All four doors of Puri’s Jagannath Temple were reopened for devotees on Thursday morning. Devotees so far had access to the temple through only one door and this is the first time all the doors have been opened for devotees since the outbreak of Covid 19. Newly elected Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi was present during the opening of the doors.
The doors were opened after the morning ‘mangal aarti’ ritual to worship Lord Jagannath. The ‘mangal aarti’ was attended by CM Majhi. The opening of the doors has special importance for the devotees of Lord Jagannath.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, deputy CMs Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, Puri MP Sambit Patra and other ministers and BJP leaders were present on the occasion. They also offered prayers and conducted a ‘parikrama‘ around the temple complex.
Significance Of The 4 Doors Of Jagannath Temple
The four doors grant entry to the Jagannath Temple. These four doors are symbolically represented by four animals — lion, tiger, horse, elephant.
The Lion’s Gate or Simha Dwar is the main entrance to the Jagannath Temple. It is located in the east. It represents moksha or liberation and is named after the Narasimha avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu. Jagannath is also considered an avatar of Lord Vishnu.
The Tiger’s Gate or Vyaghradwar is located in the north and symbolically represents Dharma or righteousness. It aims to remind devotees that every person needs to stick to his Dharma. Usually, ascetics and special devotees enter the temple through this gate.
The Elephant’s Gate or Hastidwar represents the vehicle or carriage of Mahalaxmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Devotees who seek the same can enter through this gate.
The Horse’s Gate or Ashwadwara represents kama or lust. It is said that devotees seeking victory sacrifice their lust while entering through this gate.
Odisha’s Eyes On CM Majhi Ahead Of Rath Yatra
Majhi, in his first Cabinet meeting, decided to open the three other doors and set up a corpus fund for the temple. “When we present the next state budget, we will allot a corpus fund of Rs 500 crores for the temple management,” CM Majhi said.
Lord Jagannath is the biggest deity in Odisha and the state will be closely watching the new BJP government as it oversees the organisation of the Rath Yatra on July 7 and facilitates arrangements for devotees.
Majhi’s predecessor Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Puri Jagannath Heritage Corridor, also known as Shree Mandira Parikrama Prakalpa, on January 15. The BJD government was banking on the success of the Rs 800-crore mega-project to return to power. The plan backfired as BJP’s ‘Odia Asmita [Odia identity]’ campaign beat Naveen Patnaik’s heritage corridor project.
However, the BJP Cabinet’s first decision to reopen all four doors of the Jagannath temple for devotees shows that it, too, is focussed on Lord Jagannath.
