Aryanisation of ‘Jagannath’ from His aboriginal Origin is an interesting folklore study. Mythology and folklore Philosophy and Theology meet there in a single point. Popular imagination and aspects of thought make Him grow and develop from age to age. He has been a source of many a motif of Oriya folk-tales.
Mythology starts with Krushna leaving His mortal coil in the age of Dwapara. Krushna slept on a bower of creepers in readiness for His final journey. Jara, the hunter mistook His red feet as ears of a deer and pierced them with arrows and thus caused the end of His incarnation in Dwapara. Now came the age of Kali. Krushna was worshipped as ‘Nilamadhaba’ by Viswabasu, the son of Jara. Viswabasu, the head of Sabars was a great devotee of Nilamadhaba. He did not permit any body else to see this God. But this was alien to the nature of the all pervading God who did not like to remain as a personal God and wished to participate in human affairs from the lowliest to the highest.
Indradyumna, the king of Malwa, somehow got scent of Nilamadhaba and wished to worship Him in a temple. He sent Vidyapati a Brahmin in search of the above God. Viswabasu, the Sabar chief forced Vidyapati to marry Lalita, his daughter at the point of arrow. This marriage brought about an union and a religious, social and cultural fusion of the Aryans and the Aborigines and the intermixture of blood gave rise to generations of daitas, the permanent worshippers of Lord Jaganath.
Lalita requested her father to show Nilamadhaba to Vidyapati,. Viswabasu agreed on condition that his son-in-law would be taken to the God blindfolded. Lalita was however cleverer than her father. She tied some mustard in the napkin of her husband who scattered the same on both sides of his path, which grew up and later helped indradyumna to find out the way.
Vidyapati saw Nilamadhab in the dense forest under a banian tree and prayed to Him with great devotion. Viswabasu permitted vidyapati to stay in the place for some time and went n search of roots and fruits.
~Warning of the four handed God
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A crow fell down in a pool of water in front of the Nilamadhaba and turned into a four handed God and went straight to Vaikunth, the abode of Visnu. Vidyapati was spiritually inspired after the incident and tried to imitate the crow. The four handed God from the heaven warned him against doing it and requested him to do his duty as a messenger of the king. If he would fail to give message of the whereabouts of the Nilamadhaba to Indradyumna, he would turn into a woden frog and would remain in that condition for one thousand years.
~Nilamadhaba desiring to be worshipped as Darubrahma🌺🐚🌺
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Viswabasu used to give roots of the forest as offering every day and the God stretched his blue hand and accepted it. But that day he did not stretch His hand and a voice said that He would like to be worshipped as Darubrahma (wooden image) in the temple.
~Disappearance of the Nilamadhaba
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Indradyumna paid a visit to Nilamadhaba as he got the message of His whereabouts and felt proud that he was a supreme monarch who would be credited with the installation of the image of the Lord in a magnificent temple. The God, who could read his mind, disappeared. The king regretted his weakness and suspected that the Nilamadhaba was stolen by Viswabasu and quickly led his army to arrest him. The God, however, saved the situation declaring that nobody was responsible for his disappearance. He asked the king to build a temple and invite Brahma, the creator to celebrate the purification ceremony. Dispute between Indradyumna and Galamadhaba
Indradyumna built a temple of the height of one hundred twenty cubits, went to the heaven to invite Brahma to perform the purification ceremony. Brahma was then is a state of prayer and offering water to the Lord and asked his royal guest to wait. Hundreds of years passed in human calculation. The earth underwent many changes. The temple was cancealed under hills of sea sands. Galamadhaba became the ruler of Orissa. The hoof of his horse struck against the flag post of the temple. The king cleared the sands and to his utter surprise, noticed a great temple and claimed t as his own construction. Indradyumna who came down from heaven with Brahma for the purification ceremony, however, claimed that he was the builder. A dispute ensured. But there was no living being left on the earth who could now act as witness.
The four handed crow God named Bhusanda who was immortal, on the branch of a banian tree called kalpabata the tree of eternity acted as the first witness. Bhusanda was meditating with legs raised up. As He head somebody calling He enquired of his name, place and position. Brahma introduced himself as the creator. The four handed God said that He had seen crores of Brahmas vanishing before His very eyes including the thousand-headed one. He might be the four headed one born out of lotus of the navel of Visnu. He passed the judgment that Indradyumna was the real builder.
Galamadhaba did not bow down to this decision and they then passed to the next witness—a tortoise. A tortoise of the tank, ‘Indradyumna’ said that he was once a man, a labourer engaged in building the temple. He turned into a tortoise for too much of labour. He was afraid of Indradyumna that he might again be engaged by him to finish up the rest of the work of the temple. The matter was proved beyond doubt that Indradyumna was the real builder. Galmadhaba was proved to be liar whose statue was installed outside the temple premises. He was not paid any respect and remained unworshipped.
Brahma, when asked to perform the purification ceremony, and that he was incapable of doing it. He could only tie a flag at the top of the temple, the sight of which could free men in bondage. The great temple in Nilachala (Blue mountain) remained vacant without an image for many years. Indradyumna lay on the grass bed starving. The Lord appeared in dream and declared that He would come in form of a log of wood at the confluence of the river Banki and the sea.
~Failure of physical forces in carrying the log
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Indradyumna went in a magnificent royal procession of elephant and soldiers and tried to draw the log with all his forces from the water at the mouth of the river, but was unable to move it. The king was sorry for relying too much on physical forces, lay starving there again. Lord Jagannath appeared to him again in dream and advised him not to make a show of physical force, should approach the log with all humility. Viswabasu and Vidyapati the two devotees should drive a golden cart with silken pillow and carry the long and thus the log was easily carried to the temple premises.
~An old man succeeds where skilled artisans fail
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Thousands of artisans were engaged to build the images. They boasted of their skill and failed to make any progress. The log seemed too hard for them. When the king Indradyumna, queen Gundicha and thousands of artisans were at a fix, an old man appeared on the scene and promised to build the image. No one believed him as he was bentwith age and looked too weak. But he proved his efficiency by lifting easily this too heavy log. The log was put inside the main temple. The old artisan was to build the images within 21 days. The door sealed would not be opened before that period was completed. Fourteen, days passed. No sound was heard from inside the temple. Queen Gundicha was afraid that the old man might be dead. The king was compelled to break the seal and open the door. Lo, the images were but unfinished and the old artisan was not found anywhere. Every one believed that he might be the Lord Himself. Who of flesh and blood could build the image of the Almighty ?
~Boon asked for, the most extra-ordinary
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The Lord, now pleased, gave all liberty to Indradyumna to ask for any boon. The king did not ask for a bigger kingdom, more wealth or a long lease of life or any thing pertaining to physical or earthly happiness. His prayer was the most extra-ordinary one. He wanted that there should be nobody left in his family to claim this huge temple or the images as his proud heritage. For that would mar the efficacy of the good deed. The boon was granted by the Lord.
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