History of Sri Jagannath Temple

There was a great rotary king named INDRADUMNYNA ruling from the city of ABANTI in the state of MALAB. It is also believed that he was a great devotee of BHAISNAB DHAMA and 5th son of Lord VISHNU in a temple. One day when the king heard the details story regarding BHUSHANDI-KAK (a crow named Bhushandi) from LOM-MAHARSHI and obtain the fresh TULASI and SANDAL of Lord Jagannath, immediately started his journey to NILACHAL with his family he heard the sound of various bells. He thought it is the real place of NILACHAL. But MAHARSHI NARAD told to king Indradumnya place of HARA (SIVA) which is known as EKAMRA KANA as your desire in feature it will be known as HARI HARA MILAN STHALI (the tryst of Hari and Hara) presently named BHUBANESWAR. Later the image of Billwa (Wood apple) and tulasi (sacred basil) leaf are being worshipped here and images of Brushava (bull) and garud (the charioteer of Lord Vishnu) are also stationed in its front. On the top of the temple one portion is half wheel and Trishul(Trident). Before Indradumnya reached at Nilachal, the Lord Jagannath ordered the MAHODHAHI (Sea) to cover NILACHAL (Blue Mountain with sand). The king became despondency not to find the image Vishnu at Nilachal. Saint Narad told to king "Oh king Indradumnya do not be desperate try to search the lord, you must get here.

The king Indradumnya deputed some group Brahamins in tour side. One Brahamin named BIDYAPATI who among those groups of brahmins traveling many places arrived at BISWA BASU's (the Sabara ruler) house at sea shore. Bidyapati stays in Biswa Basu's house some days and fell in love with his daughter Lalita and married her. Bidyapati found that everyday the king Biswa basu was going secretly to "Blue Mountain" for worshipping a lord. Then Bidyapati return back and gave a complete picture of the deity in Nilagiri(blue mountain) to king Indradumnya. The king accompanied with a huge army arrived at Nilagiri to fetch the deity, but found the deity was missing and was very much depressed.

At the same time he heard a divine voice "O king near the river mouth called BANKIMOHAN at sea shore; you will find me shortly in the form of DARU (a log of wood) and install me in a temple for worship". In NILADRI MAHADYA(6-94-96), the Lord revealed to king Indradumnya as follows...."O pious king, here I shall dwell permanently on this lovely Nilagiri (Blue mountain) at Purosattama Khetra (Sri Khetra, Puri) no matter whether the temple; collapse or my image broken into small pieces. In course time, if any one builds here another temple, there shall I abide, O king to honour your glorious deed. O noble monarch, I repeat this truth three times ever shall reside here in spite of relating of the building or the form of apparent. Some scholars says that the images of Lord Jagannath Lord Balabhadra and goddess Subhadra have been imagined from the mono symbolic "OMKAR" other opinion says that the worship of the wooden-deity’s owes its origin to the tree worship of the aboriginals. Old Scriptures like SKANDA PURAN, KAPILA SAMHITA and SARALA MAHABHARAT described different types of stories about the origin of Jagannath. The great oriya poet Sarala Das written in SARALA MAHABHARAT Lord Jagannath as Sri Krishna.

After the end of Mahabharat era Lord Krishna was taking rest under a cradle of SIALI-LATA (a wild throne plant) at that time a tribes man named JARA-SABARA ( Angad, Son of king Bali in Treta yuga) wounded Sri Krishna severely shooting on mistakenly and inform to Pancha-Pandava. On arrival of Panch-Pandavas the Lord Krishna advice them and took away the heavenly power from the best archer Arjun and left his earthly body. The Panch-Pandavas in a melancholy mood carried the deadly body to the East Sea and cremated there, but surprisingly the heart could not be destroyed thus thrown away in to the sea. The undestroyed heart began to float as a glowing Luster (JYOTI) on the sea surface. After long period, Biswa Basu a tribal king noticed the divine luster and collected it. This divine luster tromped in a blue-stone statue. This PARAMBIGRAHA (statue) became known as NILAMADHABA in NEELA KANDARA (in Cave of Blue Mountain) and was worshipped by BISWA BASU. After hearing the divine voice the king Indradumnya collected the DARU (log of wood) from sea-shore and kept in a room (now which is known as GUNDICHA TEMPLE) and want to carving the DARU into image. Indradumnya engaged many connoisseur carpenters to engraving the DARU but they failed to do so. When king was in big trouble then the preceptor of architect Lord BISWAKARMA arrived to earth from heaven in disguise of an old carpenter. He promised to perform the engraving work with in 21 days. There was a condition for the work that the engraving work of idol would be done in a sealed room so that no one should be allowed to open the room on or before 21 days the stipulated period. The king agreed to the condition and the engraving work commended. Even after passing 15 days Lord Biswakarma could not reach to the actual picture of image. Then a divine voice uttered "Listen Biswakarma now I am spreading two more images to your view of which one is creator and the other one is destructor and me as the observer which you have seen in yagna (a holy fire ceremony) and go ahead for completion". Then Biswakarma cut the Daru (wooden log in six fragments and engraved four fragments in LORD BALABHADRA, LORD JAGANNATH, GODDESS SUBHADRA and LORD SUDARSHAN. It is believed that two other fragments were carried to ASSAM STATE. Before stipulated time due to utter curiosity the Queen GUNDICHA opened the door of the sealed room and stunned to surprise that the old carpenter was in the room. There she found four incomplete wonderful embodiments idols were laying. The king broke down in grief on such state of affairs. Just then a heavenly voice utter to king "Install these half made images on a jewel throne and worship them as Lord Balabhadra, Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Sudarshan.

Then the king constructed a beautiful temple in the centre of SAKHA-KHETRA (place of conch shell) and install the images on the throne and went to BRAMHALOK (HEAVEN) along with saint Narad to invite Lord Bramha for consecrate the temple. In the mean time, on the earth few eras were passed. By that time no relatives of king were alive and the temple was buried in sands. A king Galamadhab reached the spot while loitering in the sea shore then the toe of his horse struck against the top of temple. Then Galamadhaba remove the sands around the temple recover its shape and taken in his custody after some repairs. When Indardumnya return from BRAMHALOK (heaven) with Lord Bramha and other saints he found Galamadhaba claiming the temple as his own achievements and his property and want to know the witness so Indradumnya war obviously worried. The turtles of Indradumnya tank and four hands of Bhusandi (the crow) on the Kalpabata Tree (a banyan tree inside the temple) stated before Lord Bramha stated before the Lord Bramha that Maharaj Indradumnya is the real builder and founder of the temple of course the old temple of Indradumnya does not exist at present.

Next during 9th century A.D belonging to Somadynasty the king Jajati Kesari of orissa built a small temple of Lord but due to effect of the saline wind of sea that temple was damaged. In 12th century A.D the king Chodagangadev the founder of GANGA dynasty built a temple for Lord, which is proved by a verse occurring on the copper plate. The presently temple was completed by the king ANANGABHIMA DEV but history remain silent. In 11-15th century A.D the GANGA dynasty king were very powerful in orissa. They have under taken various important works on the worship of lord. In 15-16 AD century then came the imperialistic surya banshi who bore the little GAJAPATI and were more responsible for form to the rites and rituals of lord. During this period the king (Gajapati) as the real king of orissa and he was the subordinate of lord Jagannath. The Gajapati's were the sole superitendents of Jagannath Temple. After the lost of independence of Orissa in 1568 AD, the managing power passed one after another into the Afghans, Mughals, Marathas and British. But Gajapati of Puri is the ex-office co-chairman of the managing committee. King Gajapati is one of main Sevayat of Lord like other Sevayats. [1]

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