and third.

1. The Snan Jatra, or Bathing Festival.

Puri, a town on the sea-coast of Orissa, is the head-quarters of this worship. Year by year over a hundred thousand pilgrims set out from their homes to be present at this festival; but, owing to the exposure and privations of the journey, hundreds perish by the way in going or returning. The expenses of travelling to and living at Puri are so great, that some die of starvation on the return journey, whilst many beg their food as they travel. As, however, there are images of the deity in many places, and the ritual at Puri is carefully followed, those who cannot undertake the long journey to Orissa content themselves with a visit to a village nearer home where the festivals are observed.

The Snan Jatra is a festival in which the idol is bathed in public. On a high platform, around which from eighty to a hundred thousand people are assembled, the priests go through the ceremony of bathing the image of the Lord of the world. As the ceremony proceeds there is the greatest solemnity amongst the crowd of spectators; but when the signal is given that it is completed, the cry of "Jai, jai, Jagannatha!" ("Victory, victory to Jagannatha!"), bursts forth with such fullness of sound that it can never be forgotten. Of all the ceremonies of Hinduism that I have seen, this is by far the most impressive. As soon as the bathing of the image is over, the people wander amongst the stalls, and business and pleasure rule the day.

The exposure during the bath is supposed to give fever to the god, so for a fortnight the temple doors are closed. During this time, as the image has become discoloured owing to the flowers, water, etc., that have been thrown upon it in the course of the year, it receives a fresh coat of paint; so that, when it is brought to view at the Car Festival, it is resplendent in its new colours.

2. The Rath Jatra, or Car Festival.

As it is supposed that the fever has weakened the deity, fourteen days after his bath the image is taken from the temple, hauled upon a ponderous car and dragged to the temple of some other god, with whom it remains for a fortnight for change of air. I should mention that Jagannatha is generally attended by images of his brother, Balarama, and his sister, Subhadra. These cars are made after one model, though varying in size according to the wealth and taste of their owners. They have sixteen wheels of solid wood, and some of the cars are as high as two or three-storied houses. To these cars thick cables are attached, and thousands of the people gladly assist in hauling, as it is said that heavenly rewards await those who lay hold of the rope. At Puri a number of villagers receive their lands rent free on condition that they help in dragging the car; whilst the prince of the district rejoices in the title of "Sweeper of the temple of Jagannatha."

The cars have remained in place for a year, and there being no means of guiding them, when they begin to move they go with a rush: it is in this manner that accidents occur, although there are large numbers of police in attendance to keep the road clear. Any one seeing the ceremony, and witnessing the excitement of the crowd, would not wonder that occasionally some of the people should be crushed to death. But as was said before, the crushing of people is not a recognized part of the ceremony, nor is there anything in the character of the god to lead the people to imagine that sacrifice of a human life would be acceptable to him; his worship tends rather to its preservation than to its destruction.

3. The Ulta Rath, or Return of the Car.

This festival is not by any means so popular as the others and attracts far fewer people. After a visit of a fortnight, the image is again placed upon the car and taken back to its own temple; but it often happens that men have to be paid before they assist in pulling the car on its homeward journey.