ORIGIN: Hindu
TYPE: Transmutation of the essence of the god Visnu
KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP: Circa CE 400 and probably earlier until present day.
SYNONYMS: Jaggernaut
CENTER(S) OF CULT: Bengal and Puri (Orissa).
ART REFERENCES: Bronze sculptures, Well-Known wooden image at Puri
LITERARY SOURCES: Ramayana epic; Puranic texts
INFORMATION: Jagannath occupies an obscure position. His sister is Subhadra and his brother Balabhadra. He is depicted in hideous fashion as a monster with an enormous head and bulging eyes, but with no legs and only the stumps of arms. According to legend, when Visnu was accidently slain by a hunter, his bones were placed in a box and Visvakarma, the Hindu god of artisans, was commissioned to create a new body to cover the bones. His agreement was conditional on no one seeing the work until it was finished. Krsna's curiousity got the better of him and the resultant half-finished freak was Jagannath.
In an unusual departure from normal ritual practice, the image of Jagannath is removed from his sanctuary at Puri for a week each year and aired in public view. Two festivals the Rathayatra and Snanayatra, are dedicated to Jagannath and his siblings.