Puri: The Land of Lord Jagannath

Puri: The Land of Lord Jagannath

Apart from the Vedas the glories of the holy land Puri and the greatest lord of the universe are mentioned in various other scriptures.

 Brahma Purana: aho kshetrasya mahatmyam samantad dasa yojanam, divi stha yatra pasyanti sarvan eva chatur bhujan,

How glorious is this land, ten joyanas across from one end to the other! The demigods

look down on this land and see that all its residents have four arms like those of Vaikuntha.

yatha sarvesvaro vishnu sarvalokottamotamah tatha samasta tirthanam varishtham purushottamam, aste yatra svayam devo muktida purushottamam dhanyaste vibudhipraksya ye vasanti kule narah,
Just like the Supreme Lord Vishnu is the greatest among the greatest personalities in all worlds, the place where Sri Purushottama resides is the best among all the holy places of pilgrimage. In that place the Lord Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the most worshipable Person, awards liberation to the very fortunate souls who live there under His protection.

Kapila Samhita: varshanam bharata sreshtha deshanam utkala smrta utkalasya samodeshah deshah nasti mahitale,

It is said that among all countries, Bharata Varsha or India is the best, within Bharata Varsha the region of Utkala (Odisha) is the best. Therefore there is no better place in the whole world than Utkala(Odisha).

sarvesam caiva devanam raja sri purushottamah sarvesam caiva kshetranam raja sri purushottamah,

Among all the greatly powerful Lords, Sri Purushottama Jagannatha is the greatest. Among all dharma kshetras or holy places of pilgrimage, Purushottama Dhama is the greatest.”

Narada Purana: pratimam tatra tam drishtva svayam devena nirmitam anayesena vaiyanti vadanam me tato narah,

Simply by seeing the Deity of the Supreme Lord, Sri Jagannatha, fashioned and installed by the Devas, people can attain the spiritual world, Vishnuloka.

Tantra yamala: bharate cotkale dese bhusvarge purushottame darurupi jagannatha bhaktanam abhaya pradah,

Within Bharata Varsha, Utkala (Odisha) is like paradise on Earth. In this bhu-svarga, called

Purushottama kshetra or Puri, Lord Jagannatha resides as a Deity made of holy wood and protects his devotees from all fears.

Skanda Purana: Purushottam akhyam sumahata kshetram parama pavanaman yatraste darabatanu srisho manushalilaya, darshanad muktida sakshat sarvatirtha phala pradam,

In the wonderful holy place called Purushottama Kshetra, the greatest among the purifying places of pilgrimage, Sri Narayana, the husband of the Goddess of Fortune, resides exhibiting lilas similar to the activities of a human life(Manabia leela), and personally awards liberation and the result of visiting all the holy places.

Svetasvatara Upanishad (3.19) apani pado javano grahita pasyati acaksuh sa srnoty akarnah

sa vetti vedyam na ca tasyasti vetta tam ahur agryam purusam mahantam

Though the Lord has neither hands nor feet, He takes and He walks. He sees without eyes and hears without ears. He knows all that is to be known, but nobody knows Him. This is the one they call the original and greatest being, the Purushottama.

Narada purana //(52.12) pratimam tatra tam drstva svayam devena nirmitam anayesena vai yanti bhavanam me ta to narah
In the greatest of the holy places, the unparalleled Supreme Lord manifests in a Deity that was carved by the Lord Himself. Any human being who contemplates this Deity attains My abode.

Sri Jagannatha in Puri as Purushottama is certainly the King, as He is the Lord of Purushottama kshetra, proprietor, and beneficiary of all, lavishly worshiped with sumptuous food offerings and royal rituals, attended by a great family of servants, including a number of maidens called Devadasis(now after the death of the last Devadasi Sashimani devi, this tradition is no longer followed, i.e Devadasi's used to dance and sing for the deities during their food offering and Pahuda ritual). All the activities in the temple are performed for the benefit of Jagannatha – from the Mangala Arti to the morning Homa celebrated in his name to worship Surya, to the daily horoscope read by the jyotishi, to the financial report read by the accountants (karanas). In this sense, Sri Purushottama Jagannatha is the true King, in fact, the Supreme Ruler of the entire Universe, sitting in his throne room, daily giving darshan to the people for their well being.

For the first part of the article you can visit the following link : https://www.divinechariots.com/2018/02/puri-purushottama-khetra.html