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This is an archive article published on July 14, 2005

A God who is secular

For centuries Puri has been an important centre of Hindu pilgrimage for the 12th century temple of Lord Jagannath stands here. From an autoc...

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For centuries Puri has been an important centre of Hindu pilgrimage for the 12th century temple of Lord Jagannath stands here. From an autochthonous beginning to his present highly sophisticated status, Lord Jagannath has been worshipped by tribals, Buddhists, Jainas, even Sikhs and Muslims. Important religious leaders of all creeds like Adi Shankaracharya, Guru Nanak, Ramanujacharya and Sri Chaitanya have been drawn to Lord Jagannath through the ages. They founded the matha (monastery) here which flourishes even today. Probably no other holy place in India has such diverse associations.

The confluence of many religious and sectarian streams, Lord Jagannath is a unique God who stands for secularism. And his annual Ratha Yatra — when he comes out of the temple to mingle with the crowds — is the story of religious integration as all barriers of religion and caste break spectacularly.

An example will perhaps convey the unique appeal. One of the most well-known devotees of Lord Jagannath was Salabega, a Muslim. Salabega, son of Lalbega, a Muslim subedar in the 17th century during Jehangir’s reign, was not allowed into the temple. Without losing hope he waited for darshan every year during the yatra and wrote bhajans singing the praise of God. Legend has it that the chariot of Lord Jagannath used to pause before Salabega to give him divine darshan. Salabega bhajans are among the most popular bhajans here today.

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Interestingly not only other religions but also various sects of Hinduism seem to have merged in the Jagannath cult. All this distinguishes him from all other deities of the Hindu pantheon. In Jagannath all distinctions dissolve.

That is why He is the fountainhead of a consciousness that transcends the delimitation of a traditional religious cult. He is the quintessential Ganadevata (the people’s God).

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