Jagannath Puri

This legend goes back to the time, when King Indradyumna was ruling over a large part of the country. One night, God appeared in his dream and commanded him to build a temple. The king devoted all his time, money, and energy in building a majestic temple. He again had a dream and as foretold, found a piece of wood drifting on the seashore. Now, a fresh problem arose. Who would carve an idol out of the piece of wood? A strange, old man appeared before the king and agreed to undertake the job. It was none other than the God’s own craftsman, Vishwakarma. He laid down a condition that he should be given a room and nobody should open the doors for 21 days. For some days, the queen could hear the noise of someone working, but after about a fortnight, everything was quiet. The queen lost her patience and broke open the doors, and the old man disappeared, leaving the three unfinished images of Jagannath, His brother Balarama, and sister Subhadra as they are seen today.

Lakhs of people flock to Puri every year to witness the famous car festival, when the deities are taken in huge wooden chariots with sixteen wheels to the Gundicha temple. The journey commemorates Krishna’s journey from Gokul to Mathura.

[Source- Stories for Children – II]

Published by- Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust, Prashanti Nilayam