Lord Jagannath An epitome of Integration :
                                                                         

                                                                                  Mr.  A. C. Padhiary 
                                                                                   Registrar, Utkal University
                                                                                  Bhubaneswar-751004,Orissa,
                                                                                  India

               Lord Jagannath literally known as the Lord of the Universe is one of the most revered deities of "Sanatan Dharma". It is also one of the most ancient deities whose origin&evolution is still shrouded in mystery. Legends say, it is a deity of tribals and sabars whereas evidences establish that it is a deity worshiped by Buddha's, Jaina's, Hindu's with origin dating back to pre-historic  concept of Jagannath philosophy that symbolizes "unity in diversity".

                Lord jagannath is considered as a Lord symbolizing cosmic zero.,being  omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, the trinity i.e Jagannath, Balabhadra  Black, white and yellow being the colour of human races and symbolizes three human qualities of Hindu philosophy Sattwa, Tama and Raja.  Jagannath cult knows no caste barrier, no community and no religion. It  stands for unity, equality, fraternity and brotherhood. In fact the caravan of unity  of human race marches ahead during the car festival of Lord Jagannath. It is an epitome of international integration that lays support to the concept of one world. 

                 People of all religious faiths and beliefs find their ideas and concepts embedded in the Jagannath cult. The prophets and saints who have drawn their heterogeneous sects starting from, Adiguru Sankaracharyas, Sikh Guru Nanak, Baishnabite Sri Chaitanya Deva, devotee of Ganesh Ganapati Bhatta the Muslim turned Hindu devotee Harridas and Kabir, the Muslim devotee and poet .Salbeg, the Christian devotee Captain Beat, etc. found Lord Jagannath so dear  and near to them. The stories of Dasia Bouri, Hadi Das, and Bandhu Mohanty  lead an atheist to believe in the supra-mental and celestial precepts of Lord Jagannath.                 

                 The Lord is made up of a Log of wood, which lays on emphasis on the culture of true worship and support the concept of environment consciousness or eco-consciousness, which has so much of relevance with the present day world. The movement of the lord with his brother and sister is something unique having his root to Hindu matriarchal family. He is a divine who lives and moves with  us; too intimate for any living moments but he is also so much human that his activities baffles all our understandings surpasses all our logic and language. 

                   When the world is passing through a period of critical transition vivisected  into different figments, it is through Lord Jagannath one can find the visible symptom of unity and integrity.