Interesting Mysteries Of Puri Jagannath Temple

Interesting Mysteries Of Puri Jagannath Temple

Shree Jagannath Temple of Puri is an important pilgrimage destination among Hindus and is one of the Char Dham (Four) Pilgrimages of Hinduism.

Jagannath Temple is famous for the annual Ratha Yatra (chariot) festival, in which three colossal chariots carry the deities are pulled and witnessed by millions.

A trio of deities Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are worshiped in the temple, which is not carved from metal but from scared neem logs and is ceremoniously replaced after every twelve or nineteen years.

For ages, there are a lot of mysteries surrounding the temple of Puri, Odisha. These mysteries are experienced by a lot of visitors and there is no logical explanation to them from science.

Also Read: Culture and Tradition of Odisha

1. The Sudarshan Chakra

The Sudarshan Chakra
Source: https://www.iskconbangalore.org

The Sudarshan Chakra is located on the top of the temple and weighs about a tonne and how such a heavy metal was placed so high in that century.

When you look at the Sudarshan Chakra it seems as if it is facing you and that is from any direction you look. It was designed to look the same when viewing from any direction.

2. Waving of Flag in the opposite direction

Waving Flag
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org

The flag mounted on the top of Jagannath Temple always flows in the opposite direction of the wind. As per science everything a small piece of cloth or a giant sails on the ship will flow in the direction of the wind but science is yet to solve this mystery of the Jagannath Temple flag flowing in the opposite direction of the wind.

3. There is no shadow of the dome

Temple Jagannath

No one till now is able to see the shadow of the temple dome during any time of the day. There is some supernatural force, architectural marvel, or an engineering feat that causes no shadow of the main dome of the temple.

4. No-fly Zone

No fly zone
Source: http://www.shreekhetra.com

This area is naturally a no-fly zone for anything, not even a single bird can be seen flying above the temple dome. There is no scientific explanation as to why skies are empty above the temple.

5. Prasadam mystery

Mahaprasad

The kitchen in Jagannath Temple is the largest in the world where Prasad is cooked for daily visitors. The daily same amount of prasad is cooked in the temple and is always sufficient and never wasted even when the number of visitors varies from 2000 to 20,000.

6. Cooking Prasadam

Puri Jagannath Temple Kitchen
Source: https://jagannath.shop

The Prasadam cooked in Jagannath Temple Puri is done in earthen pots, where seven pots are kept one above another over firewood. The amazing and magical fact is that the food in the topmost pot is cooked first than the one in the bottom which is cooked at the last.

Suggested Read: Konark Sun Temple

7. Simhadwaram Mystery

Simhadwaram Mystery
Source: http://jagannathtemplepuri.com

The Jagannath temple has four doors, the main entrance to the temple is the Singha Dwara entrance in an easterly direction and when you enter the door you can clearly hear the sound of the ocean nearby. But these sounds remain unreachable to your ears while you are inside the temple and until you come out of the temple.

8. Breeze Mystery

Puri Beach

 

Its general fact that during day time the breeze from the ocean blows towards the land while in night breeze flow from land to the sea. But here at the shores of the Jagannath Temple, this fact is reversed, here breeze flows from land to sea during the daytime.

Suggested Read: Odissi

9. 1800 old ritual performed daily

flag changing in puri

Every day a temple priest climbs the walls of the temple to change the temple flag and this ritual is as old as the temple and is said that if this ritual is skipped one day then the temple will be shut for 18 years.

10. The disintegration of the Deities

Nabakalebara Ritual
Source: http://jagannathtemplepuri.com

Every 12th year the old idols are replaced with new ones and buried below the new idols and this is called Nabakalebara Ritual. The interesting fact is that the old idol disintegrates on its own.

Suggested Read: Utkal Diwas / Odisha Day

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Simmi Kamboj

Simmi Kamboj is the Founder and Administrator of Ritiriwaz, your one-stop guide to Indian Culture and Tradition. She had a passion for writing about India's lifestyle, culture, tradition, travel, and is trying to cover all Indian Cultural aspects of Daily Life.