Rath Yatra 2025: 7 hidden mysteries of Puri’s Jagannath Temple that still baffle science and devotees

The grand chariots of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath have reached the Gundicha Temple, a place revered as the deities’ maternal aunt’s home, after the Rath Yatra commenced in Puri. Nine days after reaching the temple, on July 5, they will return to the main temple, completing one of Hinduism’s most ancient and celebrated festivals. As millions of devotees from across India and abroad converge in Puri, attention also turns to the Jagannath Temple itself, which is an architectural marvel steeped in mystery. Beyond its spiritual significance, it continues to confound scientists and scholars alike. Here are seven extraordinary and lesser-known facts about the temple and its surroundings that defy conventional logic.

The temple’s kitchen, or Rosaghara, is renowned for being the largest and oldest temple kitchen in the world. It's a massive, open-air kitchen that is capable of preparing food for over 100,000 people in a day. Strikingly, not a single grain of food is ever wasted. Regardless of fluctuations in the crowd, the amount prepared and consumed always balances. renowned for being the largest and oldest temple kitchen in the world. It's a massive, open-air kitchen that prepares food for hundreds of thousands of devotees daily.

The kitchen is 150 feet long, 100 feet wide, and about 20 feet high. It contains 32 rooms with 250 earthen ovens. Around 600 cooks (Suaras) and 400 assistants work in the kitchen daily. The kitchen uses only traditional methods, including clay pots, and fire-wood for cooking. The Mahaprasad is considered highly sacred, and the cooks cover their mouths and noses with cloth while preparing food to maintain its purity and sanctity.

The Sudarshan Chakra atop the temple weighs over a tonne and stands 20 feet tall. Remarkably, it appears to face you no matter your vantage point in Puri. This illusion results from the symmetrical design and strategic placement, yet even modern architects struggle to replicate the effect.

A peculiar silence hovers above the temple. Birds, which are a common sight over most structures, never fly directly above the Jagannath Temple. Some believe it is due to magnetic or aerial currents, but no scientific evidence has confirmed this. While there's no official no-fly zone for aircraft, planes generally avoid directly overhead the temple. This phenomenon is attributed to a combination of religious beliefs and scientific factors.

The Nabakalebara ritual, held every 8 to 19 years, involves the transfer of divine energy 'Brahma Padartha' from the old wooden deities to newly carved idols. This sacred process is conducted in complete secrecy, blindfolded, in silence, and during the night. The priests involved must follow ancient procedures passed down orally.The temple observes a period of mourning with funeral chants and fasting, while the Daitapatis (priests) undergo purification rituals.

The main temple dome, or Shikhar, never casts a shadow on the ground at any time of the day. Whether this is due to the dome’s symmetrical geometry or an architectural marvel in sun positioning, the effect is so precise that it appears deliberate. This observation has intrigued scientists and devotees alike, as it seemingly defies the natural laws of shadow formation.

Atop the 65-metre-high spire is a flag which is known as the 'Patitapaban Bana'. This cloth adorned with symbols of Lord Jagannath, typically featuring colors like red, yellow, and orange, behaves unusually. Regardless of wind direction, the flag always flutters in the opposite direction. This reverse motion has no scientific explanation to date. Every day, a priest climbs the spire, barefoot and without support, to change the flag, a tradition uninterrupted for over 800 years.

At the Lion Gate (Singha Dwara), just steps from the coastline, the roar of the Bay of Bengal becomes inaudible. Once inside, the temple structure muffles all external sounds. Step out again, and the waves return. This acoustic anomaly continues to intrigue sound engineers.