Author: OdiaWeb Editor
Mahaprasad is the main offering of rice in Jagannath Temple. In most temples of India, devotees may take “PRASAD”, holy food that has been offered to the deities. But only here in Jagannath Puri is this blessed food called “MAHAPRASAD”. “MAHA” has two meanings here. First, it means great. Lord Jagannath is described as MAHA BAHU, the Lord with the great arms. MAHA PRABHU, the great Lord, and the family name of one of the main groups of worshippers isMAHAPATRA. So this word MAHAPRASAD it self gives us the impression of something great. The second meaning of MAHAPRASAD is MA-PRASAD”.…
A famous festival related to the Jagannath temple is the ratha yatra, or chariot festival, which occurs yearly in June or July. During the Rath Yatra Festival, the images of Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra are placed in mammoth chariots or ‘raths’, the largest of which is 14 meters (46 feet) high and has 16 wheels, each more than two meters (seven feet) in diameter, which are then drawn along Grand Road to the Gundecha temple, a few kilometers away. After they have stayed in that temple for seven days, the deities again ride the chariots back to their home temple..…
The Naba Kalebar Yatra of Lord Jagannath occurs only every twelve years. Sometimes as many as 500,000 come from all parts of lndia and the world to see this great festival. The budget exceeds $500,000, ten times that of the annual Chariot Festival, Rath-Yatra. In this special year, not only are new chariots for the three deities of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra made, but so also are the deities themselves. Many rituals are performed In connection with this transformation from the old deities to the new. The actual rites to be followed can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit manuscripts…
Dwarpitha and Mangal Aarati at 5 a.m The door opens early in the morning in the presence of five specific sevayats after verification of the “seal” given by a particular sevayat in the last night. Soon after the opening of the door, Mangal Aarati is performed. “Mailam” at 6 a.m. “Mailam” is a word used in Sri Jagannath Temple, which means change or removal of dresses and flowers etc. At this time some specific sevaks change the clothes, flowers, Tulasi leaves of the deities worn on the previous night. After removal of clothes, the clothes known as “Tadap” and “Uttariya”…
The people who perform the ritual services at the Jagannath temple are called the sevayats or servitors. These sevayats acquire their position hereditarily. Records of 13th century A.D. and of the British period suggest that there were 36 categories of sevayats. Within the last two centuries the number of categories have been increased from 36 to 250. The first sevayat of Lord Jagannath is Gajapati, the king of Puri. He as a sevayat is expected to perform certain duties and rituals 0n certain occasions. The major ritual is that he sweeps the three chariots of the lord with a golden…
Shri Rakhal Chandra Mohanty was born in 1932 at Tatana in the district of Kendrapara.After matriculating in 1948 he went on to pursue a career in musical studies and earned the highest degree of Masters in Music (Vocal) from Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal in 1973. He charted his professional career there after by starting as a music teacher in Odissi Vocal from 1955 to 1973 in Indian College of Music and Dance of Kala Vikash Kendra at Cuttack and climbed the ladder of success to become a top grade music composer of AIR and Doordarshan. His wide ranging composition…
He is a genius and legend in true sense for Oriya music. Akshaya Mohanty (1937-2002), arguably the pre-eminent creator and culture-market of post-independent Orissa. An immensely imaginative man of many parts, Akshaya Mohanty especially excelled as a singer, composer and lyricist. In a journey lasting close to half a century, Akshaya gave identity and direction to popular Oriya music. Akshaya Mohanty’s journey as an artist started in the 50’s with just a healthy musical curiosity and without initiation in formal rules and theories. He kept exploring in the fields of rhythm, harmony, orchestration and most importantly lyrics. He rose to…
A National School of Drama pass-out, he started his stint with the Oriya film industry with Chilika Tire. He joined the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya in 1977 after which films just became his way of life and passion. The actor’s first release and first claim to fame was Naga Phasa – a superhit which established him as an actor, but in a negative role. Thereafter, negative roles followed in films like Bipasha, Pati Patni, Sautuni, Samay Bada Balwan, Danda Balunga, Sahari Bagha, Chaka Bhaunri and Chaka Akhi Sabu Dekhuchi. Back in Baripada from where he hails, Mohanty had formed a drama…
Mr. Prashanta Nanda not only glory and popularity to himself but also make the State of Orissa and the Country proud of him. Though film industry in Orissa, he is active in acting & making films since 1939, but it had only symbolic existence till 1976. The great change in the industry took place only after 1976 when Prashanta Nanda took charge. Mr. Prashanta Nanda, started off his career in the film industry as an actor with the film “Dasyu Ratnakar” in 1959 and since then he is involved in the industry in many ways. He received National Award for…