Jagannath facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jagannathଜଗନ୍ନାଥ |
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Jagannath is a Sanskrit name used to describe a deity form of Krishna. The term means master of the universe. Jagannath is considered amongst Vaishnavas to be a very merciful form of Krishna. The oldest and most famous Jagannath deity is in the city of Puri, in Orissa, India (the city is known to many as Jagannath Puri) where each year the famous Rath Yatra festival takes place.
The Temple of Lord Jaganatha
The Temple of Lord Jaganatha is one of the major temples in India. The worship of Lord Jaganatha is so ancient that there is no accurate record of how long it has been going on. It is strictly forbidden for non-Hindus to enter the Jaganatha temple. The temple known as Shrimandira to the devout is built in Kalinga style of architecture.
The Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha is particularly significant in Vaishnavism, and is regarded as one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites in India. The temple is massive, over 200 feet high, and one of the best surviving specimens of post-Gupta Empire era. It has been one of the major pilgrimage destination for Hindus since about 800 CE.
The annual festival called the Ratha yatra celebrated in June or July every year in eastern states of India is dedicated to Jagannath. His image is ceremoniously brought out along with his brother Baladeva, and sister Subhadra of the temple and pulled on huge chariots through the streets of Puri. It is transported to the Gundicha Temple (located at a distance of nearly 3 kilometres (1.9 mi). Millions of devotees attend this festival every year, including the King of Puri, who sweeps the path in front of Lord Jaganatha cart.
They stay there for a few days, and are thereafter returned to the main temple. Coinciding with the Ratha Yatra festival at Puri, similar processions are organized at Jagannath temples throughout the world. This festive public procession of Jagannath in Puri, where the heavy carriage becomes a "massive inexorable force, an unstoppable public campaign that crushes whatever is in its path" is the source of the word Juggernaut.
Festivals
A large number of traditional festivals are observed by the devotees of Jagannath. Out of those numerous festivals, thirteen are important.
- Niladri Mahodaya
- Snana Yatra
- Ratha Yatra or Sri Gundicha Yatra
- Sri Hari Sayan
- Utthapan Yatra
- Parswa Paribartan
- Dakhinayan Yatra
- Prarbana Yatra
- Pusyavishek
- Uttarayan
- Dola Yatra
- Damanak Chaturdasi
- Chandan Yatra
Ratha Yatra is most significant of all festivals of Jagannath.
Images for kids
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Jagannath icons are produced from wood. They are replaced every 8 or 12 or 19 years. Above: logs in transport to prepare the Jagannath icon.
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The Jagannath festivities in Puri attract crowds with no class or caste barriers. Some 19th-century writers saw this as one evidence for Buddhist origins, now a discredited theory.
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An old Dadhivaman deity in Kendrapara, Odisha. Shrila Bhakti Vinod Thakur's great forefather Krishnanada started worshipping this deity in mid-14th century AD.
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Jagannath in the Narasimha or Nrusingha Besha in Koraput
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Shri Jagannath with Shri Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra
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Balarama, Subhadra and Jagannath in the temple at Puri, with many human and sacred figures, buildings and animals. Oil painting by a painter of Puri, Orissa, ca. 1880/1910.
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The Ashwadwara at Puri with the statue of Jagannath on a white horse and Balabhadra on a black horse
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Shrila Prabhupada in Golden Gate Park with Jagannath deity to his right: February, 1967
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Claudius Buchanan's writings on "Juggernaut" were the first introduction of Indian religions to the American audience, and one that originated and constructed intercultural misunderstanding.
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The Jagannath symbol is a part of the Krishna iconography in ISKCON events around the world.
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Rath Yatra in Puri (2007).
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The Jagganath temple in Ranchi, Jharkhand
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See also
In Spanish: Jaganatha para niños
