Chhatia Bata or Chhatia Jagannath Temple is a Hindu temple in the village of Chhatia, Odisha, between the towns of Cuttack and Chandikhol. It is dedicated to Jagannath and associated with Kalki, Vishnu’s avatar.
In the saga Maalika, Hadidas mentions this temple, predicting that “on a day when all living animals and humans will die and fish will play at the steps of Puri temple.”
As a result, the temple now houses lords’ idols in a unique way. There is a temple in which all three Lords are present, but in a different order than in Puri. From left to right, Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra appear to represent a new world order. There are also separate temples for each of them. Each of these is small, dark chambers that house a large idol within a grill, creating a constant sense of claustrophobia. They are only visible from the side, not from the front. The idols have large faces and are cloth-wrapped. Lord Balabhadra and Lord Jagannath ride white and black horses and hold swords in their hands, respectively. With time, the swords are reported to become longer. Lord Jagannath’s and Devi Subhadra’s feet can also be seen. Lord Balabhadra sits in front of a mirror, so you can stand behind him and look in the mirror in the light of a lamp to see his face.
