Puri, Lord Jagannath's Temple

In its present form, the Jagannath Mandir was built in 1198. The temple is closed to non-hindu's and Blake could not talk his way in. The deities - Krishna, Balrama (Krishna's brother), and Subardra (Krishn'a sister) are carved from Neem Tree wood. An annual festival includes the deity being paraded down mainstreet. It was considered auspicious to thrown yourself under the wheels of the chariot and be killed in the presence of God. This is how the western word "Juggernaut" came into use. Although the deities were beautiful, the visit into the temple was an unpleasant experience because of the pushy "pandits" (Brahmin priests). In fact even Indira Gandhi was not allowed into the temple because she married a Parsi man.