- It is the holy land, the sacred country.
- There is no filth in this place, only virtue.
- There are no vices here, only spirituality.
- We have no other instructor except jagadguru, the Universe’s preceptor.
- There is only one deity, the Lord of the Universe, Jagannatha.

Essence of Odisha
The above verse captures the essence of Odishan culture, holy land, people, history, and it’s legacy. Several names have known Odisha, and some of those titles represented a piece of the country. In contrast, others denoted a vast territory captured by Odisha’s monarchs. Udara and Kalinga was the area in the third century B.C. and shortened to Tri Kalinga, which means three Kalingas. Other names for Odisha were Koshala, Kongoda, and Utkala. The Bay of Bengal lies to the east, while the Mahakantara forest tract is to the west.
Odisha’s heritage
Odisha’s heritage can be discussed primarily as a place where many religious tenets flourished, the gallantry of the local militia, and architectural representations of incredible artistic skill and craftsmanship. Prosperity through maritime links with foreign countries from the distant past, profound mineral reserves and forest products, nature’s gift through beautiful mountains, waterfalls, lakes such as Chilika, unusual flora and fauna, and animal species. Odisha has tragedies that have left its people in poverty due to tyranny and exploitation by non-Hindu and non-Odia rulers. They have not only rendered the innocent people vulnerable to the vagaries of natural calamities but have made the rulers’ hostility intense. During their reign, the British took essential minerals, enforced an anti-people revenue structure, and imposed a disastrous Zamindari pattern, including the Sun-Set Law.
The most amazing fact is that, after ‘Sannyasi Bidroha,’ Odisha was the first province to revolt against the British. The war against the British was so terrifying that they kept Odisha divided into four divisions throughout their rule. Implying that they did not allow Odia-speaking people to be united under a common administration until they were forced to declare almost all Odia-speaking regions as a separate provinces. The British also employed this vendetta tactic in 1905 when they split Bengal to destroy Bengalee patriotism.
Although rulers’ atrocities and the vagaries of nature, the cultural grandeur of the people of Odisha in the fields of literature, dance, music, paintings, particularly Patta paintings, and handloom garments, has captivated both Indians and people from other countries.
RELIGIOUS RESURGENCE HOLY LAND
Odisha was a location where Buddhism flourished from the reign of Ashoka in the third century B.C. There are two schools of thought, one of which claims that Buddhdeva’s two students were Odisha traders. According to another account, Buddhadeva was born in Odisha. Today, a weaving community in Odisha holy land practices Jaina traditions but does not identify as a Jains. It might be owing to the amalgamation of various religions by Sanskritization or Hinduization.
Through his spiritual strength, Adi Shankaracharya discovered that the country’s ruler had been underground for 144 years when idolaters assaulted the realm, and the deities were brought to a hidden spot. YayatiKesari-I was the king at the time. The king rescued the worn-out images, rebuilt them, and dedicated them to a new temple. As a result, Odisha became a fortunate state to have the first holy seat of Hinduism after Rugveda of the East, and Padmapada, AdiShankara’s favorite student, became the pope. Puri is one of the highest sacred seats of Vedic heritage. Adi Shankara might have fixed his seat anywhere, but he did not. Instead, he preferred Odisha because of its spiritual grandeur.
Sankaracharya
From that day on, the Sankaracharya of this famed GobardhanaPitha is authorized to oversee the temple’s day-to-day operations. He is the Brahmin chief who monitors temple operations and decorates a special platform known as the “MuktiMandapa.” A temple chronicle named MadalaPanji, like Buddhist shrines in Sri Lanka, records the temple’s income and incidents. Dr. Amiya Kumar Mohapatra, who is present and a dedicated devotee of the legendary Gurudev, can elaborate. Odisha became a Hindu stronghold due to the Hindu kings of the region, particularly from the 9th century onward.
Gupta dynasty in general, and Samudra Gupta in particular, brought Hinduism to this region, as evidenced by the Allahabad Pillar Inscription. As a result, we have Siva temples, Mother Goddess temples, and Vishnu temples to worship these deities as the region’s supreme deities. In 1112 AD, a mighty King Chola Ganga erected a massive temple for Purushottama. That temple still stands. Like other Vishnu temples such as TirupatiVenkateswaraSwamy, this temple celebrates several Vishnu festivals.
The Anthropomorphic images
In all other Hindu temples, anthropomorphic images are enshrined, and the images are mostly made of stone, with a representative image made of metals to act during festivals. Further photographs are in rough shape and do not correspond to any of the descriptions in the texts. As a result, the temple not only outshines other temples in height and artistry but also in the variety of consecrated meals made in a unique technique and served in enormous numbers to the gods. As a result, Jagannatha and his two friends have become the enigmatic cult god and emblem of Odishan identity.
Also, Read more:- Mukteswara Temple