OM
NAMO BHHAGAVATE VASUDEVAYA
ALL GLORY TO SRI SRI JAGANNATH MAHAPRABHU
M
E S S A G E
Beginning in the distant dim
past from its legendary
origin in
the holy
land of Sri Purusotamma-Kshetra
(modern Puri in eastern India), the glorious
tradition of Sri Sri
Purusotamma-Jagannath spread, in course of time to the
neighbouring regions; and Sri Sri Jagannath-dham Puri
attained wide recognition as one of the four major"dhams"
(sacred abodes of the Lord) in
Bharatvarsha. With the advent
of the present millenium , Sri Sri
Jagannath Mahaprabhu,came to be formally
acclaimed as the " Rashtra-Devata "-
the Presiding Deity of the vast Kalinga-Utkal
Empire spread across the eastern
seaboard of India.
The second half of the present
century has witnessed another significant
expansion of this ancient tradition.
From construction of
temples of Lord Jagannath in
major cities and towns throughout
the country, Sri Jagannath sanskriti has now
spread across
the world spanning many
continents. The "Ratha"
(chariot) of the Lord majestically rolls down
the main avenues of capital cities of many
nations. Indeed, the Supreme Lord, in his
unbounded mercy and compassion for all humanity,
has condescended to manifest Himself in
different parts of the
globe as if to
remind strife-torn mankind that all beings are
his children, transcending all
distinctions of caste, colour, creed
nationality and religion. He is "Purusotamma
-Jagannath" -- the Supreme
Being, the Lord of the
Universe, the Lord of all creation through eternity.
It is no small wonder, therefore, that down the ages,
many diverse
and sometimes
apparently contradictory schools
of religious thought
have converged and harmoniously merged in the
expansive and
all-encompassing philosophy and tradition
of Sri Sri Jagannath Mahaprabhu, like so many
streams flowing into
the endless ocean. Great Acharyas
of the different "sampradayas" (
religious traditions ) and devotees
from different faiths have invoked Him in their own
way, according to their own tradition and belief,
and found ultimate solace in
Him.
In an age when
our spiritual moorings are shaken by
relentless onslaught of rank
materialistic values and when global humanity is
divided and pitted against each other due to
man-made distinctions based on caste,
colour,nationality and even religion, the
all-embracing universality of Sri
Jagannath-Sanskriti,imbued with the eternal spiritual
wisdom of "Sanatana-dharma", is like
a beacon-light in the
gathering gloom showing the path-way to
a bright and golden new millenium. As a token of
humble offering at the Lotus Feet of the Lord,
this service through Internet is
being
provided for the benefit of devotees all over the
world and for those keen to
know about this unique and
glorious tradition of
sacred Bharatvarsha. Every effort will be
made to add more features and relevant material
to this new initiative from time to time. Our
sincere gratitude to
the members
of National Informatics Centre, Puri,
without whose whole-hearted and
enthusiastic support and
assistance this noble venture would not
have been possible.
May Sri Sri Jagannath Mahaprabhu
inspire and guide all humanity to a
new era of peace, prosperity and amity
firmly founded on the spiritual realisation of
the Fatherhood of the One God and brotherhood of all
mankind.
Hari
Om Tat Sat. |
|
|
Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb |
|
|
Chairman,
Sri Jagannath Temple
Managing Committee,
Puri. |