Let’s Chase Sibling Goals! Read Folktales of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadara

You must have heard Panch-Tantra tales, Cinderella and Disney Princesses stories, fairy tales, Vikram and Vetal tales, and stories from the two greatest Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, quite a lot of times in your childhood days. 

But there’s more! 

Do you know Indian temples also have stories? Unspoken or maybe less shared…. But these stories are the cornerstone of our tradition that make our temples a treasure of knowledge. It is said that going on a Tirth Yatra can fulfill your deepest desires; for instance, ‘darshan’ of Lord Hanuman can remove obstacles, or visiting Ganesha’s temple brings a new beginning in our lives. But each of these sayings has a story that makes the temple a pilgrim’s dream spot. 

Oral stories from Jagannath temple carry the secret of Odisha’s most auspicious festival- the Rath Yatra. Especially, Jagannath Puri Temple is India’s only temple where Lord Vishnu (Krishna) is worshipped with his siblings; unlike other temples where he is worshipped with his consort, Goddess Lakshmi. However, Rath Yatra is a pilgrimage that happens without Goddess Lakshmi, turning her furious, per the traditional folklore. Curious to know why? Scroll down to learn more.

Fascinating folktales of Puri Jagannath Temple and Lord Jagannath: Our Gods too have a sibling-squad!

Akad Bakad Bambe Bo.......

It’s your weekend, hear stories non-stop in one go! 

Remember? Yes, you’re caught giggling there! It’s nostalgia…isn’t it? 

Hold on, we’ve something for you.

For that, give yourself a break from work, nestle up on your cozy bed, with comfy pillows around, sip a cup of coffee, and zoom back into your childhood days like never before with us.

Guess what?

But naahh, it’s not Akbar-Birbal, or Tenaliraman anymore! Let’s hear the story of three siblings, Lord Jagannath (the avatar of Lord Vishnu), his siblings Balabhadra (his elder brother) and Subhadra (beloved sister), the legends of Jagannath Temple, and life lessons to learn from them before going on Rath Yatra this year. Now you can soulfully enjoy reading the legends of the Puri Jagannath Temple.

1. Why do Puri Jagannath Temple Idols have only faces?

Amongst all divine tales from Puri Temple, the most popular is of the incomplete idols of Lord Vishnu and his siblings inside Jagannath Temple.

Ready to read Puri Jagannath Temple idol story? join us: 

ONCE UPON A TIME, during Satyuga, King Indradyumna or Indradaman, an ardent devotee of lord Vishnu, had a dream of Lord Krishna guiding him to construct a temple and create an idol of three siblings- Jagannath, Balbhadra, and Subhadra out of the wooden branch floating in the sea. When he founded the wooden log, Lord Vishwakarma appeared as an old man and promised to create wooden sculpted idols for Krishna and his siblings, with the condition that no one should disturb him while he was sculpting the idols for 21 days. 

However, several days passed, but there was no sound of sculpting, and the King couldn’t wait anymore. He opened the doors of the temple and discovered that the sculptor had left the temple, leaving those idols unfinished. As a result, the idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadara did not have limbs. The King was disheartened to see the situation and sought help from Lord Brahma, who instructed him to consecrate as it is, and that the Lord is pleased to see the idols. Since then, the idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra have been incompletely established in the Jagannath Temple of Puri in an incomplete sculpted form. 

2. The story of Puri Rath Yatra! Sibling behaviour loading in

Wondering why millions of people pull three chariots during the Jagannath Rath Yatra festivalJagannath Puri Rath Yatra is one of the biggest Hindu gatherings, held every year in the month of Ashadha in Puri, Odisha, drawing countless devotees of Lord Jagannath from around the world. Well, Rath Yatra, the annual pilgrimage to this temple, has yet another amazing story related to it. 

During this nine-day-long Yatra, the idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are brought out from Jagannath Temple and placed in beautiful Chariots, then taken to the Gundicha Temple by their devotees. It is the home of the Gundicha, to Lord Jagannath and his siblings, where the Lord himself enjoys his vacations. The deities return after 9 days to Jagannath Temple, and the yatra back home is called the Bahuda Yatra. On their way, they stop at Mausi Maa (Ardhasaini Temple) to relish “Poda Pitha”. Pleased by the devotion of Gundicha, Lord Jagannath promised her that he would come to meet her every year in the annual pilgrimage of Rath Yatra.

3. Fact or Myth: Why does Lord Jagannath fall sick before Jagannath Yatra?

Can a God ever fall sick? Odisha’s popularly worshipped God, Jagannath Swamy, falls sick for 15 days before Rath Yatra and remains in isolation. This is one of the most famous legends of Rath Yatra that celebrates the devotion of pilgrims towards Lord Vishnu, helping the God recover soon. But there are two different reasons for the Lord getting ill. The first story demonstrates an incident where Lord took his devotee, Madhav’s illness on him, so that he could get comforted from all sufferings. And the next story belongs to a ritualistic event of Snan Purnima, where Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadara are bathed with 108 Kalash (pots) of water, which causes them fever and nausea, and this period is known as ‘Anasara, or Anavasara’. During this time, Lord Jagannath and his siblings do not meet their devotees, while being in extensive care, they are provided help to recuperate from illness. After they’re healed, they get ready for the grand Rath Yatra and to meet their aunt, Gundicha, who offers them all motherly love and lots of delicious food.

4. The idol of Jagannath is where Krishna’s heart beats even today!

The most famous yet less shared Jagannath Puri’s miraculous story relates to the Lord and his temple.

According to a popular folktale, when Lord Krishna left life on Earth, his heart remained alive and was hidden in the idol of Lord Jagannath for more than 5,000 years. During the Nabakalebara festival, in every 8, 9, or 12 years, the wooden idols of Jagannath Ji, Balabhadara, and Subhadara are replaced with new ones. This happens in a very secretive ceremony, where Krishna’s heart, known as Brahma Padartha, is transferred to the new idols.

5. The story of Salabega: A muslim devotee of Lord Vishnu

One of the popularly known stories of devotion from Puri’s Jagannath Rath Yatra relates to Salabega, who was a muslim poet and a devotee of Jagannatha Swamy. As stories tell, he fell sick one day and asked Lord Jagannath to wait for him during the Rath Yatra. God was pleased by his devotion and stopped his Rath, Nandigosha, where Salabega had darshan of Jagannath. He later composed a famous bhajan, ‘Ahe Nila Saila.’ (The Bluestone Lord) along with his several hymns and poems rooted in Odisha’s spiritual literature. The shrine of Salabega is located at Grant Road, Puri, where devotees of Lord Jagannath pay homage to his deity.

6. Hera Panchami: The victory of Goddess Lakshmi

Hera Panchami is another special day celebrated on the fifth day of the Rath Yatra, known as the Lakshmi-Vijaya celebration. As per Odisha’s Jagannath folklore and tradition, Goddess Lakshmi furiously searches for his husband, Jagannath, in the city. However, Lord Jagannath could not be found, as he went to the Gundicha Temple without Goddess Lakshmi, leaving her agitated. After waiting for four days, Goddess Lakshmi leaves for Gundicha Temple to see Lord Jagannath with a huge crowd in her chariot, displaying her authority to bring her husband back. 

Upon her arrival, the doors of the Gundicha Temple are shut, which makes her more furious, and she attempts to break the Nandighosa chariot (the chariot of Lord Jagannath). However, she later gets guilt-stricken and reaches the Puri Temple via a secret route, Hera Gora Sahi. This incident is even celebrated with grace, where the wife of the Lord takes over for not being accountable for his ignorance towards a wife’s emotional reassurance.

Check out: Odisha Pilgrimage Tour

Now that your sibling mode is on! Apart from roasting your siblings, try this. 

Just like Lord Jagannatha, who never fails to visit Gundicha Temple every year, experience the grand Puri Rath Yatra with your brothers and sisters with our Jagannath Puri Dham Tour Package. Or pack your bags for a Puri beach outing any time of the year, with travel plans curated with love, by Trip To Temples.

By the way, have you enjoyed the sacred stories of Puri Temple shared by us? If so, we keep sharing interesting folktales from all across Indian tradition; so stay tuned for more such amazing Indian spiritual folktales and make your Puri Rath Yatra 2025 a little more fun and nostalgic with an all-siblings Puri trip.