Mysteries of Jagannath Temple Puri that defy scientific logic

The Jagannath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Jagannath, a form of Vishnu in Hinduism. It is located in Puri in the state of Odisha, situated on the eastern coast of India. As per temple records, King Indradyumna of Avanti built the main temple of Jagannath at Puri. The present temple was rebuilt from the tenth century onwards, on the site of the pre-existing temples in the compound, but not the main Jagannath temple, and begun by Anantavarman Chodaganga, the first king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. Many of the temple rituals are based on Oddiyana Tantras which are the refined versions of Mahayana Tantras as well as Shabari Tantras which are evolved from Tantric Buddhism and tribal beliefs respectively. The local legends link the idols with aboriginal tribes and the daitapatis (servitors) claim to be descendants of the aboriginals. The temple is one of the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of the Vaishnavite tradition.

Puri’s famous Jagannath Temple holds a prominent place of importance for devotees. It is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites in India, and is also well-known for the annual chariot festival or Rath Yatra. If various legends are to be believed, King Indradyumn built this holy shrine after Lord Vishnu blessed and guided him in his dreams to find Nila Madhava.
It was during one of the holy dips in the river, King Indradyumn found an iron rod floating. It is believed that Lord Vishnu then whispered to him that the floating rod is his heart, which will remain on the land forever. The king then ran with the rod to Lord Jagannath and placed it in him discreetly. He never allowed anyone to ever see or touch the rod.

It is also believed that when the Pandavas started their journey to Yamraj, Sapt Rishis advised them to visit the ‘Char Dham’ to get closer to ‘moksha.’ And, Jagannath Temple in Puri is one of holy places of ‘Char Dham.’ Since then, Jagannath idol has always remained off-limits for people, and devotees can see him only for a particular period of time.

Apart from all these facts, Jagannath Temple in Puri is also known for some mysteries that defy any scientific explanation. People believe these mysteries are actually blessings of Lord Jagannath. You need to visit this place to believe it.

The temple flag that defies logic

The flag atop the temple strangely always floats in the opposite direction of wind. The flag floating in opposite direction brings your scientific reasoning to a halt, and you just tend to believe that there is some force more powerful than science.

The Sudarshan Chakra

The chakra is actually 20 ft high and weighs a ton. It is fitted on top of the temple. But what is interesting about this chakra is that, you can see this chakra from any corner of the Puri city. The engineering mystery behind the placing and positioning of chakra is still a mystery because irrespective of your position, you can always feel that the chakra is facing toward you.

No planes, no birds fly above the temple

It’s fascinating to learn that no birds or planes fly above this temple. Unlike other temples in India, this site seems to be a unique no-fly zone—not by any official declaration, but by what many believe to be a divine force. This mysterious phenomenon continues to puzzle everyone, as no clear explanation has ever been found.

The temple structure

The temple’s structure is remarkable in that it casts no shadow at any time of day. Whether this is an incredible feat of engineering or a phenomenon attributed to divine forces remains an unsolved mystery.

Mystery of Simhadwaram

The Jagannath Temple features four doors, with Singhadwaram serving as the main entrance. As you pass through Singhadwaram, you can distinctly hear the sound of waves. However, if you take a turn and walk back in the same direction after entering, the sound of the waves fades away completely. In fact, while you are inside the temple, you won’t hear the waves at all.

The sea mystery

In any part of the world, you must have witnessed that during daytime, the wind from sea comes to the land, whereas the wind from the land blows toward sea at evening. However, in Puri, the geographical laws are also reversed. Here, just the opposite thing happens.

An 1800-year-old ritual

Every day a priests climbs atop the temple, which is as tall as 45 storey building, to change the flag. This ritual has been in place for 1800 years. It is believed that if this ritual is ever missed, the temple will remain shut for the next 18 years.

The prasadam mystery

Nothing goes wasted in Jagannath Temple. Depending on the day, records state that 2,000 to 20,000 devotees visit the temple. But, the quantity of prasadam, which is cooked in the temple, remains the same throughout the year. Yet, the prasadam never get wasted or is insufficient in any given day.

The cooking technique of prasadam

Pots are actually used to cook this special delicacy using firewood. 7 pots are used for this and they are placed one on top of another. Interesting to note here is that the contents of the topmost pot gets cooked first, followed by the bottom pots.