A legend has developed about Jagannatha's reinstallation in the temple. The Madala Panji, an important chronicle of Odia history, describes how Bisar Mohanty, a pious man from Kujang was able to rescue the most sacred portion of the Jagannatha image after Kalapahar had burnt the wooden carving on the banks of the Ganga River. Bisar Mohanty took the unburnt portion of the original image to Kujang where it was protected by the king of Kujang until the king of Khurda, Ramachandra Deva I brought the statue back to Puri.
