Hundreds of years of myths, legends and history have all intermingled into a pulchritudinous, extraordinary and multifactorial acculturation concentrated around Jagannath, the Lord of the Universe and to the highest degree reverenced and the most primitive divinity of the Hindu Dharma. The primordial citations of Lord Jagannath are found in the 'puranas' and ancient Hindu literature however, particulars of his origination and evolution are yet enshrouded in mystery. That is why we call him inscrutable. Legendery references paint a picture that Jagannath was primitively worshipped and treasured by the 'Savaras' or the tribals who play a vital part in several day-to-day functions of the Sri Mandir. Lord Jagannath appeared on earth so that people could come close and see him, particularly when he rides through the grand road on his grand chariot during the world famous Ratha Yatra. Saints and devotees of all faiths have established their 'Mathas' and 'Ashramas' at Puri in order to remain close to Lord Jagannath. People of different religions and interfaiths have different thoughts and conceptions about the Jagannath Cult. The Lord has drawn devotees and lovers from all religious beliefs. Saints, seers and many a holy people have bowed to the mighty Lord who is the most gracious and most compassionate. Guru Nanak Dev, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Pancha Sakha and the Sai Baba of Shiridi have travelled to the Puri Dhaam to get the blessings of Lord Jagannath. Adiguru Shankaracharya, who had immence faith in Lord Jagannath, established the four 'Dhaams' in different parts of the country. The first is 'Badrika Dhaam' in Jammu and Kashmir, the second 'Dwaraka Dhaam' in Gujarat, the third 'Sringeri Dhaam' in Kerala and the fourth is 'Puri Dhaam' in Odisha. It is believed that Lord Jagannath goes to Badrika early in the morning to take his bath. He then proceeds to Dwaraka for his early vesha or morning adornment, at noon he proceeds to Puri for his lunch and in the night, after witnessing Devadasi dance and hearing Gita Govinda, which is dearest to him, goes to sleep at Rameshwaram. There are hundreds of such stories about the lord. Once the great saint and poet Kabir Das visited Puri and discovered the figure of Krishna in Lord Jagannath and pronounced these words. "Kabse chhodi Mathurapuri kab hogaya Jharkhand ka wasi". Since when did you leave Mathura to become the inhabitant of 'Jharkhand'. Here Kabir Das refers to Kalinga as Jharakhand. It is a little known fact that the present state of Jharkhand was at one time a domain of Kalinga which was an ancient kingdom in central-eastern part of the Indian subcontinent. The Kingdom of Kalinga also constituted the northern regions of the adjoining state of Andhra Pradesh. This prosperous and fertile land stretches from the river Damodar to Godavari and from Bay of Bengal to Amarkantak range in the in west which at present is in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

Ganapati Bhatta, a staunch believer of Ganesha, travelled from Maharashtra to witness the 'Snana Yatra' of Lord Jagannath. The Snana Yatra takes place on the 'poornima' or the full-moon day of 'Jyeshtha', one of the hottest months of the Odiya calender year. This occasion is also known as 'Deva Snana Poornima' and as mentioned in the 'Skanda Purana' it is the day on which Lord Jagannath appeared. At the first light of the day, Lord Balabhadra, Lord Sudarshan, Goddess Subhadra, and lastly Lord Jagannath are taken in a procession popularly known as 'pahandi' to the 'Snana Mandapa' situated on the northeast point of the external boundary wall of the Sri Mandir. At the 'Snana Mandapa' the deities are placed in the public eye under a colourful canopy for the whole twenty-four hours. The 'sevakas' or the servants of the Lord fetch cool, fresh, sandal wood scented water in 108 'suvarna kumbhas' or golden water pots from  the 'Suna Kua' or the golden well and pour over the deities who are clothed in beautiful linen outfits. All the rituals are performed exactly the way Maharaja Indradyumna used to do many a thousand years ago during the Satya Yuga, except that, today the 'sevakas' have taken the place of Lord Brahma who used to come all the way to the 'Martya Loka' or the earth to perform the 'Abhisheka'. This 'Abhisheka' is signified to refreshen the deities from the warmth of the summer season. Coming back to our story of Ganapati Bhatta, when he arrived at the 'Snana Mandapa', he did not find an elephant head on Lord Jagannath. Being disappointed he went away conceiving that his dearest Ganesha was not there. Lord jagannath however, understood the inner feelings of this devotee and while he was preparing to depart from Puri, he met Ganapati Bhatta as a 'brahman' on the streets of Puri and convinced him to once again visit the 'Snana Mandapa' in the evening. The Sun went down in the west behind the 'Snana Mandapa' as the full moon of 'Deva Snana Poornima' rose in the east, facing the deities. When Ganapati Bhatta arrived there, seeing Lord Jagannath became a divine pleasure for him as the Lord satisfied his desire and appeared before him with the head of an elephant, looking exactly like Ganesha. Since that day, every year on the auspicious occasion of 'Deva Snana Poornima' Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra appear in 'Ganapati Vesha' after taking bath at the 'Snana-Mandapa'.

(A ‘pattachitra’ depicting the ‘Ganapati Vesha’ of the Holy Trinity of Jagannath, Balabhadra & Subhadra)

A much celebrated devotee of Jagannath was Salabega who inspite of being a Muslim was very dear to the Lord. He has composed a number of poems popularly known as 'bhajans' and 'jananas' conveying the profoundness of his devotion. From childhood he heard about Lord Jagannath from his mother who happened to be a Hindu. After the demise of his mother, Salabega at one time suffered from a serious disease and there was no hope for him to live on. While he was completely bedridden, he heard someone singing a bhajan from a distance and imagined that only Jagannath who is the 'Lord of the Universe' can cure him. So he began praying and eventually recovered from illness. Since then he became a devotee of Lord Jagannath and for that reason he was discarded from his family and thrown away from his house. Then he set out roaming here and there, singing songs in the name of Jagannath all the time. Once he was receding from Vrindavan and got late to witness the Ratha Yatra at Puri. He prayed to the Lord to wait for him till he reached the 'Bada Danda' so that he would not leave out the chance of watching him. On reaching 'Bada Danda' he was refused permission to see the Lord as he was a Muslim. So he waited at a place called 'Balagandi' to have a glimpse of the Lord as his chariot passes from that point. 'Nandighosha' the chariot of Lord Jagannath passed, but he was still not able to see the lord and started weeping out of sheer helplessness. All of a sudden the chariot stopped and did not move an inch from there as the Lord himself waited for Salabega. From there he watched his Lord merrily and thereafter everything was acknowledged to the priests. This brought him all the respects of a great devotee which he rightfully deserved. As he was a Muslim, after death he was buried at 'Balagandi' where he had seen Lord Jagannath. Even today a small monument stands there in the commemoration of that episode and every year during the Ratha Yatra the chariot of Lord Jagannath stops there for a while in memory of the affectionate relationship shared by the devotee and his Lord.