Jagannath Temple (Char Dham & Mysteries of Jagannath Temple That Defy Scientific Logic), Puri, Orissa, India

The Jagannath Temple is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu, in Puri in the state of Odisha on the eastern coast of India. The present temple was rebuilt from the 10th century onwards, on the site of an earlier temple, and begun by Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva, the first king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.

The Puri temple is famous for its annual Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival, in which the three principal deities are pulled on huge and elaborately decorated temple cars. Unlike the stone and metal icons found in most Hindu temples, the image of Jagannath s made of wood and is ceremoniously replaced every twelve or 19 years by an exact replica.  It is one of the Char Dham.

The huge temple complex covers an area of over 400,000 square feet (37,000 m2), and is surrounded by a high fortified wall. This 20 feet (6.1 m) high wall is known as Meghanada Pacheri. Another wall known as kurma bedha surrounds the main temple. It contains at least 120 temples and shrines. With its sculptural richness and fluidity of the Oriya style of temple architecture, it is one of the most magnificent monuments of India. The temple has four distinct sectional structures, namely -

• Deula, Vimana or Garba griha (Sanctum sanctorum) where the triad deities are    lodged on the ratnavedi (Throne of Pearls). 
• Mukhashala (Frontal porch) 
• Nata mandir/Natamandapa, which is also known as the Jagamohan (Audience Hall/Dancing Hall) 
• Bhoga Mandapa (Offerings Hall).
  

The main temple is a curvilinear temple and crowning the top is the 'srichakra' (an eight spoked wheel) of Vishnu. Also known as the "Nilachakra", it is made out of Ashtadhatu and is considered sacrosanct. Among the existing temples in Orissa, the temple of Shri Jagannath is the highest. The temple tower was built on a raised platform of stone and, rising to 214 feet (65 m) above the inner sanctum where the deities reside, dominates the surrounding landscape. The pyramidal roofs of the surrounding temples and adjoining halls, or mandapas, rise in steps toward the tower like a ridge of mountain peaks

The temple is sacred to all Hindus, and especially in those of the Vaishnava traditions. Many great Vaishnava saints, such as Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Nimbarkacharya, Vallabhacharya and Ramananda were closely associated with the temple. Ramanuja established the Emar Mutt near the temple and Adi Shankaracharya established the Govardhana Mutt, 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, and lived in Puri for many years.

The temple was built by the Ganga dynasty king Anantavarman Chodaganga in the 12th century CE, as suggested by the Kendupatna copper-plate inscription of his descendant Narasimhadeva II. Anantavarman was originally a Shaivite, and became a Vaishnavite sometime after he conquered the Utkala region (in which the temple is located) in 1112 CE. A 1134–1135 CE inscription records his donation to the temple. Therefore, the temple construction must have started sometime after 1112 CE.

According to a story in the temple chronicles, it was founded by Anangabhima-deva II: different chronicles variously mention the year of construction as 1196, 1197, 1205, 1216, or 1226.This suggests that the temple's construction was completed or that the temple was renovated during the reign of Anantavarman's son Anangabhima.The temple complex was further developed during the reigns of the subsequent kings, including those of the Ganga dynasty and the Suryvamshi (Gajapati) dynasty.

Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are a trio of deities worshipped at the temple. The inner sanctum of the temple contains statues of these three Gods carved from sacred neem logs known as daru sitting on the bejewelled platform or ratnabedi, along with statues of Sudarshana Chakra, Madanmohan, Sridevi and Vishwadhatri. The deities are adorned with different clothing and jewels according to the season. Worship of these deities pre-dates the building of the temple and may have originated in an ancient tribal shrine.

According to legend, the construction of the first Jagannath temple was commissioned by King Indradyumna, son of Bharata and Sunanda, and a Malava king, mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Puranas. The legendary account as found in the Skanda-Purana, Brahma Purana and other Puranas and later Odia works state that Lord Jagannath was originally worshipped as Lord Neela Madhaba by a Savar king (tribal chief) named Viswavasu. Having heard about the deity, King Indradyumna sent a Brahmin priest, Vidyapati to locate the deity, who was worshipped secretly in a dense forest by Viswavasu. Vidyapati tried his best but could not locate the place. But at last he managed to marry Viswavasu's daughter Lalita. At repeated request of Vidyapti, Viswavasu took his son-in-law blind folded to a cave where Lord Neela Madhaba was worshipped.

Vidyapati was very intelligent. He dropped mustard seeds on the ground on the way. The seeds germinated after a few days, which enabled him to find out the cave later on. On hearing from him, King Indradyumna proceeded immediately to Odra desha (Odisha) on a pilgrimage to see and worship the Deity. But the deity had disappeared. The king was disappointed. The Deity was hidden in sand. The king was determined not to return without having a darshan of the deity and observed fast unto death at Mount Neela, Then a celestial voice cried 'thou shalt see him.' Afterward, the king performed a horse sacrifice and built a magnificent temple for Vishnu. Narasimha Murti brought by Narada was installed in the temple. During sleep, the king had a vision of Lord Jagannath. Also an astral voice directed him to receive the fragrant tree on the seashore and make idols out of it. Accordingly, the king got the image of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Chakra Sudarshan made out of the wood of the divine tree and installed them in the temple. 

 

The traditional story concerning the origins of the Lord Jagannath temple is that here the original image of Jagannath (a deity form of Vishnu) at the end of Treta yuga manifested near a banyan tree, near seashore in the form of an Indranila mani or the Blue Jewel. It was so dazzling that it could grant instant moksha, so the God Dharma or Yama wanted to hide it in the earth and was successful. In Dvapara Yuga King Indradyumna of Malwa wanted to find that mysterious image and to do so he performed harsh penance to obtain his goal. Vishnu then instructed him to go to the Puri seashore and find a floating log to make an image from its trunk.

The King found the log of wood. He did a yajna from which God Yajna Nrisimha appeared and instructed that Narayana should be made as fourfold expansion, i.e. Paramatma as Vasudeva, his Vyuha as Samkarshana, Yogamaya as Subhadra, and his Vibhava as Sudarsana. Vishwakarma appeared in the form of an artisan and prepared images of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra from the tree.

When this log, radiant with light was seen floating in the sea, Narada told the king to make three idols out of it and place them in a pavilion. Indradyumna got Visvakarma, the architect of Gods, to build a magnificent temple to house the idols, and Vishnu himself appeared in the guise of a carpenter to make the idols on condition that he was to be left undisturbed until he finished the work.

But just after two weeks, the Queen became very anxious. She took the carpenter to be dead as no sound came from the temple. Therefore, she requested the king to open the door. Thus, they went to see Vishnu at work at which the latter abandoned his work leaving the idols unfinished. The idol was devoid of any hands. But a divine voice told Indradyumana to install them in the temple. It has also been widely believed that in spite of the idol being without hands, it can watch over the world and be its lord.

The temple annals, the Madala Panji records that the Jagannath temple at Puri has been invaded and plundered eighteen times. In 1692, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb ordered to close the temple until he wanted to reopen it otherwise it would be demolished, the local Mughal officials who came to carry out the job were requested by the locals and the temple was merely closed. It was re-opened only after Aurangzeb's death in 1707.

The temple is one of the holiest Vaishnava Hindu Char Dham (four divine sites) sites comprising Rameswaram, Badrinath, Puri and Dwarka. Though the origins are not clearly known, the Advaita school of Hinduism propagated by Sankaracharya, who created Hindu monastic institutions across India, attributes the origin of Char Dham to the seer. The four monasteries lie across the four corners of India and their attendant temples are Badrinath Temple at Badrinath in the North, Jagannath Temple at Puri in the East, Dwarakadheesh Temple at Dwarka in the West and Ramanathaswamy Temple at Rameswaram in the South. Though ideologically the temples are divided between the sects of Hinduism, namely Saivism and Vaishnavism, the Char Dham pilgrimage is an all Hindu affair. There are four abodes in Himalayas called Chota Char Dham : Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri - all of these lie at the foothills of Himalayas. The name Chota was added during the mid of 20th century to differentiate the original Char Dhams. The journey across the four cardinal points in India is considered sacred by Hindus who aspire to visit these temples once in their lifetime. Traditionally the trip starts at the eastern end from Puri, proceeding in clockwise direction in a manner typically followed for circumambulation in Hindu temples.

Mysteries of Jagannath Temple That Defy Scientific Logic-

1) Needless to say, things float in the direction of the wind. However, in Jagannath Temple you can see the opposite. The flag attached to the top of the temple, for some weird reason, always floats in the opposite direction of the wind. This is something definitely beyond the reach of science. 

2) There is a Chakra atop the temple. It weighs a ton and is located at a height of 20 feet. Its positioning is such that no matter where you are in Puri, you will find the Chakra facing towards you. There may be some engineering mystery behind this but that is unknown yet.  

3) The site of the Jagannath temple has never been declared as a no-fly zone. Still, for some strange reason, no birds or plane fly above the temple. Some attribute this phenomenon to the divine force. 

4) Irrespective of the number of devotees visiting the temple, the quantity of the Prasadam remains the same throughout the year and yet nothing goes wasted or insufficient. 

5) To cook Prasadam, 7 pots are used and placed one on top of another. What’s intriguing about this technique of cooking is that irrespective of the ingredients in the pots, those in the pot placed on top will get cooked first. 

6) In any part of the world, you must have witnessed that during daytime, the wind from sea comes to the land, whereas the wind from the land blows toward sea at evening. However, in Puri, the geographical laws are also reversed. Here, just the opposite thing happens.

Their are many other mysteries that are unexplaind till date and dont have any scientific logic

For more Information  -Jagannath Temple 

Ratha Yatra (World Largest Holy Gathering), Puri, Orissa, India

Ratha Yatra is a Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath held at Puri in the state of Odisha, India. It is the oldest Ratha Yatra taking place in India and the World, whose descriptions can be found in Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, and Skanda Purana and Kapila Samhita.This annual festival is celebrated on Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya (second day in bright fortnight of Ashadha month). RathaYatra is a colorful festival which draws millions of devotees from various parts of the country as well as from abroad to Puri, is held in June-July every year. Lord Jagannath, Lord of the Universe, comes out of His sanctum sanctorum to give Darshan to all Devotees belonging to all sects and communities. It is said that those who take part in the Car Festival 2015 earn their passage to the Heaven.

The festival commemorates Jagannath's annual visit to Gundicha Temple via Mausi Maa Temple (maternal aunt's home) near Saradha Bali, Puri. The three chariots of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhdra are newly constructed every year with wood of specified trees like phassi, dhausa, etc. They are customarily brought from the ex-princely state of Dasapalla by a specialist team of carpenters who have hereditary rights and privileges for the same. The logs are traditionally set afloat as rafts in the river Mahanadi. These are collected near Puri and then transported by road.

The three chariots are decorated as per the unique scheme prescribed and followed for centuries stand on the Bada Danda, the Grand Avenue. The chariots are lined across the wide avenue in front of the temple close to its eastern entrance, which is also known as the Sinhadwara or the Lion's Gate. Around each of the chariots are nine Parsva devatas, painted wooden images representing different deities on the chariots' sides. Each chariot has a charioteer (Sarathi) and four horses.

'SnanaPumima' marks the beginning of this festival. On this day the three deities Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra take prolonged bath on an open platform known as 'SnanaBedi', Then they retire for 15 days popularly called the period of 'Anabasara' and remain in isolation. During this period, no public worship is performed. After 15 days of isolation, the Gods come out of the temple in a colourful procession to board their respective Chariots and thereafter begins the journey known as RathaJatra.

Reference to Car Festival in JagannathaPuri is available in various scriptures like those of Buddhists. Jains and Hindus. However, the present concept of Lord Jagannath is most popular. According to the prevailing concept, Lord Jagannath was originally worshipped by Savaras a Scheduled Tribe of Odisha.Car Festival symbolizes the Lord's desire to come out of the temple for a brief period to give Darshan to the 'Patitas' and redeem them. The chariots of Lord Jagannath and His brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra are dragged by thousands of devotees in three gorgeously decorated chariots from the main gate of the temple to GundichaMandir near about 3 Kms. away. At Gundicha Mandirthe Lord along with His entourage remains for 7 days.

When the chariots move on the main thoroughfare  of Puri known as BadaDanda through a vast concourse of humanity that  usually throng to have His Darshan, the atmosphere is charged with sanctity. It is delightful to  witness the foreigners in saffron robes dancing and reciting musical compositions in  honour of Lord Jagannath and Krishna, to the accompaniment of cymbals and  mridangas.

The Gods perform their Return Journey on the 9th day and   this is known as Bahudayatra. The deities, after a seven-day stay at 'Gundicha Mandir' commence  their Return Journey, or the Bahuda yatra. On the tenth day of the bright fortnight of Asadlia. The  Return Journey of the chariots takes place in the same order as in the RathaJatra. Balabhadra's  chariot moves first, followed by those of Subhadra and Jagannath. On His way back,  Jagannath slops for a while at Ardhasani temple popularly called MausiMaa Temple or the  Temple of Aunt. He accepts his favourite rice-cake, PodaPitha from the  Aunt.

The three chariots, pulled by thousands of devotees, reach back the Singhadwara in the late afternoon of the Bahuda day. On the next day the BadaEkadasi, the three deities are attired in costumes of glittering gold ornaments and are worshipped by lakhs of devotees. This form of the deities Is known as the 'SunaVesha'. On the Dwadasi day, the three deities go back to their original place of the temple, the 'RatnaSinghasana', in the Pahandi style. Their arrival into the sanctum sanctorum marks the end of the RathaJatra, the grand festival of chariots.

Redhead Day , Dutch Summer Festival, Nederlands

Redhead Day (Roodharigendag in Dutch) is the name of a Dutch summer festival that takes place each first weekend of September in the city of Tilburg, and up to 2018 in the city of Breda, in the Netherlands. The two-day festival, which inaugurated in 2005, is a gathering of people with natural red hair, but is also focused on art related to the colour red.

Activities during the festival are lectures, workshops and demonstrations which are aimed specifically at red-haired people. The festival attracts attendance from fifty countries and is free of charge due to sponsorship of the local government. To be classified a 'Redhead', each participant must not have altered their natural hair colour. Additionally it is encouraged (but not required) to have red clothing.

The festival was started in 2005 unintentionally by the Dutch painter Bart Rouwenhorst in the small Dutch city of Asten. As a painter, he was inspired by artists like Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Gustav Klimt. Both of these artists created dramatic portraits of women, and both artists made famous paintings depicting redheaded women. To follow in the footsteps of his favourite painters, Rouwenhorst planned an exhibition of fifteen new paintings of redheads. Finding models was problematic, since redheads are rare in the Netherlands where only two percent of the population has natural red hair. To find models, an advertisement was placed in a local newspaper. However, instead of 15, 150 models volunteered.

Not wanting to turn down so many potential models, Rouwenhorst decided to choose 14 models, organize a group photo shoot for remaining redheads, and have a lottery to decide by chance who would be the 15th and final model. Thus began the first Red head day.

That year, the focus was on red-haired women only, since they were asked to volunteer to pose for the paintings. At the events in later years, the aim was to attract redheaded men as well as women, but still the sexes are not equally distributed. The first meeting attracted 150 natural redheads.

The weekend-long festival is free to attend, and you don’t have to be a redhead to go friends, family, and admirers are all welcome. Photographers set up tents all over town, poised to do individual photo-shoots. There are speed-meeting sessions, art exhibits, fashion shows, a high heels race, lectures on the history of red hair, an Irish whiskey tasting, and beauty tutorials. An assortment of food trucks park around Kasteelplein (Castle Square), prepared to feed the crowds, and of-age attendees can quench their thirst at the Saturday night pub crawl.

The only event that requires crimson tresses is the group photo, which is taken on the last day of the festival. In 2015, the last time an official count was done, 1,721 redheads wearing blue were included in the group shot, breaking the festival’s own 2013 Guinness World Record of 1,672 redheads in one place. 

What started as a small gathering has grown into a major event attended by upwards of 5,000 people from more than 80 countries. While a number of similar festivals have popped up across Ireland, London, Portland, Chicago, and Georgia, Breda claims the title of the original and the largest.

The Red River, Province of Canchis, Cusco, Peru

The Red River is located in the province of Canchis in the region of Cusco, about three hours southeast of the city of Cusco. This entire province lies in the shadow of the great Mount Ausangate, one of the highest peaks in the country and an important regional apu (traditional deity of the Andean mountains). Red River in Cusco is just one more example of the amazing landscape that Peru has to offer.

The Red River in Cusco is known locally as Palquella Pucamayu, from the Quechua palquella (“small branch”) and pucamayu (“red river”). This peculiar waterway runs red for about 5 kilometers before combining with some other local streams and small rivers, at which point the color becomes more diluted and loses its unique shade.

The source of the Red River is located in the nearby valley of Arco Iris Palcoyo Mountain, which together with the other mountains in the region form the Vilcanota Mountain Range. This chain is in turn part of the wider Andean mountain range that extends along the entire spine of South America, forming the longest continental mountain range in the world.

These numerous small tributaries end up flowing into the Vilcamayo River, which crosses the Sacred Valley of Cusco and passes through the famous citadel of Machu Picchu. Further down, this river is known as the Urubamba River before passing through the middle of the notorious Pongo de Mainique canyon as it enters the jungle and finally feeds into the mighty Amazon River.

Cusco’s Red River is formed by rainwater runoff from nearby Rainbow Mountain Palcoyo. The range of colors of this vibrant valley is the result of the different mineral contents of the different soil layers, which have become visible by erosion. The ‘Red’ colour is we see is the because of the presence of red sandstone full of iron oxide. This mineral-rich sedimentary rock gets washed off the hillsides when it rains and turns the water a distinct red or pink hue (the exact tone depends on the volume of rainfall). Now since the colour is visible by erosion (which is caused by rain run-off), this so-called red or pink river can only be visible during Peru’s rainy season months. During the rest of the year, the river’s water level is much lower than during monsoon and its colour is, therefore, kind of muddy-brown.

The dry season, which lasts from May to November, is generally considered the best time to visit Peru in order to avoid any logistical problems due to the climate. However, the Red River of Cusco is only visible during the months of Peru’s rainy season, which lasts approximately from December to April. If you want to see this impressive pastel colored river for yourself, one of the best times to visit is in April, when the rains have started to dissipate but the river water level is still high.
 
During the rainy season in the Peruvian Highlands, you will get to see how the cherry red waters of Palcoyo’s Red River cut across the emerald green hills and serene farmland, providing a stark contrast against the surrounding pastoral scenery. 

For those who want to extend their adventure into this beautiful part of the Cusco countryside, there are several other interesting things to see in this area, including the classic Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain, the fascinating Q’eswachaka Inca rope bridge, and the majestic Waqrapukara ruins. A visit to this area is easily incorporated into any Cusco itinerary.

Jasper Creek, Municipality of Bolivar State, Venezuela, South America

Jasper Creek is the name of a river and a series of cascades and waterfalls in Venezuela. Jasper Creek, known also as Quebrada de Jaspe. The name jasper is derived from the fact that the water flows over a smooth bedrock of mostly red and black jasper. The river is located in the Gran Sabana Municipality of Bolívar State, Venezuelan Guayana. They can be reached from the town of Santa Elena de Uairén. 

Jasper Creek is the name of a stream and a progression of falls and waterfalls. a perfect paradisiacal place to relax, bathe and enjoy the wonders of the mother Nature.

A semi-valuable stone of for the most part quartz and silica,  with a solid red shading because of the nearness of iron. Jasper is utilized all through the  world to make adornments and  decorations.

Quebrada de Jaspe, is a large slab of 300 meters in length, composed of quartz and silica, of a very strong red and black color, with a water level that does not exceed five centimeters; To the right, there is a small waterfall that is an excellent place to take a pleasant hydrotherapeutic massage or simply enjoy the water.

The National Park Institute (Inparques), has been a faithful guarantor of the preservation of this space, since it constantly carries out days of sanitation to the stream, as well as pruning of the bushes, and continuous talks to tourists so that they do not break or extract quartz, because within the rules of use of this spring, the extraction of the semi-precious stone Jasper is prohibited.

This monument has a parking lot and from there the visitor must walk through a small wooded tunnel that will lead to the ravine, which is surrounded by huge trees over 20 meters (meters) high loaded with flowers.

One of the peculiarities of this spring is that because it is a very slippery slab, very well polished by the passage of water, tourists are often seen sliding down the slab, which has been called “The Jaspe Slide”. Additionally, when the sun is very high, its rays hit directly on the Jasper stone which causes a burst of light that looks like stars and this entire semi-precious river turns bright red captivating its visitors.