A saga of devotion
BIBHUTI MISHRA
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`Baliratha' a play, based on the life of the devout poet Balaram Das, and an exhibition of `patta' painting marked `Sri Jagannathayana'.
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FOR THE GODS Motif of Lord Jagannath and other gods.
Lord Jagannath is the very epicentre of Orissa consciousness. His very name transports millions into a trance. People from all religions have found solace in him over the ages.
He is literally `the Lord of the Universe'. Although a religious festival, Ratha Yatra stands out from other celebrations due to the mass emotional involvement that fills the air with colour and joy.
Lokabat tu lila kaivalyam-various humanistic behaviour of Lord Jagannath brings out the truth of this sloka that the god is born in this mortal world to let the devotees taste the rasa in a loving surrender to him. This unique cult of Lord Jagannath is being propagated by the State Culture Department through its monthly programme Sri Jagannathayana.
The programme begins with a bhajan to the Lord and followed by religious discourse that touches upon the essence of the cult and the uniqueness of Lord Jagannath who has an autochthonous beginning as a tribal deity. The concluding part of the programme is usually a dance drama or a play that deals with various myths and legends associated with the Lord. This month's play was Baliratha taking as the theme the life of the great poet of devotion Balaram Das.
In the 14th century, Balaram Das, a great poet and devotee of Lord Jagannath, was denied permission to ride the Lord's chariot as he was not a Brahmin. Humiliated by the temple priests and the king of Puri, Das came to the beach and built the chariots of Jagganath, Balabhadra and Subhadra in sand. He paid homage there and started singing bhajans. His devotion was so strong that the deities vanished from the original chariots and appeared in the sand chariots built by Das.
The play was presented by artistes of International Theatre, Bhubaneswar and directed by ace director Mihir Meher. There was an exhibition of patta painting having the motif of Lord Jagannath and other gods and goddesses on the occasion .
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