Please read Part 1 of this story here before reading this post.

As Indradyumna was leaving with his contingent, Sage Narada arrived there. He wanted to accompany Indradyumna to Nilachala to which the king readily agreed.

The contingent of Indradyumna along with Sage Narada reached the banks of Mahanadi where they decided to stay overnight and proceed the next morning by crossing it. Early next morning, the king of Utkala paid a visit to Indradyumna with bad news. With salutary greetings to Indradyumna, the visiting king conveyed the news that the cave at Nilachala had suddenly disappeared with all the deities and there was a huge mound of sand in that place. Indradyumna was stricken with terrible grief. He felt that he had lost the very purpose of his life.

Sage Narada consoled him. He said that whatever was decided by Lord Narayana would be always for the greater good of humanity. “Let us seek the blessings of Bhagavan Shiva to enable us move forward” said he. So they went to the temple of Tribhuvaneswara, the deity at Lingaraj temple at Bhubaneswar. There, Bhagavan Shiva appeared to Sage Narada and told him to instruct Indradyumna  to perform  a hundred Yagnas. On doing so, he would get clarity on further action, He said. Bhagavan Shiva also said that a new temple would built and consecrated after which He and Durga Maa would come and reside in a part of the temple.

Narada conveyed Bhagawan Shiva’s instruction to Indradyumna.  The sage then built a small temple and consecrated a Murti of Lord Nrisimha. This was to ensure success of the Yagnas without any hurdle. He then told Indradyumna to start the Yagnas.

On the night when Indradyumna finished the Yagnas, when he was sleeping in his tent, he suddenly woke up sensing a bright light near him. He saw a celestial figure who in a sweet voice said “O King! Lord Neelamadhava will now bless the world in the form of Jagannatha and you will play an important role in that. Build a huge temple on the Nilachala mountain. Then go to the sea shore where a large Daaru Brahma (wooden log) will come floating in the ocean with sacred symbols of the Conch, Chakra, Lotus and Club. Use that to make the Murtis of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Sudharshana and install them in the temple you build. They will bless the world forever from there”

Indradyumna felt extremely blessed and immediately started the construction of a magnificent temple at Nilachala. As per the divine forecast, a huge log bearing the sacred symbols came floating on the sea and the same was received by the King with great reverence. Next was the task of carving the Murtis from the divine log. Skilled wood sculptors were invited from  all parts of the country. But a strange thing happened. The tools of everyone who attempted to start the task, broke to pieces. Once again King Indradyumna got a divine indication that an elderly carpenter would come to him seeking work and the work should be assigned to him.

The old man appeared soon and King Indradyumna asked him to carve out the Murtis. The old man however had certain strict instructions. “I will carve the Murtis in a closed room” he said. “NOBODY should open the door or disturb me for twenty-one days.” The king agreed to comply with the instructions meticulously and the man went into the allocated room where the divine log was placed and closed the door from inside.

In the initial week, one could hear the ‘tik tik tik tik’ sound of the chisel and hammer from behind the closed doors but after fourteen days the noise died down completely. King Indradyumna and his queen were worried. Their imagination ran riot as they started thinking that the work might have taken  toll on the man’s health, or that the old man might have been dead and gone and so on. But according to the old man’s instructions, they were not supposed to open the door for twenty-one days. With great difficulty they contained their urge and curiosity, but not for long.

The King, upon the queen’s continuous requests to him to check, opened the door. And there the man had vanished along with his tools. But they found the half made ‘Vigrahas’ of Lord Jagannatha, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshana. The Vigrahas had faces but no hands or legs. But they still looked so real and one could feel their godly presence. The colour schemes done by the divine carpenter and decorations were delightful – black and red for Sri Jagannatha, white and red for Sri Krishna’s brother Sri Balabhadra and yellow and red for Sri Krishna’s sister Maa Subhadra.

But Indradyumna was extremely distraught and filled with remorse for having been so impatient. He just could not forgive himself for his immature curiosity. Sage Narada comforted him saying that it was Sri Krishna’s wish that he appear in that form of Jagannatha. All arrangements were made for the deities to occupy the space created for them in the huge Mandir constructed by Indradyumna. With great pomp and gaiety and chanting of the Dwaadasaakshara mantra, the Purusha Sooktam, the Sree Sooktam and other Vedic Mantras, Bhagavan Jagannatha, Bhagavan Balabhadra, Maa Subhadra and Bhagavan Sudarshana were installed in their places. Sage Narada compiled the rules and regulations of worship in the temple. The successors of Viswavasu, the Sabara chief were appointed as ‘daitas’ or servitors of the gods. and still continue their service. And the deities still stay at Puri and bless us to this day.

Interestingly, to showcase the cycle of life, the Murtis are carved anew from neem wood once in 12 or 19 years (according to astronomical calculations) and installed once again in the temple. The ceremony is named Naba Kalebara where Naba means new and Kalebara means body. This is the longest festival of the temple stretching to about two months. From the procedure of selecting the neem trees to cutting them and bringing them and thereafter transforming them into the Murtis entail lot of protocol which are hundreds of years old. It is significant to note that the protocol is strictly followed even today.

After the new Murtis are made, the power from the old Murtis are transferred to them by way of special rituals. The old Murtis are then buried in the temple complex in a place called ‘Koili Baikuntha’. Funeral obsequies are observed by the ‘Daitas’ for ten days following which a feast is served on the twelfth day.

The new Murtis are then anointed with different materials like sandalwood paste, musk and so on. After that, the Murthis are given their bright colours with dyes obtained from natural substances. The same colour scheme as had appeared for the original deities is strictly followed. The final ritual is when the  eyes of the deities are formally opened in what is called ‘Nethrotsava’ following which it is believed that the new Murtis have been infused with life. Then they are taken in a procession called ‘Naba Jouvana Darshana’ meaning darshana of the new youthful forms. And the next day is that of the Rath Yatra – the best known festival of Puri.

And the cycle continues…

This is how Bhagavan Jagannath ji came to reside in Puri with his divine siblings and bless us even in this day.

Jai Jagannath ji ki! Jai Balabhadra ji ki!! Jai Maa Subhadra ji ki!!!

Note: The picture of Bhagavan Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Maa Subhadra has been generated by me using AI.