Click Here & Upgrade Expanded Features PDF Unlimited Pages CompleteDocuments Orissa Review * September - October - 2005 Dassera and the Tradition of Kingship in Sonepur Ex-State Dr. Pabitra Mohan Nayak Everywhere in India Dassera is observed as the zamindars from Rampur, Sukha, Kamsara, valedictory ceremony of the Triratra Puja of Barapali and Panchra, the garhtias from as many Aswin. The images worshipped with so much as 18 garhs accompanied by the garhti sepoys faith and fanfare are carried in a in their traditional uniforms and arms in procession for immersion in a river the midst of beatings of drums- ghat. The giant effigy of Ravana dhols and nisans - marching on erected with so much pain the roads of the town is indeed and pleasure is finally a spectacular sight. consigned to the flames. The Dassera day is also Demon king cracks and observed as the day of crashes amid the abhiseka for the Raja thunderous applause of and Rani. Early in the the audience. The morning weapons of victory of good over war like Janjala, evil is symbolically tomar, cannons and enacted. Hence Dassera guns are placed on the is called Aparajita or altar in front of the Vijaya Dasami, the day simhasana and below Rama scored his victory the altar, war-drums like over Ravana : Vijaya nama tamakas and nagaras. Kaloayam sarva Karyartha Beside the drums are planted sadhakah. two flags embossed with the Yet Dassera carries and royal insignia of the Chauhans. The connotes more than this symbolic significance Patkhanda, Katari, Tega are placed for Sonepur. on the throne and worshipped. This is followed by abhiseka and nazarana or bheti by the On this day the annual inspection of the zamindars, garhtias, officers and amlas. The arms and ammunitions of the garhtias and garhti Raja then proceeds ceremonially, Patkhanda in sepoys is conducted. The day before, they hand, for the darsan of Bhitiri Gopalji, Durga assemble in the state capital for the purpose. The Devi, Barh Gopalji and Jagannath, accompanied 1 Click Here & Upgrade Expanded Features PDF Unlimited Pages CompleteDocuments Orissa Review * September - October - 2005 by the royal retinue and the beatings of drums while the gandas beat dhols and nisans and blow and blowing of trumpets and conches. The muhuris - all these combine to create a hypnotic Patkhanda is left with Lord Gopalji and on the state for the descent of the deity on the Barua mandap the Raja is offered blessings by lying sub-conscious on the yantra, his head to Brahmins, by Pundits and astrologers. Some of the north and his feet towards the deity. Slowly these asirvada slokas have been composed and his limbs tremble; he swings from side to side; he preserved in a printed form in Asirvada sloka crawls; he dances in a wild frenzy. The Raja ties mala (1925) by Pt. Gopinath Panigrahi, the Bali's chula (bunch of hair), and with the Bali Vidyaratna. dancing and holding the Bauti Chhatra returns to the Rajabati. The Bali receives the offerings The Dassera evening is a wonderful, from the Raja and retreats to the Somlai temple. colourful evening of light and sound, pomp and ceremony. Loud with the booming of guns and A goat is sacrificed to the weapons of blare of trumpets, it is the grand finale of the Aswin war worshipped during the Triratra. The image festival. It appears all the joy and hope, of Kanakadurga is ceremonially carried back from expectations and enthusiasm of the people of the Somlai temple into the Durga Devi temple in Sonepur converge and concentrate on this the Rajabati to the sacrifice of three goats and a moment. The furlong - long road from the Rajabati buffalo. The Durga Devi pillar planted in front of (Royal Palace) to the Somlai temple is lined with the Rajabati bathes in the warm blood of the people from all parts of the state. The Raja innocent buffalo. A new flag is hoisted on the top proceeds in a procession of zamindars, garhtias, of the Durgadevi temple and the Mahadipa is gauntias, birtias, Babus, Bhayas, amlas, lighted. In the faint light of the Mahadipa glistens officers, sepoys, mallicks, police guards, Tehsil the fresh blood-spot down the pillar where the Chaprasis in the midst of Masalchis, Daruans, buffalo was bound and butchered. Sankhuas, Birkahalias. The road looks While the buffalo was slaughtered, the decorated with horses, elephants, cars, tamjans. elephants had their day on Dassera. Elsewhere Round the Raja walk people carrying sontha, Aswin Krushna Sasthi is observed as Gaja balam, jhandi, punkha, taras, chhatra, Sasthi, but here is an exception. The elephants chamara, alata, etc. The sound of drums and are worshipped and fed with pancakes and bugles and conchshells, the horns of cars, the sweets on the Dassera night. The Bhoi washes trumpet of elephants, the neighing of horses and their feet and the Rajpurohit worships them. rattling of wheels along with the noise of the But Dassera will be remembered forever bustling crowd of men, women and children in the royal history of the country for one single produce a deafening cacophony. event uniquely associated with Sonepur. Here a The next attraction of Dassera is the Praja becomes Raja for a day. The event perhaps Baliyatra here on the mandap of the temple relates to Prithvi Sing (1786-1841). On the night consecrated to the tutelary deity of the Chauhans of Aswin Sukla Chaturthi, a Barua is made to - goddess Somlai. The Khambeswaria Purohit plunge his fingers into a Tantric hole known as draws the yantra on the mandap, makes his 'Khaul gad' near the Sureswari temple in order offerings and, amid the tinkling bells of the gaen to collect the soil which has the strange property and his avahani malasri hymn, chants the mantra, of sending the Barua into a swoon. This is a secret 2 Click Here & Upgrade Expanded Features PDF Unlimited Pages CompleteDocuments Orissa Review * September - October - 2005 midnight operation which no one is allowed to sacrificed. The Purohit sends four arrows to the witness. Stirred by a boyish curiosity Prithvi Sing east, west, south and north, imposed a fine on stole into the forbidden zone that fateful night. the Bargai as a mark of his royal authority before When the Barua demanded human blood, struck the procession retreats to the Rajabati where the with surprise, the Khambeswara Purohit looked Raja keeps waiting on the throne to receive the around and found the young Raja up on a tree Patkhanda, the emblem of kingship. near-by. The Raja was saved but the Barua died. This is a single event in the world where In return, the Raja promised the Purohit kingship royal authority is voluntarily surrendered by Raja for a day. And the day is Dassera. in respectful response to an old tradition. Kingship On this day the Purohit puts on the royal is non-transferable. But Sonepur makes an robe and the pugri, holds the Patkhanda left by exception. It is delegated to an ordinary subject the Raja in the Gopalji temple and proceeds on like the Khambeswaria Purohit, even if it is for horse to the Ranajita field followed by the Chief a day. People still recall this event through the Pujari of the Gopaji math, the Mallick, a garhti snatch of a children's song : Ek dinia purta raja sepoy with a gun, the Tahsil Chaprasi, police / Ding dang kari bajla baja. "The drum beats guard and the Bargai (Orderly). On the way to to declare the Purohit, RAJA FOR A DAY." Khambeswari temple the Patkhanda is set against the Khambeswari pillar and worshipped with the blood of a sheep sacrificed. Four bullets are fired in four directions before they proceed Dr. Nayak, AProfessor in English Literature, has retired to the Ranajita field near Golabandh. Here as the Registrar of Berhampur University and lives at Mahakhala puja is performed. A goat is VIM-689, Sailashree Vihar, Bhubaneswar. Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik inaugurating 23rd Foundation Day of Council of Higher Secondary Education at Bhubaneswar on 7.9.2005. Shri Samir Dey, Minister, Higher Education, Public Grievances and Pension Administration is also present. 3 Click Here & Upgrade Expanded Features PDF Unlimited Pages CompleteDocuments Orissa Review * September - October - 2005 Tara Gitarani Praharaj Three religious systems of India, namely Hinduism, Tara occupies the supreme position in the Buddhism and Jainism are known to have hierarchy of Vajrayana pantheon. In early Aryan developed their respective groups of patheons worship the male gods alone had importance. In from an early time. As a result of free and frequent Mahayana worship there was a period in exchanges of ideas, it becomes difficult to Buddhism when the male principle was adored. determine to which of them a particular image In the 4th century A.D. a change took place in should be assigned. It is only with the publication Mahayana worship. It was Asanga who initiated of the Sadhanamala the task of identifing images the philosophy of tantrism and the adoration of of Buddhist pantheon has become easier. The female principle was introduced in Buddhism in numerous Tantric texts like Hevajra Tantra, the form of the goddess Tara. In the beginning Heruka Tantra, Vajravarahi Tantra, Yoginijala Tara appears to have been closely associated with Tantra and others also supply us plenty of Avalokitesvra where as later, she came to be information. described as one of the consorts of Tathagata The concept of five Dhyani Buddhas and Amoghosidhi. Tara is the common name applied their association with their female counterparts are to a large number of feminine divinities in the for the first time met with in the Guhya-samaja Buddhist pantheon.