Bisara Mohanty
Bisara Mohanty (Odia: ବିସର ମହାନ୍ତି) was a devotee and historical figure of Jagannath culture, who rescued Daru Brahma (soul stuff) of Lord Jagannath from the river Ganga. He was a contemporary of King Ramachandra Deva I.[1][2][3]
Bisara's story[edit]
There was a time when the Bengal Sultan's general Kalapahad invaded the Jagannath Temple of Puri and took the idol of Lord Jagannath to destroy it. When he tried to burn the idol, he found a part of the idol, called Daru Brahma, difficult to burn. He threw the remaining part into the river of Ganga. The Bisara Mohanty, who followed Kalapahad with the idol from Orissa to Bengal,[4][5] floated down the stream and rescued the Daru Brahma. He put it inside a mridangam (drum) and secretly brought it to his village of Kujang. There he had continued worshipping the Daru Brahma with simple offerings. The Ramachandra Deva, a new ruler, received a directive from Lord Jagannath in a dream. Laid claim to the remains and fabricated new idols of the god in which the Daru Brahma could reside. After the renovation of the Jagannath temple in Puri, king Ramachandra had placed the idols in the temple. He acknowledged Bisara Mohanty's role and conferred upon him the title Nayaka (chief) of the Purushottama Kshetra.[6][7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Trilochan Dash. Story of Lord Sri Jagannatha in Srimandira at Sri Purusottam Kshetra. Trilochan Dash. pp. 262–. GGKEY:Y2TR84PZ0DD.
- ^ N. Patnaik (2002). Torch Bearers of Vedic Traditions: Brahmin Sasan Villages in Orissa. Classical Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-7054-346-6.
- ^ Ishita Banerjee-Dube; Sarvani Gooptu (14 December 2017). On Modern Indian Sensibilities: Culture, Politics, History. Taylor & Francis. pp. 90–. ISBN 978-1-351-19049-7.
- ^ Dola Gobinda Panda (1980). Political Philosophy of Pandit Gopabandhu Das. Santosh Publications.
- ^ South Asian Studies. South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg, Delhi Branch. 1978.
- ^ Albertina Nugteren (2005). Belief, Bounty, And Beauty: Rituals Around Sacred Trees in India. BRILL. pp. 247–248. ISBN 90-04-14601-6.
- ^ Hermann Kulke; Burkhard Schnepel (2001). Jagannath Revisited: Studying Society, Religion, and the State in Orissa. Manohar. ISBN 978-81-7304-386-4.