The Saga of Jagannatha and Badadeula at Puri (Story of Lord Jagannatha and his Temple)


Book Description

The book is about lord Jagannatha - the established god of Hindus and His temple at Puri known as Badadeula. The book is for general reading for those interested to know about lord Jagannatha and His temple at Puri and not a historical treatise. Many of the descriptions and anecdotes in it are from the epics, legends and folktales that may or may not have historical relevance. But at the same time, they are interesting facts about lord Jagannatha since ages. The book with the captioned name is divided into four chapters (1) Lord Jagannatha, (2) The Temple - Badadeula, (3) The Festivals of Jagannatha and (4) Mahaprasada. (the food offerings to Jagannatha). The eight annexes deal with (i) Important temples in Puri, (ii) Important mathas (monasteries) in Puri, (iii) Different beshas (costumes/dresses) of Jagannatha, (iv) Important festivals in Badadeula, (v) Fables and facts about Jagannatha,(vi) Invasion on Puri and Badadeula by Afghans and Moguls (vii) Salient facts and figures about Badadeula and Puri and (viii) Places of interest in and around Puri.




The Story of Lord Jagannatha


Book Description

We see Lord Jagannath ride on His magnificent chariot along with His brother Baladeva and sister Subadra Devi every year in Jagannath Puri and in many other cities all over the world. Have you ever wondered about the story behind those bright round eyes and out-stretched arms? This book tells the story of Lord Jagannath, the Lord of the Universe with pictures. Take a look.




Needle at the Bottom of the Sea


Book Description

"What would you do if that white fly buzzing around your head landed on the wall and started giving you marriage advice? Or what could possibly be your response if the mendicant Sufi you often see at prayers should in the blink of an eye shapeshift into a giant ogre, enormous fangs bulging from a bloody maw? These events, and many more like them are not uncommon in the stories (kathās) of miracle-working Sufi saints (pīrs) that have circulated in the Bangla-speaking world for most of the last millennium. The stories are romances filled with wondrous marvels where tigers talk, rocks float and waters part, and færies carry a sleeping Sufi holy man into the bedroom of a Hindu princess with whom the god of fate, Bidhātā, has ordained marriage. Each of the five stories in this anthology feature unlikely heroes and heroines, intrepid ocean-going traders, fickle gods and goddesses, prophets and holy men, and the royal whimsy of kings and zamindars. The protagonists encounter predicaments faced by every human being, but the presence of marvels beyond the ordinary signal creative solutions that are magnified to heroic scale. They revel in the skillful navigation of the quirks of everyday life, adroitly maneuvering through the obligations of pressing kinship, juggling the tensions of conflicting allegiances, cleverly satisfying competing social and religious demands which are inevitably political. While the protagonists are nominally religious, Sufi saints, both men and women, the texts are in no way sectarian statements or theology. They are literature, adventure stories of survival that underscore the necessity of people from all social and religious ranks to work together in hostile environments. They explore ways to overcome the physical challenges of living in the Sundarban mangrove swamps of southern Bengal which are rife with natural resources but teeming with myriad tigers, crocodiles, and dread diseases; and to ameliorate the occasional hostilities born of social differences of caste and economic class"--







Lotus Land


Book Description

The era is 1200 CE, when the intruders from the west ravaged Bharat; a small kingdom in its eastern part was entering its golden period. The kingdom of Kalinga though a maritime superpower remained secluded and reclusive to the other nations of Bharat. This was not by chance, but by choice, as this holy land was fulfilling a prophecy that could become the basis of existence for the entire humankind after the Kali Yuga ends. The first book of the Konark Secret Duology is the tale of Bishnu Maharana, the chief architect of the Konark Temple. This is his journey about how he became a master architect and the secrets he unravels while constructing this shrine. Was this temple just a grand monument or were there secrets behind its construction? Why was an unusual technique being used for its creation, when there were tried and tested methods? Did this monument hold some secret within itself? Was Bishnu Maharana an architect or a man of secrets?




My City Links: October 2023 Issue


Book Description

Odisha has as many hues of culture as it has living examples of heritage and tradition handed down to the generations. Our Cover Story for this edition celebrates one such practice which comes alive in Puri every year. While the Jagannath Dham Rath Jatra may be better known globally, the ‘Gosani Jatra’ dedicated to the worship of Goddess Durga is no less important when it comes to the Hindu calendar. Organized during Durga Puja and Dussehra, the Gosani Jatra is a tradition that has continued uninterrupted since the twelfth century. Read on to learn more about what the event entails and the significance of all the practices and rituals associated with it. Our ‘Life of a Boss’ section features Nilanjana Mukherjee. As Managing Director of Kalinga Hospital Limited, she has been setting new benchmarks in the healthcare sector. In a free-wheeling interview, she talks to us about her formative years and the switch from the hospitality industry to the healthcare sector. Over the years, the Showcase Odisha Awards have become a keenly-awaited event. The 9th edition of this initiative to celebrate the exceptional achievements of Odias in India and abroad was held in Hyderabad recently. We bring you a report on the event which honoured individuals from diverse backgrounds, ranging from sports to the corporate world. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental issue in children. It is in this sphere that the Zain Foundation Trust has been trying to make a difference, by creating awareness and working towards building a more inclusive community. We bring you more about this in the City Health section. City Lights brings you excerpts from a recent episode of ‘Our Change Leaders’ where My City Links hosted senior Indian Police Service officer Manoj Chhabra. He opens up about his entry into the service and his experience of serving in various parts of Odisha. City Culture zooms in on the Indian Documentary Film Festival, an initiative by the Film Society of Bhubaneswar, which has developed a healthy repertoire of events and screenings for cinema lovers. In Screen Shots, we shift our focus to ‘Pushkara’, the Odia film that has been receiving rave reviews from the critics and the audience alike. My City Links catches up with lead actor Sabyasachi Mishra and director Subhransu Das to find out what went into the making of the film and the reasons behind its phenomenal success.




A Stranger in No Land


Book Description

A 21-year-old from the all-boys (at the time) Indian college, IIT Madras, arrived at Stanford University in 1965. He was immediately confronted with the sexually permissive milieu, presumptions of Indian mysticism and conspicuous alcohol consumption, that was California in the sixties. Cultural assimilation had begun. His nomadic childhood in India, punctuated by parental moves every three years, had armed him with the tools of assimilation, because India is a culturally diverse sub-continent masquerading as a country. Following the embrace of the “left coast,” he was often a stranger to disparate settings. But not for long. On the first day of a job on the east coast, he ran the gauntlet of a rite of passage into the industry. This, and other tales, comprise the book, a lighthearted collection of vignettes, most with the underlying theme that differences are to be understood, absorbed and even celebrated. Thematic departures are capitulations to whimsy about areas such as organic gardening and an alternative take that Dickens’ Scrooge’s meanness was a contrived brand developed as part of a long-term plan.