Odisha Review
L ord Jagannath is considered as
form of Vishnu or incarnation of
Krishna by the Hindus. Many
Purana describes Lord Jagannath
as universal deity and Srikshetra as
most holy place on the earth. From
time immemorial Puri of Odisha has
been recognised as Sankhakhetra
and Lord Jagannath has been called
Purusottam, the supreme
consciousness. Sivapurana says,
'Purusottam kshetra is the only place
on earth which can liberate creatures
from earthly bondage and it is the
Jagannath Cult Through the Ages
place where the Supreme Lord has assumed
wooden form'.
The origin of the sacred deity goes back
to pre-Vedic period. Till now, it is difficult to
ascertain the exact date of the origin of Jagannath
cult. But various evidences corroborate the fact
that the cult has been growing since long
assimilating and incorporating the theological and
philosophical concepts of Jainas, Buddhists,
Saivites, Saktas, Vaishnavas, Sauras,
Ganapatyas, Sikh, Islam and Christianity. The cult
has integrated the diverse and centrifugal forces
of tribals, non-tribals, Brahmins, Non-Brahmins
JUNE - 2017
ISSN 0970-8669
and various linguistic as well as
ethnical sects. In the background
of various tenents, Jagannath
cult and its universal aspects has
relevance in present day. The
concepts of equality, unity, work
culture, national as well as
international integration do form
essential ingredients of
Jagannath cult.
The Jainas claim that the
name of Jagannath is derived
from the word ‘Jinanath’. They
Dr. Saroj Kumar Panda
argued Jagannath is the manifestation of
Rishabhanath because Rishabha means ‘jagat’.
The Buddhist scholars claim the evolution of
Jagannath triad derived from the ‘Triratna’ theory
of the Buddhist philosophy; the Buddha, the
Dhamma and the Samgha. Sri Jagannath as the
manifestation of Lord Buddha is also accepted
by a number of Odia laureates. Both the Jainas
and Buddhists claim the Car Festival of Sri
Jagannath symbolises a strict adherence to their
cults.
According to tradition, Sankaracharya
(788-820AD) in course of his spiritual conquest
85
ISSN 0970-8669
of India, stayed at Puri. He founded one of his
four pithas here, the other three being in Sringeri,
Dwaraka and Badrikasrama. This pitha known
as the Goverdhan pitha, still exists here at Puri.
During his stay at Puri, Sankara defeated the
Buddhist Pandits by his vast learning and
irrefutable arguments. He converted many of them
to his own faith and proclaimed Jagannath as
identical with the great Brahminical God,
Purushottam of Gita. It seems Sankaracharya
converted Jagannath from a Buddhist to a
Brahminical deity to strengthen the influence of
Brahminism at Puri, which was a strong centre of
Buddhism before his time.
Jagannath cult is an experiment in religion.
The elementary concept of Saivism, Saktism and
Vaishnavism were combined to a composite whole
during Ganga Dynasty. The movement of
Jagannathism aimed at making a synthesis of
various cults and sects found in religions but in
the process it did not exclusively represent any
one of them. Rather it has reduced the
heterogeneous elements to a homogeneous form.
In a way it is a Sarvadharma Samanwaya
(balancing all religions).
Lord Jagannath is the God of all religions.
Muslims like Kabir, Haridas,Salabega devoted
their entire life before Jagannath and sang Bhajans
and Janans in the praise of the Lord.
86
Odisha Review
Sankaracharya, Ramanuja, Kabir, Sri Chaitanya
and Guru Nanak have also visited Puri and were
greatly influenced by the assorted philosophy of
Jagannath cult. In Bible, the life sketch of Jesus
told that near about 12 years Jesus was vanished
from Jerusalem. It is a fact that Jesus was in
Srikshetra during this period. During his stay at
Puri he learned about Sanatana Hindu Dharma.
The book “The unknown life of Jesus Christ”,
“Aquarian Gospel of Jesus, the Christ” and the
“The life and work of Jesus in India” proved that
Jesus stayed in puri.
In spite of many cultural invasions and
various thoughts ‘Jagannath culture’ is maintaining
its uniqueness i.e. ‘Unity in Diversity’. The
speciality of the cult is that all the religions of the
world have been merged within it to make it
flexible, open and generous. The cult is based
upon ideals of democracy, principle of equality
,justice, honesty and integrity. So the cult of Lord
Jagannath is a beautiful combination of worldly
and cosmic realities.
Dr. Saroj Kumar Panda, Principal, Gadibrahma Degree
College, Delang, Puri, Email-saroj_kumarpanda
@yahoo.com
JUNE - 2017