"All ecclesiastical history is a mishmash of error and coercion.” Goethe
The resultant schism between scientific thinking and religious belief has presented every thinking person with an apparently unresolvable dilemma. Core tenets anchored in ecclesiastical traditions have become topics for debates for theologians. The debate between faith and logic will continue for ever and celestial incidents which will be backed by evidences will keep baffling human minds. One such example is the idol-making of the presiding deities of Puri.
Many such practices still cannot be explained by science, neither can be dismissed as coincidences. Nicolai Notovitch, who traveled through Northern India extensively and spent time in Hermis Monastery in Leh to trace Asian connections of Christ notes from the scriptures maintained by the Abbot that Jesus at the age of fourteen traveled with merchants through Sindh (now in Pakistan), Punjab, Gangetic plains to Jagannath Puri where he learnt to read and understand Vedas; and spent six years traveling through Benares, Rajagriha en route before returning to Israel.
Puri, also called Jagannath Puri after its presiding deity was the place where Guru Nanak of the Sikhs, Mahavir of the Jains, score of Muslim devotees including Kabir came to worship Jagannath. Puri, Dwarka, Rameswaram and Badrinath are the four most important pilgrimage places (dhams meaning abodes or religious centers) in India for the Hindus. These four religious centers are also referred to as Chaturdham (Chatur – four, dham – abode). However, another set of four religious sites in the Himalayan region are also referred to as Chaturdham, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. But the first four, as described by Adi Sankaracharya; the Hindu religious leader of the 8th century, are the four most important places of pilgrimage for a Hindu and are commonly referred to as four dhams. Puri, a small town by the Bay of Bengal in Orissa is the the abode of Lord Jagannath, a form of Lord Narayana; the deity of all Hindus, particularly the Vaishnavites (Worshippers of Vishnu).
The word Jagannath means Lord (Nath) of the Universe (Jagat). The temple, an architectural masterpiece, was constructed in the 12th century AD by King Ananta Varman Cholaganga Dev. There are myriads of folklores about the construction of the temple, which is, till today one of the most visited tourists’ destination.
The temple houses wooden idols of Lord Jagannath, his brother – Balabhadra and his sister – Subhadra. The idols are made of Neem wood. Lord Jagannath is possibly the only Hindu deity, who is associated with other religions. Buddha was an incarnation, Guru Nanak of the Sikhs spent time worshipping him in Puri. Jagannath temple is also known for the annual car-festival during the rainy season (in the month of June) when the three deities with Sudarshan (the weapon of Lord Jagannath) come out of the temple and are taken to Mausima temple, about three kilometers from the Jagannath temple in wooden chariots. Almost a million people attend this festival.
The wood used to carve out the deities is from neem tree (Azadirachta indica) , which is an evergreen tree found all over the country. It has various medicinal properties and its parts are used in the traditional Indian medicine. It is also related to the Sun and healing. However, no ordinary neem tree can be used for carving out the idols. There are many stringent conditions which must be fulfilled by the trees which will then be used to make the idols. For every deity, a different tree is used. The ceremony for making and installing the new idols is called Naba-kalebara (naba – new in Oriya, Kalebara – body). The old deity is buried in the temple premises in Koili Baikuntha after the new idol is installed following vedic rituals.
Naba kalebara or change of idols take place once in about twelve years, only when in the Hindu calendar of the year, there is a repetition of the month of ashadha (a month in the rainy season, coinciding with June). But at times, such months can come after 8 or 12 or even 18 years. In idols worshipped now were made in 1996.
The change of idols took place in the years of 1977, 1969, 1950, 1931, 1912, etc. The trees which are used are selected based on several celestial incidents, very much like the birth of Krishna or Buddha or Jesus. In the temple are many scriptures written on palm leaves, one of which is Niladri Mahodaya, meaning rise of the blue mountain. This book contains the details of the locations where daru (the neem tree) would be found. However, the geographical location is not well documented, and the tree is actually located following the directions from Goddesss Mangala in Kakatpur, a small village about 50 kilometers from Puri, on the way to Konark, the famous Sun Temple.
Myths galore exist about the wooden deities of Puri. It is said that Krishna, while resting, was shot by Jara, a tribesman who mistook the feet of Krishna to be the ear of a deer. The arrowhead, which was made from the cursed spear of the sage Durvasa, and was meant to wipe off the Jadav clan of Lord Krishna stuck him at his feet, and the lord breathed his last. As per his wishes, his disciple and friend, Arjun along with the tribal hunter cremated him in pyre. The whole body of Lord Krishna was turned into ashes, but for the heart (pinda). Following a divine order, the hunter threw the heart in the sea. It is said that this pinda or heart was seen floating as daru (log of a tree) in the sea. King Indradyumna, who was an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath retrieved the log.
However, his frustrations knew no bounds when not a single carpenter could carve out the idols. He submitted himself at the lotus feet of the lord to find a carpenter. A very old man appeared, who agreed to make the idol on condition of complete isolation and non-interference for three weeks. The carpenter retired to a secluded room and started his work, and the king – very impatiently, waited outside beginning the countdown. After two weeks, the king heard no noise from the room. Suspecting that the old carpenter might have passed away, he opened the door. Hardly had he looked at the carpenter when he vanished; leaving three unfinished idols. There stood the three deities, half-made. Their hands and legs were incomplete. It is also said that the present form has a strong philosophical underline. The deities do not have hands and legs; which signifies they will be stationary. The big round eyes will keep seeing every thing happening with even batting an eyelid. He would be surveying every thing happening, smilingly; and will react when the occasion demands.
A search party comprising of about 50 members sets out to spot the holy tree. It includes the descendants of certain families who had been traditionally serving the temple. They seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath and set out on their mission taking the permission of the King of Puri. The search party reaches Kakatpur, and one of the members, called the Daitapati prays Goddess Mangala. He sleeps in the temple premises in Kakatpur, praying the goddess to direct him to the correct location. In his dream, the goddess gives him the directions to the exact location. The next morning the party sets off to spot the holy tree.
The tree which will be used has to fulfill many conditions. Lord Jagannath is dark in color. So the neem tree from which his idol is to be carved out should be dark; whereas the trees which would be used for the idols of his brother and sister are lighter in color; as his siblings are fair! The neem tree for Lord Jagannath must have four principal branches – symbolizing four arms of Narayana. There must be a water body near the tree – like a river or a large pond and a cremation ground nearby. An ant-hill should be close to the tree and at the roots of the tree there mist be a snake-pit of a cobra. No bird must have made nests in the tree; and no branches would have broken or cut. The tree has to be located near a three-way or would be surrounded by three mountains. No creepers must have grown on the tree and there have to be Varuna, Sahada and Billva trees (these three trees are not very common) close by. There have to be a hermitage and a temple of Lord Shiva in the vicinity. The most amazing requirement is, on the tree trunk there must be natural impressions of conch-shell and chakra (wheel)! A neem tree which satisfies all the above conditions will be selected for making the idol. A fire sacrifice is made to invoke the blessings of all gods. Descendants of three different families will start the process of cutting the tree, which begins with a golden axe, followed by a silver axe and finally cut with an iron axe. The whole uncut trunk is carried to the temple premises on a wooden cart to be kept in Koili Baikuntha, the burial ground of the gods in the Jagannath temple.
The new idols will be made by the carpenter family serving the temple for generations. They take three weeks to make the idols, during which period no one other than the carpenters are allowed inside. Very much like the daru of Lord Jagannath, the process continues to locate the trees for Sudarshan, Subhadra and Balabhadra. In fact, the daru of Lord Jagannath is the last to be cut.
When the new idols are made, they are carried to the inner sanctum of the temple and kept facing the old idols. The three seniormost servants of the Lord belonging to the Daitapati family, three days before the car festival, transfer the Brahman or the life force (also referred to as pinda) from the old deities to the new. They are blind-folded and their hands are covered when they perform this. Once the new idols are installed, the old idols are taken to the cremation ground and buried in their respective places. No one is allowed to witness this process, and the whole town of Puri plunges into darkness during this. On the second day, the new deities are placed on Ratna Singhasan, the throne of the deities, and the rituals begin. The car festival following the installation of the new idols attracts more crowd than other years.
(My son in front of the chariots during the car festival on one of the off days in Puri in the first photograph; thanks to my younger brother who was in charge of the administration! The drawig of the three deities, the temple at night and the three cars in photographs. Other phtographs depict the naturally occurring impressions of Chakra or wheel and sankha or conch-shell on the neem tree. The photograph of the Car-festival of the three deities is taken by my son. I was fortunate to have witnessed this celestial incidence twice. In 1977, in Raychakradharpur a remote village in Puri district of Orissa; Lord Jagannath's daru was found, which I had seen myself. My memories of the Daru of Champajhar in 1969 is limited to a ride in a bullock cart through serpentine roads. Champajhar is in Khurdha district of Orissa. The video is from youtube, but the background score is from the inimitable Akshyay Mohanty rendering Dasavatar from Jayadev's Gitagovind)
Interestingly, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who donated more gold and silver to Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri than even to Golden Temple, had willed the Koh-i-noor diamond to Lord Jagannath (it was written in his will). But unfortunately, the will was never executed, and soon after his death in 1839, British took over his kingdom and acquired the possession of the diamond.
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