As India is a land of a million mysteries, I am going to present one of the amazing mysteries of a temple. The temple of Lord Jagannath in Puri is one of most popular pilgrimage site for Hindus across the world. Here are a few mysteries of the temple:
1. The Brahma Inside the Idol
Every 12 years, the Brahma which resides inside Lord Jagannath's idol is transferred to a new set of idols. This ritual has been going on since thousand of years, but nobody has ever seen the Brahman (the religious head of a temple). It is is told that when Lord Krishna's body was cremated after his departure, Agni (Fire) could not burn his Heart, and so the Brahma inside Lord Jagannath's idol is nothing but Lord Krishna's heart.
For details: When The God Dies- From the divine death of Krishna to The Nabakalebara Festival of Puri Jagannath
2. The flag on top of the temple always blows, for lack of a better word, in the opposite direction of the wind.
1. The Brahma Inside the Idol
Every 12 years, the Brahma which resides inside Lord Jagannath's idol is transferred to a new set of idols. This ritual has been going on since thousand of years, but nobody has ever seen the Brahman (the religious head of a temple). It is is told that when Lord Krishna's body was cremated after his departure, Agni (Fire) could not burn his Heart, and so the Brahma inside Lord Jagannath's idol is nothing but Lord Krishna's heart.
For details: When The God Dies- From the divine death of Krishna to The Nabakalebara Festival of Puri Jagannath
2. The flag on top of the temple always blows, for lack of a better word, in the opposite direction of the wind.
3. You cannot see any bird flying over the Puri Jagannath Temple.
4. The Shadow of the main dome (Dhwaja stambha) cannot be seen at any time of the day.
5. The prasadam (food prepared in the temple) prepared on any given day is neither wasted and nor does it fall short of the demand. It doesn't matter if a few extra people come, or a few less people. The temple never fails to feed everyone.
6. In the Temple kitchen, 7 pots are kept one on top of another, and cooked on firewood. In this process the contents in the topmost pot get cooked first & then the bottom one.
7. After entering from Singhadwara's first step (from inside the temple), you cannot hear the sound of the ocean. But, when you cross the same step (from outside of the temple) you can hear it. This can be noticed clearly during the evening.
VP,AIRIEF,
ED(Retd),LIC
Life Member,Probus Club
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