Puri: Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri located in the state of Odisha is one of the most visited Hindu temples in the world.
The present temple was rebuilt from the 10th century onwards on the site of an earlier temple which was begun by King Anantavarman Chodaganga Dev – first of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.
Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are a trio of deities worshipped at the temple. The Jagannath temple is one of the four Dhams in India. It is believed that, Jagannath Dham should be the last stop to conclude the holy Hindu pilgrimage.
All three deities are made of wood. There is a tradition to replace these idols after every twelve years, by replicating the idols with wood of a new sacred tree, they are again honoured with in a big event.
There are many the wonderful legends associated with the Jagannath temple. It is beautiful as well as mysterious.
This temple contains many divine miracles inside it, where even the laws of science do not work here. One can see these wonders by visiting this temple, but even after much effort, some mysteries have not come to light yet. Some of them are as follows.
Waving against the wind
The temple’s flag (Patitapabana) always waves in the opposite direction of the wind and why it acts in such a way still remains a mystery.
Nila Chakra
The Nila Chakra is a disc with eight Navagunjaras carved on the outer circumference, with all facing towards the flagpost above.
According to beliefs, it is considered very auspicious to get a glimpse of it. Its positioning is such that no matter where you are in Puri, you will find the Chakra facing towards you.
Kitchen
The kitchen located in the temple of Shri Jagannath is considered to be the largest kitchen in the world.
In this kitchen, seven utensils are placed on top of each other for cooking ‘prasad’. This ‘prasad’ is cooked in clay pots, but the surprising thing is that during this time the dish of the utensil kept on top is first cooked and then the ‘prasad’ is cooked one after the other.
The sound of waves is not heard inside the temple.
The Singahdwara, which in Sanskrit means The Lion Gate, is one of the four gates to the temple and forms the main entrance.
Legend has it that you can’t hear the sound of waves after entering through the Lion Gate but as soon as you step out of the temple, you will hear the sound of waves clearly.
The site of the Jagannath temple has never been declared as a no-fly zone. Still, for some strange reason, no birds or plane fly above the temple. Some attribute this phenomenon to ‘divine force’.
Law of shadow fails
According to science if light falls on anything its shadow will definitely form. But the upper part of the temple of Lord Jagannath challenges this law of science because shadow is not visible at any time of the day.