Jagannatha Triad (Jagannatha, Subhadra, and Balabhadra Enshrined)

Puri Temple region, India

This mid-20^th c. representation of Jagannatha, Sanskrit for Lord of the Universe, the Hindu manifestation of Krishna, was likely purchased at the 12^th c. Puri Temple in Odisha, Orissa, India, a shrine dedicated to the devotion of Jagannatha. Jagannatha appears here on the right, with his brother, Balabhadra, on the left; they flank their sister, Subhadra. The deities are richly robed and bejeweled; and are typically, as here, shown without arms. A row of priests, bearing gifts of fruit, traverse the bottom of the painting.

Textiles and wooden carvings of the deities are sold to devotees as a memento of their pilgrimage to the shrine. The brilliant colors and charming personalities of the deities convey the artist’s devotion in this dynamic and skillfully rendered tableau. As a pilgrimage souvenir, this expression of devotion is a reminder of the magnificence of Jagannatha, with the priests acting as stand-ins for the pilgrim, reminding him or her of the their own supplication.