A book ‘Secret Journeys of Lord Jagannath’, published by the Shree Jagannath Sankruti Parishad and the US-based Dr Dash Foundation, was released by Rajya Sabha member Soumya Ranjan Patnaik here on Tuesday.
The book chronicles total 22 secret journeys of Lord Jagannath of the Shreemandir, Puri during invasions by people from other religions since 670-675 AD. It has been authored by 16 Jagannath scholars from across the State.
The book depicts historical anecdotes about the Lord and the Shreemandir. Secret journeys of Lord Jagannath and His Siblings during the reins of Muslim rulers have been detailed. While there were 18 invasions, the Lord and His siblings had been shifted 22 times - twice within the temple complex and 20 times outside the complex. The Trinity was buried twice to save them from invaders and their total duration of stay outside the temple was 162 years and four months.
The book mentions that Lord Jagannath and His Siblings were first shifted outside the temple in 670 to 675AD when Raktabahu invaded Puri. The deities were shifted to Gopali in Sonepur and hidden in Chalia mountain of present day Kotasamalai. The place is now called Patali Srikshetra. The deities were buried in a cave of Chalia mountain for 144 years and brought to Puri between 814 and 819 AD.
Interestingly, Puri Jagannath temple remained unscathed despite attacks. Authors have pointed out that 50,000 sevaks, Paika warriors and devotees were killed while safeguarding the Shreemandir.