and His Consorts The of Hirapur  Prithwiraj Misra

Plan of Hirapur temple, Orissa centre, the lovely pond is still there. Discovered only as late as 1953 by IXTEEN kilometers from There are sixty yoginis on the inner historian K.N.Mahapatra, the yoginis , on the road to wall encircling the mandap (an are endowed with physical plenitude SPipli and Puri, a diversion to the elevated platform for the performance and marked beauty. They have left leads to the Hirapur Yoginis. The of tantric rituals). The mandap is exquisite hair-dos, often tied into local population refers to it as the adorned ‘ with chlorite statues of ten- elaborate chignons, secured with Mahamaya Temple, an apt name, as the armed Swacchanda (Blissful- jeweled chains and pins. Their faces ten-armed Mahamaya is the presiding fearsome Shiva) and the four-armed are delicately carved, often with gentle deity of the shrine. Ekapada Bhairava (Shiva standing on alluring smiles. And yet, there are The shrine itself is a circular one leg), both with urdhvalinga (erect variations to this theme. , structure in sandstone with a very phallus) and both facing east towards for example, with her drooping breasts, narrow opening facing east. Its inner the narrow entrance. A similar pair of shriveled abdomen, sunken eyes and wall spans close to 76 feet in statues faces south. The western and a garland of human skulls is truly circumference and stands at a height northern faces of the mandap contain horrifying. There are also Vighneswari, of 77 inches. The structure has no three more chlorite yoginis. One of the the elephant-headed , and covering dome. In technical original 64 yogini statues is missing, Varaahi, the sow-headed yogini - the parlance, it is hypaethral, or open to having been stolen by thieves. juxtaposition of their monstrous heads the sky. The inner wall is adorned with exquisite statues of the yoginis carved out of dark, shining chlorite stones, placed in oblong niches and spaced equidistant from each other. It is likely that this marvellous shrine, undoubtedly a tantric peeth (a place of initiation and practice), was commissioned by Hira Mahadevi, the queen consort of Shanti-Kara-II, during the rule of the Bhouma-Karas in the ninth century AD. * The village Hirapur takes its name after the queen who is believed to have been a patron of the shrine. Apparently she also constructed a large pond there for the convenience of ritual ablutions. With A view of the shrine from outside an ancient structure standing at its

No. 118 13 and fulsome figures challenge the with supreme energy. She is under royal umbrellas. There is a viewer’s amorous gaze. Durgeshnandini, the slayer of the similar figure of a nymph standing Those who have seen them demon Mahisasura, who called upon on a head, shaded by an umbrella usually agree that of the two yogini the energy of the yoginis to help her and holding wine in a human shrines in Orissa, the yoginis at eliminate demonic forces. cranium. Intoxication and tantric Hirapur are far more aesthetically The narrow entrance to the peeth sexual practices were inseparable. In pleasing than the ones at Ranipur- is not dissimilar to the passage of fact, one of the chlorite yoginis is Jharial. The Hirapur yoginis, the , constricted at the opening, identified as Surapriya (fond of standing at an average height of 22 but widening into an open circle (a wine). inches, exhibit an artistry of a womb) that embraces urdhvalinga The rise of tantric traditions in superior order. These figures are Shiva Bhairava at the centre. A Orissa was the basis of the varied and no one statue is the same perusal of some of the texts written supremacy of Shiva. Countless as the other. The voluptuous form is by experts leaves one surprised by shrines were built between 600 and common to all yoginis, with the the total absence of any such 1000 AD, in honour of the god single exception of fierce Chamunda. observation of the structure in terms worshipped in the form of a linga. The peeth at Ranipur-Jharial in of yoni-linga union, even though Orissa was the land of Shiva temples Bolangir district, though much larger the shape quite naturally suggests par excellence. Shiva’s beauty, his in dimension and more awesome in this.3 love of intoxication and his its impact, lacks Hirapur’s The shrine’s outer walls bear preoccupation with love-making consummate artistry. The Ranipur images of gracious ladies sculpted were celebrated in Oriya inscriptions. yoginis are all uniformly large and in sandstone. These icons could be For instance, one reads, “the God they are depicted in more or less the of queen Hira Mahadevi and her whose matted locks of hair are same postures. In the words of one retinue, standing on smiling heads, touched by the soft rays of the moon observer they are with his tender hands (beams) “monotonous, tiresome...”2 resembling the clean fibres of At Hirapur, the yoginis are lotus stalk... Locks in which shown in a variety of postures, the particles of ashes are each standing on a different separated by the overflowing creature as her identifying water of the ... Locks vehicle. The yogini shooting an loosened by ’s grasp arrow is Veera-, the during love-making.”4 huntress, who stands on her During this period, most of (vehicle), a hog. The the rulers of Orissa were yogini on a parrot is Kamakshi, ardent worshippers of Shiva. the parrot being the vahana of Copper plate grants of the era , the god of amorous love. commended the pursuit of There is the beautiful Mayuri on eros and gloried in the King a peacock; on the tortoise is as Kama. The Oriya rulers Yamuna, and on the lizard is envisaged their sovereign Gauri. Experts have so far domain as the ‘pleasure identified nearly 34 yoginis, garden’ of the God of Love. including , Nandini, One such charter of their Ganga, Sitala, Kaumari, capital city, aptly named Maheswari, , Tarini, Nagar (Yayati, the and Agnihotri. Most of narcissitic king in the these figures have two arms, , who wanted while some have four. Only to remain forever young in Mahamaya is ten-armed and her order to remain attractive to sculpted form is larger than the women) reads, “Where the rest. She is none other than enjoyment of love is being herself, manifested as continuously intensified and Yogini Veerakumari , whom the Gods endowed still more intensified by the

14 MANUSHI close embraces of lovers by implies system. A which fatigue is removed... the practice could not be called ardent young couple show tantric unless it was their skill in the various conducted systematically, processes of conjugal and carried out in the enjoyment, with their eyes presence of the guru, whose dilated and their, minds blessings were crucial to the subdued and fascinated by success of the sadhaka, or amorous thoughts.”5 practitioner. Tantra does not ‘This personification of the juxtapose bhoga, or King as a second Kama,’ writes enjoyment, with mukti, Donaldson, “and the increasing salvation, of the soul. On the erotic nature of the iconography contrary, the tantric view is and the secularisation of that both enjoyment and activities within the temple liberation are interfused. But complex certainly reflect the this in no way means that the increasing popularity of Tantric way of the tantric is merely cults.’6 hedonistic, though there are The history of the early texts that might even suggest Orissa dynasties is obscure and that it is.7 The sadhaka has to there is still a great deal of be in a higher state of uncertainty about the ruling evolution through the families that appeared on the practices of , in a royal stages between the position of great detachment, seventh and the tenth before the guru would induct centuries. But there is The elephant-headed yogini Vighneswari him or her into the ‘ absolutely no disagreement circle’ of the mandala and amongst the scholars that Shiva the Shakta order, the last of which , coitus. reigned supreme in temple and textual ascended in the later centuries of the There is hardly any doubt that the iconography of the period. Shiva is previous millenium. These practices central aspect of tantric communion seldom depicted alone; he is most were all systematised in texts of the is sexual intercourse. The male and often depicted in union with Shakti. period, and took place under the female practitioners mentally identify Shiva usually takes the form of close supervision of the Guru. In fact, themselves with Shiva and Shakti Bhairava, and Shakti, the form of respectively. In prolonged sexual (Chamunda, ). The union, the couple realizes worship of Chamunda was particularly mahasukha, or supreme bliss.8 This popular during the Bhauma period, union of opposites, this overcoming especially along the Prachi River, an of two polar aspects of creation, and area permeated even now with tantric arriving at non-duality, at Oneness, worship.9 Chandi images are is the true core of tantric endeavour. numerous and are worshipped under The peeth at Hirapur comes as various names - Balichandi, no surprise since the concept of the Harachandi, Charchika, , Shiva-Shakti union lies in an earlier Jagulai and Ugrachandi. The age was conception of the cosmos as a permeated with tantric cults, and the dynamic duality between purusha, realm’s sovereigns were extolled as or generative matter, and prahriti, incarnations of Kamadev, and their or consciousness, ever in queen consorts were depicted in their opposition, ever uniting, ever alluring forms in the walls of shrines splitting to reunite, ad infinitum. This and temples. concept introduced a new way of Chronologically, the Pasupata thinking about the world. Purusha, and tantric sects preceded or the male, can never be an active

No. 118 15 agent of creation. Prakriti, or the importance of Shakti in exalted pasupata, and slew the demon. From female, composed as it is of three epithets. According to one of the ’s dripping blood more basic qualities, or gunas -sattva oldest, the Markendaya Parana, demons sprang into life. A helpless (purity), (activity) and tamas Shakti in the form of Devi is Shiva, unable to quell the demons, (torpor, lethargy, inertia) - is the omnipresent, omniscient and created the yoginis to drink the basis of generative action. It is the omnipotent. She is born out of the falling blood. Once Andhaka had female energy, shakti, that brings concentrated energy of all the gods been slain, the yoginis (wives of forth creation and movement. The to destroy the demon Mahisasura Shiva), bored by their subsequently male counterpart purusha, Shiva, is and his powerful associates. The mundane existence, began a the still point, dormant and same Purana also narrates the origin campaign of destruction by immobile, yet the crucial catalyst of the yoginis. The story unfolds assuming terrifying appearances. only when in union with Shakti, that the , mothers of Shiva’s Shiva sought help from Narasimha prakriti. As Adi Shankaracharya, in son , or yoginis, helped (), who in turn created more his Saundaryalahiri, says of Shiva goddess Durga to slay the demon divine yoginis to pacify the unruly -”On his own he has not even the , who possessed the ones created by Shiva. power to move.” curious power of regeneration. As In the , there is a The foundation of this system of the blood oozed from his wounds story about Mahamaya Yoganidra. thinking is attributed to Sankhya and fell to the ground , a demon Mahamaya created two demons, philosopher Kapila, a sage who sprang up from every drop. The Madhu and Kaitaba, out of Vishnu’s preceded the Buddha. In Richard yoginis were called upon to drink the ears, and sent them to fight the god. Garbe’s words, “for the first time in the blood before it fell to the ground and The outcome of the battle was a history of the world, the complete thereby prevent the powerful truce in which the demons demanded independence and freedom of the Raktabija from multiplying. In this to be slain by Vishnu, but only on human mind, its full confidence in its way, they finally destroyed him. land. Vishnu, in the form of Varaha own powers were exhibited. It is the A similar tale is told in the (the boar), plunged into the ocean most significant philosophy that Purana. Shiva and Parvati (Shakti), to raise the mountain on which he has produced.”10 The spirit-principle, while in union, were disturbed by the slew the demons. After this, purusha, and the nature-principle, demon Andhaka. A fierce battle Mahamaya decided to help create prakriti, interact continually. between Shiva and stable. material out of the great flux of Having thus contextualised the Andhaka ensued. Shiva finally water upon which Vishnu lay. She creation of Hirapur in terms of its discharged his powerful weapon, busied herself with the creation and philosophical background, we return to the significance of the yoginis themselves. Who were they? Why did Mahamaya have to call upon their energies? Why would Shiva have suffered without their presence? And finally, why did they number 64, the square root of which is eight, and what does this have to do with the origin of the yoginis in their 64 forms? It was during the period of the (4th to 7th centuries AD) that attained unprecedented popularity. The Puranas - , Brahmanda, Vishnu, Markendaya, Matsya, Vamana, and Kalika, to name an Early morning women worshippers at the shrine important few - all mention the

16 MANUSHI sustenance of living beings. In the Puranas, stories regarding the yoginis are usually linked with the slaying of demons, be it Raktabija, Andhaka, Madhu or Kaitaba. Some demonic trait seems to have been perceived as a serious threat to tantric practices. This could not be more clearly suggested than in the story about Shiva and Parvati. Tantric texts have provided some clues concerning the identities of these demons. It is clearly stated in a number of texts, particularly in Kaularnava Tantra, that only when the tantric form of sexual union overcomes all traces of lust, does it A view of the shrine from inside acquire the powers of supreme bliss

and rejuvenation. The demons then Mahadevi between 720-790 AD. I (easy, effortless) Tantrism. It is believed are demons of lust, of think it is safer to accept the former that he had some influence in the concupiscence. The fact that they chronology. Vidya Dehejia in her Early construction of the Ranipur - Jharial spring up with such ease from Stone Temples of Orissa thinks the yogini peeth in Bolangir district of Bhauma rule began around 736 AD. Orissa. drops of blood indicates that this 2. Charles Fabri: History of the Art of Orissa 7. Two passages quoted from ancient texts demonic force tends not only to be 3. Regarding the shape of the shrine, Vidya by Handiqui in his Yasastilaka & Indian powerful but also immortal, and Dehijia’s contention that the circularity Culture of the Kaulacharis (Shakti as has something to do with Buddhist Kula, Shiva as Akula, the union of the quite capable of overwhelming the (stupa) symbolism, is way off the mark. two is ) may encourage such a sadhakas despite all their See her preface to Yogini Cult and belief. Yasastilaka by Somadeva says, weaponry. To annihilate these Temples : A Tantric Tradition. Even “One should, after indulging in meat and Thomas Donaldson in his monumental wine, worship Shiva with wine in demons, an energy of a different ’s Pleasure Garden: Orissa company with female partner sitting on order is called upon, a force which seems to have ignored this aspect of the one’e left during the rites: the worshipper is feminine in nature and takes the yogini shrines altogether. is to play the role of Shiva united with sixty-four forms of Shakti.11  4. Quoted in S.N. Rajguru’s Inscriptions of Parvati and exhibit the yoni .” Orissa Vol - I In another text quoted by Handiqui, the 5. Quoted in Donaldson’s Kamadeva’s adherent of the Kaula way declares, Notes Pleasure Garden “drink wine, enjoy women and go forward 1. There is uncertainty regarding the 6. Lakulisa was the revered guru of the to salvation. The Kaulamarga is chronology of the rulers in Orissa. Pasupata tantric order. His seated charming as its only requirements are a K.C. Panigrahi in his Chronology of urdhvalinga images are present in the hot strumpet for wife, plenty of meat Bhoumakaras & Somavamsis thinks outer walls of the temples Parsurameswar and wine and a pelt to serve as bed.” both the dynasties ruled and Sisireswar (Circa seventh-eighth 8. The Kaularnava Tantra says: “The world contemporaneously, the century AD). It is around this time that is made only of Shiva and Shakti. When Bhoumakaras in Utkal (coastal the images of the saptamatrikas (seven separated they, strive to unite, when Orissa) and the Somavamsis in Kosala seated images of the mothers of united mahasukha is the result.” (upper regions of the Mahanadi river). Kartikeya) also make a prominent 9. As the crow flies, the Hirapur yoginis Both K.C. Panigrahi and S.N. Rajguru appearance in the iconography of these are located next door. in Inscriptions of Orissa: Vol.1 are of temples. These Shakti images are of 10. Richard Garbe: Philosophy of Ancient the opinion that the Bhaumas began Brahmani, Maheswari, Kaumari, India. Vidya Dehejia however credits their rule around the middle of the Vaishnavi, Indrani, and Chamunda. Isvarakrishna as the originator of the 8th Century. Accordingly, they place Later Bhairavi joined the seven to Sankhya. See her essay in Devi Shantikara-II’s rule around 850 AD, become ashtamatrikas (eight mothers). (Smithsonian Institute). M.Hiriyanna in the time when the tantric peeth at Amorous couples, alasya kanyas his Outlines of Indian Philosophy writes, Hirapur was consecrated. Pandit (indolent maidens) of seductive charm, “The earliest book of authority on Binayak Mishra in his Orissa Under and couples in coitus made their classical Sankhya we have is the Sankhya the Bhauma Kings places the dynasty appearance on the temple walls. The Karika, which is a work of fifth century between 660-790 AD, and the rule of other eminent guru of the time was AD. Roughly contemporary of Shantikara -II and Queen Hira Matasyendranath renowned for Sahaja Kalidasa.” Vidya Dehejia, however,

No. 118 17 thinks Isvarakrishna to be a first century thinker. Dr. Radhakrishnan in his Indian Philosophy regards Sankhya as a notable departure from what he Merge called the “formalistic habit of the mind.” He lauds the system as it (for my father) undermined “the foundation of supernatural religion by substituting evolution for creation.” Babi, I am your mapmaker, the holder of 11. Ayurveda mentions 64 diseases that your atlas, the messenger of destination afflict the human body. It is possible that 64 yoginis represent these or beginning. We are new cartographers, diseases as well as their cure. The mention of Sitala as one of the shrinking California into simple dots with yoginis (causes and cures smallpox ) squares, making artery roads to the heart is a pointer to this effect. Kamasutra recommends 64 positions for coitus. of the myth Most are yogic by nature, that is to say they demand that the bodies of the couple be supple and flexible in Babi, you never allowed me to give directions. order to get into and enjoy the 64 You refuse to trust signs, locks, neon lights, positions. This number also makes its appearance in The Laws of Manu, all the things that sometimes show the way. Manu says if a shudra is found stealing he should be punished 8 times, a vaishya 16 times, a And you would not let me drown where I wanted. 32 times and a 64 times ! Perhaps more relevant to us You did not have me lie with strangers. You could not is that fact that early Shiva temples see me leap out of planes, crash into cars. You would carried Shakti images in the form of matrikas (mothers), better identified not make me drive or swerve. as saptamatrikas (seven mothers) which included Chamunda. The seven were soon joined by Bhairavi, a fierce The theories of separation and distance are what form of Shakti, to match the you know best. Circles are enigmas, but appearnace of Shiva as urdhvalinga . Together the you engineer infinities of parallels, eternal ashtamatrikas (eight mothers), also sequences in perpendiculars, points of momentary called yoginis, kept up their numerical expansion to match intersection. A surgeon of angles and radius, Bhairavas: 8 became 16,16 became 32, and 32, 64. For 64 yoginis there no dangerous curves, you measure intimacies were equal number of Shiva Bhairavas, in diagonals, straight lines that cut across but a number crucial to the tantric cults of the era. Any one can say that 64 do not join. Stay their own. can double itself to 108, and that’s a possibility that tantric mandalas welcome. But double of 108? That Stay your own, you said, has no relevance to the creation of Keen on the special effects of math, Tantric mandalas (magic circles). The equation between Shiva and Lessons from love's biography. This Shakti cannot go beyond 108. Why? is what you taught me, Babi, The ancients knew it, and now modern chemistry offers us the great do not merge answer. The Earth herself, this Mother of us all, contains only 108 elements. It cannot accomodate more. Ancient tantra and modern science, how wonderfully they concur. Anurima Banerji Prithwiraj Misra is a filmmaker based in Cuttack.

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