The shackled idol of Lord Jagannath in the temple at Kakatpur is a manifestation of the deep devotion of the villagers who are haunted by the spiritual insecurity that the Lord would leave the village if He is not bound by chains. The annual car festival in the village is marked by a peculiar tradition of the Lord’s chariot being pulled with iron chains
Devotion is a limitless ocean. In the Tretaya Yuga, Lord Ram accepted berries from Shabari who had already tasted them. In the Dwapara Yuga, the cowboys were friends of Lord Krishna and played with Him. During Rath Yatra the servitors carry the idol of Lord Jagannath from the temple to the chariot and their sweaty bodies touch the idol. But the Lord is pleased with all forms of devotion, especially the extreme exhibitions witnessed in places like Kakatpur, a remote village in Kendrapara district, where on Rath Yatra, unlike other parts of the state, the chariots are not pulled by coir ropes but iron chains. Even in the Kakatpur temple, Lord Jagannath is seen as bound by an iron chain hidden under His apparel.
Legend
In the far-flung riverside village of Kakatpur under Badihi gram panchayat of Mahakalapada block in Kendrapada district, the villagers pull the chariot with an iron chain. They follow this age-old tradition so as not to allow the Lord to leave the village because if the god forsakes His devotees they would be in deep trouble.
Asked about the unorthodox tradition, temple trust board member Sarat Kumar Sahu said: “The practice of pulling the chariot with iron chains is prevalent since the last three centuries. Legend has it that the god worshipped in the temple arrived at the shrine in the 18th century from a seaside village called Champagada, which was earlier located near the Satabhaya coast. Back then it was ruled by a tyrannical zamindar. It is said that the Lord had once cursed the zamindar before leaving the village. Surprisingly, the next day the village was erased from the face of the map by rising seawaters.”
Lord in chains
Not only is the Lord’s chariot pulled with iron chains on Rath Yatra, the deity in the temple is shackled throughout the year. Although the idol of Lord Jagannath is installed in His citadel in the temple, its rear part is securely fastened with an iron chain. The chain, however, is not visible as it is hidden under the apparel of the Lord.
Divine assent
Brahmananda Swain, a resident of Kakatpur, said: “Tying up the Lord in chains is a manifestation of devotion. The villagers who are simple at heart believe that once the god is unshackled He would leave the village, like he did in Champakgad. And if the god departs, the people of Kakatpur would meet the same fate as that of residents of Champakgad. That the idol and the chariot are bound by iron chains shows that the devotees of Kakatpur want to tie the Lord up with their deep devotion. The god is ‘antaryami’ and knows this profound feeling borne out of spiritual ardour.”
The villagers pull the chariot on Ratha Yatra every year with great religious fervour. “In order to assure ourselves that the god will not leave the village, the villagers follow this tradition. Our village is flourishing, thanks to Lord Jagannath’s blessings. If the almighty had felt offended with the age-old practice of pulling his vehicle with chains He would surely not have blessed us,” said Sankar Das, a resident of Kakatpur.
“Although we have changed in terms of lifestyle in accordance with the present age, when it comes to the Lord our faith is unflinching and eternally fixed and unchanging,” said Shatrughna, priest of Kakatpur temple.
Villagers who enthusiastically take part in Rath Yatra celebrations said they were safe and secured and also prospering due to the generous blessings of Lord Jagannath, which goes to show that the Lord assents to being tied up in chains and endorses the unorthodox practice, the roots of which lie in extreme devotion.
Bhuban Mohan Mishra is an astrologer and Jagannath scholar whose family conducts the daily worship at Daspali Jagannath temple in Bolangir district. “In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna said: Patram puspam phalam toyam, yo me bhaktya prayacchati, tad aham bhakty-upahrtam, asnami prayatatmanah.’ This means ‘If someone offers me even a leaf, a flower, fruit or water with love and devotion, I accept it with pleasure.’ The Lord is so kind and good that He accepts even the humblest offerings from His devotees with great pleasure if they are made with love and devotion. Why should such a kind-hearted god have a problem with being shackled? He knows the villagers follow the tradition to prevent Him from leaving the village. This shows they have deep love for the Lord.”
Inputs: Himanshu Guru & Rajesh Kumar Behera
