Jagganath's life began as a nameless foundling in the slums of Mumbai. His earliest years were spent in dilapidated orphanages, or on the streets, as none would claim or adopt what appeared to be an outcast half-breed child. He was a wild child, fighting as soon as he was old enough to walk, stealing to live, and attacking other children and animals for his own amusement. The only adult figures in his life were the Sadhu, the beggar-priests, who would soothe his rages with tantra, shared their alms, and taught him to read scripture. It was one of these urban ascetics who gave Jagga his name, styling him after the legendary master of the universe, merely because his dark skin and red hair evoked the imagery of Jagganath's sacred idol.
Around the time he began the journey from childhood into adolescence, something changed in Jagga. The only preceptor of this change he could remember was a strange dream where he heard a language he had never heard before. From that point on, though, his rages were even more furious and difficult to abate. He began to develop strange fevers that coincided with his violent moods, with his temperature rising over a hundred degrees, and his skin taking on a strange pallor and texture. Strange fires began to spring up as well around Jagga's episodes, and authorities began to assume he was the cause. The growing frequency and violence of Jagganath's outbursts, the implication of arson, Jagga's assumed social role of Dalit, and his rapid maturation all led to him gaining the unfavorable attention of the police. Jagga spent a significant amount of his adolescence in jail, or other forms of confinement, where he typically started more fights before being thrown back out on the streets.
Between stints of imprisonment, Jagga traveled north, up the length of the Indian subcontinent, until he crossed the border into Nepal. The harsh but peaceful environment of the Himalayas and the Buddhist monks that lived atop them gave Jagganath a chance to look within himself and come to grips with his identity. He realized in these years what he had become: a Starweaver, and sought to gain mastery over his powers. Jagga spent his last three teenage years training on the Himalayan peaks, hoping to control his strength, as well as his own emotions. The people of the valleys and lowers slopes of the Himalayas reported frequent avalanches, rock slides, and unseasonal floods throughout these years. He emerged from the mountains a man, both in body and mind, and found that as he exercised and practiced his power, it only grew more potent.
Jagganath spent some years traversing southeast Asia, alternating between masquerading as a vagabond mendicant priest, and other times working as a petty criminal. It was in these travels that he became involved in the world of underground magical street fighting, where combatants would pit skills both physical and metaphysical against each other in no-holds-barred battles. While he found fighting for the amusement of betting patrons somewhat belittling, this environment gave him a much-needed opportunity to vent his most violent urges without fearing too much for the lives of others, and allowed him to further hone his skills against opponents that could put up a fight against him.
It was in one of these secretive exhibitions in Singapore that Jagga was scouted by a member of the Mun Ji Dong triad. They were impressed by the physical and magical prowess he displayed, and offered to sponsor his immigration to Hong Kong so that he might compete in their own street-fighting competitions. Lacking any particular direction in his life, Jagga agreed. For a time, he was content as the prized cockfighter of these wealthy Chinese gangsters, as he was lavished with attention, admiration, and money by those in the underworld. However, as Jagga continued to fight and win, he gained the attention of higher-ranking members of the triad. They thought that his talents could be put to more profitable uses than a mere gladiator, and so he was "promoted" to the position of triad affiliate. At first the task they set to him were simple; intimidation of more powerful targets that would not normally be so easily swayed. The pay was good, and the praise from his superiors continued, so Jagga carried out their orders without question. However, their requests quickly ramped up in intensity. Intimidation became assault, assault became assassination.
It was shortly after completing yet another violent task for the triads that Jagganath found himself enveloped by some manner of strange fog that would not dissipate. The fog told him things in a voice that he only remembered from his earliest childhood years on the streets of Mumbai. It admonished him for his servility, and regaled him with tales of his forgotten ancestry. He realized he had heard this voice before, speaking this tongue he understood but had never heard before. The voice gave him a singular choice: to live out his life as a peasant, or to assume the mantle of a king. Just as quickly as it began, the vision ended, and Jagga buried its memory, assuming that he was tired or sick.
It wasn't until the news broke regarding the incident in Antarctica that Jagganath realized the significance of his vision. Suddenly realizing his destiny, he surreptitiously gathered his funds and resources, and fled Hong Kong before the triad could know he was planning to leave. He kept up a brisk pace as he fled on boats, planes, and trains, leaving as complex and looping a trail as possible for the triad to follow. He has only just come to rest in New York City, hoping to start a new life for himself, and embrace his own power and glory.