Sarvam Krishnarpanam Astu...

One of our close relatives had suggested that we visit the Jagannath Temple at Agara in HSR Layout and we decided to be there on Monday, 8th October 2018.

HSR Layout is an abbreviation of Hosur-Sarjapura Road Layout, and once upon a time this was way out of the city limits. The exponential growth in this area in the last 12 to 15 years can be attributed to the IT & ITES organizations setting up shop in the Outer Ring Road. Till recently, I wasn’t aware that Bangalore had such a significant Odiya population, until my wife and I visited this temple, built and very well maintained by Odiya community. The architecture of this temple takes inspiration from the Puri-Jagannath Temple. Although it is a miniature replica in terms of the size and area, the idols bear a remarkable resemblance to the original one at Puri. The idols are carved out from the trunk of a fragrant log of wood, similar to the original one at Puri.

It is dedicated to Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra – the only brothers and sister temple, if I am not mistaken. It is more popularly referred to as Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra – the main trinity. While the present day deity at Puri was built by the Ganga dynasty. However, as per the legend, Jagannatha temple owes its origins to the tribals and originally worshipped secretly by the tribal chief Viswavasu. King Indradyumna who had heard about the powerful deity was determined to see and worship the deity. Having been denied to see and offer his prayers. King Indradyumna observed a fast unto death, determined to see the principal deity Neela Madhaba. It was then that a celestial voice announced to the king that “Thou shalt see him”…The king built a magnificent temple. The King had a vision of Lord Jagannath and an astral voice directed him to receive the log of a fragrant tree by the sea shore to make idols of the God. It is believed that Indradyumna got Vishwakarma, the architect of Gods to build the magnificent temple to house the idols. Lord Vishnu himself appeared in the guise of a carpenter to make the idols, but on the condition that he was to be left alone and undisturbed until he finished the work.

After just two weeks, when there was no noise from within the temple, the queen got anxious and requested the king to open the door and check if all was well. They saw Vishnu at work, and he promptly abandoned his work and left with the work unfinished, since the King had not kept his side of the promise by not disturbing him. The idol was devoid of hands, but King Indradyumna heard a divine voice asking him to install the idol, as is, and which he did. To this day all the Lord Jagannath temples around the country have the idols carved out of wood, devoid of hands and the face prominently and decoratively carved. Once every 8 or 12 or 18 years, when one lunar month follows another lunar month in the Indian calendar month of Ashada, the old idols are buried within the temple premises and three new ones in the same size, shape, and with elaborate carvings to get the look and feel of the earlier ones are installed. The most recent change was done in the year 2015 CE.

As per the scriptures, Lord Jagannath is the best brother to his siblings, Balabhadra and Subhadra; best husband to Goddess Mahalaxmi and the best son to his parents as he performs the annual Shraddha in the month of Marghashira during Amavasya. As a master, he enjoys all the comforts during various festivals, grants wishes to his subjects and to those who surrender before him, he takes the utmost care.

While all the replica Lord Jagannatha temples across the land may not carry the aura or the divine powers of the Puri-Jagannatha temple, people visiting the temple feel blessed, merely by being present in his abode and surrendering before him. If the mind is pure and there is devotion in the prayers, the Lord will certainly grant his wishes.

Sarvam Krishnarpanam Astu (Everything, I offer to Krishna)

Sri Chokkanathaswamy Temple

We were extremely lucky to have met the elderly Smt. Shakuntala Keshavachar at Sri Chokkanathaswamy temple yesterday, 1st October 2018. This is one of the oldest temples in Bengaluru, dating to the Chola period of the 10th century AD.

The word ‘Chokka’ means beautiful in Telugu. Members of Shakuntala’s family are temple trustees and her late husband, Sri R Keshavachar, was its hereditary priest for decades. “While Chokkanatha is also a name for Shiva, it is used here as a description for Vishnu as Lord Chokka Perumal. This temple is said to have been built during the rule of the Shaivite Chola dynasty by one Thiripuraanthakan of Talaikkaadu and his wife Chettichi Parpathi.

The mighty Cholas left an imprint on the area in and around Bangalore between the 10th and 12th century. They renamed and regrouped local areas into new administrative units and also built temples that reconfirmed their presence as a regional power. Ancient inscriptions in Tamil can still be seen on the outer walls surrounding the sanctum. Historical records indicate that the temple also received extensive attention during Vijayanagar rule.

Extensive renovations over the years have also altered the Chokkanathaswamy Temple’s exterior. We understand that the present form and shape bears very little resemblance to the original Chola structure. But inside the sanctum and ardha-mantapas attributed to the Chola period, all appears to be intact and in its original form.

The idols of Lord Vishnu, Sridevi and Bhudevi are carved from the sacred saligrama shila, an ammonite fossil found in the Gandaki river in Nepal. As told in the puranas, to wash away the four curses of Sati Brindha, Lord Vishnu took four avatars (incarnations). He became stone (Sri Saligrama), grass (Kush), tree (Peepal) and plant (Tulasi). Essentially, all these four are present within the perimeter of all Vishnu temples. Sri Saligrama is considered the most sacred stone worshipped by Vaishnavites. Saligrama Shila is found in a place called Damodar Kunda near the Kali-Gandaki river in Nepal. The saligrama stones, absolutely black in colour, are hundreds of millions of years old – from the times when Himalayas was an ocean floor. Scientifically, they are described as fossil-stones characterized by the presence of discus marks – embedded fossil ammonites. Ammonites are the most widely known fossil, possessing the typically ribbed spiral-form resembling a tightly coiled rams’ horns.

If Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of a Linga, Lord Vishnu is worshipped in the form of a Saligrama.

The temple Sthala Purana mentions an unknown sage who invoked Vishnu’s blessings through powerful penance and installed the mula-vigraha (consecration idol) here on elevated land so the temple could harness and transmit cosmic energy. Twelve points in the temple are said to vibrate with powerful pranic energy. We were lucky to have been shown the 12 pranic points by Smt. Shakuntala Keshavachar herself – three points are in the immediate periphery of the inner sanctum, while the remaining nine are on the outer pathway surrounding the temple. The points have been painted as a square box at each of these nine points and one has to face the mula-vigraha while doing dhyana. We were advised by the elderly Shakuntala ajji to repeat “Om Namo Narayanaya” 21 times at each of these 12 pranic points through Dhyana and finally complete pradakshina for a minimum five times.

There are three basic ways to invoke the Lord: Prayer/Bhajan – this could be individual or in a group setting where the person singing/chanting benefits oneself as also the nearby listeners. Parayana is the second form – recitation or chanting of the Vedic Mantras, done in a community setting where the entire community benefits from the prayer. The third and the most powerful for the inner self is Dhyana. One should do this with eyes closed (not pay any attention to unfolding events within your immediate vicinity); ears closed (shutting yourself from any distractions/noise); lips sealed (not speaking, not even the mantra “Om Namo Narayanaya”) but saying it from the depths of your mind. This is meditation in its pristine form!

For my wife and myself, being initiated into “Dhyana” with such simple clarity was a completely new and enriching experience. Before our departure, we bowed and took the blessings of this Guru, for we had learnt something different…