The mysteries of Puri’s Lord Jagannath are inseparable from the deepest currents of Tantric philosophy — and this scholar unlocks both. Drawing on personal pilgrimage and decades of Shakta study, this talk explores the Jagannath tradition through the lens of non-dual Tantra and Triadic vision.

The speaker traces how the Advaya philosophy — distinct from Shankarite Advaita — places the feminine at the centre of cosmic creation. Where androcentric worldviews erase Prakriti as illusion, the Shakta tradition presents what the speaker calls “dancing dualities” — an integrative, life-affirming vision where Shiva, Shakti, and consciousness form a living triad. The Mahasiddha tradition, Vimala Peetha, and the sacred geography of Odisha are woven together to reveal Jagannath not merely as a deity but as an embodiment of universal consciousness.

Rooted in gratitude to lineage teachers and personal experience at the Puri temple, the talk is both scholarly and devotional.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Neela Bhattacharya Saxena is a scholar of literature, religion, and feminist theology, and a professor at Nassau Community College (SUNY). Her work explores the intersections of Indic philosophical traditions—especially Shakta and Tantric thought—with Western and Abrahamic religious frameworks. She is the author of several books, including Absent Mother God of the West, and is known for her comparative approach to spirituality, non-duality, and the role of the divine feminine across cultures.