Odisha Diaries - Jagannath's Grace!

 28.10.2026

Umbrellas, leather bags/purses and mobiles are not allowed inside the temple of Puri. Once we met Om, we surrendered our mobiles and umbrellas (which, to burst your bubble, are utterly useless in cyclones. They FLY with the storm!)

Here's the thing - we thought that having a guide would help us to avoid the queue and would assist in getting a quicker Darshan. We were so wrong! Om told me, my kid and my husband to join the queue to get inside the premises of the temple while he led my mother-in-law in through a short cut allowed only for guides. It didn't exactly matter, for within five minutes, we all met at the same point - neatly barricaded lines of people waiting just outside the stairs leading to the interior of the temple. 

We thought we had been duped by Om, for we were very much standing on the same queue as all the others. But Jagannath had plans for us, and Om was but a part of His plan!

Om kept telling us to stay together in the line. I wasn't much worried, for people were patiently waiting and it was quite comfortable to stand in the queue with steel bars on either side that allowed only one person to stand and prevented people from cutting the line. I thought the whole system would be this disciplined and organized. I got the first rude shock of the day when the police opened the lock of each barrier and people just rushed towards the stairs. 

It was here that we realized the purpose of Om's presence. He took us all to a corner, a place where only guides and their teams were allowed to stand by the police. We were spared a lot of pushing, rushing and mad scramble as we waited at the corner and saw the others rush through the stairs which frankly were high. 

Once most of the rush had passed by, we could climb the stairs without any trouble.

Once inside, Om placed us yet again at a safe place, away from the crowd and led us inside safely, one stone-stair at a time. "I will show you the deities from as near as I can." He told us.

It was inside the sanctum that all chaos broke loose. The deities of Balabhadra and Subhadra were easily visible but Jagannath lay hidden to the extreme right. The crowd went out of control, pushing and shoving everyone, chanting the name of Jagannath and not following any protocol. It didn't help matters at all that there were stairs placed here and there inside the sanctum that posed a serious danger to everyone. 

Again, Om placed us to a side to the extreme left and from there we took in the blessed vision of Jagannath Prabhu. 

While all the deities were resplendent, Jagannath commanded the most attention. I don't think I blinked at all while watching Him, wanting to imprint His image into my mind. 

And then, the thought came. This is not the Jagannath Prabhu that I feel like I have always known. He feels like a stranger - far and unapproachable.

I didn't pay much attention to this thought, for Om shocked us by pulling us towards the inner sanctum to enable us to see the deities from near. Almost every devotee wanted to do the same. Police were trying their best to get the devotees to move ahead and make space for others. The police had rolled newspapers and were hitting people on the head with the same to get them moving. Finding my son alone for a second, one policeman tried to push him out of the sanctum but I shouted and pulled my son back in. 

We could see the deities from near, but by now, the crowd had lost all control and we just wanted to get out safely. I had one last brief glimpse of Jagannath Prabhu, still feeling like I missed something and finally, to our immense relief, we came out of the sanctum. 

Om then led us to the several temples located in the premises.

And here is where I will write about the priests called as Pandas here. They are BULLIES. I do not have any other word to describe them. They grab on to the hands of unsuspecting people, slam them hard on their shoulders and literally demand them to offer money for puja. 

Om had already told us about the Pandas and had warned us to not to encourage them in any way. In all the temples we visited thereafter, we kept a safe distance from the priests and walked away before any Panda could grab us.

The rains picked up pace and were coming down in great intensity. We decided to return to the hotel. We paid Om, feeling grateful for his assistance and after collecting our shoes from the counter, we began the long walk along the perimeter of the temple towards the main entrance. By now we were settled enough to be able to smile at the incredible adventure that we had, thanks to Jagannath. 

I realised that we hadn't taken any photos yet and started clicking snaps of the temple while being mindful about the rain. As I was clicking snaps, my gaze was drawn to the extreme right where a large window was kept open.

It was like I just woke up.

There stood Jagannath Prabhu, Patitapabana Jagannath, the one with the chakka-nayan, the one whose videos I watch on almost a daily basis, whom I had assumed to be the main deity and the one we had completely missed while entering the temple. I finally felt that not only did I see Jagannath, but He saw me too. Now the Darshan felt complete.

Completely soaked and hungry, we returned to our hotel and after freshening up, had a delicious hot lunch.

In the evening, we decided to go to the temple to see the ritual of Dhwaja-parivartan where savants of the temple change the flag atop the Neel Chakra. By the time we reached the temple three people had already climbed up. But we could see the rest of the ritual of changing the flag, and we watched it in silent awe and wonder.

Come rain, wind or even Ornab, this ritual never stops. As the savant stood on top of the temple, folding his hands and bowing to the Neel Chakra, we realized that we were watching faith and devotion at their utmost peak. 

I could once again get a glimpse of Patitapaban Jagannath, His eyes watching everyone benevolently. I felt a pang of sadness saying goodbye to Him. I know for sure that it will be His form that will come to my mind while praying - the Jagannath standing outside the temple whom everyone can see, and who, in turn, sees everyone.

We decided to visit Swargdwar beach and witness Samudra Aarti that is performed there every evening. We booked an auto to the beach and reached there around 5 .

There was a barricade around which a lot of people had gathered and were taking photos from a distance. While police kept warning people to stay away from the beach, many people disregarded them, wanting to take selfies and capture snaps of the huge waves that were now ebbing dangerously. 

While we enjoyed the breeze and the pleasant climate, we were at a loss as to what to do. There was no place to sit and relax as the place was too crowded. Also, the Aarti was supposed to happen after 6.30 and there was more than an hour for the same. All the excitement of the day was now catching and we suddenly felt tired. We decided to return to the hotel and rest. The next day we were to leave Puri and head to Konark and then BBSR. 

Some musings on Puri - It has a large scope for development. It is mostly made of struggling people. Tiny shops, dilapidated houses and extremely bumpy roads on one side and large fancy hotels on the other side reflect the disparity of income here. As a tourist, you cannot work here without connections. To book an auto, to hire a cab, to visit the temple - you need connections with the right people for all of these. 

But there is no dearth of devotion and faith here. Jagannath is the people's savior. Where I, as a non-native, saw only chaos and danger in the crowd inside the sanctum, the people only saw another chance to see their beloved Jagannath. Their devotion stays unparalleled. Their faith in their lord stays unshaken. I guess you have to be a native to have such a deep relationship with Jagannath! I love that people here greet each other with 'Jai Jagannath!'.

As I reflect on my experience here, I can only assume and believe that Jagannath shaped our entire journey. The pilot who flew us safely through the cyclone, the Maharashtrian family that gave us Om's number, why, Om himself, the security guard at the hotel who assisted in calling autos and every auto-driver who led us to the paths of the temple - Jagannath was in every one of them. And I know that I will keep seeing Him in everyone and everything from now on. 

I mean, LITERALLY seeing Him. (More on this later!)

Jai Jagannath!