Gundicha Mandapam : The Sacred Janma Vedika of Shri Jagannath

"Gundicha Mandapam Nama,

Yatraham Ajanam Pura Ashwamedhasahasrasya,

Mahavedi Tadabhavat Taxyah Punyatmanm Sthanam,

Prithivyam Neha Vidyate"

(29/34-35)

"Here is the Gundicha Mandapam; where I was born some long long years ago" Bhagban Jagannath says, "And this happened due to the conduct of "Sahasra Ashwamedha Yajna" for which this "Mandap" continued to be known as "Maha Vedi"(A great divine atop). The Lord further says "There is no more seditious place than this "Mahavedi" & "Janmavedi" in this entire world". Skanda Puran, in Verse 38, again narrates

"Mamotpattesha Nilayam, Pritikrit Mama Saswatam.

Bahukalam Sthitaschaham, Tasya Me Pritiruttama"

This holy Gundicha Temple is my sacred place of birth. Hence it is always a source of joy and happiness for me. Here I stayed for a long time and therefore, I have developed a unique attachment to this. The tradition of Shri Jagannath Culture believes that "Gundicha", the queen of the King Indradyumna of Avanti, is the mother of the trinity and as such they consider. The King Indradyumna as father because the trinity along with the divine weapon "Sudarshan" was carved out of a divine log of wood, that being floated, reached this shore of the Mahodadhi and collected by the King Indradyumna on the last day of "Sahasra Aswamedha Yajna". The carving out of the four images (Chaturdha Murti) was done by the Almighty Himself in the form of an old carpenter in a closed room, where the "Janma Vedi" is located and that too under the submissive supervision of both the King Indradyumna and Queen Gundicha. The first couple, to have the divine darshan of Shri Jagannath in his four forms after the completion of the carving out of the images in the present Gundicha Temple, was Indradyumna and his queen Gundicha The "Chaturdha Murtis" after having seen the divine couple in their form just after their appearance, considered them as their parents and the blessed parents started praying the Lord with utmost devotion. Then as per the advice of the Sage Narada, the son of Lord Brahma, King Indradyumna constructed a temple at Puri that is three kms away from the Gundicha Temple to install the new born images. King Indradyumna, a member of the fifth generation of Lord Brahma, started His journey to Brahmaloka. along with Sage Narada, the fifth generation family member of Brahma to invite Lord Brahma for the consecration of the temple and ritualistic installation of the images inside the main Shrine, presently called as Shrimandir. Accordingly Brahma descended on the earth by His own "Hansa Viman" and consecrated the main temple constructed by the King Indradyumna and ritualistically installed the images on the "Ratnasinghasanam" of this Main Shrine. While leaving the Gunicha Mandapam for Shri Mandir by a chariot Shri Jagannath assured His Parents, particularly His Mother Gundicha to come once in a year to stay there for seven days in this sacred company of His Mother "Gundicha". This reminds the devotee of the famous maxim "Janani Janmabhumischa Swargadapi Gariyasee "means "The Mother and the Motherland are greater than heaven". That is why Lord Jagannath becomes fully jubilant, while coming to his native country home Le. the Gundicha Mandapam during this period of Rath Yatra or Car Festival. Hence Shri Jagannath Himself says in Skanda Purana that-

"Dinani Nava Dasyami, Tatha Tasmadihagatah Tatrasti Te Maharaja,

Sarvatirthamayam Samah Tattire Sapta Diavasan,

Sthasyamyanuighrakshaya Tatra Shitam Mam Pasyanto,

Yanti Martya Mamalayam"

(Skanda-29/40-41)

I will come to that place for nine days and that's why I have come here (to Gundicha Temple). O Maharaj, there is a pond nearer to the temple: that combines all the Tirthas. I will stay there on the bank of that Pond for seven days. The devotees, who get my darshan there on the Gundicha Mandapam, during my stay. attain the joyous abode mine i.e. Vaikuntham "It is further told that once during this seven days, if a devotee sees me sitting on my Janmavedi, gets hundred times "Punyam" than seeing me in the main temple ie. Shri Mandir. So a visit to this temple during the period of Annual Car Festival earns a lot of Punyam to a devotee. As per the records, this Gundicha Temple is situated on an area of 5.25 acres land located on the Northern side of the Grand Road and the main shrine. Shrine is situated on a land area of 55x46' and as per Kalinga style of temple construction. it has four parts i.e. Vimana or Garbhagriha, Jagmohanam, Nata Mandap and Bhoga Mandap. The temple is having three dwaras ie. Simha Dwara (Lion's Gate), Nakachana Dwara (Exit Gate) and Uttara Dwara (Northern Gate). During the period of Rath Yatra, the deities enter in this temple on Pahandi (Ceremonial Procession) through the Lion's Gate and come out through the Exit Gate on "Bahuda Dasami" to perform the return journey from Gundicha Temple to Shri Mandir. During this one week period, another important event takes place centring round the Goddess "Mahalakshmi" The divine consort of Shri Jagannath. On this occasion of the onward journey from Shri Mandir to Gundicha Temple, Shri Jagannath having, ignored His Divine Consort "Mahalakshmi.accompanied His Sister Subhadra on the chariot and this un-usual action of the husband irritated Mahalakshmi, for which she came to the Gundicha Temple on a palanquin on the 3rd day Le. Panchami of the Rath Yatra to see Her Lord and invite him to return to the Shri Mandir as early as possible. While returning through the exit gate Mahalakshmi out of anger broke a piece of wood from the chariot of Shri Jagannath(Nandighosh) and hurriedly fled away through a by-lane called "Heragohini Sahi" just to give a message that the husbands should be strictly under the affectionate control of their wives and should not do any "Lila" in their absence This symbolizes the typical Indian/Odishan Culture regarding the eternal and divine relationship of husband and wife. As per the Chaitanya Charitamritam, Acharya Chaitanya, who came to Puri during the reign of Pratap Rudra Deva, was regularly cleaning the premises of the Gundicha Temple with the help of his disciples & devotees. Sometimes Gundicha Temple is regarded as more important than the Main Shrine of Puri because of the more attachment of the Lord towards this place. As the history stands, a lot of information is recorded in "Madalas Panji (Temple Chronicle) regarding the construction of the temple: As per the description of "Madalaa Panji" before 12th Century AD, there was no existence of any temple here in "Gundicha Ban and the only structure, existent was a wooden platform, where the Chaturdha Murtis were born. During the reign of Narasimha Dev II (1275-1306 AD) this wooden structure was converted to a "stone structure" and this boundary wall of the entire area of about five acres of land was constructed. Afterwards, King Mukunda Deva(1559-1568), took up the construction work of the Temple and it came to an end in its present form during the reign of Gajapati Ramachandra Dev II. In course of time, when the temple started to be delapated. Shri Shyammananda Dey Bahadur, the king of Balasore spent an amount of Rs 80,000/- (Rupees Eighty Thousand only) and got it renovated during the 19th Century. Besides this Car Festival period of nine days, the Gundicha Temple remains idle during the rest of the year and no scheduled rituals are performed. Of course the temple, sometimes, is kept open for the visitors but no Prasadam nor any Puja is performed. Better late than never, the Govt. of Odisha in consultation with the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, has prepared an exhaustive plan for the all-round development of the Gundicha Temple and make it vibrant round this year by introducing several devotee centric programmes

One of the most sacredan d historically important laces, next to Shri Mandir, the divine abode of Shri Jagannath, the presiding deity of Odisha, is Shri Gundicha Temple. A raised platform is there in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and the same is considered as the holy birth place (Janma Vedika) of Purushottam Shri Jagannath from time immemorial. The concerned volume "Utkal Khand" of Skanda Purana, authored by Sage Vyas, during 5th Century BC, elaborately narrates the disappearance of Neelmadhav, the original manifestation of Purushottam Param Brahma Shri Jagannath, his re-appearance in four forms as Jagannath.Balabhadra,Subhadra and Sudarshan after the successful conduct of thousands of "Ashwamedha Yajna" by the king Indradyumna in Nrusinha Khetra of Puri where the present Gundicha Temple along with the Janmavedika of the Supreme Reality is located and the significance of the sacred birth place.