Thankyou so much kalinga for giving me deities of jagannath ji ,balramji and Subhadra Maiya🙏
Articles
Brahma Taladhwaja ❤️ Please read the full post 🙏
23
May
May
You are all aware that Lord Balabhadra’s (Badathakur’s) chariot is named Taladhwaja, but in Tulasi Kshetra, Lord Balabhadra’s chariot is named Brahma Taladhwaja. There is a special significance to this nomenclature. Since the idol (vigraha) of Shri Siddha Baladevajiu is made of Manisila (divine stone, also referred to as Brahma), Baladevajiu is known as Brahma Vigraha, the kshetra (sacred domain) is called Brahma Kshetra, and as the Brahma Vigraha graces the chariot, the chariot is called Brahma Taladhwaja. This kind of nomenclature is not observed in any other sacred site (pitha).
The Ganga dynasty ruler, Ananga Bhimadeva III, in 1220 AD, constructed a magnificent temple at Balagandi, initiated the Rath Yatra (chariot festival), and endowed approximately 3600 acres of land for the temple’s management. Along with this, he declared Baladevajiu as the presiding deity of Uttara Toshali (North Toshali) and later built the Baladevajiu temple in Dhenkanal and the Jagannath temple in Jajpur. Subsequently, other pithas (sacred centers) of Baladevajiu and Jagannath emerged in different parts of Odisha.
Previously, the Rath Yatra of Tulasi Kshetra was organized by the Gajapati Maharajas of Utkala. The festival here would commence after the arrival of elephants and armed forces from Puri, the day after Puri’s Rath Yatra. This is why the Rath Yatra in Tulasi Kshetra is celebrated over two days. On the first day, the deities ascend their respective chariots, and the actual procession (yatra) takes place on the following day.
The Rath Yatra was discontinued for a period after the deities were moved from Balagandi, first to Sakhibata, and then until the consecration of the Ichhapur temple. After the construction of the Ichhapur temple, during the Maratha rule, the Rath Yatra resumed and has been held continuously ever since (except for the last two years due to the Corona pandemic).
This colossal chariot was previously 51 cubits (hasta) or 76 feet tall. In the past, as the Ratha Danda (chariot street) was unpaved (muddy), the chariot wheels would often get stuck in the mud, sometimes veering onto people’s houses or sinking into the ground. Due to this, one tier (bhumi) of the chariot and its parabhadi (a structural part) were reduced, and the dadhinauti (pinnacle pot) is now placed within the shirikapada (another upper structural element). Consequently, the current height of the chariot is 65.6 feet.
For your information, Tulasi Kshetra is one of Odisha’s Panchakshetras (five sacred realms), and its descriptions are found in various Puranas. It is noteworthy that while Tulasi Kshetra (Kendrapara) is considered the primary kshetra of Lord Baladevajiu in Odisha, other significant sites dedicated to Him are referred to as pithas.
In the next post, we will learn about the relationship between Srikhetra (Puri) and Tulasi Kshetra.
