Why Did Jagannath Priests Hide the Idols in Chilka Lake?

Why Did Jagannath Priests Hide the Idols in Chilka Lake?

Hey what is this? The priests of Puri temple are running away today at midnight carrying the idol of Lord Jagannath on their shoulders. It’s raining. It’s dark all around and a terrible storm is coming. But this storm is not of clouds but of a ferocious commander whose name would make every temple in India tremble. Kala Pahad, the man who destroyed thousands of temples one after the other. He destroyed the idols and now his eyes were on the entire place. Will Jagannath ji be able to survive? Let’s go to Puri in the 16th century and witness this truly shocking and heart-touching tale. This is about the middle of the 16th century. Sultan Suleiman Karni ruled Bengal. There was a commander in his court. His name was Raju but his real name was something else. Childhood name. This Raju was no ordinary man. He was born in a Brahmin family. He was a very learned man who knew Sanskrit. He had studied the Vedas and was a great devotee of Shiva. But one incident changed his life completely. It is said that Raju fell in love with a Muslim princess. The princess was beautiful. She loved Raju very much. But there was one condition, he would have to accept Islam. Only then will the marriage take place. Raju thought a lot. Did love win or religion? In the end, love won. He accepted Islam. But when he went back to his Hindu family, they closed the door. He said you are no longer ours. Raju tried to go to his guru. He also refused. Even his own mother did not look at his face. Raju cried a lot. He argued, I am right there. Just changed the religion. The heart is the same but no one believed it. That day the human being inside Raju died and a new man was born. A deep hatred for Hinduism developed in his heart. He thought I will destroy the gods of the same religion that rejected me. The new name of that same Raju was Kala Pahad meaning Black Mountain. Because his soul was now black. Suleman Karni made him the commander of his army and Kala Pahad started a campaign of demolishing temples one after the other. Temples of Bengal, temples of Bihar, temples of Assam, temples of North India, thousands of temples, lakhs of idols, all were destroyed. Going everywhere, he would first debate with learned scholars, defeat them, and then break the idols. The whole of India trembled on hearing his name. The priests of the temple started hiding their idols. The king started fortifying his kingdom and the same thing happened everywhere. The Black Mountain is coming. King Pratap Rudradeva in Puri had now grown old. After him his sons were ruling. But he did not have that strength. The whole army was weakened. One day the news came. The dreadful news is that Maharaj Kala Pahad has left Bengal. His next destination is complete. There was an uproar in the palace. Hearing this, the priest of the temple sat down on the ground. He said, O Lord, what will happen now? You are the Lord of the world. But now you are the one in danger. The chief deity of the temple was very old. He ran and reached the king. He said, Maharaj, we have to do something. If the black mountain comes completely, it will destroy our Lord. The very thought is unbearable. The king folded his hands and said, Daitapati Maharaj, my army is weak. I cannot win the war but I have to save my Lord. Daitapati thought and then said, Maharaj, there is only one way. The idol will have to be removed from the temple. It must be hidden somewhere where the Black Mountains can never reach it. The king said, should the Lord be thrown out of the temple? This statue has been here for thousands of years. Is this possible? Daitapati said, Maharaj, whether it is possible or not, it has to be done, we will not let the Lord be insulted, the work has to be started tonight itself. That very night, Daitapati went to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, folded his hands in front of the idol of Jagannath ji, tears were flowing from his eyes, he said, O Lord, today you have to take away a sinner like me. You have to be thrown out of your house. I’m sorry, but this is for your protection. Just then a gust of wind came and Daitapati heard a voice as if the Lord himself was saying, Daitapati, don’t worry, you are my servant, your job is to protect me, take me along, I am with you. Daitapati got new strength, he lifted the three idols Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra very carefully, placed them in a bullock cart, covered them with a cloth and left the temple in the darkness of the night with a few selected servants. On the other hand, Kala Pahad was moving forward with his army. I had entered the limits of Osa. Temples were being destroyed one after another in front of his army. There was a rule of Kala Pahad. He himself would go to every temple first. Would stand in front of the idol. He would say, If you are truly God, then stop me, tie my hands. Otherwise, you have no power. And then his sword would rise, and the idol would shatter. No god could stop him, because Kala Pahad was no ordinary man. There was so much bitterness in his heart, so much sorrow, that he feared no one. Daitapati and his team traveled far and wide by bullock cart. One night, two nights, three nights, but they couldn’t find their way. Where could they hide the Lord? On the fourth morning, they camped near a pond. The pond was called Chilka Lake. Far from Puri, a remote area, surrounded by forests, the waters of Chilka Lake. Daitapati had an idea. He said, We will hide the idols here, on an island in Chilka Lake where no one can reach. They placed the three idols on a small boat and took them to a deserted island in Chilka Lake. There, they dug a pit and carefully placed the idols in the pit. They covered it with soil. Then, they laid a stone. He placed them, then leaves, and built a small hut on top, as if it were a normal place. The Daitapati bowed his head before the idols buried beneath the soil. He said, Lord, forgive me. I have to bury you in the soil. Please forgive us. But a gentle breeze blew from beneath the soil, as if saying, My son, I am made of this very soil. Don’t be sad. This was my wish. Kala Pahad reached Puri. It was completely deserted. The temple doors were open, but the sanctum sanctorum was empty. Kala Pahad’s face turned red with anger. He had the temple priests arrested. He demanded, Tell me where the idol is, or I will kill you all. An old priest held his head high and said, Sir, we don’t know. The idol disappeared a few nights ago. We too are perplexed. Kala Pahad looked into the priest’s eyes. He thought he was lying, but there was no fear in the priest’s eyes, only peace. Kala Pahad sent his soldiers to every corner of the temple, but the idol was nowhere to be found. His army searched the entire city, but found nothing. In a rage, he Kala Pahad destroyed some parts of the temple, but he didn’t dare destroy the main temple because he thought the idol wasn’t there, so what was the point? But he wasn’t about to give up. He spread his army throughout Odisha. Days passed, weeks passed, months passed, and Kala Pahad searched every village, every city, every temple, every forest, every pond. But he found nothing. Meanwhile, on an island in Chilika Lake, Daitapati and his team remained hidden. Every night, they sat before the idols buried beneath the soil and prayed. They lived a very simple life. One night, Daitapati had a dream. Lord Jagannath stood before him. But this time, he wasn’t sad, but smiling. He said, Daitapati, thank you for protecting my idol. But there’s one more thing I need to do. Do you want to stop Kala Pahad, Lord? Daitapati replied, Lord, I’m just an old priest. How will I stop that fearsome commander? Jagannath smiled and said, Daitapati, he won’t be stopped with a sword. He will be stopped with love. Yes, with love. You know why he became like this, because His own people rejected him. He changed his religion for love, but what he got in return was hatred. There was immense pain in his heart. That pain must be alleviated. But Lord, how will that be done? Send one of my devotees to him. A musician, a bhajan singer, who will sing my bhajans in front of him. The Daitapati said, Lord, he will kill the bhajan singer. Jagannath said, no, he won’t kill, because there is still a child sitting inside his heart. A devotee of Shiva, who had studied the Vedas. That child must be awakened. The Daitapati woke up and immediately called one of his disciples. His name was Haridas. Haridas was a musician with a sweet voice and a great devotee of Jagannath. He conveyed the Lord’s message to him. Haridas nodded and said, Guruji, I am afraid, but I will go. It is the Lord’s command. Haridas set out. He had only a tambourine in his hand and the name of Jagannath on his lips. After many days of travel, Haridas reached the army of Kala Pahad. The soldiers stopped him and asked, Who are you? Haridas said, I am a musician. I have brought a message for the commander. The soldiers took him to Kala Pahad. Black Mountain looked at this small, weak man. Laughed. He said, what harm can you do to me? Tell me, what’s the matter? Haridas bowed his head. He said, Sir, I have not brought a message but a song. Kala Pahad laughed and said, sing the song well but if I don’t like it then I will blow your head off. Haridas closed his eyes. A moment, two moments and then he started singing. But that hymn was not an ordinary hymn. That was a hymn to Shiva. Raju’s favourite childhood hymn which his mother used to sing to him as a lullaby. Hey Shiv Shankarara, Maheshwara Sukhdaya, O Prem Sagara, Shri Ram, Jai Ram. But as soon as he heard the bhajan, his body turned into stone. His eyes widened and his hands began to shake. Childhood memories started flashing through his mind. Mother’s lap, mother’s lullaby, temple bells, folded hands in front of the idol of Shiva and the day when he left his religion. Tears started flowing from the eyes of Kala Pahad. For the first time in many years, he buried his head in his hands. Haridas continued singing. Every word was falling like a hammer on the heart of Kala Pahad. But this hammer was not breaking it. Was waking me up. Haridas’s hymn ended. Silence fell over the entire camp. Black Mountain was still sitting with his head in his hands. His shoulders were trembling. He was crying. Haridas got up. Black walked over to the mountain and very gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He said, Sir, you are Raju, right? The same Raju who was a devotee of Shiva. Black Mountain raised its head. Saw Haridas. His eyes were red. The face was wet. He said, how do you know? Haridas said, Sir, everyone knows that you are the son of a Brahmin, you are a devotee of Shiva, you are the one who left everything for love, but your soul is still a Hindu. The heart still belongs to Shiva. Black Mountain cried. He cried a lot and said like a child, Haridas, you don’t know what all I have done. I have broken thousands of idols. My hands are soaked in blood. What will be my salvation? Haridas touched the feet of Kala Pahad. He said, Sir, the one who will give salvation is there only. Jagannath you just have to go to him. I have to apologize. Just then Kala Pahad said softly, will he forgive me? I have brought the army to destroy his statue. Haridas smiled and said, Sir, they have hidden your idol, but did not allow you to take possession of it. Meaning he wanted to stop you and sent an ordinary man like me to stop you. What this is not proof of is that he wants to forgive you. The black mountain fell to the ground. He said, O Lord, please forgive me. At that very moment something amazing happened. Suddenly a sharp pain shot up the back of the black mountain. He started doing it with pain. Haridas saw that small blisters started appearing on the back of the black mountain. As if some poison is coming out from within. The black mountain started struggling. Wounds started appearing all over his body. It was as if old sins were coming out of the body. Haridas said, Sir, what is happening? Kala Pahad said, Haridas, this is the punishment for my sins. The Lord has not buried me in the ground, but is burning my sins on my body. It’s okay. This is what I wanted. Kala Pahad remained in this pain for many days. His army was scattered. The soldiers ran away on their respective ways. Only Haridas remained with him. At last one night Kala Pahad said to Haridas, Haridas my time has come. Haridas asked, Sir, what should I do? Kala Pahad said, just one thing needs to be completed. Tell Daitapati and tell Prabhu, Raju took his name till his last breath. Just saying this, Kala Pahad took his last breath. There was a calm smile on his lips and for the first time in many years, his face was calm. Haridas performed his last rites. Reached Chilka Lake. Told everything to Daitapati. Daitapati asked with tears. So the Lord’s work is done. Now we have to take the idols back to Puri. Daitapati and his team carefully removed the statues from the soil. Put it on a bullock cart and went back. The news spread throughout Orissa. Jagannath ji is coming back. People went crazy. Celebrations and flowers are being showered in every village. Drums, conch shells. When the bullock cart reached Puri, lakhs of people were standing outside the Singh Gate. The king himself came running. He said, my Lord, you have returned. The idols were reinstalled in the sanctum sanctorum with great ceremony. Lamps were lit all over the city. Sweets were distributed. But another scene was happening inside the temple. Jagannath ji said to Balabhadra ji, Dau Dada, one of my devotees has been liberated today. Balabhadra ji said, who is that black mountain which destroyed thousands of temples? Jagannath ji said, Dau Dada, he destroyed the temple because his heart was broken. When his own people rejected him, he considered every god as his enemy. But was true to its spirit. The bus had gone astray. Subhadra ji asked, brother, did he get salvation? Jagannath ji said, sister, he took my name in his last breath. What could be a greater liberation than that? Lakshmi ji came and said Swami, tell me one thing, how did you forgive the man who came to break your idol. Jagannath ji said lovingly, Goddess, if I do not forgive every mistake, then what kind of God am I? God’s job is not to punish but to change hearts. Lakshmi ji nodded her head and said Swami, that is why you are my Jagannath and Kala Pahad has become a warning in history but also a message that no human being is ever finished. No sin is ever too great to be forgiven. If the name of God is taken in the last breath, one attains salvation. So you see dear devotees, this is the story of a man from Kala Pahad who changed his religion for love. The society rejected him and he became an enemy but in the end a hymn awakened him and the love of a devotee changed him. What does this story teach us? The biggest thing is never to consider any person bad forever. Every bad person was once a good child. There is just some pain in his heart. If that pain can be removed, he can become good again. Secondly, Jagannath ji belongs to everyone. Of the Hindu, of the Muslim, of the devotee and of the enemy also. Just take his name in your last breath. He will give salvation. Third, don’t underestimate the power of music and hymns. A hymn has the power to make a fierce commander cry, to change his heart. So even today, when someone is very angry, very disappointed, very sad, sing a sweet hymn to him. Maybe he’ll even have a change of heart. If you liked this true and heart touching story, then do write Jai Jagannath and Har Har Mahadev in the comment and do not forget to like, share and subscribe to the channel for such amazing stories. We will meet again in the next story with another miraculous saga. Hail Jagannath. Hail Jagannath, Hail Mahaprabhu.