Temples in Shri Chaitanya's Birthpalace
Jagannath Mandir (Sabara Danga
There are beautiful Deities of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balarama, and Lady Subadra situated in this temple, which is about four kilometers from the main ISKCON Temple. When you enter the beautifully painted gate there are a series of dioramas (clay figures) that depict the pastimes of how these Deities were made. Lord Jagannath daily receives a large food offering called Chapana Bhoga (56 preparations).
The story of the Deites here is that five hundred years ago, during the time of Lord Chaitanya, there lived a devotee named Jagadish Ganguli. He used to go every year to Jagannath Puri to see Lord Chaitanya and Lord Jagannath. In his old age he became blind and was unable to make the pilgrimage. Then one night Lord Jagannath appeared to him in a dream and told him on the following day when he took his bath in the Ganges, a log would touch his head and restore his vision. He was told to take that log to a certain devotee carpenter, to have him carve a Deity of Lord Jagannath. The Lord told him that the carpenter would at first refuse, because he had leprosy, and that the leprosy would be cured when he finished carving the Deity.
When the Deity was completed, the devotee-leper was cured. Lord Jagannath was carried to the site of the present temple, and His worship was established there. A few nights later, Jagadish had a dream in which Lord Jagannath instructed him to request the same carpenter to make Deities of Lady Subhadra and Lord Baladeva, which the carpenter did. After Jagadish left this mortal world, the Deities were gradually neglected and the temple collapsed.
Some centuries later a villager saw a beautiful blue flower on a termite hill. He went close to see it and was amazed to hear a voice calling "Please, please give Me some water. I'm so thirsty. Oh, please give Me some water." He quickly began digging and soon found Lord Jagannath in the hill. He was astonished to see that although the Deities were in a termite hill, Their wood was unharmed. This happened about 60 years ago. In 1978 the aging pujari of the temple offered the service of Their Lordships and Their property to ISKCON.
It is said in the scriptures that the holy dhama of Sri Ksetra, Jagannath Puri, is eternally manifest in this holy place. All the benefits one can attain by visiting Jagannath Puri may be achieved by visiting the Sri Jagannath Mandir in Sri Navadvipa Dhama.
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