Why is only the King of Nepal granted the right to perform Aarti for Mahaprabhu on the Ratnasinghasan (Jewelled Throne)?

Only the King of Nepal is permitted to perform Aarti (ritual waving of lamps) upon Mahaprabhu’s Ratnabedi (Jewelled Platform). This is solely the right of the Nepalese royal family; even the Gajapati Maharaja, considered the primary servitor (sevak) of Mahaprabhu, does not possess the right to perform Aarti on the Ratnabedi. According to tradition, only the King of Nepal, should he express the desire during his darshan (viewing) of Mahaprabhu, can ascend the Ratnabedi and perform Aarti for the deities (Shri Bigrahas). Behind this special right granted to the King of Nepal lies the history and tradition of the Shri Jagannath Temple and the noble principle of bestowing honour.

According to the Madala Panji (temple chronicle), the first attack on Mahaprabhu Jagannath was by the Yavana (foreigner, often referring to Muslims in this context) Raktavahu. He defeated the then King of Puri, Shobhan Keshari Deb.

At that time, knowing that non-Hindus, upon conquering any Hindu kingdom, would first destroy the deities and temples, the servitors realized the danger to the Srimandir and the Trimurti (three main deities) idols. They secretly took the idols of Mahaprabhu Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra along the banks of the Mahanadi River, hiding them in various places. Finally, with the assistance of the King of Sonepur, they placed them in a cave in Gopali village and sealed the cave’s entrance with a large stone. Subsequently, to identify the cave later, they covered the entrance with soil and planted a banyan tree there.

Gradually, as the Yavanas weakened, Yayati Keshari became the king. In his 11th regnal year, he summoned ascetics and Brahmacharis (celibate students) and, inquiring about the whereabouts of Odisha’s Lord Jagannath Mahaprabhu, eventually reached Sonepur. Still, he couldn’t locate Jagannath. Learning from many Sadhus (holy men) and Sanyasis (ascetics) about the Darukona cave in Sonepur’s Gopali village, which had been worshipped for ages, he went there. When the local people revealed that various rituals and offerings (bhoga-raga) had been conducted there since the time of their fathers and grandfathers, the king became suspicious. He had the tree cut down from that spot and recovered the idols of the three deities. Having been buried underground for hundreds of years, the three idols appeared dilapidated and worn out (jarajirna).

When the Somavanshi King Yayati Keshari excavated and rescued the idols of Mahaprabhu Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra after 146 years, Adi Guru Shankaracharya advised the then Maharaja Yayati Keshari to reconstruct the deities. Hence, Mahaprabhu Jagannath’s first Nabakalebara (ritual recreation of the idols) was performed in that year. At that time, according to Hindu tradition, Shaligram stones were required for Balabhadra, Subhadra, and the other deities. Therefore, Adi Guru Shankaracharya advised Maharaja Yayati Keshari to procure special Shaligrams from Nepal. As the Shaligrams available in Nepal’s Gandaki River are considered the most sacred stones, it was essential to bring them from Nepal. During that period, the King of Nepal, Shankar Dev, sent one lakh (100,000) Shaligrams along with Kasturi (deer musk) to Shri Jagannath.

In history, this marks the first Nabakalebara festival of Mahaprabhu Jagannath. This would not have been possible without the assistance of the King of Nepal. Therefore, since that day, as a mark of special honour, the Nepalese royal family has been granted the right in the Sri Mandir to perform Mahaprabhu’s Aarti upon the Ratnabedi.

Jai Shri Jagannath 🙏