Whenever the name "Kashi" comes up in the mind, the very next word to appear is "Vishwanath". For the maximum number of people whom I have had a word about Vishwanath, they don't just call the Supreme Lord Vishwanath, but rather prefer calling him "Kashi Vishwanath" today we are going to look at a wonderful tale, not about Kashi Vishwanath but Kashi Jagannath!
Kashi or our Varanasi has got its name because it lies between the rivers Varuna and Assi. and everything that lies between the two is a part of Kashi Khand or the highly revered Kashi Kshetra. And in the just beginning of this Kashi Khand from the side of Assi Ghat, we have a small but one of its own kind Mandir of Sri Jagannath. How I came to know about this place, how I reached there, and what the legend behind this wonderful place will unfold in this blog, so get ready to have a meet with Sri Jagannath!
It has been nearly 6 months since I got in BHU, and one thing I found out is that the first go-to place for the majority of BHU students is the Assi Ghat. The Ghat is the beginning point of the Kashi Kshetra of the Shastras and when you proceed towards the ghat on foot or through any vehicle, the barricading where all the vehicles are stopped, at that particular point there is direction sign for the Jagannath Mandir. When you move towards the Ghat on foot from the barricading you again come across the name Jagannath Mandir, but when asked by the people on the road several local vendors are also not aware where this temple is!
It was on 7th September, 2022 when I went to Assi Ghat with my friends and all of a sudden with Jagannath's will I had this urge to pay him a visit in the temple whose name I have read a lot of times but I have never ever had the darshan. We began moving towards the Mandir but were unaware of the whereabouts, we asked the people around but no one could help us and then I approached Google Maps for help, which I don't trust much when it comes to the Streets of Kashi for they can make a fool out of Google! Google showed us a direction, we proceeded on that path, soon the bright and vibrant vibe of Assi Ghat faded and we were in the dark streets of Kashi with no one to guide us but Sri Jagannath, who makes us all dance on his finger tips. It was almost the time of sunset, and we entered a street with very small one room establishments and from the corner we could see the Shikhar of the Mandir we were heading towards, but where was the entrance? We looked for the entrance but couldn't find it and when we were about to go back we saw an entrance from one of the houses into a small park and as we proceeded, on the right we have a majestic Mandir standing in front of us!
On the entry we have Sri Garud Maharaj, looking with eyes full of devotion towards at his ever benovelent lord. We also have Sri Nandishwara in front of Jagannath and just in the Sanctum Sanctorum, the Garbha Griha, we have ever compassionate Karunasindhu Bhagwan Jagannath accompanied by his beloved siblings Bhagwan Balbhadra and Bhagwati Subhadra. This is truly a sight to behold, the aura experienced is beyond words to be expressed and you feel sorry that you only have two eyes which are not able to completely adore the sight, and all you have got to say is Jay Jagannath!
As I often say, to know about a place don't go to the internet or books but to the elderly people around and you would end up learning about both the place and life together. Here in this magnificent Mandir, the Pujari ji was an elderly man wearing the sacred Yagyopavita on his shoulder. He was so skinny that his bones were visible but his face, it was full of Oja, the Oja which could beat the combined Ojas of several people of my age, for this Oja is not something which can be bought but only gathered with years of Tapasya and Bhakti towards the Karunasindhu Bhagwan. I approached Baba and asked him about the Mandir, the legend associated and approximate age of the Mandir. Baba replied in a very calm manner and told us that the Mandir was built by a Pujari of Sri Jagannath Mandir of Puri, Idhisha and that is the why the construction of the Mandir is in the manner as that of Jagannath of Puri. Baba further showed us the complexes. small mandirs, of Bhagwan Sakshi Gopal, Sri Sita Ram Bhagwan, Satya Narayan Bhagwan and Narsimha Bhagwan which were situated in the same manner as in Puri. The Mandir does not occupy much of an area but the aura and the fact that the Mandir remains unpolluted even after being situated near the forever crowded Assi Ghat is an astonishing thing in the first place!
I further enquired Baba to ask if there is a Shivlingam nearby, and he very happily replied,"Just like there Lokanath near Jagannath in Puri so is Lokanath in Kashi". He continued telling about the presence of a Kund(Pond) near Shivlingam which also happens to be there in Jagannath Puri.
This wonderful temple of Sri Jagannath is truly a hidden gem in the land of Mystery, my Kashi. Except for Sri Parmeshwar no one knows what this land beholds! What comes in front of you, you never know, nor does anyone else. So when in Kashi you never know if it is Sri Vishwanath walking in front of you in the form of a Chandal or if the boy running on the Ghats is Sri Jagannath, so always have your vision fixed on the divine for it can only make you cross this ocean of material existence! The same thing our beloved Acharya Bhagwadpaad Bhagwan Adi Shankaracharya says in his Jagannath Ashtakam-
कृपा पारावारः सजल जलद श्रेणिरुचिरो
रमा वाणी रामः स्फुरद् अमल पङ्केरुहमुखः ।
सुरेन्द्रैर् आराध्यः श्रुतिगण शिखा गीत चरितो
जगन्नाथः स्वामी नयन पथ गामी भवतु मे ॥४॥
~Lord Jagannatha is an ocean of mercy and He is beautiful like a row of blackish rain clouds. He is the storehouse of bliss for Lakshmi and Saraswati, and His face is like a spotless full-blown lotus. He is worshiped by the best of demigods and sages, and His glories are sung by the Upanishads. May that Jagannatha Swami be the object of my vision.
I am attaching the Darshana of Sri Jagannath of Kashi, feel blessed because not everyone can read or write about the Lord of the Multiverse, the Natha of the Charachar Jagat, Sri Jagannath!
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