Legend of Jagannath Temple (Part 01)

The Jagannath Temple in Puri, India, is one of the most revered and sacred temples in Hinduism. The legend behind the temple's construction is a fascinating tale that is deeply ingrained in the religious beliefs of the people of Odisha. Let's see what had exactly happened...

A blindfolded Vidyapati being taken to Neel Madhab

Legend has it that a long time ago, there was a king named Indradyumna, a huge Vishnu devotee. He had wanted to build a temple for the god Jagannath.

But, the Lord was originally worshipped as Neela Madhaba by a tribal chief named Viswavasu in a dense forest, and nobody knew where the deity was located.

So, the king sent a Brahmin priest named Vidyapati to find the deity.

Vidyapati married Viswavasu's daughter Lalita and managed to persuade Vishwavasu to take him to the god. Vishwavasu agreed but blindfolded Vidyapati before he took him there. However, Vidyapati found out the correct way by dropping mustard seeds on the way and informed the king accordingly.

When the king came to visit the deity, he was disappointed to find that it had disappeared. But after observing a fast unto death, the Lord appeared in a vision to the king and instructed him to build a magnificent temple for Vishnu.

Later, during sleep, the king had a dream where he was directed to make deities out of a fragrant tree on the seashore. So, the king reached the place to get the wood.

This story is in association with The Eternal Epics™. You can check out more such hindu mythological stories on their Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and website.