Miracle at Manora
On July 7,
2024 while we were watching the live telecast of Puri Rath Yatra, a colleague
and friend called. Do you know, at Manora in Vidisha district, Rath Yatra is
celebrated every year and a huge crowd assembles at the small village on the auspicious
occasion?
No, I don’t,
but how do you know of it?
Well, I was
posted at Vidisha decades ago, and had the privilege of pulling the Rath more
than once. On Rath Yatra day the mukhia of the village never forgets to call me
to tell that the celebration is getting bigger and better with every passing
year. I will request him to call you, if you need further details.
Gajendra
Singh Ji called after a while. But before that another dear friend sent me the
following message about this Rath Yatra -
“At Manora,
a little village near Vidisha, a huge procession takes place from a Jagannath
temple which is 300 years old. For a brief while, the Rath moves on its own
without being pulled, and it is believed that happens when Lord Jagannath travels
from Puri to Manora to redeem His pledge to an earnest devotee.
I am an eye
witness to it.”
My friend is
a deeply devout person, an erudite scholar and author.
What a
coincidence! Did Jagannath orchestrate this revelation and nudge me to write
about it?
How old is
the temple, and who built it, I asked Gajendra Ji?
One hundred
ninety-five years. Manak Chand, the Tarafdar (landlord) was without a progeny,
went on a pilgrimage to Puri, and made a mannat to Lord Jagannath: O Lord, I
will make a temple for you, and celebrate the annual Rath Yatra. Would you
please visit my humble village, however briefly, on Rath Yatra day? Jagannath
concurred. Upon return, he built the temple, and began the Rath Yatra which
continues till today. For the maintenance of the temple, he assigned sixty
bighas of land which is recorded in the name of Jagadeesh Swami, as the deity
is known here.
Manak Chand
was blessed with a son.
‘Is it true
that the Rath moves on its own for a few metres?’
‘Of course,
everyone knows about it. We believe the Chief Priest at Puri temple makes an
announcement on Rath Yatra day that Jagannath is on a brief trip to Manora and
will be available at Puri after a while.’
Distance from
Puri to Manora is 1162.3 kms by road, and 927 kms by air; but how could distance
in human measurement be a handicap for the Lord of the Universe?!
How old are
you, Gajendra Ji?
Eighty-one.
I was privileged to work for thirty-two years as Sarpanch of my Gram Panchayat
which was awarded twice as the best Gram Panchayat in the State.
Over the
years, the district administration has improved the infrastructure for Manora
and the temple. A Collector – a non-Hindu - removed encroachment from the Rath
Yatra route, and he accepted our invitation to pull the chariot. Another
Collector who was from Jagannath Dham brought in sculptors from Odisha to make
idols for the temple.
‘Gajendra
Ji, I hope to visit Manora someday. May I request you to take me around?’
‘Of course, you
will be our guest. Please request our former Collector to join you for the
trip.’
‘When would
Jagannatha Ji return to the temple?’
‘Tomorrow.
At Manora, Rath Yatra is a two-day festival with one night halt for the deities
at their Mausi’s temple.’
***
Miracles
Why do so
many people believe in miracles? According to the miracle bias hypothesis, “belief
in miracles is widespread because humans are cognitively and developmentally
biased towards forming and transmitting such a belief.”[i]
The minimal counter-intuitiveness (MCI) theory suggests “concepts that deviate
slightly from intuitive expectations can be transmitted more successfully than
common concepts that are compatible with expectations. This theory applies
across cultures, which may be why miracle episodes are common irrespective of geographical
location or religious tradition.”[ii]
A discussion
on the philosophy of religion and the psychology of miracles is beyond the
scope of this brief blog, but much reading material is available on the net.
Sharing link
for a previously published blog regarding a few popular ‘miracles’ during Puri
Rath Yatra: Legends of Jagannatha
(https://pkdash-author.blogspot.com/2023/06/legends-of-jagannatha.html).
Note
Manora is
about 90 kms from Bhopal via Sanchi (UNESCO Heritage) and Vidisha.
[i] Miracles: A Very Short Introduction
by Yujin Nagasawa, Nov 2017: Miracles: A Very Short
Introduction | Oxford Academic (oup.com)
[ii] Ibid.
Informative blog
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