Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
According to the legend surrounding Jagannatha Ghata, about two hundred years ago, a Ramanandi Vaishnava sadhu named Haridasa, who was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna, used to perform his bhajana on the banks of the Yamuna near Vamsi Vata. It is said that one night Haridasa had a dream in which Lord Jagannatha appeared before him. The Lord informed Haridasa that He would be very happy to come to live on the banks of the Yamuna River in Vrindavana and accept the worship of Haridasa. Lord Jagannatha told Haridasa to immediately go to Puri in Orissa, as it was the time every twelve years, when the wooden body (Daru-Brahma) of the Deity was being changed for a new one. Lord Jagannatha told Haridasa that he should bring the old body of the Deity back to Vrindavana. On waking the next morning, Haridasa called all his disciples and associates together and revealed the details of the dream, after which, with a rousing kirtan they immediately left on foot for Puri.
On his arrival in Puri, Haridasa went to meet the head priest of the Jagannatha temple to request the old body of Lord Jagannatha. However, the head priest refused saying it was the age-old tradition of the temple to submerge the old body of the Deity in a sacred well within the temple compound. The head priest advised Haridasa to speak directly with the king of Puri, who was the senior most temple administrator. The king of Puri, after hearing the request made by Haridasa, also refused to grant permission for Haridasa to take the old body, as per the ancient customs of the Jagannatha temple, it would be placed in samadhi.
After both the head priest and King had refused the request of Haridasa, he went to the sea beach and decided to fast unto death as he had failed in his endeavor to obtain the old body of the Deity as instructed by the Lord in his dream. That night, the king had a dream in which Lord Jagannatha appeared in a very angry mood and demanding to know why the king had refused to follow the order given by the Lord Himself to his servant Haridasa. On waking the king immediately called for Haridasa and informed him of the dream. He then granted permission for Haridasa to take the old body of the Deity to Vrindavana. The king arranged for a horse-drawn chariot to carry the Deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra, and accompanied by temple priests and a large contingent of soldiers, Haridasa brought the Deities to Vrindavana and installed Them on the bank of the Yamuna at the place which became known as Jagannatha Ghata. Some years later a temple was built at the ghata where the Deities still reside.
