The lord was worshipped with all the rituals on the ratha itself for 7 days. At last, Salabega arrived. This time, nobody stopped him from getting closer to the lord. He had a delightful darshan of Mahaprabhu.
Bhakta Salabega, the devotee whose tears stopped Nandighosha: Lord Jagannath’s Ratha Yatra, also known as Sree Gundicha Yatra. It is celebrated annually on Dwitiya Tithi of Shukla Paksha in the month of Ashadha. Lord Jagannath, lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra travel to the Sri Gundicha temple in an annual 9 day car festival. There are many tales about lord Jagannath’s miracle. But the most remarkable of these is a story of a muslim devotee of Mahaprabhu, who dedicated his entire life to his devotion. He wrote the famous bhajan ‘Ahe Neela Shaila’ that still echoes in the skies of Puri. He is none other than Bhakta Salabega.
Salabega was born in a Muslim family. Father was a subedar of the Mughal army, but mother was a devoted devotee of lord Jagannath. He was influenced by the devotion of his mother and he also became a devotee of lord Jagannath. ‘Eka To Bhakata Jibana’, ‘Chali Chalija Nilagiri Kalia’, ‘Chala Sakhi Ame’ are among Salabega’s popular bhajans.
But Salabega was not allowed to enter the temple. So every year, he used to wait for Jagannath Swami’s annual car festival. He used to sing Jagannath’s songs and bhajans while sitting in his cottage. Once, while returning from Vrindavan, his health deteriorated. Feeling helpless and realising that he could not reach Puri on time to witness the Ratha Yatra. He prayed to Mahaprabhu, requesting him to wait until he arrived. To everyone’s surprise, Mahaprabhu’s Ratha stopped near Salabega’s cottage in Balagandi. The devotees tried hard to pull the chariot, but the chariot could not move even an inch. The head priest had a dream, Mahaprabhu told him not to worry, as he is waiting for his favourite devotee. The lord was worshipped with all the rituals on the ratha itself for 7 days. At last, Salabega arrived. This time, nobody stopped him from getting closer to the lord. He had a delightful darshan of Mahaprabhu.
After Salabega’s demise in 1664, the then Gajapati Maharaja ordered that Salabega be buried near Bada Danda in Balagandi as a gesture of respect for the Muslim devotee. His mortal body merged with his lord. His samadhi was later known as Salabega temple. Since then, during the Puri Rath Yatra, Lord Jagannath Swami’s chariot stops at Salbeg’s Samadhi as a mark of respect. Jagannath accepts all his devotees who approach him with a pure heart.
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