As mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Puranas the construction of the first Lord Jagannath temple was commissioned by King Indradyumna a Malava king who wanted to create a mysterious image, so he performed severe penance and invited Brahma, the cosmic creator, to consecrate the temple and its images.
According to tradition, the original image of Lord Jagannath is believed to have manifested near a banyan tree by the seashore at Puri in the form of the Indranila Mani (the Blue Jewel). It was so attractive and powerful that it could grant instant moksha.
Dharmaraja or Yama (the deity of justice and death) wanted to hide it within the earth surface. So, Lord Vishnu instructed King Indradyumna to find a floating log from which the image could be carved.
It may be mentioned that Lord Krishna is the ultimate protector and restorer of Dharma across the cosmos. Lord Krishna’s primary mission is victory of Dharma (righteousness and cosmic order) over Adharma (chaos and evil) according to Bhagavad Gita one of the most sacred Hindu texts.
Almost all religious texts in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism define Dharma as the cosmic law and universal order that makes life possible and go on to lay down a person’s moral rights, duties and way of living.
As directed, King Indradyumna discovered a log of wood, floating in the sea and performed a yajna, from which Narasimha appeared and informed him that Lord Narayana (Paramatma) will manifest as– Vasudeva (Krishna), Vyuha – Samkarshana (Balabhadra) Yogamaya (Subhadra), and Vibhava as Sudarshana.
Soon thereafter Sage Vishwakarma the architect of gods appeared in the form of an artisan and started preparing the sacred images of Lord Jagannath, Balabadra and Subhadra from the tree.
Meanwhile Rishi Narada or sage Narada told King Indradyumna to make three deities out of the tree and place them in a pavilion. Indradyumna requested Sage Vishwakarma disguised as a carpenter to build a magnificent temple to house the deities. His one and only condition was that he should be left undisturbed until the work was complete.
According to the Skanda Purana, Sage Vishwakarma set about carving the wooden idols behind closed doors under a strict 21-day timeline. However, the sound of tools suddenly stopped after two weeks.
Meanwhile, Queen Gundicha the wife of King Indradyumna and a deeply revered figure in Odia culture and Jagannath tradition was curious to see the result. So, she requested King Indradyumna to open the door and take the deities outside.
Fearing the carpenter had died from starvation, Queen Gundicha persuaded King Indradyumna to open the door early. So the King and Queen went to see the carpentar at work inside the temple. This caused Sage Vishwakarma to vanish leaving behind unfinished idols of the deities.
Seemingly perturbed by their betrayal Lord Vishnu (the carpentar) abandoned the work leaving the deities – without any hands.
As per legend Queen Gundicha’s rationale for doing so was out of compassion for the poor and those unable to enter the temple. Pleased with her devotion Lord Jagannath promised to leave his main shrine to visit her garden home for nine days every year, giving rise to the annual Rath Yatra (Chariot Festival)
Even today her palace – now called the grand garden temple located about two miles away from the main Puri temple is considered the birthplace/home of the deities. Even otherwise her name is immortalised in the Jagannath cult and Hindu tradition.
Meanwhile a divine voice directed King Indradyumna to install the half-done idols in the temple.
(To be continued part 2 of 3)
