The above picture is from the net, as no one is allowed with a camera or phone anywhere near the temple.
I have been getting this feeling that I need to go to Puri for quite some time, in the last couple of years. Planned to visit the place a few times, but it never materialised. So this time I just got the tickets and was off. Of course, my children and my sister were totally against my travelling alone because they presumed I am not fit to do so! My friend, Anita had other worries. She has always maintained I am a complete fool where train travel is concerned. She could not care less if I am flying anywhere because she knows I am on sure grounds. I have been to Puri exactly 31 years ago in January, 1985 and even then Anita sent a young man along to make sure I reached the place safely. Sweet Anita. I met George Shalom on that trip. He was the general manager of this swanky Japanese-style hotel I had put up in. This trip felt like a closure.
I reached Puri station early in the morning at 4.29 a.m. to be exact. I checked the station clock when I got off the tain. It was absolutely dark outside and I had no clue where to put up for the day. I boldly walked up to the weary-eyed ticket checkers and enquired about any small abode at a reasonable rate. One of them pointed to a young fellow, who had sidled up, and said that he would take me to the right place. Okay. Off I went with this fellow, his name was Kabir, very poetic! Riding in his awesomely noisy auto rickshaw in the dark alleys of Puri, I was wondering if I would become another tourist tragedy. Getting a place to stay for the day was not easy - none of the small hotels or guest houses were willing to let in a single occupant. I wondered what sort of danger did the people expect from a 63 year old limping woman!? Anyway we finally found a guest house where the manager was willing to let me in provided I paid for double occupancy. I jumped at the offer! Thank you Suman Guest House on Chakrathirtha Road and thank you to the manager, Vasant-ji. It was still dark and it was past five a.m.
By 8a.m. I was bathed, rested and a knock on the door revealed a Panda (people who take you around a temple at a certain price) and vouched for by Vasant-ji, who was willing to help me with the darshan. Along came another young man, named Rahul, also known to the guest house manager, who offered to take me to the temple and show me around a little bit of the various holy sites. Yes at a price that I was okay with. Rahul is an auto rickshaw driver and owner.
All cars and vehicles are stopped far away from the temple premises, so either you walk it down or ride pillion on the Panda's motorcycle (as I did). I had to leave my sandals and mobile at his residence and then walk to the temple. There I found stands where you can keep your mobiles, bags, shoes etc and get a deposit ticket in return. I guess my option was better as these stands were overly crowded. Did I mention the streets of Puri and the temple premises were streaming with the saffron-clothed water carriers? These men carry water in two big cans slung across their shoulders from a wooden pole. These men carry water from various spots to pour the water on a shiv linga in some known Shiv Temple. I believe they cannot put down the water containers on the ground till the ritual is over! Now thousands of these water carriers were here to get a darshan (see) of Lord Jagnnath to complete their pious pilgrimage.
Inside the temple premises it was a mad rush, with tourists from various towns, cities and villages and the surging crowd of the water carriers. We entered through one of the four gates - it is called the Chamchika Dwar (Bat Gate). Daya, the panda, informed us (a family of three was a part of our group) that people who insult or talk lightly of Lord Jannath get born as bats in the next birth and hover in this portion of the temple. I saw hundreds of bats clinging to the roof of the huge gate, but not anywhere else.
The next gate was - Gaja or Hathi Dwar (Elephant Gate), guarding against any non-believers? A few more steps and we were on a flat ground with the main temple right in front and numerous small temples surrounding the main one. The steep stairs leading upto the main temple was not visible - only a sea of human backs! Daya advised much rather see the small temples first and let the crowd thin out at the stairs. So we trudged after him and then he stopped under a roof, which seemed a sort of passage. Yes it was - on one side was a huge dark cavernous entry to the Lord's kitchen, not visible to us. Daya informed us there are 752 chulas or burning stoves on which 400 cooks keep cooking the prasadam, while 200 helpers are busy chopping, cutting, cleaning the raw ingredients. The prasadam is served to Lord Jagannath 5 times in a day, everyday. Later each meal is sold to the public at 250 rupees per plate. As I said we were in a passage and right opposite were the secret stairs through which the food is carried by priests, who have their mouths covered, to the Lord.
Walking around the premises and getting inside the small temples of many Hindu gods and goddesses, became a little tiring and we pestered Daya to make arrangement for the main darshan. Now we were shocked to hear the temple gates would not be opened today - the priests had gone on a flash strike!!!!!!Something to do with the Ulta Rath Jatra when the wheels had climbed on to some one or something and the police had arrested 15 priests and they were behind bars. We kept waiting in front of the Sun-god temple, hoping the priests would relent and I kept sending Light to them. Though we did not have to wait for long, but the mad rush was scary and overwhelming. However, I knew it was now or never and so clinging on to the panda's hand I pushed and shoved (decently) through the human mass. The steps were slippery and honestly till the last minute I had no thoughts except a focussed concentration of climbing safely and not slipping. The family from our group followed closely and it was to their advantage, as people generally let a senior person (me) pass through. Yes people are still kind to senior citizens - nice to know that.
Just before the actual spot of darshan I became aware of a young Bihari couple (the husband was in his early 20s and the wife in her late teens). They defintiely belonged to what we call the labour class. The young man was holding his very small baby (6 months, at most) on his shoulders, so the sleeping baby would also have a darshan! I thanked God that if young people were so spiritual and religious in this world, we still have hope for an enlightened New World. I was pulled by Daya and then I was suddenly in front of the Lord. I was stupefied. No words to describe the feeling of those few seconds - I remember I kept saying - I love you. And then the magic was gone. People behind me pushed to get their hard-earned darshan.
Later I went off with Rahul to see some favourite spots. These were Lord Krishna's Pishi's (father's sister) residence on a lake, Mashi's (mother's sister) residence, a Japanese Buddhist temple built by Sudarshan Patnaik and then a samadhi. When he told me the name I was bowled over. It was the samadhi of Bejoy Krishna Goswami, my grandmother's (father's mother) guru! I got off the auto and went inside - an absolute joy to see the beautifully kept premises. I even took a couple of snaps of the samadhi and bedi. I told the swami about the connection with my grandmother and he quietly left me alone to take the snaps!
This is Lord Krishna's or Jagannth's Mashi's residence. The woman in the wheel chair crept in while taking the first picture. I told her she is in the picture and she let me be. No begging!!!!
I tried to locate SriYukteswar Giri's samadhi and ashram in Puri. But no one could tell me anything. I returned to the guest house and rested till my return train time at night.
