Excerpt from The God Juggernaut
and Hinduism in India 
By 
Jeremiah Zimmerman, D.D., LL.D. 
1914 

Dr. Zimmerman, an American, who was both a minister and a lawer, and his wife had travelled extensively throughout the orient and middle east. Eventhough they had seen many unusual and marvelous things on their travels, they apparently weren't prepared for India. Throughout the book, he expresses shock at the lifestyle of the Indians and what he considers the excesses of a pagan religion. The first chapter deals with the Zimmermans' trip to Puri to see Lord Jagannath. All of the excerpts on this page are from that chapter. I thought it was interesting that he devoted so much effort to recalling the story of being refused admission to the Sri Jagannath Temple, so I included the whole account. Note the "sour grapes" rationalizing at the end. The degree of arrogance that shows through is astonishing. 

"The great temple and one hundred smaller ones within the sacred enclosure are surrounded by a quadrangular wall twenty-two feet high and about six hundred and fifty feet on either side, each one pierced by a large gateway. The main entrance faces the east, and is called the Lion gate from the colossal stone lions crouching on either side as if guarding it against all intrusion. Directly in front stands the monolithic pillar noted for its age and beautiful carvings at the base. With the death of the last ruler of the Lion line of monarchs the worship of Siva became supplanted by that of Vishnu, and the present temple was built within fifty years from the rise of the new monarchy in 1324, and dedicated to the god Juggernaut who is one of the incarnations of Vishnu. The temple has an endowment that provides an annual income of about $150,000 and an equal amount is supposed to be derived from all the other sources, for in addition to the modest contribution of the overzealous pilgrims the rich give large sums in hope of special merit. 
"In the midst of the numerous smaller temples, rises to the height of nearly two hundred feet the conspicuous conical pagoda, overtowering all the other buildings and surmounted by the mystic wheel and flag of Vishnu. 
"We are indebted to Dr. Mtra, a Hindu, for the following reliable information regarding the holy precincts into which Hindus alone are admitted: "Within the enclosure or compound, and to the right of the flight of steps leading up to the great temple are the buildings for the sale of the sacred food (Mahaprasad) and beyond the large kitchen where the food is prepared. Another inner wall encloses the temple and other buildings, including the famous Buddhist botree and which is supposed to possess marvellous virtues, for the Kapila Samhita says: 'Whoever stands under the shadow of this tree immediately clears himself from sin of killing Brahmans. Of him who walks round the tree and then worships it, Hari remits all the sins committed in the course of one hundred generations.' Close by is an open pillared choultry or hall of salvation, where pundits daily assemble to expound the Shastras. There are in addition about fifty small shrines of gods and goddesses, as different incarnations from Vishnu, Lakshmi, Siva, Hanuman, Ganesa, etc. 
"The great temple includes four distinct buildings opening one into the other. In the first and opposite the Lion gate the food prepared by the temple cooks is presented before the idol, after which it is sold as holy. The next is the dancing hall for the musicians and the dancing girls to amuse the god. Beyond is the audience chamber where the pilgrims are allowed to look through the door into the shrine beyond and see the god. A bar of sandalwood. prevents entrance, but persons paying largely are allowed to cross the bar and enter the shrine. Those having special permits, which cost from 500 rupees to 5,000, enter by the sacred gate, and have the right of entering the sanctum or holy place. The sanctum is so dark that without the aid of a lamp nothing is visible." 
"No doubt this adds to the mystery and the 'priests of the temple persuade the pilgrims that it is on account of their sins that they cannot see the divinity. When they remain in the sanctum for a little time sin is destroyed by devotion and the divinity becomes visible.' However it is owing to the fact that they have suddenly entered from the glaring sun and time is necessary for the dilated pupils to expand. 
"The three sacred images are made of the close grained Nim wood and their preservation during the centuries is owing to the peculiar bitterness that protects it against all insects. The rude images are made of a solid block, and are hideous caricatures of the human figure, without hands or legs. The images of Juggernaut and his brother are each about six feet high and the former is painted black and the latter white. The statue of the sister is but four and one-half feet and the colour is golden. Together they occupy a place on a long platform throughout the year until they are taken out during the car festival season. Each one is provided with an extensive and varied wardrobe and their dress is frequently changed, and these rude images are greatly improved by having the most of their imperfections covered. 
"The chief place of distinction among all the attendants is that of the sweeper, who strange to say is the raja of Khurda, for this office is hereditary with the royal house of Orissa, although the social position of sweepers elsewhere in India as a class is a low and despised one. However, the great god Juggernaut changes all customs at Puri. There we find what is unique in Hinduism and which is in contradiction to what is taught and practiced throughout the country, namely, the disregard of all caste. The explanation is that Juggernaut makes the place so pure that no low caste nor outcaste can make the place ceremonially impure, and the food placed before the image is rendered so holy that no Brahman can be contaminated by eating it with the low caste, not merely with the respect able Sudra, but with the despised Panchama. There can be no taint although cooks from the lowest castes prepared it in the culinary department, for the goddess Lakshmi superintended its preparation and even tasted it, and hence no mortal need hesitate to eat, and it is sold indiscriminately to all classes and they suffer from no law of caste though they partake of it with the outcastes. 
"Inasmuch as several thousand at least are connected with the maintenance of this elaborate temple establishment, including priests, cooks, attendants and traveling agents, a large revenue is necessary. But they have great treasures of wealth contributed by rich patrons in addition to the receipts from ordinary pilgrims. 
"Had not the purposes of Ranjit Singh miscarried, this temple would contain the richest single gem in the world for he bequeathed the famous Kohinoor diamond to the shrine of Juggernaut with the hope of obtaining untold meritorious blessings, though his life was far from blameless and at Lahore we saw the celebrated monument of this once noted maharajah of the Sikhs, commemorating himself as well as his numerous wives and concubines who ascended his funeral pyre and suffered self-immolation. Fortunately this priceless diamond was diverted from its intended mission and it found its way into the English Crown, a far more appropriate and magnificent setting than the hideous image of Juggernaut. In the Tower of London in the midst of other historic treasures it is not only securely guarded, but it may be seen to the best advantage in a well-lighted place and by all men and women irespective of race, rank or religion, for all are freely admitted regardless of social standing, although the line of exclusion would be drawn against the favoured animals that have the right of way at Puri. 
"In order that we may the more clearly appreciate the character of the Juggernaut we need to remember his position among the gods. Vishnu as the Preserver is one of the most popular gods in the Hindu Triad and is Generally represented as a black being with four arms, for it is common to add a number of extra arms to the deities to symbolize their potency. Of the nine incarnations of Vishnu, Krishna was the eighth, a preeminently popular divinity among the people of India today, and one of his manifestations is that of Juggernaut who has the supreme place in the minds and hearts of many millions. According to the account of some, Puri owes its origin to legendary claims connected with the fatal arrow that killed Krishna and whose bones were allowed to remain for some time exposed under the tree where he fell, until a pious monk discovered them and gave them a worthy resting-place. Later the king Indradhumna, who sought to propitiate Vishnu, was told to make an image and place the bones inside of it, and he would be richly rewarded for his labours, and he secured the architect of the gods to make the image. 
"Certain legends of their sacred writings state that one of their holy men as a pilgrim had seen "an inimitable image of Vishnu in sapphire" at Puri and he reported it to Indradhumna who hastened thither to pay his devotions to the wonderful image. On his arrival he was greatly disappointed to learn that it had mysteriously disappeared beneath the sandy shore. However he was encouraged by the assurance that if he should offer a great sacrifice other images of equal merit would be given him. He was directed to a floating log of Nim wood, and "a very aged man much afflicted with elephantiasis" finally prevailed upon the king to be permitted to fashion the log into the promised images, and on condition that no one should be permitted to enter nor peep into his room for twenty-one days. That was too much for the raja's patience and especially for his wife's curiosity, and becoming im patient with the delay and unable to withstand the constant jeerings of his wife, he broke into the workshop on the fifteenth day, when he discovered the three rude and unfinished wood images but their divine sculptor had suddenly vanished. The raja bitterly regretted his intrusion and suffered great remorse for he was convinced that the aged man was none other than the god Visvakarma, and hence these rude images are so greatly revered. 
"It is true that any ordinary sculptor without super human aid could have produced superior images and in less time, but the raja's faith was not disturbed by such a trifling fact and he began at once to build a suitable temple, and with the marvellous revelation made in connection with the making of the images, henceforth Puri became a holy place and the most sacred shrine for pilgrimages. 
"The learned Vishnuite scholar, Dr. Mitra, who made a special study of the temple, believes that the car festival of Juggernaut is a relic of a Buddhist procession. Undoubtedly Puri owes much of its religious sanctity to its earlier association with Buddhism, for it was once one of its chief centres, and according to a legend a magnificent temple was erected here by a king in which to place the revered tooth that had been rescued from the funeral pyre of Buddha by one of his devoted followers, and from that circumstance the city was called Dantapura, "the city of the tooth." 
"Some centuries later, or about 300 A. D., when the kingdom was threatened by war and the king being anxious for the sacred relic of Buddha that up to this time had been securely treasured in the temple, delivered it to his daughter who concealed it in her hair and hastened with it to the Isle of Ceylon for safe preservation, and where for a long time it has been kept as a most sacred treasure in the richest jewelled casket on earth. 
"A brief digression to Kandy will not be inappropriate because of the transferrence of the holy relic, inasmuch as for centuries it was not only inseparably connected with the sacred shrine at Puri when Buddhism was the dominant religion in India, but it was the most potent if not the sole object that attracted the countless number of pilgrims because of the untold merit that was in store for all who might gaze upon the priceless relic, for the fabulous stories of its wonder-working power almost rivalled those of Aladdin's lamp. We can easily imagine the wild enthusiasm of the pilgrims at Puri, for we witnessed a wonderful exhibition of Buddhist de votion to that tooth in the temple at Kandy. 
"It was an unusual occasion and many notable persons from that stronghold of Buddha in Burma had made the pilgrimage, including many women of equal rank. Their coming had been heralded and great prepara tions had been made and thousands of the Singalese had been attracted from the country and all the avail able space in the open square about the temple was crowded with an expectant multitude, whose privilege was limited by merely seeing the favoured few who were permitted to enter on the memorable day. They had to content themselves with a look at a facsimile under a glass case in the town museum. Our anxiety was intense for we had been promised admission and we occupied our reserved place for some time before the few dignitaries came and whom we were to follow into the most holy shrine. It was not merely to satisfy a prurient curiosity to look upon the fictitious tooth, but it was the history, devotion, wealth of consecration and the unmeasured influence connected with that ob ject throughout the Far East that appealed to us and stimulated our desire to enter the sanctum sanctorum Of Buddhism, and in imagination we had visions of past centuries as the countless millions of pilgrims passed in review. 
"We experienced a peculiar sensation as we were led through the narrow passageway and then entered the small chambers-a very holy of holies to the Buddhist believer. There was not a sound from the outer world and the stillness was profound, for no one spoke and the prolonged silence became oppressive because of its significant uncertainty. In the centre of this inner sanctuary stood a unique golden ornament, wrought by some skillful designer of the once famous ancient Singalese art. It was conical in form, about thirty inches in height and probably twelve inches in diameter and enclosed the sacred relic, but no key was produced and not one of the priests approached to unlock the treasure. The silence became ominous and we appealed to the most commanding person present, the keeper of the shrine and the master of ceremonies, for our only hope was in him. There he stood like a giant Saul, towering head and shoulders over the priests, wearing a singularly unique uniform and bearing an enormous staff as the symbol of authority. He must win the attending priests to a man, for each one held a key that alone could unlock a particular golden cover and which must be removed in order before the next one could be reached and the tooth finally exposed to view. 
"The Oriental is never in a hurry and the usual preliminaries were necessary to adjust the amount to be paid for the rare privilege accorded us, and then all smiled approval and one after another advanced to the altar and with key in hand slowly unlocked the outer covering. The enthusiasm increased as each cover was removed, for they improved in quality, and the two inner ones were of solid gold, and closely studded with the costliest precious stones, emeralds, rubies and diamonds. There was a breathless suspense when the last golden conical cover was lifted and we gazed in tently upon the small piece of ivory, standing upright from the base of a golden receptacle, with a narrow rim and which may have been suggestive of the lotus, but not resembling it. I mention this in detail for whilst the tooth in the museum is a facsimile it is held in a horizontal position by a wire fastened in the lotus, but the original rises from the bottom of the small golden vessel and stands in a vertical position. 
"The pictures that I have seen have evidently been made from the copy in the musem for I saw the original in a clear light and scrutinized it carefully and could not be mistaken. I am also persuaded that it is not a genuine tooth from Buddha for it is much too large, and civilized men have not been found with a tooth of that size and shape. Evidently it was not grown in the jaw of any mortal but taken from some animal and most likely from the hippopotamus. 
"Returning to the Juggernaut car procession at Puri it is important to correct a very common erroneous impression, and which we hear frequently repeated respecting the alleged self-immolation as a prominent feature of the festival and which is said to be encour aged by the priests. Inasmuch as the god Juggernaut is of another form of Vishnu who was not only the Preserver of men but one of the gentlest of all the gods, it is an unauthorized misrepresentation to characterize Juggernaut as the Moloch of India, and that be neath the wheels of his ponderous car the lives of many of his devotees have been crushed out. Had this charge been made against Siva, the Destroyer, or his blood-thirsty wife Kali, then there might have been a semblance of excuse, but there is none for making the god Juggernaut and his car a synonym or figure of speech for the most cruel slaughter of human beings, and intelligent people repeat it with a feeling of shock ing abhorrence. The slander is not deliberate but only due to false impression of the old and oft repeated story, for so sacred is the life of an ordinary animal to the god Vishnu, that his followers condemn the sacri fice of the goats that are made to Kali, and how in finitely more abhorrent it would be to sacrifice human beings! 
"Undoubtedly accidents have occurred during the car procession when as many as 100,000 pilgrims come to gether, just as lives have been sacrificed bv attending automobile races, but the lives lost were accidental and it would be unjust to charge us with religious self-immola tion, although at times guilty of culpable neglect. In like manner accidents must at times occur at the car processions at Puri, owing to the vast number, and uncontrolled enthusiasm of several thousand turning at the ropes to draw the ponderous car, which goes by fits and starts, and no wonder if some deaths at times occur through carelessness or when overcome by weakness or sunstroke. India is a hot country and during the festival season the heat is intense and it would not be strange if the minds of some fanatics would become affected and occasionally a suicide might result, as in our coun try, but we must not charge it up to the account of Juggernaut as encouraging it. We have an appalling number of suicides, even amonog the intelligent and well-to-do class. The fact is that Sir William Hunter, who spent many years in India, made a most careful examination of all the available records on the subject since the fourteenth century, and they prove that whilst such suicides rarely occurred they were not inspired by the religion of Juggernaut. 
"Whilst the pilgrims in their early enthusiasm seek an opportunity to assist in drawing the car, owing to feelings of devotion and the expected merit for such an action, there is a special reserve of several thousand for any emergency, and who are to complete the procession. Many hours axe required as well as strength to drag the enormous car which rests upon sixteen heavy wheels of solid wood, seven feet in diameter. The distance to be made is less than a mile but that broad and crowded street throuoh which the procession moves is not a brick or asphalt pavement, and if it were a macadam road the progress would not be so slow and difficult, but it is often through the deep sand into which the wheels sink and it is with the greatest difficulty at times that they are able to move the car. 
"At such a time the 4,000 men reserved for the purpose pull at the ropes with their united strength. Be set with such difficulties, several days may elapse during the procession to the Garden House at the end of the avenue. But there is too much variety for monotony in the barbaric splendour of the festival, for they strive to give spectacular effect and to captivate the minds of the pilgrims who crowd the great thoroughfare. Many prostrate themselves and with the wildest fanaticism shout the name of their god Juggernaut as they behold the image borne on the car. The priests are the masters of ceremony and they see that the excitement is kept up by the beating of drums and clashing of cymbals. Even the women at times tug at the ropes, and where there are so many old fanatics the wonder is that the deaths are not more frequent. 
"In former years the sufferings and mortality at Puri were much greater, owing to the utter disregard of the laws of sanitation, the lack of proper food, lodgings, hospitals and medical attendance. These evils have been remedied to some extent at Puri and at places on the roads traversed by the pilgrims, and yet with all the improved conditions, the overcrowding during the festival seasons means much hardship for the poverty stricken class and the mortality is great. 
"It may be well in passing to correct the extravagant reports respecting the great antiquity of the records contained in the temple. Certain advocates claim that they have old manuscripts that give an unbroken list of the kings of Orissa from the beginning of the Kali age in 3102 B. C. to A. D. 1871, with much detail. These palm leaf archives are treasured in the temple but a critical examination of them by scholars has shown them to be utterly unreliable anterior to 1100 A. D. The temple was built during the latter part of the eleventh century and the early portion of the twelfth. With all the strange history and religious devotion associated with the holy temple at Puri and the image of the god Juggernaut that is housed within the sacred precincts, it is not strange that we should have had an ardent desire to approach the mystic shrine and look upon the efigy of the great Lord of the World who for centuries had wielded such a mighty attractive power over his millions of adherents, who with unfaltering faith are annually drawn from every part of Bengal and from distant quarters of the empire. 
"With few exceptions we had been freely admitted to the temples throughout the Far East, for the Jains and Mohammedans had certain reservations, and the Parsees not only practice the absolute exclusive act but so construct a wall in front of their temple that you cannot obtain so much as a glance through the portal. We did not anticipate any difficulty at Puri, where caste distinctions are practically ignored, and the very scum of humanity, including the lowest of the Panchama, are admitted, and the poorest elbow their way among the surging crowd, and even bulls, cows and monkeys have the right of way and pass through the gateway without interruption, although moved by no religious motive. Hence as we observed the motley crowd of the animal kingdom entering without any protest from the temple officials, we never imagined that they would make the invidious distinction when we attempted to enter. In fact we took it for granted that we were among the eligibles as we followed the nondescript crowd towards the Lion's gate, for all men, women and beasts had been freely admitted. 
"There are times, as the traveller has learned from experience, when it is policy to presume upon one's ignorance and take it for granted that you are not debarred, for whilst it inspires you with confidence to gain admission, it disarms the objector who is too much embarrassed to turn out the courteous and well meaning traveller in search of knowledge. However, in this instance I had presumed too much upon the native courtesy and apathy in the local requirements of the observance of their ancient custom, for we did not escape those lynx-eyed masters of the caste system who easily discerned our foreign pedigree, and several of them stopped us when within twenty feet of the portal, for at that distance the presence of a foreigner was supposed to be safe, but nearer would mean pollution. 
"These sticklers for such religious proprieties have developed a keen scent for discriminating between the clean and the unclean, the elect and the outcaste and the exact distance at which the presence of the latter would cause ceremonial pollution to their exclusive set, and temple set apart for their own benefit, whilst all the rest of the world of humanity must be excluded. I reasoned with them and they listened with all that patience and courtesy that for centuries has characterized the Hindus, but to all my earnest appeals the master of ceremonies answered with that one ominous word: "Impossible!" although he expressed himself as very sorry, but custom had so decreed it. I assured him that we were entitled to enter, for I was not only his brother man, but a high caste Brahman, being a lineal descendant of his Aryan ancestors and that it was an unjust and invidious distinction to admit every native regardless of caste, social distinction or moral character, and even the descendants of the aboriginal Dravidian races were not excluded. This argument bad no weight whatever, for keen as the mind of the educated Brahman is for metaphysical speculation, he has little knowledge of history, and hence he could not appreciate my claim to relation ship, and I abandoned all hope of entering at the Lion's gate. 
"I was encouraged by an attendant to go to one of the minor gateways where entrance might be obtained and no, questions asked. I rewarded him for the valuable information, and we followed the street around the enclosure that is safeguarded from all profane intrusion of the unclean by a massive wall about twenty feet in height. The first gate that we approached was closed and we hastened to the one on the side opposite the Lion's gate. Fortunately we met the treasurer of the temple at this entrance, a fine looking and well proportioned specimen of humanity-well dressed, and with an unusually large emerald in his ring. He spoke English perfectly and so did the officials and some of the priests about him. He received us most courteously, and among these select Hindus and away from the rabble of pilgrims, we felt encouraged. I presented my card and passport as my credentials and told him of my interest in his country, and that when a boy I had seen pictures of the image of Juggernaut and had come the long distance that we might visit the sacred shrine. He was a man of feeling and susceptibilities and his close attention and sympathetic expression left no suggestions for doubt, for he declared himself as much honoured by our visit and was anxious to favour us in every way possible. 
"After making due allowance for the oriental custom in offering to share so generously with us, I could scarcely suppress my impatience with the delay of further formalities and asked him to admit us at once. But he reassured us that there was no occasion for haste, for he like all the Hindus was in no hurry even though he saw that we were. And why should he be? For he had not merely a lifetime before him, but millions more in the countless rebirths that he must yet pass through on earth, and what he could not do in this brief life he could complete in the next or succeeding ones, for practically all eternity was before him, before his earthly careers would come to an end. His religion did not seem to weigh heavily upon him, for he bad a genial countenance and by his unusual avoirdupois and dress it was evident that he had never suffered from fasting and had not practiced the self-denial of the ascetic, but belonged to the most prosperous class who thought that life was worth living and enjoying. 
"It was a warm day, and as my time in India was more limited than his I could scarcely maintain my composure, and the effort made my temperature rise, and I pressed my claim. He had acted his part so naturaly that I was astonished when he assured me that he was very sorry but their unchanging custom made it impossible for a foreigner to enter. I reasoned with him but in vain, and in order to convince me of his sincerity he related an incident of a disguised European who obtained entrance by this dishonourable strategy, and that it cost them three hundred rupees, or one hundred dollars, to purify the temple. He appealed to the officials standing by and they all corroborated his statement. 
"Whilst I could not dispute the fact, I protested that whilst I did not know the polluting character of the particular European in question I was confident that in my case it certainly would not cost them one-half of the three hundred rupees to purify it from any possible ceremonial defilement, for I had been in the greatest temples on earth and in not a single instance was any defilement entailed, nor was subsequent purification necessary. They were too courteous and adroit to make the matter so personal, and that I might be right, but they could not incur the responsibility. 
"Then I pressed the question: 'Is this the only reason that you cannot allow us to enter?' They frankly assured me that it was, not suspecting the pur pose of my question, for at once I offered the three hundred rupees, and insisted that we be allowed to enter, since the only condition that barred our entrance, according to their own assurance, had been met. They were not prepared for this and they showed their embarrassment whilst I insisted upon the logical conclusion, but they shook their head. 
"I tried to reason with them that there was one God and Father of us all, and hence all people were His children and we were brethren, having descended from the same ancient Indo-European stock. I reminded them that America had proved her interest in the welfare of their people by doing so much for them, pouring millions of dollars every year into their country, as well as ship-loads of provision during famine and the scourge of the bubonic plague; that we had sent them many hundreds of noble men and women to labour for their social and moral as well as religious betterment; that we had given them schools and teachers to educate their children and fit them for positions of usefulness ; that we had founded and equipped hospitals for healing the sick; even without money and without price when too poor to pay; but led to do all this through the constraining love of Christ. They admitted it although they did not show any of that enthusiasm that a sense of gratitude would inspire. 
"I reminded them that we made no such invidious distinctions, for in all India there was not a Christian church that would exclude any of them, and that if they should come to America we would welcome them into our most magnificent churches and give them a choice seat. Then the treasurer of the temple conferred with the priests and my hopes revived, but imagine my amazement when he assured us that he would like to grant our request, but should I enter, the gods would kill me. I replied: "You do not mean to say that those gods would kill me if I should appear before them?" I was assured that it would be fatal and as proof, though not convincing, they stated that a European who entered the temple some years ago fell dead when he approached the shrine. Of course I wanted to convince them that their wooden gods were harmless and that an American would be perfectly safe in their presence, and I wanted to make the test as I moved towards the gateway. But they crossed my path and protested so decisively that I abandoned all further attempt to enter. 
"Fortunately there are many excellent copies of these images. I secured a good sized one of the famous Juggernaut and which is authoritatively stated to be a faithful reproduction of the original. This in a measure compensates for our disappointment, for I can see and study it in a clear light and which is denied to those who gain entrance to the shrine of the temple and stand before the sacred image that can be only faintly discerned owing to the dim light. 
"There was another compensation in our disappointment, for as we reflected we received vivid impressions of the thrilling experience that the Apostle Paul encountered on that memorable day in Jerusalem when the devout and fanatical Jews suspected him of having taken Trophimus of Ephesus with him into the temple, thereby defiling it by the presence of a Gentile or foreigner, and they became an infuriated mob as they rushed upon him and dragged him out of the sanctuary and would have torn him limb from limb had not the vigilant Roman guard rushed into the outer court and rescued him. We had realistic visions of all this as we stood face to face with these overscrupulous custodians of the holy temple of Juggernaut at Puri and who would not allow us to cross the threshold."