Deva Snana Poornima – the ritual and its significance

Deva Snana Poornima is an important ritual in the build up to the Annual Car festival of Lord Jagannath. For the un-initiate, on this day the idols of Sudarshana, Ma Subhadra, Lord Balabhadra and Lord Jagannatha are taken out to the 'Altar of Bathing' inside the temple premises. An elaborate bath is given which can … Continue reading Deva Snana Poornima – the ritual and its significance →

in search of the origin of a sweet dish

‘Rasagola Dibasa – Odisha Celebrates a Day For Rasagola (Rasgulla)’ is Dr. Anita Sabat's second book. Here is what the blurb says: This publication ‘Rasagola Dibasa – Odisha Celebrates a Day For Rasagola (Rasgulla)’ is a sincere attempt to share about Odisha’s centuries-old sweet-dish Rasagola; continuing tradition, Niladri Bije; and the online celebration of #RasagolaDibasa. … Continue reading in search of the origin of a sweet dish →

Sri Jagannath: beyond myths and miracles

No religion or spiritual sect is complete without myths and miracles. Stories of miracles abound around Lord Jagannath. Being the Kaliyuga form of Lord Krishna even though he is primarily a Vaishnav God, his devotees have come from diverse sects and religions over the past millennium. After all, the deity is none other than Jagannath … Continue reading Sri Jagannath: beyond myths and miracles →

From Jagannath to Juggernaut

Google's dictionary gives the meaning of the word Juggernaut as follows: When you try to find out the word origin, the first page of google search results is full of links to sites run by established dictionary publishers like Macmillan, Webster etc. Of course wikipedia also finds a place. The explanation of wikipedia is much … Continue reading From Jagannath to Juggernaut →

events galore in bengaluru

Like any other metro city, Bengaluru is host to numerous events - literary, culinary, cultural, artistic, social & unsocial, open and clandestine. Much as am I tempted to attend many of the events, a person of not so affluent means like me is not only restrained from the financial angle, but also by the limited … Continue reading events galore in bengaluru →

even for gods one life is not enough – the ritual of nabakalebara

There are hundreds of festivals and rituals associated with the Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri, the annual car festival, which falls on 25th June this year, being the most prominent one. There is one ritual that is unique to this temple. The presiding deities of the temple - Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra … Continue reading even for gods one life is not enough – the ritual of nabakalebara →