Paul Morgans

By BakewellPie

Jagannath

Jagannath is a Hindu god worshiped primarily by the people of Indian state of Orissa.
In common belief, Jagannath is considered an aspect of the god Vishnu or avatar Krishna and worshipped as part of a triad along with brother Balabhadra deva and sister devi Subhadra.
He's a cheerful little god and I have the 3 of them permanently keeping their eyes open for me.
There are a few legends as to why these gods have no hands but this is my favourite.
The legend has it that Krishna appeared before a great devotee, King Indradyumna, and ordered him to carve a deity from a log which would eventually wash up on the shore at Puri. Upon finding the sacred log, Indradyumna searched for a craftsman to carve the idols. In due course, a mysterious old Brahmin carpenter appeared before Indradyumna and accepted the commission. In reality, this carpenter was the divine craftsman Visvakarma in disguise. The carpenter insisted that he not be disturbed while he was carving the image of the deity, and then began his work in complete isolation behind closed doors. The carpenter's strict condition was that no one should enter into the temple premises while he was within.
Everyone was anxious about the divine work, including the King Indradyumna and the Queen. Every day they gathered outside the closed door, to listen to the sound of carving. During this time the carpenter never emerged. After a few days of waiting outside the room, all sound suddenly stopped. The impatient Queen, worried about the fate of the carpenter and assuming the worst, opened the doors. The Queen found the idols of the deity half-finished and the carpenter vanished. The divine condition of of isolation had been breached, before the idols could receive arms or legs. So they have remained in that unfinished form to the present day.

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