320 ON ORISSA PROPER 



Without going into any profound speculation as to the origin, nature, 

 and meaning of the worship of Jagannath, there is one cause sufficiently ob- 

 vious why all sects should here unite in harmony in the performance of their 

 religious ceremonies, viz. that the temple instead of being consecrated ex- 

 clusively to some form of the deity Vishnu alone, is in fact occupied, in 

 joint tenancy, by forms of three of the most revered divinities of the Hindu 

 faith. Balbhadra or Baldeo, (Balarama,) the elder brother, who is treated 

 with the greatest respect, though not so popular as his black relation, is 

 clearly identified with Mahadeo, both by his white colour, and the figure of 

 the serpent Shesha or Ananta* which forms a hood over the back part of 

 his head ; and Subhadra is esteemed a form of Devi or Kali, the female 

 energy of the above. The precedence is always given to the elder brother ; 

 he has a rath or chariot of equal size with that of Jagannath, and altogether 

 the veneration paid to him is quite sufficient to conciliate the votaries of 

 Siva, who are the only violent or bigoted sectaries. All other deities too 

 are allowed to occupy niches or temples within the precincts of the great 

 Pagoda, and are treated with so much respect, that the most obstinate sec- 

 tary could not with any decency or consistency refuse to join in the gene^ 

 ral worship of the place. 



The legend above quoted by me regarding the establishment of the wor- 

 ship of Jagannath, does not provide for or explain the sacred deposit which 

 popular belief, sanctioned by the brahmins, places in the belly of the image. 

 Some conjecture it to be a bone of Krishna, but how it came there is not 

 explained. As the image has been often remade of the wood of the Nina 

 tree, it seems not improbable that it may be a relic of the old original idol 

 which is thus religiously preserved. With regard to the Raja Indradyum- 

 na, he is mentioned by Wiiford as famous in the fabulous legends relat- 

 ing to the Sweta Dwipa or White Islands of the west. The memory of his 

 visit to Puri has been perpetuated, independently of the temple legends, by 



* Both these words in Wilson's Sancrit Dictionary are explained to mean a serpent and a name 

 e-t Baladeya. 



