“My Lord, You are so kind that You willingly protect all those who simply bow down to You with respect, and thus You mercifully relieve all the distress of Your servants,” Srimad Bhagavatam (11.5.33)
A gigantic bell, now on display at Niladri Vihar museum near the western gate of Srimandir, portrays one of the myriad embodiments of Lord Jagannath’s blessings on His devotes who surrender to Him.
Storm in sea
This dates back to the mid-eighteenth century when Goa, Daman-Diu and Pondicherry were under Portuguese rule. Captain Beatow from France was sailing with his men to a small French settlement in Pondicherry where the country’s ‘largest’ church was being built. A special bell for the church was on board the ship. Although most of the crew and passengers were French, a few Indians were also on board. After unloading the cargo at Pondicherry, the French ship was to return to Europe.
As they passed through the Bay of Bengal and were sailing near Puri, the captain’s eyes caught the sight of an impending storm and a large sea creature advancing towards the ship. “Could that be a giant whale, or some monstrous sea animal, big enough to cause a catastrophe to the ship? Alas, the gusting winds are tearing at the sails. There seems no way out to tackle the unavoidable end,” the captain muttered to himself.
“Haunted by helplessness, he rang the warning bell and shouted to the crew to look out for themselves. In no time, some frightened passengers encircled him while others took unsuccessful attempts to save their lives,” says Surendra Kumar Mishra, a scholar at Sri Jagannath Sanskrit University in Puri. He says the more he observed the approaching danger, the more he capitulated to it. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Any hope to save a single passenger looked thin.
“With the shadow of death looming large, a bewildered Beatow was running about the ship frantically when he caught the sight of a ‘composed’ elderly man sitting quietly on the upper deck of the ship without a sign of anxiety,” Mishra says. Surprised by his calmness, the captain asked “What are you doing?”
“I’m praying Lord Jagannath,” the old man replied, pointing to a hand-drawn portrait of three deities that he held close to his heart. Who is He? asked the captain, pointing to Lord Jagannath.
“He’s the Supreme Solace…the saviour. He’ll certainly save us from this disaster,” the old man replied before resuming his prayer. With death approaching on one hand and no option on the other, the captain offered his prayers to the Lord, saying “Oh god! Please save us from this catastrophe!”
“Perplexed, the captain surveyed again. To his surprise, he saw through his binocular, the whale changing its course and the storm losing its temper. Within seconds, the storm died and the ship had smooth sailing,” says Mishra. The captain announced, “We are saved! Lord Jagannath saved us from sure death!”
With tears welling up in his eyes, Beatow rushed to the old man and embraced him. “Lord Jagannath has answered our prayers,” he said in a choking voice. “What can I do for the pleasure and mercy of the Lord? I can offer the bell which was intended to be sent to Pondicherry church to Lord Jagannath,” the French captain said.
After a few days, the ship anchored off the Puri shore. Beatow presented the bell and cash to the temple. He lowered his head and paid obeisance to the Lord near the Lions’ Gate.
Act of faith
Beatow’s act of faith and admiration for Lord Jagannath created a furore in Europe with the Pope pressurising the French government to take back the bell from the Lord’s abode. After drawing flak from several quarters, the French government wrote to the British in India to return the bell but, to no avail.
Even the Srimandir authorities rejected the demand, saying donations once made become His property. In a desperate attempt to take back the bell, the French government approached Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, but, in vain.
“The bell, which was on display on the northern part of the shrine, was used in the rituals. However, due to prolonged exposure to adverse climate, it developed cracks. A Nepal king donated another bell that replaced Beatow’s,” Mishra says, adding it is now on display at Niladri Vihar museum.
Prasanjeet Mohanty, OP