Harihar Panda

Jagannath - Rashtraneetira Nabhibrahma Harihar Panda

In this book the author tries to find out answers to his queries from the authentic archives, historical publications & a large range of reference materials including folklores. He holds the view that, Jagannath is not only an ancient deity for worship across communities, sects and religions but also a veritable fulcrum around which regional, subnational, national and even global mainstreams of knowledge, philosophy, religion, arts and culture and contemporary socio-political discourses have evolved over the millennia. So the Jagannath Cult can be truly conceived as the culmination of human cultural evolution.

This is evident from the name itself of the deity as the Lord of the Universe. Located in the hallowed land where great ancient sages composed richa of Rig Veda which led to the setting of the Gobardhan Peeth by Adi shankaracharya as a centre for preservation and promotion of Rig Ved., Lord Jagannath is thus the 'Purusottama' and Puri is the "Purusottama Kshetra' as described in the hallowed magnificent ancient treatise the "Skanda Purana". Therefore, Jagannatha is the nucleus (Navi kendra) of the Great Indian Knowledge Tradition, mentions the author. Lord Jagannath is truly India's National Deity.