While not derecognising the historical and the spiritual aspects of Jagannath, Bonding with the Lord attempts to look at the deployment of Jagannath in contemporary cultural practices involving the sensorium in the widest sense. The project of a cultural Jagannath not only materialises him in people's everyday practices but also democratises scholarship on him. The expansion of the scope of research on Jagannath to cultural expressions in a more encompassing way rather than confining to 'elitist' religious/literary sources makes him an everyday presence and significantly enhances his sphere of influence. Jagannath's 'tribal' origin, his association with Buddhism and Jainism and his avatari status make him an all-encompassing, multilayered symbol and a treasure trove for multiple interpretations. Contents: Foreword by Hermann Kulke Acknowledgements Introduction: Everyday Bonding with Lord Jagannath in and beyond Odisha by Jyotirmaya Tripathy and Uwe Skoda Section I: Mediating Jagannath 1. In the Eyes of God: Jagannath Iconography in Popular Cultures: Shaswat Panda 2. Worldliness of the Otherworldly: Dissemination of Devotion from Early Modern to Cassette Era: Animesh Mohapatra 3. Syncretic Jagannath Culture and Popular Odia Imagination: Representations of Lord Jagannath in Odia Cinema: Amarjeet Nayak 4. The Prabachanas as Performatives: Tracing the Moral Grounds of Spiritual Discourse in the Jagannath Culture: Ranjan Kumar Panda Section II: Practising Jagannath 5. Eating with Eyes: The Food Economy of Jagannath Culture: Umasankar Patra 6. Domestication of Jagannath Temple Rituals in Odia Households: A Sociological Understanding of the Pantheism Pranaya Kumar Swain 7. Contemporary Bangla Songs on Jagannath: A Hermeneutic for Bhakti and Community of Bhaktas: Sreejit Datta Section III: Re-placing Jagannath 8. Becoming Jagannath in Dravidanadu: Kanchi Kaveri Legend and Other Possibilities in Kanathur Jagannath Temple: Jyotirmaya Tripathy 9. Delhiwallah Jagannath and the Odia Diaspora:Notes towards a Social History: Gautam Choubey 10. Jagannath in Tripura: Disappearance and Dissemination: Samik Malla 11. A Scholarly Community around the Lord: The Orissa Research Projects: Uwe Skoda About the Editors and Contributors Index