Muktimandap at Jagannath Temple
In front of the southern door of the main Temple, there is a beautiful structure called Mukti Mandapa where its roof is supported by sixteen pillars. Each of these pillars are alloted to one Brahmin Sasana Village of the famous sixteen Sasanas(sola sasana) of Puri. In this Mandapa, the Sanyasis of Sankaracharya Matha and sixteen Pandits of these sixteen Sasanas, established by the Gajapati Kings of Orissa, are allowed to sit here and take part in the learned discourses on Dharmasastras. This Pandit Sabha is the judicial body of the Hindu community and they prescribe Prayascita (remedy) for the sinners (Papi). They also approve the year Panjika by which the Vratas, fasts of the people, festivals and rituals of the lords and the goal of the life of the Hindus are regulated.
