Sālabega’s Jagannātha and the Quest for Religious Harmony
Keywords:
Sālabega, Jagannātha, Muslim devotee, Orissan bhakti, viraha, religious harmony, cross-cultural devotion, temple exclusion, vernacular poetryAbstract
Phyllis Granoff explores the life and poetry of Sālabega, a 17th-century Muslim devotee of Jagannātha, to illuminate how bhakti devotionalism in Orissa enabled profound cross-religious engagement and emotional intimacy with the divine. Granoff traces Sālabega’s transformation—from the son of a Mughal officer to one of Jagannātha’s most beloved poets—through a detailed reading of his vernacular compositions and hagiographic traditions. The article emphasizes how Sālabega’s bhakti transcended sectarian boundaries, challenging the sociopolitical and ritual gatekeeping of the Jagannātha temple, which often restricted non-Hindus from access. Despite institutional exclusions, Sālabega’s poetry brims with personal longing (viraha), rich metaphor, and intense emotional proximity to Jagannātha, often depicting himself as a fallen outsider yearning for grace. Granoff argues that such devotional expressions not only reveal interreligious permeability but also invite theological reflection on the inclusive potential of love-based devotion. Sālabega’s life becomes a case study in how poetic piety contested caste and religious divides, offering a vision of spiritual harmony that remains resonant in contemporary discussions of pluralism and tolerance.