Jagannath

For other uses, see Jagannath (disambiguation).

Jagannatha
Jagannatha idol in 2011
AffiliationVaishnavism, Para Brahman
AbodeNilachal
MantraOm Jagannāthāya Namah
WeaponSudarshana Chakra
SymbolsPanchajanya
MountGaruda
Genealogy
SiblingsBalabhadra and Subhadra
ConsortMahalakshmi
Part of a series on
Vaishnavism
Closeup of Vishnu, seated in the lotus position on a lotus. From depiction of the poet Jayadeva bowing to Vishnu, Gouache on paper Pahari, The very picture of devotion, bare-bodied, head bowed, legs crossed and hands folded, Jayadeva stands at left, with the implements of worship placed before the lotus-seat of Vishnu who sits there, blessing the poet.
Supreme deity
Vishnu / Krishna / Rama
Important deities
Dashavatara
Other forms
Consorts
Related
Holy scriptures
Puranas
Sampradayas
Others
Teachers—acharyas
Related traditions
Translations of
जगन्नाथ (Jagannātha)
Sanskritजगन्नाथ (Jagannātha)
Assameseজগন্নাথ (Zôgônnāth)
Bengaliজগন্নাথ (Jôgônnāth)
Hindiजगन्नाथ (Jagannāth)
Kannadaಜಗನ್ನಾಥ(Jagannātha)
Odiaଜଗନ୍ନାଥ (Jagannātha)
Glossary of Hinduism terms

Jagannatha (Odia: ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, romanized: Jagannātha, lit. 'Lord of the Universe'; formerly English: Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India as part of a triad along with his (Krishna's) brother Balabhadra, and sister, Subhadra. Jagannath, within Odia Hinduism, is the supreme god, Purushottama,[1][2][3] and the Para Brahman.[4][5] To most Vaishnava Hindus, particularly the Krishnaites, Jagannath is a form of Krishna,[6][7] sometimes as the avatar of Vishnu.[8][9] To some Shaiva and Shakta Hindus, he is a symmetry-filled tantric form of Bhairava, a fierce manifestation of Shiva associated with annihilation.[10][11]

The Jagannathism (a.k.a. Odia Vaishnavism) — the particular sector of Jagannath as a major deity — emerged in the Early Middle Ages[12][13] and later became an independent state regional temple-centered tradition of Krishnaism/Vaishnavism.[14]

The idol of Jagannath is a carved and decorated wooden stump with large round eyes and a symmetric face, and the idol has a conspicuous absence of hands or legs. The worship procedures, sacraments and rituals associated with Jagannath are syncretic and include rites that are uncommon in Hinduism.[15][16] Unusually, the icon is made of wood and replaced with a new one at regular intervals.

The origin and evolution of Jagannath worship is unclear.[17] Some scholars interpret hymn 10.155.3 of the Rigveda as a possible origin, but others disagree and state that it is a syncretic/synthetic deity with tribal roots.[15][17][18] The English word juggernaut was the rendition into English of "Jagannath" by early British in India, and came to mean a very large and unstoppable force from accounts of the famous Ratha Yatra processions in Puri.

Jagannath is considered a non-sectarian deity.[19][20][21] He is significant regionally in the Indian states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, Manipur and Tripura.[22] He is also significant to the Hindus of Bangladesh. The Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha is particularly significant in Vaishnavism, and is regarded as one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites in India.[23] The Jagannath temple is massive, over 61 metres (200 ft) high in the Nagara architecture style of Hindu temple architecture, and one of the best surviving specimens of Kalinga architecture, namely Odisha art and architecture. It has been one of the major pilgrimage destinations for Hindus since about 800 CE.[24]

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, along with the other two associated deities, is ceremoniously brought out of the sacrosanctum (Garbhagruha) of his chief temple in Puri (ଶ୍ରୀ ମନ୍ଦିର, Śrī Mandira). They are placed in a temple car which is then pulled by numerous volunteers to the Gundicha Temple (located at a distance of nearly 3 km or 1.9 mi). They stay there for eight days, and on the 9th day they are returned to the main temple. Coinciding with the Ratha Yatra festival at Puri, similar processions are organized at Jagannath temples throughout the world. During the festive public procession of Jagannath in Puri, hundreds of thousands of devotees visit Puri to see Jagganath in chariot.[25]

  1. ^ Eschmann, Kulke & Tripathi 1978, pp. 31–98.
  2. ^ Rajaguru 1992.
  3. ^ Starza 1993, pp. 72–77, Cult Purusottama at Puri.
  4. ^ Miśra 2005, p. 99, chapter 9, Jagannāthism.
  5. ^ Ray 2007, p. 151.
  6. ^ Mukherjee 1981, p. 67.
  7. ^ Hardy 1987, pp. 387–392.
  8. ^ Mukherjee 1981, pp. 155–156.
  9. ^ Starza 1993, pp. 73, 76.
  10. ^ Jagannath Mohanty (2009). Encyclopaedia of Education, Culture and Children's Literature: v. 3. Indian culture and education. Deep & Deep Publications. p. 19. ISBN 978-81-8450-150-6.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Das 2010 89 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Mukherjee 1981.
  13. ^ Eschmann, Kulke & Tripathi 1978.
  14. ^ Mukherjee 1981; Eschmann, Kulke & Tripathi 1978; Hardy 1987, pp. 387–392; Rajaguru 1992; Guy 1992, pp. 213–230; Starza 1993; Ray 1993; Patnaik 1994; Kulke & Schnepel 2001; Miśra 2005, chapter 9, Jagannāthism.
  15. ^ a b Patnaik 1994, chapter 6. Sanatana Dharma: The Great Synthesis.
  16. ^ "Synthetic Character of Jagannath Culture", Pp. 1–4 Archived 8 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ a b Patra 2011, pp. 5–16.
  18. ^ Starza 1993, p. 72.
  19. ^ Pradhan, Atul Chandra (June 2004). "Evolution of Jagannath Cult" (PDF). Orissa Review: 74–77. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  20. ^ Miśra 2005, p. 97, chapter 9, Jagannāthism.
  21. ^ Patnaik, Bibhuti (3 July 2011). "My friend, philosopher and guide". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 15 July 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  22. ^ Tripathy, B; Singh P.K. (June 2012). "Jagannath Cult in North-east India" (PDF). Orissa Review: 24–27. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  23. ^ See: Chakravarti 1994, p 140
  24. ^ Misra, Bijoy M. (2007). Bryant, Edwin Francis (ed.). Krishna: A Sourcebook. Oxford University Press. pp. 139–141. ISBN 978-0195148923.
  25. ^ Lochtefeld, James G. (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduikm: N-Z. Rosen Publishing. p. 567. ISBN 978-0-8239-3180-4.