Know the legend behind Gajanana Besha of Lord Jagannath in Puri Jagannath temple

Puri, June 14: Hindus believe that God is one and unique. It’s why the form of Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswar are taken as similar in every way. Similarly, Lord Krishna is also considered as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu as mentioned in the Hindu mythologies. At the same time, Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva has many resemblances with that of the Krishna or Vishnu. However, in the Vedic era, the God Ganesha is considered the first God to be worshiped before worshiping other Gods and Goddesses, even the three Gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswar, the deities associated with the creation, nourishing, and demolition of the creation of nature, men and animals. Worshiping Ganesha before any religious institution or sacred rituals was also a tradition in the Shri Jagannath Cult in Puri since the ancient Yuga. Lord Jagannath used to be worshipped after Ganesha was being welcomed and worshipped. Worshipping Ganesha in the Sri Mandir, Puri is an age-old ritual that has come up as a tradition today, from a legend originating from the First Servitor (Adya Sevak) of Lord Jagannath. {"id":123152,"width":841,"height":473,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} The legend is, that a Maharashtra-based devotee named Ganpati Bhatt was invited by the King of Odisha. The Odia king invited Bhatt to witness the Snana Jatra(festival of the grand bath) of Lord Jagannath on the Snana Purnima. However, Bhatt denied visiting the festival since he was proclaiming himself as the devotee of God Ganesha, who bestows knowledge, wit, and the power of wisdom. Ultimately, at the request of the king, Bhatt visited the Snana Mandap(Bathing altar) of lord Jagannath and witnessed the grand bath. Meanwhile, he was surprised to see Ganesha in place of Lord Jagannath and Balabhadra although he had glanced at Jagannath and Balabhadra in their own forms before the grand bath on the same altar some time ago. Especially, he could see the elephant-like face of Ganesha with the Trinity and Balabhadra simultaneously. The mesmerizing scene changed the mind of Bhatt who later changed to be a devotee of Lord Jagannath, realizing that Jagannath is not only a puppet God made up of wood but a God who can read out your body, mind, and a spirit. Later, the overseas devotee shared his experience with the king and elaborated on the miraculous episodes of the Lord at night. Following this, the King asked the core servitors of the Sri Jagannath temple to bedeck Lord Jagannath and Balabhadra like Ganesha on the occasion of the Snana Purnima. The Snana Yatra of the sibling deities followed by the Gajanan Besha or Hati Besha has been one of the prime rituals in the Shri Jagannath’s  Cult and a part of special traditions followed in the Shri Kshetra before the annual sojourn of deities, Rath Yatra.