19 Jun The Culture Of Worship Of Lord Jagannath (FREE Printable )

Worship of Lord Jagannath is one of the most mysterious and delightful features of the Indian religious culture, without a doubt. It’s an important part of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition for us, the followers of Lord Caitanya, containing the essence of His teachings about prema-bhakti in the mood of separation. Even though it’s maybe the most esoteric part of the philosophy, the worship of Lord Jagannath is available to everyone due to His merciful nature and the mood of Patita-Pavana, the one who is kind to the most fallen souls.
There are many stories that we can narrate to children about Lord Jagannath. The pastime of the appearance of Lord Jagannath is delightful and very interesting for them. There are even stories about miracles of the Deities of Lord Jagannath that stir wonder in children. And with older kids, we can talk about specific features of worship of Lord Jagannath in Jagannath Puri Dham: what kind of services devotees do, what kind of food they offer, what are the annual festivals, how they perform those festivals – some of these facts are truly amazing! The book “Jay Jagannath – the Culture and Worship of Lord Jagannatha East and West” by Druva Maharaja Dasa contains so much valuable information, and I use it as a resource to teach the children about Lord Jagannath (and to educate myself as well!).
For the Ratha Yatra festival this year, I have prepared a simple and easy worksheet with questions about Lord Jagannath for my kids that I want to share with you. There are questions with three possible answers and children have to mark the correct one. You can use it as a preparation for the Ratha Yatra festival or as a follow-up session.
Please click the button below to download the PDF Lord Jagannath worksheet for FREE!