page 1 - cover - jagannath...

8
HAPPY RATH YATRA 2016 BEST COMPL,MENTS FROM AMCON INC. .%& &216758&7,21 //& 3$1,*5$+, )$0,/<

Upload: lamnhi

Post on 28-Feb-2018

225 views

Category:

Documents


3 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Page 1 - COVER - Jagannath Culturejagannathculturetampa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Rath-Yatra... · Astrology 18 July forecast outh Class of 2016 3 Sunidhi Chauhan and actor

HAPPY RATH YATRA 2016

BEST COMPL MENTS FROM

AMCON INC.

Page 2: Page 1 - COVER - Jagannath Culturejagannathculturetampa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Rath-Yatra... · Astrology 18 July forecast outh Class of 2016 3 Sunidhi Chauhan and actor

ISKCON OF ALACHUA17306 NW 112th Boulevard

Alachua, FL 32615Phone: 386-462-2017

E-mail: [email protected]

Khaas Baat is a monthly publication that presents exclusive information and relevant news about the Indian American community in Florida, including Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Fort Lauderdale/Miami, Orlando/Casselberry, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Lakeland, Ocala, Melbourne, Fort Myers, Sarasota-Bradenton, and Tallahassee.

In addition to community news and events, Khaas Baat informs readers with regular columns on health, fashion, money matters, immigration, entertainment, music, Ayurveda, astrology, family matters and motoring, among other features.

Khaas Baat is the ONLY publication in Florida with comprehensive coverage and information on South Asian community events.

FLORIDA RESIDENTS: For your annual subscription, please send a $18 check addressed to: KHAAS BAAT, 8312 WINDSOR BLUFF DRIVE, TAMPA, FL 33647 with your name and address.

EDITOR/PUBLISHER: NITISH S. RELE, M.A. IN JOURNALISM CREATIVE DIRECTOR: TIM LANCASTER ASSOCIATE EDITOR: SHEPHALI J. RELE, M.A. IN JOURNALISM

Publication for the Indian American community in Florida.

For advertising rates andinformation, call (813) 758-0518(813) 758-1786 or [email protected]

ws ater,

umns gy,

tion

a.

eeditor@@khaassbaat.ccom

Business

Beat 12-13

Inside:

A P u b l i c a t i o n f o r I n d i a n A m e r i c a n s i n F l o r i d a J U LY 2 0 1 6

w w w . k h a a s b a a t . c o m • e d i t o r @ k h a a s b a a t . c o m • 8 1 3 - 7 5 8 - 1 7 8 6

18AstrologyJuly forecast

YouthClass of 2016

3Filmfare Award winners singer

Sunidhi Chauhan and actor/

singer Ayushmann Khurrana

will take to the stage July 8

for the first time together in

Orlando.

Khurrana won the Filmfare

Awards for Best Male Debut

and Best Male Playback

Singer in his debut film “Vicky

Donor” in 2012. Since then,

he has excelled acting and singing for “Nautanki

Saala” (‘Saadi Galli Aaja’ and ‘Tu Hi Tu’), and

“Bewakoofiyaan” (‘Khamakhaan’ and ‘O Heeriye’),

“Hawaizaada” (‘Dil-e-Nadaan’). He also acted in

last year’s hit “Dum Laga Ke Haisha.”

Chauhan made her singing debut for the film

“Shastra” when she was just 11 years old.

Thereafter, she was winner of the Doordarshan

singing reality show “Meri Awaz Suno.” Her big

break came when she sang the hit ‘Ruki Ruki Thi

Zindagi’ for Ram Gopal Varma’s “Mast.” Since

then, there has been no

looking back for this versatile

singer whose list of hits runs

by the dozens. Some of

the melodious chartbusters

include ‘Dhoom Machale’

from “Dhoom” and ‘Kamli’

from “Dhoom 3,” ‘Ishq

Sufiyana’ (“The Dirty Picture”),

‘Sajna Ve Sajna’ (“Chameli”),

‘Sheila Ki Jawaani’ (“Tees

Maar Khan”), ‘Bin Tere’ (“I

Hate Love Story”), ‘Beedi

Jalaile’ (“Omkara”), ‘Desi Girl’ (“Dostana”), and

‘Say Shava Shava’ (“Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham”

Organized by Krish Patel and Satya Shaw, the

Sunidhi and Ayushmann concert will be from 8

p.m. at Orange County Convention Center, Lin

Chapin Theater, 9800 International Drive, Orla

Tickets starting at $39 can be purchased at w

bollywoodeventsfl.com For information, call

at (407) 454-3334 or Shaw at (813) 842-0345

Here are some important dates you want to note

in your calendar later this year.

SOUTH FLORIDA NAVRATRI

OCT. 1, OCT. 7-8

FORT LAUDERDALE: The

Indian Regional & Cultural

Center (IRCC) will celebrate

Navratri from 8 p.m. to 1

a.m. on Oct. 1, and Oct. 7-8,

at Silver Trail Middle School, 18300 Sheridan St.,

Fort Lauderdale. IRCC members pay $10 per day,

non-members are $15 and senio

information, call (954) 543-1539

irccflorida.com or visit www.irc

CENTRAL FLORIDA

BOLLYWOOD DIWALI OCT. 29

ORLANDO: Gujarati Society o

Central Florida will celebrate

Bollywood Diwali from 6 p.m

on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Hilto

Orlando, 6001 Destination

Parkway. There will be a re

By NITISH S. RELE

The annual Tampa Bay

Rath Yatra (The Festival

of Chariots and Dharma

Sammelan) will be held

Sunday, July 10, at Hindu

Temple of Florida, 5509

Lynn Road. The festival,

organized and celebrated by

the Tampa Bay Rath Yatra

(T.R.Y.) Association since 2006, will begin at 9:30

a.m. with the seating of Lord Jagannath, Balram

and Subadhra on main stage followed by arati and

puja. Then Rath Yatra will begin on the set route

near the temple and then return and settle in the

temple hall. After mahaprasad, there will be a

cultural program. Future plans include installing

the three murtis at the new Sanatan Mandir (311

E. Palm Ave.) under constructio

Tampa.

In India, the holy town of Puri

home of the Lord of the Univ

Jagannath, celebrates this fes

temple of Jagannath, also kn

Krishna, in Puri is one of Ind

pilgrimage sites. The Festiva

signifies Lord Jagannath’s jo

the forest into the hearts o

Rath Yatra in Puri will begin on July 6

Among the co-sponsors are Hindu Te

Florida, Vishnu Mandir, Sanatan Man

mandir, Florida Oriya Association, Al

Krishna Temple, Gujarati Samaj of T

Tampa Bay and Khaas Baat.

For more information, call (813) 90

267-7660.

TAMPA TO HOLD ANNUAL RATH YATRA ON JULY 10

SUNIDHI CHAUHAN, AYUSHMANN KHURRANA

ORLANDO CONCERT JULY 8

SAVE THESE DATES!

FinanceEmpty nesters 4

MOTORING

Check out test-drive reviews of the 2016 Honda

K900 Mazda3 and Mitsubishi Outlander.

ge 14

Entertainment‘Sultan’

5

ImmigrationFiling fee hike

6

LOOLIST

Sunidhi Chauhan

Ayushmann Khurra

A P u b l i c a t i o n f o r I n d i a n A m e r i c a n s i n F l o r i d a

w w w. k h a a s b a at. co m • e d i to r @ k h a a s b a at. co m • 8 1 3 - 7 5 8 - 1 7 8 6

ADVERTISING AND STORY DEADLINE: the 20th of every month for the

following month’s issue.

Rath Yatra Program, Ju , 201

9:30 am -10 am Setup Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra in the Hall

10 am to 11am Puja , bhoga offerings, arati by donors (as previous years)

11:30 am – 12 pm Carry Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra to Cart

12 pm to 12:45 pm R.Y. procession

1 pm to 1:30 pm Lunch – Prasad served to devotees

1:30 pm to 2: pm Cultural Program – ( minutes)

ISKCON devotees cultural program – 10 minutes

Dance Program by Gopa Rautray Group - 20 minutes

– minutes

2: pm Adjourn

Page 3: Page 1 - COVER - Jagannath Culturejagannathculturetampa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Rath-Yatra... · Astrology 18 July forecast outh Class of 2016 3 Sunidhi Chauhan and actor

Sanctity and Significance of Ratha Yatra Ju , 20

The festival is also known as Gundicha Yatra, and by a variety of other names. For the devoted and believers, it is considered the most auspicious occasion. Yatra is an essential part of the ritual of the Hindu system of worship. Yatra literally means travel or journey. Normally, it is the representative deities of temples more popularly known as Chalanti Pratima or Bije Pratima in Puri, Orissa, who partake in the annual Rath Yatra. It is rarely that the presiding deities come out of the sanctum for such ritual journeys. The Yatra for the Ritual Journey takes two forms – one involving the short circumbulation around the temple and other involving a longer journey from the temple to some other destination, such as the Gundicha temple in Puri. The yatra is an important part of festivities and ceremonies of each temple and is considered as a special and sacred occasion.

Rath Yatra being unique among all Yatras is the grandest festival of the supreme divinity that has manifested himself in the Kali Yuga to emancipate humanity and to relieve them from their sufferings. Lord Jagannath is identified with Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna. In his original manifestation as Nilamadhaba, he was worshipped in a sacred temple under a banyan tree. The branches of the tree had spread for several miles and anyone entering this area was instantly emancipated and was relieved of the travails of the birth and re-birth. In fact, the influence of Yama, the God of Death, is supposed to have been curtailed in the sacred city of Puri – Srikhetra on account of the presence of Lord Jagannatha and therefore it is also called the Yamanika Tirtha.

A glimpse of Lord Jagannath on the chariot is considered to be very auspicious and saints, poets and scriptures have repeatedly glorified the sanctity of this special festival. The sanctity of the festival is such that even a touch of the chariot or even the ropes with which these are pulled is considered enough to confer the results of several pious deeds or penance for ages. In fact, there is a famous Oriya song which says that on this occasion, the chariot, the wheels, the grand avenue all become one with Lord Jagannath himself.

In Tampa Bay this festival has been organized and celebrated annually as the ‘Festival of Chariot’ since 2006 by the Tampa Bay Rath Yatra (T.R.Y.) Association, with the support of all the Jagannath devotees living in the Tampa Bay area. This year the Rath Yatra has been scheduled to be celebrated on Ju ,201 at the , at 55 Lynn Road, Tampa, Florida 33624. We sincerely lookforward to your participation this auspicious event.

Tampa Bay Rath Yatra Association TeamShyam and Subhra Mohapatra, Satish Sharma, Chandrakant Patel, Rashmi and Ram Jakhotia, Kiron Senapati, Shekhar Dora & Sukanta Kar.

Taj Indian Cuisine 2734 E Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL 33612

Phone: (813) 971-8483 Email: [email protected]

1251 E. Fowler Ave Unit F, Tampa,Florida 33612 t:813.558.9090, f:813.558.9696

[email protected]

Page 4: Page 1 - COVER - Jagannath Culturejagannathculturetampa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Rath-Yatra... · Astrology 18 July forecast outh Class of 2016 3 Sunidhi Chauhan and actor

Jai Jagannath Jai Jagannath

Keti Medical Center & Pain Management 7105 Mariner Blvd, Spring Hill, Fl-34609

352-596-1339 7426 ommunity Ct, Hudson, Fl-34667

727-857-7819

Pain Management Services Other Services Epidurals Consultations Nerve Blocks Second opinions Facet Injections Physical therapy Transforaminal injections Hospital consultations Radio Frequency ablations Trigger point injections SI joint injections Spinal cord stim. implant

Pain management in a comfortable, caring & compassionate environment with best possible outcome

Best wishes from:

Keti Medical center Shipu enterprises (A management company)

Shyam Swain, MD Ketaki Swain

Saumendra Swain, MD resident

Sandeep wain, MD

Tampa Bay Rath Yatra (TBRY) Association is celebrating its 10th year anniversary. The Association obtained its 503(c) status last year from the IRS. The goal of TBRY has been to establish a permanent seat at one of the local temples for Lord Jagannath such that our devotees can have the Lord’s darshan every day and not wait for the once a year event during the Rath Yatra festival. With generous financial support from our devotees the plan to establish Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra in Tampa at the newly constructed Sanatan Mandir has materialized and murti stapanna has been scheduled to take place during spring of 2016.

To continue the tradition of Jagannath Culture and Rath Yatra in Tampa Bay, TBRYA has established a Board of Trustees (BoT) based on the financial support (contribution of $1000 or more in a year) and the service dedication of the devotees. This designation is valid for two years.

TBRYA 2015-2016 BoT

Chandrakant Patel Nainan Desai

Bijay Panigrahi Satish K. Sharma

Shyam Mohapatra Shyam Swain

Kiron Senapati Satish Babu

Suresh Mishra Basanta Mishra Prabin Mishra

Pramod Maharana Ram Narayan Mohapatra

Krishan Batra Prasanta Sahoo

Page 5: Page 1 - COVER - Jagannath Culturejagannathculturetampa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Rath-Yatra... · Astrology 18 July forecast outh Class of 2016 3 Sunidhi Chauhan and actor

1 Babu Tulsi and Satish 2 Barik Sagarika 3 Batra Krishan 4 Das Manoj and Nivedita 5 Dash Amitav6 Dora Shekhar & Ritu 7 Kar Rita and Gitimoy Kar8 Kar Sukanta 9 Mahapartra Ram Narayan & Jhunu10 Maharana Pramod and Jhunu 11 Mishra Madhavi and Suresh 12 Mishra Snehalata 13 Mohanty Bhabani 14 Mohanty Pragyan and Rupesh 15 Mohapatra Manorama and Raj 16 Mohapatra Subhra and Shyam 17 Nanda Leena & Arun18 Nayak Sidhartha 19 Padhi Balaji Sankar20 Panda Mita & Basanta Mishra21 Panda Madhuri22 Panda Simi and Akshaya23 Pattanaik Sumanta & Laxmi 23 Sahoo Prasanta 24 Seet Khitish 25 Senapati Lekha and Kiron 26 Swain Shyam & Ketaki27 Vungarala Sudhir & Sasmita

Lord Jagannath Murti Staphana Donors

KRISHAN K. BATRA M.D, CHCQMDiplomat, Am. Bd. of Psychiatry and Neurology

Diplomat, Am. Bd. Of Quality Assurance & Utilization review Physicians

Adult, Child & Adolescent and Addiction Psychiatry DISTINGUISHED FELLOW, APA

CLINICAL ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, USF –TAMPA

SANSKAR PSYCHIATRIC CLINIC16725 Racetrack Road. Odessa. Fl 33556

www.SanskarOnline.com Phone: 813-926-4700 Fax: 813-926-4704

Best Wishes for Rath Yatra 201

From

Vipan KaushalVinay Kaushal

Page 6: Page 1 - COVER - Jagannath Culturejagannathculturetampa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Rath-Yatra... · Astrology 18 July forecast outh Class of 2016 3 Sunidhi Chauhan and actor

TransGenex NanoBiotech Inc (TGN)13014 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 266Tampa, FL (www.transgenex.com)

From Shyam & Subhra Mohapa a

A NANOTECH-PHARMA COMPANY with a mission to discover, develop and commercialize novel, cost-e ective diagnostic and therapeutic agents

against cancers

LORD JAGANNATH AS THE HEAD OF THE STATE OF ODISHA AND SYMBOL OF NATIONALISM

Studies on Lord Jagannath are numerous, particularly since 12th century when the present temple in Puri, Odisha, was built by Anantavarman Chodaganga (1077-1150) of Ganga Dynasty. King Chodaganga was originally a Shaivite from Srimukhalingam who became a Vaishnava under the influence of Ramanuja when he visited Jagannath Puri. He declared Lord Jagannath as the Head of the State and the King of Puri as the Deputy.

The Chodoganga King came as conqueror from the South (Karnataka) and they wanted to please the people of Odisha and get their support. They succeeded in this venture and ruled the State for 300 years. Their rule was called golden period of History of Odisha. The Jagannath temple, Konarka temple, and many other temples were built by them which are considered best specimen of Orissan architecture and sculpture. They got assimilated into Orissan culture and their tradition of Lord Jagannath as the Head of the State continued till modern times. Later, King Ananga Bhima Deva II (1170–1198) did much to continue the work of Chodaganga Deva, building the walls around the temple and many of the other shrines on the temple grounds. He is thus often considered one of the builders of the temple. He also did much to establish the regulations around the service to the Deity.

Raja of Parlakhemundi who was the first “Prime Minister” of Odisha in the newly created State of Odisha in 1936 had “darshan” of the Lord Jagannath before joining his office. This tradition continues till today. In the soil of Odisha; Janism, Budhism, Saivism, Saktism, Vaishanvism, and Brahmanism, have all merged into Jagannath culture resulting in the synthesis of all these faiths.

Jagannath studies reveals several legends – Lord’s tribal origin, story of Neelamadav (Vidypati and Lalita) and tribal temple servants called daitas as descendant of Sabara Biswabasu. They are interpreted in various ways. But all scholars agree that in the late 19th century and early 20th century, Jagannath emerged as a national symbol of Odia movement for unity and strength. Jagannath was looked upon by poets as the protector of the people of the State, particularly after defeat of King Mukunda Dev (last independent King) in the battle against the Afghans. Afghan invader Suleiman Khan Karrani (reign: 1566–1572) occupied the State of Odisha and broke it into several administrative units. There was an attack on the temple by “Kalapahad” and the deities had to be shifted out of the temple. Kalapahad (Black Mountain) was the title of a Muslim general of Sultan Sulaiman Karrani. According to some historical documents he was Rajiv Lochan Ray, an Odia general of Gajapati Mukunda Dev, who converted to Islam following the defeat of the Gajapati. After conversion to Islam he took a Muslim name but was popularly known as Kalapahad for his barbaric acts.

Professor Hermann Kulke (born 1938 in Berlin) a German Historian and Indologist from Heidelberg University, Germany, along with Ms. Anncharlott Eschmann have left behind a monumental research book on Lord Jagannath and tradition of Odisha. Ms. Anncharlott Eschmann (1941-1977) was a scholar of religion who died while researching on Lord Jagannath and Mahima Dharma. They have solved some mysteries of the Jagannath legend. During 16th, 17th, and 18th century several Odia poets have left behind beautiful works on Lord Jagannath. King Purusottam Dev leading invasion of Kanchi to bring princess of Kanchi (Padmavati) is prominently displayed in the wall painting inside the “Natamandir”

Page 7: Page 1 - COVER - Jagannath Culturejagannathculturetampa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Rath-Yatra... · Astrology 18 July forecast outh Class of 2016 3 Sunidhi Chauhan and actor

(audience hall). Lord Jagannath and Balabhadra riding two black and white horses in the uniform of soldier have been shown. The story of Padmavati is about King Purusottam Dev who wanted to marry princess Padmavati of Kanchi and the King of Kanchi had agreed to the marriage proposal. However, the King of Kanchi refused when he came to know that the King of Puri sweeps Lord Jagannath’s Chariot floor during the annual festival of Rath Yatra as a sweeper. King Purusottam invaded Kanchi to take revenge of the insult, but was defeated in the battle. On his return, King Purusottam Dev prayed to Lord Jagannath for his help and was told to lead a second invasion in his dream. King Purosottam Dev won the battle the second time and brought the princess as a prisoner. He ordered his minister to have the princess married to a sweeper as described by the King of Kanchi. The wise minster waited until the following Rath Yatra and while King Purusottam Dev was sweeping the Chariot floor, offered princess Padmavati’s hand in marriage to the King. The King was the sweeper on that day and could not refuse the proposal in front of Lord Jagannath, and accepted the princess as his wife.

During the Kanchi invasion, it is believed that the Lord Jagannath himself along with his brother Balaram led the army in the uniform of a soldier. This evidence is revealed in the legend of the milkmaid “Manika” who was given a golden ring in return of a glass of butter milk that she had offered to Lord Jagannath on their way to the battle. The ring is usually adorned by the Lord in the temple and therefore, believed to have been given by the Lord himself. There is a village called “Manikapatna” named after Manika, near Chilka and the story depicted on the wall panel inside the audience hall of the temple.

British occupation of Odisha in 1803 further strengthened the feeling of insecurity in the State. Buxi Jagabandhu (Chief of Army) of King of Khordha fought against the British during Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. Further loss of life during 1866 famine promoted unity among the people of Odisha against the British rulers. Formation of Utkal Sammilani by Mr. Madhusudan Das demanded creation of a separate State of Odisha. The British attempt to abolish the office of King of Puri and entrust the administration of the temple to a Committee created a big stir. Mr. Madhusudan Das fought against it in Kolkata High Court and got the order cancelled. This made Mr. Madhusudan Das a hero in Odisha.

Lord Jagannath who is the supreme God of the entire Hindu world became the symbol of Odia nationalism. Even today Lord Jagannath is looked upon by the “Sebayats” (devotee/caretaker) as a member of their family and by the people of the State. The link between the Odia nationalism and Lord Jagannath was never snapped. The great poet and leader Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das during his imprisonment (1923-1924) for the fight for independence of India in a poem wrote that the people of Odisha should not be disheartened as the Lord Jagannath himself is the leader of Odisha. May the land of Jagannath and all his devotees enjoy the continued blessings of the Lord. Jai Jagannath!

The above article was written by Shri Govind Chandra Senapati, IPS Retd., of Odisha. Shri Senapati, who celebrated his 88th birthday on Feb 21st, 2016, served as the Director General of Police of Odisha until 1987 and presently resides in Cuttack, Odisha. Besides his professional career, he has served Rotary International as District Governor of the District 3260, comprising of the state of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and eastern part of Madhya Pradesh. His hobby is study of Archaeology and visit to sites of ancient historical monuments which has taken him to different parts of the world.

Best Compliments FFrom

AXON CIRCUIT, INC. Personalized High-Quality PCB Solutions

424 Ware Blvd, Tampa FL 33619

813-623-5200

Chandrakant Patel

Suresh Patel

Bipin Patel

Jayan Sanghani

Manish Patel

Page 8: Page 1 - COVER - Jagannath Culturejagannathculturetampa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Rath-Yatra... · Astrology 18 July forecast outh Class of 2016 3 Sunidhi Chauhan and actor

He felt very guilty and started praying to Lord Jagannath. At this time, the head of the village came to their house and gave some rice and money to Dasia to stitch a dress for him so that he could go to see Lord Jagannath during Rath Yatra. It is believed that Lord Jagannath had once taken coconuts from Dasia’s hand.

Bandhu Mohanty belongs to Jajpur in Orissa, and was a great devotee of Lord Jagannatha. He was very poor and it was hard for him to take care of his wife and two sons. But he was always assuring his wife that he had a great friend who would take care of him. Once his wife insisted him to meet with his friend and ask him for help. Bandhu Mohanty did not know what to do and took his family to Lord Jagannath’s temple. They arrived late in the evening in Puri. He told everyone to go to sleep since it was night and they would go in the morning to the friends’ place to ask for some help. Everyone slept except his wife. After a while someone came to their place with mahaprasad for them. When the wife explained to Bandhu Mohanty about the mahaprasad, he was thrilled and told her that it was none other than the Lord himself.

Bhakta Salabega was born to a Muslim father Lalbeg and a Brahmin mother. He was not allowed to enter the temple of Lord Jagannath in Puri because he was a Muslim. However, this did not stop him thinking about the Lord day and night. He eagerly waited for the annual Ratha Yatra when Lord Jagannath comes out of the temple to meet his devotees and thus have a glimpse of him.

Once during Rath Yatra, Salabega was out of town and could not reach in time to see the Lord on the chariot. He prayed to Lord Jagannath to wait inside the chariot until he could come and the Lord’s chariot did not move until Salabega reached the chariot. Actually Lord Jagannath had also waited all year long for this moment too. How could he leave without seeing his dear devotee Salabega? Salabega wrote many prayers glorifying Lord Jagannath that is most heart touching and still sung by devotees to this day.

Whenever devotees have prayed to Lord Jagannath, he is always there with them. The Jagannath culture is a unique unifying culture which has assimilated and incorporated in its fold the influences of divergent religious faiths and beliefs.

Jagannath is that form of consciousness, which cannot be confined within the limits of any traditional spiritual order. This consciousness is truly indescribable in words.

Jai Jagannath

Compiled by Subhasis Hota, of Tampa, Florida, who is a software engineer by profession and spent 10+ years in India, UK and Hungary working with different software companies, before moving to Tampa. He was born to father Sri Sankersan Hota and mother Smt Pravati Hota of Sakhigopal, Puri, Odisha. He is married to Jayasmita and they have a three (3) year old daughter Tasha.

“ “Se Ta Bhakta Bhabare Bandha”

(He is tied to the belief and affection of his devotees)

“Naham Vasami Vaikunthe Yoginam Hridaya Na Cha, Madbhakta Yatra Gayanti Tatra Tishthami..Narada”, - I am not in Vaikuntha and not in the heart of Yogis, but I am there where people worship me and chant my name, this is what Bhagaban Sri Hari told to Narada.

Lord Jagannath is always known as the Lord of Bhaba and Bhakti.

“Bhabaku nikata se ta .. abhabaku dura” (He is very near to your devotion and attachment and far away from your bitterness and enmity.)

Lord Jagannath, the very source of existence for the Hindus in general and Odiyas in particular. Beginning as a tribal God (Nila Madhava), he has in course of time become a part of the Aryan culture and has been held in high adoration by the Buddhists, the Jains, the Saivites, the Saktas, the Vaishnava, and the Ganapatyas and even by the Sikhs (Maharaja Ranjit Singh). A Hindu deity who is also worshipped by many Muslim devotees , such as ‘Bhakta Salabega’. It is also believed that Lord Jesus Christ had visited the Puri Jagannath temple as a young traveler to learn about the Vedas. The following are some of the famous devotees of Lord Jagannath who are well known in Odisha and have been immortalized by their sincere devotion and love for the Lord. There are many folklores and stories written about these devotees in Odia.

Dasia Bauri, a great devotee of Lord Jagannath was born in a village called Baligaon near Mangalapur (near to Pipili) of Puri district, Orissa. He was a weaver by profession and his income was barely enough to have a hand to mouth life. His wife accused him for not paying attention to basic household needs. She confessed that she had not eaten anything for the past five days as there was not enough food at home. Dasia had no clue about his wife’s starvation since she was serving food to him for all these days.