Every year, when the Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath of Puri rolls out, a strange ritual happens when the divine chariot passes through the Bada Danda (Grand Road). The procession comes to a halt for about a minute in front of a mazaar (Muslim shrine) (1/n)
To know about the origin of this strange tale, we need to travel back 500 years in time, to the reign of the 4th Mughal emperor, Nur-ud-din Jahangir. In 1607, the emperor appointed Jahangir Quli Khan, a.k.a. Lalbeg as subehdar of Bengal (2/n)
While leading a military campaign in present day Odisha, Lalbeg saw a young and beautiful widow stepping out of a pond after her bath. He was lovestruck and forcibly took her away on his horse (3/n)
Despite the forced initiation, love blossomed between the couple & they got married. A son was born to them, named Salabeg. Lalbeg didn't prevent his wife, an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath from practicing her religion (4/n)
Salabeg thus grew up hearing the tales of Lord Jagannath from a very young age. By the time he was in his teens, Salabeg had joined his father's army. Once, he was grievously injured in battle & believed only his mother's prayers to Jagannath saved him (5/n)
This incident turned Salabeg into a fervent admirer of Lord Jaganath. Yet, he kept craving for darshan (sight) of his deity. As a born Muslim, he was not allowed inside the Puri Jagannath temple (6/n)
According to some accounts, in his later years, Salabeg took residence in Vrindavan. With day of Ratha Yatra approaching, Salabeg set out for Puri in haste. However, his health broke down during the long journey (7/n)
In desperation, Salabeg fervently prayed to his Lord to wait for his arrival so that he could catch a sight. Legend has it that during Return journey, the great chariot came to a halt and wouldn't move (8/n)
It only moved after the ailing Salabeg had arrived & received a vision. The place where this happened was inhabited by Salabeg in days to come and it was here where he composed many devotional songs. After his death, he was buried on the same spot (9/n)
Every year, the grand procession rolls to a halt at that spot, keeping this ancient tradition alive even today (10/n)
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