Adani @ Rath Yatra

What Is The Mystery Behind The Third Step At The Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri?

The mystery of the third step at the Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri is one of the many fascinating legends associated with this sacred site. It centres around a stone step at the inner entrance (known as the Baisi Pahacha or the 22 steps) leading to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

Here's the legend:
• Among the 22 steps, the third step from the top (counted from the outer entrance moving inward) is considered especially sacred and mysterious.
• This step is called "Daru Brahma Pada", which means "the step that once held the Daru Brahma" — the divine, formless essence believed to reside within the wooden idols of the deities.
• According to tradition, when the deities — Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra — are re-carved every 12–19 years in the Nabakalebara ritual, the Brahma Padartha (mystical life force) is secretly transferred from the old idols to the new ones.
• During this sacred ritual, the third step is said to have once held or been linked to the Daru Brahma, making it spiritually electrified and profoundly revered.

Devotional practice:
• Devotees often pause at the third step to offer prayers, touch it with their foreheads, or bow before proceeding inside, believing it brings immense spiritual merit.
• In fact, no priest or devotee steps directly on it — it’s usually crossed over carefully or touched reverently.

The mystery:
• The origin and nature of the Daru Brahma and why it was connected to this particular step remain closely guarded secrets by the temple’s Daitapati (a specific group of servitors at the shrine) — a hereditary group entrusted with the deities' care.
• The exact process of transferring the Daru Brahma during Nabakalebara is never publicly disclosed, adding to the aura of mystery and divinity around the third step.

The third step symbolises a spiritual threshold, possibly holding the divine spark of Lord Jagannath. Its sanctity is upheld through centuries of tradition, making it a powerful symbol of faith, secrecy, and mysticism within the grand temple complex.