1. A WOODEN PUPPET THAT SPEAKS
BY SUKANTA ROUT
(ssukantaa@gmail.com)
He is, devotedly, hailed as living deity, even though sculpted
out of a dead log. Unbelievable, yet true, a wooden puppet possessing a
pulsating heart. But his legs and, also, his hands from elbow down, have
never shaped up,...neither the nose and nor the ears...a weird half-built
body he is, yet so exquisite and delicate a sight that could mesmerise the
whole world! All adorably call him Jagannath.. the Lord of the Whole
Universe.
Scriptures tell an exciting story that the celestial sculptor Biswakarma
set to model the image out of wood, alone, inside the shrine, only after
bringing the King Indradumna round to promise to keep the doors shut
for twenty-one days he wouldd need to get it finished. Just the sound of
strokes of chisel on wood could be heard outside, for first few days. But
with each passing day, it grew fainter until one day well before the
deadline it fell quiet. Gundicha, the beloved queen of the King, who was
more concerned about the construction of God, feared that they had
been fooled; no work was in progress inside,she apprehended. On her
behest, King ,also suspicious, unlocked the door and explored a half-built
body where no legs, hands, nose and ears had emerged. While the royal
couple cursing their luck, they heard a voice from heaven, “I went back
since you went back on your words” and the voice from the void asked
them not to bemoan, assuaging that he had installed the essential part
of the body, the eyes.
Yes, the eyes where lies an irresistible spell that lures all whoever
looks at them.

2. He throws his arms effusively around the necks of them who turn
to him for succour from suffering or for pleasure of having an audience
with him. Suffering soon evaporates and pleasure, steadily, condenses. A
majestic and peerless conjuror he is , has conjured this wondrous world
just out of fun and fancy. This adorable deity of Odisha-a province in
India, designated as Jagannath, waves a magic wand and stashes away
all the cobwebs of disparity and eccentricity ensnaring races, religions,
faiths and followers that merge into blissful revelation of a new religionthe grand human religion.
Strange as he looks, Stranger are the ways he lives. He likes being
socialist, so share the offering with his sister Subhadra and brother
Blabhadra sitting alongside with him, on an altar decked with jewels .
Beyond the boundaries of religions he is secular by making room for
Pantheon of gods from across the faiths on the premises of his shrine
called Bada Deula.
Adorning his abode in Puri, an ancient city sprawling on the
shoreline of the Bay of Bengal since the pre-Vedic era about 4,000 years
ago, this fond friend of all, persistently makes it a point to pull off his car
on the way of hi annual ritualistic visit to his maternal aunt’s house, at
the grave of Salabeg, one of his greatest devotees from the Muslim
fraternity. Salabeg, son of Lalbeg, a Moghul Subedar at Cuttack from
1607 to 1608 AD, suffered from the fatal incurable disease of leprosy
invoking social stigma in those days . HIs mother, a convert into Islam
after her marriage as a Hindu widow to Lalbeg against her will, asked
him to go on a pilgrimage to Puri and appeal wistfully to Lord Jagannath
who could, alone, scour purulent blemishes out from all over his body.
But horribly the doors of the Lion Gate of his shrine fastened with the
latch of orthodoxy and eccentricity did not open for him. Turned out
from his door, he squatted on the edge of Bada Danda (Grand Road) and
wailed his heart out with strains of hymns and prayers. Lord Jagannath is
as much concerned and careful about his dear devotee as they are about

3. him. One day he waked up and saw to his surprise that all the scars from
his body vanished . In a hearty gratitude to his Lord, he spent the
remaining days of his life on the Grand Road penning and singing songs
in praise of His glory till his death. His grave now stands where he used
to sit and sing for prayers.
The blissful aura of the lord held sparkling fascination for faithful
and sinners, infidels and admirers ,alike, who visited him over the ages
receding
back
and
back
into
the
hoary
past.Budhists,Jains,Saivas,Saktas,Vaishnavas,Ganapatayas,Sauras,Nathas
,and all sects enticed by the more humane aspects of his cult have
ultimately embraced it. Noted saints like Adi Shankara, Ramanuja,
Madhavacharya, Tirtha, Kabir, Nanak and Chaitanya had taken fancy to
live in His close proximity. The traces of their visitation are still there in
the mutts and institutions they had built.
The majestic shrine that we see today was built by Ananta Barman
Chodaganga Dev during his reign in the twelfth century AD. In this
era,this cult rose as a common faith for all Hindus integrating Saivism,
Saktism and Vaishnavism into its own self.
Jagannath cult copying the everyday life of Odiyas also cultivates a
culture of equality of status. The king of Odisha, revered as a living deity,
serves the God as a sweeper sending a sweet message that nobody is
small or big in his eyes.
The large open dining yard on the premises of the shrine presents a rare
picture of the entire world dining together as a family. It preaches
Basudhaiva Kutumbakam, meaning the world is one family, which is the
essence of Hindusim. One can eat from anybody’s plate without being
looked down upon and everybody is eager to oblige others with a morsel
of mahaprasad from his plate. A delicious meal sends out a delicious
message that nobody is untouchable and intolerant in God’s world.
The daily life of the Lord is a reflection of the life of Odiyas. He eats, drinks and
suffers like any other

4. worldly man. He is served Sathie Pouti or sixty delicacies for dinner everyday.
Recitation of Gita Govinda, spiritual verses in Sanskrit composed by Saint poet
Jayadev, is a regular evening chore performed by dancing girls called Devadasis
to entertain him.
The Jagannath culture, the culmination of every faith and belief that Indians
follow, is a Gana Dharma (religion of the masses) signifying one common
religion for all to embrace.
Odiyas devotedly call him Wooden Deity.
-----------****---------