Puri Rath Yatra 2022: The famous Rath Yatra is scheduled to begin at the Jagannath Puri temple in Odisha on Friday. The historic yatra witnesses the participation of thousands of devotees every year who reach the holy Puri temple to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath. In Jagannath Yatra, three chariots of Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra are pulled by the devotees after proper rituals and placed in front of the lion gate of the Shrimandir. This ritual was performed only on Thursday. Jagannath Puri Temple attracts many worshipers, scholars and priests from India and abroad not only for its spiritual value but also because of the many mysteries and claims that sometimes go beyond the realm of science and logic.
One such claim about Lord Jagannath Puri Temple is that no aircraft or birds fly over its temple. is it true? If yes why does this happen? Read on to know the answer.
Over the years, researchers and religious priests have given both mythological and scientific explanations for it.
Why don’t birds fly over Lord Jagannath Puri temple?
If we go by religious belief, Lord Jagannath is carried by ‘Garuda Deva’, the king of birds, who has great importance in Hindu literature. According to the Rigveda, Garuda Dev is the divine eagle who acts as the vehicle of Lord Vishnu and Lord Jagannath is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishu, thus carrying Garuda to his temple.
Hence, it is believed that the king of birds Garuda Dev himself is protecting and carrying the temple, hence the birds are afraid to fly over the temple. This is the religious belief of worshipers and priests.
What does science say?
Scientists and researchers believe that since the Jagannath temple is located in Odisha, which is a coastal region, the winds are extremely strong which makes it difficult for the birds to fly at high altitudes. The height of the Jagannath temple is about 1000 feet.
Why don’t planes fly over Jagannath temple?
Airplanes do not fly over Jagannath Puri temple mainly because Puri does not come under any flight route and this is due to the presence of Nilachakra. The Nilachakra is an eight metal wheel placed atop the Jagannath Temple, Puri. This metal is believed to block all wireless communications, thus, making it dangerous to fly airplanes in this area. That is why it is believed that airplanes do not fly over the Jagannath Puri temple.