Soon after completing the construction of Jagannath Temple centuries ago, the early rulers of the Eastern Ganga dynasty accorded emperor status to Lord Jagannath. Since then, He has been the Supreme Lord of this land. The other rulers of smaller kingdoms under erstwhile Utkal were regarded as the Lord’s representatives and were given respect. Gradually, the history of Jagannath became part of the identity of Odisha. The Lord is a part and parcel of every Odia entity. No wonder, a devotee can’t separate himself from the Lord as his Lord also has the lifestyle of a human being.
“According to the descriptions in various religious texts, Lord Jagannath has been doing all Manabiya Leelas (humanly acts). So, a devotee here doesn’t see the idols as the representation of gods because, like human beings, they perform daily activities like brushing teeth, bathing, and wearing various colourful clothes and ornaments. The foods served to the deities are also the traditional foods of the state. The dainika neeti (daily rituals) matches the day-to-day activities of a common man, so he believes that Lord Jagannath is one among us,” says Bhaskar Mishra, a former official of Srimandir administration who has authored more than 40 books on various aspects of Lord Jagannath. He is credited for penning Shree Jagannath Gyanakosha, known as the only encyclopaedia with authentic information on Lord Jagannath in Odia.
There is agreement among Jagannath scholars that Lord Jagannath symbolises God as a human being. The rebirth concept is symbolised in the Nabakalebara ritual held every 19 years wherein the old body is discarded for a new one. With just three days to go before this year’s Rath Yatra, Sunday POST takes a look at the daily activities of the Trinity.
Dwaraphita – The first activity of the day in Jagannath Temple is Dwaraphita or opening of the door of the Lord’s bedroom. The doors are opened one hour and 12 minutes before sunrise. All the servitors, including the five main servitors of the temple, remain present at that time. Then, the servitors call out Manima (O Lord!) in a soft voice and knock at the door. They enter the room, bolt the door from inside and check whether everything is in order. At that time, the devotees sing traditional songs about the glory of the Lord. After checking the bedroom thoroughly, the servitors open the door for the day for the devotees (the subjects) for darshan. Then the Mangal Alati begins. This is the first darshan of the Lord that the devotees get during the day.
Mailama and Tadapa Lagi – This is the ritual when the deities discard their used clothes and wear fresh cotton clothes to complete their daily chores. All floral ornaments and silk clothes are removed by the servitors. The floral ornaments are distributed among the servitors and a part of it goes to other deities like goddess Bimala and Laxmi. Another part is sent to Gajapati Maharaja. The rest of the floral ornaments are sold to the devotees. A floral locket often sells at Rs 1,000 a piece. Then the servitors hold a long piece of cloth in front of the deities and others make them wear white cotton clothes before the Abakasha ritual.
Abakasha – Since the Lord leads a life like that of human beings, the first activity of the day is the brushing of teeth and a bath. Camphor and crushed betel nut is used in the teeth-cleaning twigs used for brushing. These rituals are conducted symbolically. The servitors hold a mirror before the deities and do the cleaning on the images reflected on the mirrors. Golden tongue cleaners are used for tongue cleaning. Curd, amla and basil leaves are used for bathing. The bath water is distributed among the devotees. An astrologer remains present in the room during this time and foretells how the day will fare for the deities.
Sahanamela – It is like attending the grievance cell of a government office. The devotees tell the Lord their sorrows and seek blessings at Sahanamela. It takes place twice a day and the devotees don’t have to pay anything for this darshan. It is free of cost. Children are prohibited from entering the room. The sanctum sanctorum is thoroughly cleaned after this ritual and the deities are given Sadhabesha or plain look. Only turbans are added to the attire and they are adorned with floral ornaments before they take their first meals of the day.
Gopalballav Bhog – This is the first snack for the deities before their breakfast and is considered the most ancient tradition of the temple. This dates to the days of Jajati Keshari, a king of the Soma dynasty in the 11th century. Two hundred and twenty eight small coconut ladoos, 29 big coconut ladoos, 44 baskets of Ukhuda (fried paddy sweetened with jaggery), ripe bananas in large quantity, coconut slices, and about 400 gm of curd are included in the servings. Earlier, guava was part of the ‘bhog’ but at present it is not included in the list. The temple administration, however, has added khuamanda (a delicacy stuffed with dried whole milk), rabdi (condensed milk), milk cream and curd to the bhog.
Sakala Dhupa – This is the breakfast served to the deities between 10 am and 12 pm. The sanctum sanctorum is once again sanctified after the Gopalballav bhog ritual. Before the Sakala Dhupa, the room is decorated with rangoli. The Pujapanda servitors lay three pieces of cloths (asanas) before the deities and the room is freshened with smoke generated from gugul (a kind of fragrant resin) and sandalwood dust. Then the meals (details of meals in the box) are served to the deities. During this period, the door is kept closed while devotees beat cymbals outside the room. The devotees are offered mouth fresheners that include betel leaves, elaichi, betel nut, and javitri. An arati is conducted.
After Sakala Dhupa is over, the door is opened and one more Mailama, or change of clothes, is done by the servitors. The deities are adorned with day-specific attire. The turban is removed after the meals.
Madhyanha Dhupa – This is the lunch for the Trinity. This serving is special because more items and quantity are added to the menu. The utensils used in Sakala Dhupa are cleaned and brought back again for Madhyanha Dhupa. Again ‘asanas’ are laid, rangolis are drawn and the deities are served with varieties of delicacies. This is done between 2.30 pm to 3.00 pm.
The deities wear a fresh set of clothes after the end of Madhyanha Dhupa. This time they wear silk clothes, scarfs, turbans and netted clothes and are adorned with one more set of floral ornaments.
Madhyanha Pahuda – This is the time when the deities take rest after lunch. The timing is 4.30 pm. However, most of the time they don’t get that opportunity due to increasing numbers of devotees waiting for darshan. For Pahuda, three ‘Palankas’ (gem-studded beds) are brought to the sanctum sanctorum below the Ratna Simhasan (gem-studded throne). Flavoured paans are kept for the deities during the ‘Pahuda’. The Bada dwara pratihari (designated servitor) urges the Lord to take rest by saying, Manima, Ratna Simhasana Chhadi Ratna Palankare Bije Huantu (O Lord, leave the throne and come down to take rest on the bed). The door remains closed for visitors.
Dwaraphita II – During this ritual, the servitor opens the door and requests the Lord to leave the bed and move to the throne again, saying, Manima, Ratna Palanka Teji Ratna Simhasanare Bije Karantu (O Lord, please leave the bed and move up to the throne). Then, the beds are removed from the room which is thrown open for devotees (subjects). Then Sandhya or evening Arati is performed followed by one more Mailama and Besha. After that the deities are served with Sandhya Dhupa or evening snacks. After Sandhya Dhupa, the deities are readied for one more Sahanamela. However, for the last few years, this is not being conducted due to difficulties in maintaining the daily schedule. One more Mailama (change of clothes) and Chandan Lagi is done before the Bada Singhara Besha (final adornment of the day) of the deities. Chandan Lagi is application of sandalwood paste on the deities. About 225 grams of sandalwood is required for the ritual.
Bada Singhara Besha – The deities look most attractive in this attire. The Trinity wears the Geeta Gobinda Khandua Pata at this time. The cloth is special and not used in any other shrine of the country. The speciality of this silk cloth is the shlokas of Geeta Gobinda that are embroidered on it. A set of Geeta Gobinda Khandua Pata costs around Rs 28,000 and eight sets are required annually for the deities. The deities wear turbans and are decorated with floral ornaments only in this Besha. The ritual of Bada Singara Dhupa/ Raja Bhoga/ Kothabhoga is conducted following the adornment.
Ratra Pahuda – This is the final ritual of the day performed by 17 types of designated servitors before the deities retire to bed. Three beds for the deities, 14 green coconuts, flowers, camphor, paan, and material to seal the doors are used for the ritual. This apart, the golden idol of Shayana Thakura (deity of sleep), said to be a conjoined figure of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Yoganidra, is brought to the sanctum sanctorum to complete the ritual. When the Shayana Thakura enters the room, a group of selected singers sing couplets from the Geeta Govinda. It continues till the return of the ‘deity of sleep’. All the doors are kept closed for the ritual.
BIJAY MANDAL. OP