Postcard From Puri: Jagannath Dham, Odisha

Replica of Jagannath Dham deities in a temple in Ahmedabad.

Happiness is...

finding an old family album.

------------------------------ ****------------------------------ 

A lot can happen over a photo album.

Photo albums often act as the wifi connection to a part of our past which has been left untouched since many long years.

Connections… which often translate into memories captured by the heart, sometimes shy of renown, and yet full of joy, reflection and wonder.

I recently dusted and pulled out an old photo album from my closet and as I browsed through its dog eared pages, I was instantly transported to a couple of decades back in time.

The album had 'Puri' written on it in a neat, carefully penned cursive writing, my brother's, who must have been around 12 at that time. I rolled my fingers on the words before thumbing through several faded pictures sticking to the plastic cover, trying to bring the memories to life.

So, there were pictures of the four of us posing in front of the Jagannath Puri temple with the Lord of the Universe, Lord Jagannath presiding over us and the gorgeous architecture towering behind us. In another, we were seen laughing, playing with the waves and splashing water on each other on the Puri beach and ah, here was me and my brother posing in the balcony of our hotel room fighting for frame space and there we went again! This time in front of the famous stone wheel engraved in the walls of the 13th century beauty carved in sandstone, the Konark Sun temple!

The boy with a know-it-all kinda mischievous glint in his eyes and this petite girl, awww!
but I honestly don’t have a clue as to why was I smirking?

(Edit: My brother tells me it was because I wasn’t been given the camera to click pictures!!) 

For the next two hours, I found myself enjoying a parade of sweet memories conjured by the humble pictures revolving around our yatra to Shree Jagannath Dham, one of the four sacred 'chaar dhams' (four vital Vaishnava pilgrimage points set by Guru Shankaracharya) that lie in the four directions of the Indian compass viz. Badrinath Temple in the north, Jagannath Puri in the east, Dwarka in the west and Rameshwaram Temple in the south.

I reminisced of the times when we, as a family, were fonder of all of us posing in the picture frame as unlike now when I prefer taking pictures minus any member of the family in it.

A wisp of nostalgia was here, for company.

Out of the plethora of Puri hotels, my parents had chosen one from where we enjoyed a wonderfully spectacular unobstructed view of the mighty health-giving ocean from the balcony and a private access to the beach.

Interestingly, I realized, how vaguely I remembered the place itself – the intricacies of the many small but nevertheless significant temples dotting the vibrant and living Puri temple, the image of the Jagannath Mahaprabhu along with His sibling Balabhadra and Subhadra, the forts, palaces, stupas, beauties in ruins – I didn’t remember much of any of it except that the hallowed grounds of Jagannath Mandir, which draws millions of devouts from all over the world throughout the year, was a massive huge place.

Perhaps, the reason behind such forgetfulness was because I had not captured these moments … even though I was travelling and could be seen in most of the pictures, I wasn’t really present from a place where I could allow life to touch me, surprise me, wash me, nourish me, and transform me. There was this all important pilgrimage to Jagannath Dham and quite a few pictures captured in pixels but hardly one that I could pick and call to be really really mine.

However, one thing that was purely for mine to keep, and cherish, was the joy that sprang in my heart as I kept savoring the beautiful love palpable between the people in focus … the kind that could only be felt beyond the roll of the photo film … the kind that could only be seen within the pixels of the photo album.

As I proceeded to keep the album back in the cabinet, I felt my heart, full in gratitude and my lips beaming in joy.  How time had flown! ... meandering through the realms of the past, connecting to the abyss of memories, watching moments play through the reel of time. 

A lot can happen over a photo album.

Photo Albums can take you to places from your past and then, before you know it, in your own heart as well so that you can dig out a fresh pale of joy from the well of happiness. 

Why not go, and grab one of your old photo albums from the closet today?!!

And oh, please DO come back to tell me about it!
I'd love to hear all the interesting tales you found in your antique!

A Few Fast Facts From Jagannath Puri Temple, Odisha!

• One of the chaar dhams located in Odisha, a small state in East India, Jagannath Puri temple (Shrimandira) is dedicated to Lord Jagannath (a form of Vishnu) and was built in the year 1078.
• Apparently, the flag atop the temple is said to flutter in the opposite direction of the breeze but this claim has not yet been fully verified by all.
• The images of the deities are carved in wood unlike the common tradition followed in other temples where deities are generally worshipped in stone or metal.
• The engineering structure of the temple is such that the shadow of the main dome does not fall on the ground at any time.
• The wheel of time, the ultimate weapon of Lord Vishnu, Sudarshana Chakra, installed 2000 years ago on top of the temple, can be seen to always face towards you, irrespective of where you stand.
• Usually in coastal areas during the day-time, the breeze blows from the sea towards the land and during evening hours it blows from the land towards the sea. But Puri does not follow the status quo – here, this scenario is reversed
• The one of its kind Jagannath Rath Yatra meaning the festival of the chariots is perhaps the most popular and unique chariot festivals of the world dating back to the puranas. It’s a time when the Lord Himself, in His original Self, steps out of the temple to meet His devotees during the month of Asadha allowing everyone an equal opportunity for a holy view or darshan. Seated alongside are His siblings Subhadra and Balabhadra, ad together the three deities are taken from the Jagannath Temple in the chariots amid interesting rituals and much fanfare to the Gundicha Temple, where they stay for seven days.