Puri, the pilgrimage
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Puri
One of the four celebrated religious centers of India, Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath needs no introduction. According to tradition Puri was once a thickly wooded hill inhabited by the Sabaras (Pre-Aryan and Pre-Dravidian tribes of the Austric linguistic family). The sunny beach at Puri is one of the finest in the world. Watching the sunrise in a symphony of colours is a wonderful experience. It is one of the most popular sea-side resorts where visitors from any part of the globe can comfortably relax.
Places of tourist interest in Puri
The Temple of Lord Jagannath built during the 12th century A.D. by Chodaganga Deva dominates the landscape for kilometers around. Being the tallest temple (65 metres) in Odisha, it is one of the most magnificent pieces of monuments of India. In front of the main gate stands a 16 sided monolithic pillar (11 metres high), called Aruna Stambha which formally stood in front of the Sun Temple and was brought to Puri during the 18th century A.D. Some of the other important temples are Gundicha, Lokanath, Sunaragauranga, Daria Mahabir and Tota Gopinatt. There are also a number of holy tanks like Narendra, Markandeya, Sweta Ganga and Indradyumna. There are many Monasteries locally known as Mathas also of touristic interest.
Handicrafts of the Region : Soap Stone, Sea-shell, Pattachitras and Palm Leaf paintings, Horn work, Wood carvings, and Solapith work can be purchased from Puri.
Fairs and Festivals of the region : Puri offers a plethora of colourful fairs and festivals round the year. However the Ratha Yatra or Car Festival, Puri Beach Festival, Ganesh Puja, and Jhulana Jatra are among the more widely celebrated ones.
How to Reach
By Air : The nearest Airport is Bhubaneshwar (60 kms).
By Rail : Puri is a Railway terminus.
By Road : 60 kms from Bhubaneswar and 35 kms from Konark, it is connected by NH 203. Regular bus services, both private and public sectors operate to and from various places of the State and adjoining states. Very frequent bus services are available from Konark, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
Internal Transport : Taxies, Auto Rickshaws, Town Buses and Cycle Rickshaws.
Deer musk (kasturi) used in facials (mukh singar) of the idols
The tradition and its endangered status in 2017
Subhashish Mohanty, April 22 , 2017: The Telegraph
Jagannath temple is baking on Nepal for the supply of deer musk or kasturi, which is an essential ingredient required for the periodic facials (mukh singar) of the idols.
The existing stock at the temple will not last beyond this year's car festival, which will be held on June 25.
Taking advantage of the Nepalese President's visit to the shrine in Puri today, the temple administration told Bidya Devi Bhandari about the depleting stock of kasturi. Bhandari promptly promised to "take up the issue with her government".
Musk is obtained from male deer (stag), which is an endangered species belonging to the Moschidae family and available only in the Himalayan region. Till 2002, the supply of kasturi had been coming from the Nepal royal family, which enjoys special rights at the temple. After that the supply of kasturi stopped and the temple administration had to depend on other devotees.
The royal family is authorised to conduct puja of Lord Jagannath by ascending the Ratna Bedi, the altar on which the Trinity are placed. In this ritual the Puri King assists them. No other royal family enjoys this privilege.
Chief wildlife warden S.S. Srivastav said: "Musk is available in the male deer that populate higher altitude of the Himalayas. The musk can only be collected from the naval of a dead male deer."
It requires 30-50 deer to get a kilo of musk. "A gram of musk could fetch Rs 8 lakh in the international market. It is used for making essence and has a huge international market," said a wildlife expert.
In temple rituals, kasturi has a special significance. At least on three occasions, including the Nabakalebar (change of idols), five grams of kasturi and sandalwood paste are applied to the idols.
"It adds fragrance to the facial treatment of the deities. It is also a part of the herbal treatment of the deities when they fall sick before the rath yatra and remain out of bounds for the devotees," said Jagannath Swain Mohapatra, the chief protector of Jagannath's chariot.
An expert, however, said: "The paste helps protect the idols from insects and stops their decay." Temple administrator (rituals) Pradeep Dash said: "The application of kasturi has been going since time immemorial. Besides its ritual values, it has medicinal properties."
Dash said: "Getting pure kasturi is difficult. Often, we find devotees donating spurious items. But we are not using those. We have raised the issue with the President of Nepal. She has assured to take up the issue with her government."
As hunting a stag is banned, the Nepal government could collect the musk from dead deer that are seized from poachers or give it from its stock, if any.
Despite its high price, musk was used in perfumes until 1979 when it was declared an endangered species by the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, said a wildlife expert.
Anti-Kasturi sentiments had begun as early as in 2014
Ashis Senapati, May 29, 2014: Down to Earth
Procurement of kasturi (musk) for the new incarnation or Nabakalebara ritual and the annual Rath Yatra (chariot journey) festival at the 12th century Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha, has sparked a controversy.
Wildlife activists and rationalists have taken strong exception to a letter from the Odisha government to the Union external affairs ministry, requesting it to obtain the aromatic substance from the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal.
Musk is applied on the temple idols—Lord Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra. The aromatic substance is especially required before the Rath Yatra and during the Nabakalebara ritual when the temple idols are replaced with new ones. The deities were last replaced in 1996 and this will happen again next year.
“It (the letter) is a gross defiance of wildlife protection law and, perplexingly, the government agencies seem unaware of the stringent laws,” says Debendra Sutar, secretary of Odisha Rationalist Society.
Poor deer
Musk is obtained by killing the highly threatened musk deer. It is collected from the stag’s gland, also known as the musk pod. All musk deer species are protected by the international CITES pact since 1979 and under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, which makes it illegal on the part of the state government to seek the help of Union government to procure musk from deer for religious purpose, says Jiban Ballava Das, secretary for non-profit, People for Animals (PFA).
Officials see nothing wrong in the request. “The Jagannath Temple in Puri is facing a shortage of kasturi. Approximately five grams of kasturi powder is mixed with different herbs to make a paste, which is then applied to the faces and bodies of the idols. This is a part of the herbal treatment for the deities each summer before the Rath Yatra. Since time immemorial, the King of Nepal had been providing musk free of cost. But after the end of monarchy in Nepal, the country's government is reluctant to provide it.,” explains Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Odisha's secretary for tourism and culture who is also the chief administrator of the Jagannath temple. “Now, we are ready to purchase musk from Nepal,” he says.
Musk deer scent-mark their territories by rubbing their tail gland against trees and stones. The deer also uses the scent to attract the female. Each musk pod weighs about 15 gm. This tiny pod is what the poacher kills the deer for, says Das. The deer live in mountain forests. He says the demand for musk in Japan, China, and France, for making perfumes and medicines have led to its killing in every country, including India. In Nepal, their numbers are declining rapidly, and in India they will be gone in another five years, adds Das.
Till 1996, the French perfume industry alone used 15 per cent of the world’s musk, now this figure is about 10 per cent. A small amount of musk is used in homeopathic medicines also, says Das.
2018: Nepal's ex-King Gyanendra signals end of the tradition
February 10, 2018: Deccan Herald >> Dailyhunt
Nepal's last King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev has said It may not be possible for his country to supply musk (Kasturi) to the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri due to legal hurdles.
The last King, who was attending the silver jubilee of Pattabhisheka of Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, said Kasturi was procured from the gland of the endangered musk deer and law had prohibited killing of the animal. For this legal bar, Nepal may not be in a position to supply 'Kasturi' to the temple, he told reporters.'
As per temple rituals, musk is applied on the idols of the deities at the 12th-century shrine, at least on three occasions every year, to protect them from insects and stop their decay. The erstwhile Royal family of Nepal, which enjoys special service and rituals in the Shree Jagannath Temple, was providing musk. The temple, which was getting the precious 'Kasturi' from Nepal during the monarchy, has been facing its scarcity after its fall in 2008.
Earlier in April 2017, the temple administration had apprised Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari of the acute shortage of musk during her visit to the shrine. The state government had also earlier urged the External Affairs Ministry to take up the matter with Nepal, official sources said.
See also
International Puri Beach Festival
Jagannath Puri: temple cuisine
Puri, the pilgrimage (main page)
