Rulers and Religious Traditions The Jagannatha Cult


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

Rulers and Religious Traditions The Jagannatha Cult

Rulers and Religious Traditions: The Jagannatha Cult

In other regions, regional cultures grew around religious traditions. The best example of this process is the cult of Jagannatha (literally, lord of the world, a name for Vishnu) at Puri, Orissa. To date, the local tribal people make the wooden image of the deity, which suggests that the deity was originally a local god, who was later identified with Vishnu.

All those who conquered Orissa, such as the Mughals, the Marathas and the English East India Company, attempted to gain control over the temple. They felt that this would make their rule acceptable to the local people

In several regions, regional cultures developed around religious traditions. The local people made a wooden image of the deity which, originally a local God, came to be identified with Vishnu. Temple became the centre of pilgrimage.

Regions ans Religions 

  • Many regional cultures grew around religious traditions, such as the cult of Jagannatha in puri, Odisha. Archaeologists have found ancient wooden idols of the same deities whose status were later built by kings for new temples. 
  • Lord Jagannatha was earlier worshipped as a local deity. But in the 12th century, king Anantavarman decided to build a temple, and in 1230, king Anangabhima III dedicated his entire kingdom to Lord Jagannatha.
  • So the temple gained political, religious, and social importance, and new conquerors such as the Mughals, the Marathas, and the British tried to control this temple to make their rule more acceptable to the people who worshipped it. This shows how a local deity became popular as the famous Lord of a big kingdom.
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