Context: All four gates of the Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha were opened for devotees. The temple was closed during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. The main entrance was opened last year in December but the other gates remained closed.
About Jagannath temple:
(Jagannath temple)
- An important Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu.
- Location: Puri, Odisha (eastern coast of India).
- Jagannath, Subhadra and Balabhadra are deities worshipped at the temple.
- The temple is sacred to all Hindus, and especially in those of the Vaishnava traditions and is one of the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of the Vaishnavite tradition.
- Many great Vaishnava saints, such as Ramanujacharya, Nimbarkacharya, Vallabhacharya and Ramananda were closely associated with the temple.
- Ramanuja established the Emar Matha in the south-eastern corner of the temple.
- Adi Shankaracharya established the Govardhan Math, which is the seat of one of the four Shankaracharyas.
- It is also of particular significance to the followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, whose founder, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was attracted to the deity, Jagannath.
- The worship is performed by the Bhil Sabar tribal priests, as well as priests of other communities in the temple.
- Unlike the stone and metal icons found in most Hindu temples, the image of Jagannath is made of wood (neem wood, known as Daru) and is ceremoniously replaced every 12 or 19 years by an exact replica.
- The temple is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites, the other being Rameshwaram, Badrinath and Dwarka.
- The four gates of the temple:
- The four gates of the Jagannath temple are located on the mid-points of its boundary wall, and face the four cardinal directions.
- The main east-facing entrance is the Singhadwara (Lion's Gate), and has two stone sculptures of lions standing guard. It is believed that those who enter through this gate attain moksha, or liberation from the cycle of birth-rebirth.
- The northern, southern, and western entrances are known as Hastidwara (Elephant Gate), Aswadwara (Horse Gate), and Vyaghradwara (Tiger Gate) respectively.
- The Jagannath Temple is a monumental example of Nagara-style Hindu temple architecture. It is one of the finest preserved specimens of Kalinga architecture (Odisha temple architecture).
(Figure: Basic structure of a temple in Kalinga school)
Odisha school/Kalinga school of temple architecture:
- The temples of Odisha constitute a distinct sub-style within the Nagara style of temple architecture.
- The style consists of three distinct types of temples: Rekha Deul, Pidha Deul and Khakhara Deul.
- Rekha Deul and Pidha Deul are associated with Vishnu, Surya and Shiva temples while Khakhara Deul is mainly associated with Chamunda and Durga temples.
- In general, the shikhara, called Deul in Odisha, is vertical until the top when it suddenly curves sharply inwards.
- Deuls are preceded by mandapas called jagamohana in Odisha.
- The main temple's floor plan is usually square. As the temple structure rises, it becomes circular.
- The walls of both the deul and the Jagmohan are intricately sculpted with architectural motifs and a profusion of figures.
- Temples were surrounded by a boundary wall as in Dravidian style of temple architecture.
- Examples: Sun Temple at Konark (also known as Black Pagoda as the first rays of the Sun entered the garbhagriha through the sea-facing pagoda), Jagannath temple at Puri, Lingaraj temple at Bhubaneswar, etc.