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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

Dassera and the Tradition of Kingship in Sonepur Ex-State

Dr. Pabitra Mohan Nayak

Everywhere in Dassera is observed as the zamindars from Rampur, Sukha, Kamsara, valedictory ceremony of the Triratra 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 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, assemble in the state capital for the purpose. The , Barh Gopalji and , accompanied

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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 on the Barua mandap the Raja is offered blessings by lying sub-conscious on the yantra, his head to , 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 , of sending the Barua into a swoon. This is a secret

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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, .

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.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

Tara

Gitarani Praharaj

Three religious systems of India, namely , Tara occupies the supreme position in the Buddhism and Jainism are known to have hierarchy of 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 , 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. Tantra. They are Vairocana, Aksobhya, Ratna In the Sadhanamala only seven Sambhava, Amitabha and Amoghosiddhi. Later are stated to bear the image of the Dhyani Buddha, on Vajrasatva was added. In Nepal Vajrasatva is 'Amogha siddhi' on the crown. considered as the priest of the five Dhyani According to Hirananda Sastri the cult Buddhas. of Tara orginated in Tibet. She is a saviour The Dhyani Buddhas are each assigned goddess. She is the Sakti of Avolikitesvara as Uma with a special symbol and a colour. The most is that of Mahesvara. Tara is referred in Hindu popular Buddhist Goddess is Tara who should literature as a sea goddess. Tara the mother, who not be confused for her name sake with the Sakti can control as chief of those saktis and guide the of Amoghasiddhi. boats and have dark complexion. In Buddhist Taras are generally grouped into five Taras are of green, white, yellow, blue classes according to colour of their body which and red colours. According to Professor Poucher they derive from their parental Dhyani Buddha. the classification of Tara is done according to her

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colour and to whom the mantra Tara Tuit according to B. Bhattacharya special attention Re Ture svaha is assigned. should be given to the particular pose of the Om Tara tuit re Ture svaha is meant goddess and to the companion deities, and the Om for the eastern one, ta for the southern one, number of hands of the deity. ra for the western one, tu for the Northern one, The White Tara and Green Tara are two it for the southeastern one, re for the western one, important goddesses. The symbol of White Tara Tu for the northwestern one and Re for the is the full blown lotus while of the other is the northeastern one. Bhattacharya has classified the Utpala (White Lily) with the petals closed. White various description of Tara according to their Tara represents the day and the Green Tara the colours and thereby identifying their respective night. families presided over by the five Tathagatas, five The White Tara is regarded as the consort Dhyani Buddhas accordingly. of Avolokitesvara. Her right hand is in the boon Five Dhyani Buddhas are giving pose and the left holds the stalk of a full bloom lotus. When Tara appears as the Sakti of 1. Vairocana, 2. Ratna Sambhava, 3.Amitabha Amogha-siddhi she is depicted as seated in the 4. Amogha Siddhi, 5. Aksobhya, paryankasana with her right hand in the boon Taras associated with five Dhyani Buddhas giving pose and the left hand holding a Visva-Vajra (A) Green Tara over a lotus. 1. Khadiravani Tara, 2. Vasya Tara, 3.Arya Tara, According to Tibetan legend there was a 4. Mahattari Tara, 5. Varada Tara, story regarding the miraculous birth of Tara which 6. Durgaltarini Tara, 7. Dhanada Tara, make her character merciful. Tibetan legend was 8. Janguli Tara, 9. Parna Savari Tara, that a drop of tear fell from the eye of the god misericondia Avolokiteswara and falling in the (B) White Tara valley it formed a lake. From the water of the 1. Astamahabhaya Tara, 2. Mrtyu Vancana Tara, lake arose a lotus flower which by opening its 3. Chatur-Bhuja- Tara, 4.Sada-Bhuja-Sita- petals, displayed the pure goddess Tara. White Tara, 5.Visvamata, 6. Kurukulla, 7. Janguli and green colour classification of Tara is associated with its day and night symbolism though (C) Yellow Tara both of them were born from the tears shed by 1. Vajra Tara, 2. Janguli, 3. Parna Savari, Avalokiteswara. 4. Bhrukuti In the beginning Tara was associated with (D) Blue Tara Avolokiteswara but later she came to be described 1. Ekagata, 2. Maha-Cina Tara as the consort of Tathagata Amoghasiddhi. (E) Red Tara However the concept of Tara is mysterious and the present paper is an humble 1. Kurukulla. attempt to bring to light some Tara images now This classification of Tara is hardly housed in the Orissa State Museum. applicable for the identification with stone or metal Besides we have traces of Tara images images where colour is absent. Therefore, in different districts of Orissa and different parts

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of India also. They are found at places like Bada It is one of the life size sculptures Tara (Cuttack), Kendrapara, Dharmasala displayed in the Archaeology Gallery of the (Jaipur), Bhubaneswar, Lalitagiri, Ratnagiri, museum. The image is made of sand stone and Balasore, Baneswaranasi, Ranibandha, Vajragiri seated in lalita pose on a double-petalled lotus (Cuttack), Madhupur, Boudh etc. pedestal. All the four arms from the elbow are An image of Tara, originally, collected broken and missing except the fingers and the from Ratnagiri in displays her portion of the wrist of one arm holding some saviour aspect. A beautiful Tara image belonging object, which is seen to be placed on the left thigh. to Circa11th century has been recovered from Facial appearance is also not clear, as it is badly Jajpur, and now in the Orissa State Museum. It mutilated. The heavy hair and earrings are quite presents the goddess as seated in Rajalilasana befitting to the figure. Nacklace fitted with a showing Vyakhyana mudra in right hand and lotus triangular central locket, armlets, wrist band and stalk in the left. The Banapur hoard contains anklets are the ornaments worn by the deity. A bronze images of Tara in lalitasana carrying lotus beaded chain with several strainds encircles her in left hand and exhibiting Varadamudra in the body. Below the padestal on either side are found right. two attendant figures. Another bald headed A good number of sculptural devotee wearing sacred thread is also depicted representations testifying to the popularity of the in kneeled down position and folded hands. The Buddhist goddess Tara are found in and outside figure of the lion is shown on the extreme right Orissa also, i.e. in the caves of Elora, Sirpur (in side of the image. The image is carved out on Chhattishgarh) and Nasik. In the subsequent two blocks of red sandstones which are joined history of Buddhism this goddess assumed together. Because of the sand stone the carvings, numerous forms and some of the varieties occur especially the ornaments and other decorative in sculptures, in stone and bronze conforming to elements are devoid of true aesthetic merits. the dhyanas, at Nalanda, Budhagaya, Bengal and AY/68, Find Sport - Nimapara (), Orissa. Measurement - 4'3" / 2'2" / 1'2", Circa 10th In the 7th century according to Huien Century A.D. Tsang there were many images of Tara in Southern This image of Tara carved out of sand India and her popularity equalled that of any god stone, was originally lying burried under a tree in in the Mahayanic Pantheon. Many temples and the Nimapara area of . The museum colleges were dedicated to her and her worship authorities acquired the image which is now on extended to all over India. Orissa State Museum display in the Sculpture Gallery. It is the only has preserved many Tara images which are under specimen in which we notice the characteristics display in the Archaeological Gallery. They are of a Buddhist Goddess. The two armed image of given below : Tara is seated in Padmasana on a double Tara Images of Tara in the Orissa State petalled lotus throne. But unfortunately the hands Museum from the elbow are broken portion and nose, lips AY/46, Find Spot - Bhubaneswar, and chicks are slightly rubbed. Below the pedestal Measurement - 5' 5" / 3'0"/1'8", Circa 8th on the right side are shown two female devotees Century A.D. in kneeled down position and folded hands. The

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objects hold in each hand by the devotees are the deity. She is wearing beaded anklets, double distinct. One male figure is sitting in the kneeled strained valayas, three strained girdle fitted with down position and the other one is sitting a central locket and tussels covering portions of crosslegged. To the extreme left side is shown the lower garment. Other ornaments include another headless damaged figure sitting bangles in her right hand, armlets fitted with jewels, crosslegged. In between the devotees the objects seven strained beaded necklace the middle of of worship such as lamps and miniature stupas which is damaged, a beaded garland or upavita etc are carved. Below the lotus pedestal there encircling the body and circular earrings. The are several sculptures which includes, from proper upper garment is covering the shoulder and the left to right, a lotus bud, a sword, two seated breast portion. damsels, a horse and an elephant. The deity is SK.No.117, Find spot - Bhubaneswar, flanked by two seated devotees. Dhyani Buddhas Measurement - 1'2" / 0'11" / 0' 7", Circa 10th numbering five are seated on lotus pedestal century A.D. showing Abhaya, Bhumisparsa and This image is seated on a double petalled Dharmachakra Pravartana mudras. The lotus in lalita pose. A female devotee in folded Dhyani Buddha shown at the top of the hands is seen below the pedestal in the left side. kirtimukha is flanked by two slightly damaged Her right hand is shown in Varada mudra where flying vidyadharas. Again two female devotees as her left hand holds the lotus with the stalk are depicted just below the vidyadharas in either coming upward from the pedestal on the left side. side. The notable ornaments worn by the deity She is flanked at the top by two flying are anklets, valayas, girdle, neeklace, armlets, vidyadharas with wreaths in their hands. The garland (or sacred thread), earrings and crowning upper portion of her body is covered with garment mukuta. The image is very superbly carved as and after a gap the lower garment covering the observed from the details of its ornamentation, waist hangs down up to the ankles. Thus the belly which not only reveals the artistic merit of the is left uncovered. She is wearing bangles, armlets sculpture but also enhance the feminine fitted with central jewel, a beaded necklace, accomplishment of the image. circular kundalas as well as other crowning Cl.No.113, Find Spot - Bhubaneswar, ornaments. Her nose and a portion of the left eye Measurement - 1'5" / 0' 10" / 0'6", Circa 9th is broken. Century A.D. AY/36, Find spot-Bhubaneswar, With completely broken and damaged Measurement - 2'2" / 2'10" / 0'10", Circa 8th face this image of Tara sits on a double petalled Century A.D. lotus pedestal. The knee portions are broken. Her Among other sculptures displayed in the left leg rests on the lotus pedestal, where as the museum mention may be made of some unique right leg is hanging down and placed on the base Tara images collected from different localities. of the pedestal indicating the lalita pose. Below Prof. Poucher has classified Tara into different the lotus to the left side is depicted a lion whose categories on the basis of colour. It is therefore head is broken and missing. At the top of her difficult to identify the representation of Tara head is shown a kirtimukha, below is seen the images, especially of stone, which are normally makara motif forming an arch over the head of devoid of colour. So special attention should be

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paid to the particular pose in which Tara sits as Sitting on a double petalled lotus pedestal well as to her associates for correct identification. with the left leg resting on it and the right leg hanging Moreover only those images should be designated down in lalita pose, in her left hand she holds a as Tara to whom the Mantra Om Tara Tuit Re lotus whose stalk originates from the pedestal and Ture swaha' is attributed. There are seven her right hand shows the varada mudra. Portions different varities of Tara carrying the lotus flower of her face, the left knee and the left breast are in left hand and exhibiting varada in the right. broken. Below the lotus pedestal there is a carving This image is headless and is seated on a of the branches of a tree. She is putting on beaded double petalled lotus pedestal. Out of the four valayas, armlets, necklace and ear-rings and a hands the right two hands are totally broken and garland or the sacred thread encirching her body. missing. The upper left hand is also damaged but References : the lower left hand holds an object which cannot 1. The Gods of Northern Buddhism - Alice Getty. be identified. A beaded girdle duly fitted with full 2. Iconography of the Buddhist Sculptures of Orissa bloom lotus petalled locket at the centre encircling - T.E. Dolandson. the breast is a typical ornaments worn by the deity. Traces of wearing bangles and armlets are also 3. Indian Buddhist Iconography - B. Bhattacharya. visible. The image is carved in rough sand stone 4. Tantric Buddhist Iconography - D.K. and therefore, the ornaments are devoid of artistic Bhattacharya. merit. Sl.No.118, Find spot - Bhubaneswar, Measurement - 1'4" / 0'11" / 0'9", Circa 10th Gitarani Praharaj is a Curator in the Orissa State Museum, century A.D. Bhubaneswar.

Shri Rameswar Thakur, His Excellency the Governor of Orissa, felicitating Shri Nabakishore Routray, President and Sri Basanta Kumar Behera, General Secretary of Orissa Freedom Fighters' Welfare Association on the occasion of 59th Independence Day.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

Vimala Temple at the Jagannath Temple Complex, Puri

Ratnakar Mahapatra

The temple of Vimala is situated in the south-west The bada of the is consisted of five fold corner of the inner enclosure of the Jagannath divisions such as pabhaga, talajangha, temple complex of Puri. It seems to be an old bandhana, upara jangha and baranda. The structure and has nothing striking in it from the pabhaga of the bada consists of five conventional architectural point of view. It is a temple usually mouldings of khura, kumbha, patta, kani and visited by the Tantrics who attach more basanta. The niches and intervening recesses of importance to it than the main Jagannath temple. the pabhaga are finely decorated with khakhara Goddess Vimala is considered as the presiding mundis, flower medallions, scroll works, deity of the Purusottama kshetra. She is described creepers, amorous couples and Naga pilasters. as the Bhairavi and Jagannatha the .1 The niches and intervening recesses between the This temple seems to have been constructed pagas of talajangha are relieved with khakhara during the Ganga period and it is likely that it has mundis, simha-vidalas, Gaja-vidalas, jali been built over the ruins of an earlier temple. The works, scroll works, sikshadana scene and Madala panji states that the temple of Vimala kirtimukha motifs etc. Figures of Asta-dikpalas was constructed by Yayati Keshari.2 Structures are housed in the niches of the khakhara mundis of the temple are built in both sand stones and of the tala jangha and are all in seated postures laterite stones. The temple faces to the eastern with their respective mounts and directions. direction. Sikshadana scene of saints are also depicted in The temple of Vimala consists of four the khakhara mundi niches of the tala jangha. structures such as vimana, jagamohana, nata Some devi images are also depicted on the wall mandapa and bhoga mandapa. niches of the tala jangha. The bandhana of the bada consists of two horizontal decorative (a) Vimana : mouldings which are relieved with Alasakanyas, The vimana is a Rekha scroll works, flower designs and lotus petalled and its height is about 60 feet from the designs. The upara jangha niches and the ground level of the temple.3 It stands on a recesses between the pagas are richly decorated platform of 2 feet high. The pistha or platform is with pidha mundis, simha-vidalas, erotic scenes, ornately decorated with scroll works, flower alasakanyas, scroll works, jali works, Naga and medallions and lotus petalled designs. The base Nagini figures and flower designs etc. The of the vimana is a square of 15 feet in each side. consorts of the asta-dikpalas are comfortably

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accommodated in the niches of the pidhamundis with scroll works and kirtimukha motifs. The of the upara jangha and they are all in seated image of Gaja- is carved on the middle postures with their respective mounts and portion of the lintel of the parsvadevata niche. directions. Different incarnations of the Devi are Two female dvarapalas ofDevi are also depicted also depicted on the niches of the upara jangha. at the base of the frame of the parvadevata niche. There is no image of Devi found from the northern Parsva devatas : side central niche as the parsvadevata of the Parsvadevata images have occupied main deity. Most probably it has been stolen by central niches of the bada in all the three sides. the local miscreants. The eight armed Mahisamardini Durga is the The baranda portion of the bada consists parsvadevata of the southern side of the bada. of ten horizontal decorative mouldings which are She has been installed on the double petalled lotus relieved with scroll works, lotus petals, flower pedestal. Out of the eight hands of deity, only medallions, kirtimukha designs and geese etc. two upper hands display khadga and parasu and the remaining hands of the deity are completely Gandi or Sikhara : broken. Two flying figures are depicted The gandi or sikhara of the vimana is on the top corners of the back slab and they are surmounted by the curvilinear superstructure. It holding garland of flowers in their hands. The continues the pancharatha plan of the bada. The back slab of the deity is decorated with the base of the gandi is decorated with a series of kirtimukha motif at the apex. The astabhuja angasikharas. The kanika pagas of the gandi Durga is shown piercing Mahisasura (demon) by contain seven -amalas in its surface. Two a trident. This gesture is not completely visible vajra-mastakas are super-imposed one above because it is severely damaged by nature. Lion, another at the base of the kanika paga of the the conventional mount ofDevi firmly stands on gandi. The Raha paga contains four the pedestal. Two conventional attendant female angasikharas on each side. The base of the figures are also depicted at the base of the frame Raha paga contains three angasikharas; one big of parsvadevata niche. The image of goddess at the center and other two small flanking on either Chamunda is the western side parsvadevata of side of the central angasikhara. There is another the main presiding deity. The six-handed image angasikhara superimposed on the central has been kept on the prostrate body of a corpse angasikhara of the raha paga. The middle who is lying on the plain pedestal. Most of the portion of the western side raha paga is finely parts of this devi image are broken. Among the projected with the sardula headed motif. The six hands of the deity, five are completely broken jhapa-simha motif is projected on the middle and only right upper hand displays khadga. Two portion of the eastern side of the raha paga. female attendants are flanking on either side of Deula charini figures are inserted in the four the deity. Here Devi is in standing posture on the cardinal directions of beki above the raha pagas. prostrate body of Siva. The works of the They are the supporting elements of the background slab seems to have been designed amalakasila of the mastaka. during the Somavamsi period or before the ruling The mastaka of the vimana consists of period of the Ganga dynasty. The frames of the usual elements such as beki, amalakasila, western side parsvadevata niche are decorated khapuri, kalasa and ayudha (chakra). Here

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

the finial or dhvaja of the mastaka is not found with scroll works and flower designs. The ground from the top of the ayudha. plan of the structure is a square of 25 feet in each The sanctum of the vimana preserves the side. The bada is consisted of five-fold divisions image of Goddess Vimala as the presiding deity such as pabhaga, tala jangha, bandhana, of the temple. The deity has been installed on a Upara jangha and baranda. The pabhaga plain simhasana. The image of the goddess is consists of conventional mouldings of khura, said to have been built in lakha (wax). Her four kumbha, patta, kani and basanta. The niches hands display akshamala (rosary), amrita and intervening recesses of the pabhaga are kalasa, varada mudra and a human figure. relieved with Khakhara mundis, Naga pilasters, There is a lot of controversy over her attributes in amorous couples, erotic scenes, scroll-works, the upper left hand. It is differently stated as a flower designs and jali works. The erotic scenes human figure, a naga woman, a naga phasa and amorous couples are housed in the khakhara (noose) and some other object. The height of mundi niches of the pabhaga. The niches and the deity is a little more than four feet. The figures intervening recesses of the talajangha are of and are finely carved on both relieved with khakhara mundis, Astadikpalas, sides of the simhasana. The back side of the Simha-vidalas, Gaja-vidalas, Sikshadana head of the deity is decorated with trefoil makara scene of saints, scroll works and jali works. The torana. The inner walls of the sanctum are devoid khakhara mundi niches of the talajangha are of decorative elements. housed with astadikpalas seated on their respective mounts and directions. The bandhana The sanctum has one doorway towards of the bada consists of the three decorative jagamohana. The door jambs of the sanctum horizontal mouldings. The upara jangha niches are finely decorated with scroll works, flower and the intervening recesses are also relieved with designs and creepers with the frolicking boys. erotic scenes, pidha mundis, scroll works, The flying apsara figures are depicted on the kirtimukha motifs and jali works. Female surface of the door lintel. The central portion of counterparts of the astadikpalas are also housed the door lintel is carved with an image of Gaja- in the pidha mundi niches of the upara jangha Lakshmi. The navagraha figures are carved on and they are seated on their respective mounts the architrave above the door lintel. Figures of and directions. two traditionaldvarapalas of the presiding deity are found on both side of the door way of the The baranda of the bada consists of sanctum. seven horizontal decorative mouldings. The raha or central portion of the baranda is decorated (b) Jagamohana : with dancing female figures, amorous couples, The jagamohana or mukhasala of the scroll works, a frieze of elephants and deers and Vimala temple is a pidha deula and its height is jali works etc. about 35 feet from the surface of the temple Gavaksha : complex. It has four vertical divisions viz. pistha or platform, bada, gandi or sikhara and The central or raha paga of the bada mastaka. The structure of the jagamohana contains two balustraded windows; one on the stands on a low platform of 2 feet high. The northern and another on the southern side of the pistha portion of the jagamohana is decorated jagamohana. The window of each side contains

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four balusters, which are finely carved with dancing from the surface of the temple complex. As known female figures holding musical instruments in their from its architectural designs, it might have been hands. Frames of the balustraded windows are constructed in a later period than the main deul relieved with scroll works, flower medallions, jali and jagamohana. This structure stands on the works, creepers containing the frolicking boys and platform of 3 ½ feet high. The ground plan of the decorative female figures etc. The gavaksha structure is rectangular and it measures 35 feet mandana of both northern and southern sides of by 18 feet in length and width respectively. The the bada are relieved with the royal court scenes bada of the natamandapa consists of five-fold or sikhadana panels. divisions such as pabhaga, tala jangha, Gandi or Sikhara : bandhana, upara jangha and baranda. All the components of the bada are completely The gandi of the jagamohana is undecorated. The bandhana of the bada consists surmounted by the pyramidal superstructure. It of three horizontal mouldings. consists of two potalas; the lower and the upper potalas, which contain five and four pidhas The gandi of the natamandapa is respectively. Figures of the deula charinis and surmounted by the pyramidal superstructure. It dopichha lions are completely absent in their consists of three pidha mouldings. There is only respective places. the kalasa kept on the top of the upper pidha. The mastaka of the jagamohana is The natamandapa has four door ways, one on consisted of usual elements of beki, ghanta (bell each side of the wall. All the door ways except shaped member), above which there is another that in the western side are completely beki, amalaka sila, khapuri and kalasa. Here undecorated. Inner walls of the natamandapa the ayudha of the mastaka is missing. are fully depicted with the paintings of as many as sixteen forms of Goddess Durga such as Vimala, Inner walls of the jagamohana are Chhinnamasta, Ugratara, Mahakali, Bagala, completely plain. The jagamohana has two door Dhumavati, Shyamakali, Bhubanesvari, Sodasi, ways one on the western side towards the sanctum Vairabhi, Vana-Durga, Bhadrakali, Hara-, and another one on the eastern side towards Matangini And Jaya Durga, etc. These deities natamandapa. The door jambs of the eastern are painted in the traditional pata painting style side doorway of the jagamohana are ornately of Orissa. decorated with scrollworks, flower designs, jali works and creepers with the frolicking boys. The (D) Bhogamandapa : central portion of the doorway lintel is carved with The bhogamandapa of the Vimala the image of Gaja-Lakshmi. Flying apsara figures temple is a pidha deula and its height is about 20 are also depicted on the lintel portion of the feet from the surface of the temple complex. It doorway. Navagraha figures are also carved stands on a high platform of 4 feet height. The on the architrave above the doorway lintel. They base of the structure is a square of 15 feet in each are all in seated postures with usual attributes in side. The bada of the bhogamandapa also their hands. consists of five-fold divisions viz:- pabhaga, (c) Natamandapa : talajangha, bandhana, upara jangha, and The natamandapa of the Vimala temple baranda. All the components of the bada are is a pidha deula and its height is about 22 feet completely undecorated. Small dopichha lions

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

have been installed on the two front side corners in their right hands, while the left hands are placed of the tala jangha. The gandi of the on the left thighs with vigorous posture. Their bhogamandapa is surmounted by the pyramidal faces, bellies and hands are very plump. superstructure. The figure of Gaja-Simha or Lion on a The niches of western inner wall of the crouching elephant has been installed outside the bhogamandapa are housed with two excellent temple i.e. ten feet eastern side of the sculptures of and . Both the bhogamandapa. The Gaja-Simha figure is sculptures are a little more than 2 feet in height. about 4 feet in height and this place is covered The eight-handed image of nrtya Ganesha has with a flat roof. been installed on the double petalled lotus A flight of steps is provided for approach pedestal. His right three hands display rosary, towards the bhogamandapa as well as the broken tusk, and dhyana mudra while the left sanctum. Recently, all the four structures of the three hands hold battle axe, a pot containing ladus Vimala temple are renovated by Archaeological and Abhaya mudra and the upper two hands Survey of India ; Bhubaneswar Circle. hold a snake. Mouse, the conventional mount of Ganesha is carved on the left side of the pedestal. The shrine of Vimala is believed to be a Two sakhi figures are flanking both side of the suitable place for Tantric form of worship. Ganesha image. Purusottama kshetra or Puri is regarded as one of the severalSakta pithas enumerated in Tantra Another notable sculpture of Kartikeya Chudamani, Tantra and Jnanarnava is kept in a niche of the right side western wall of Tantra and it is here that the navel of sakti had the bhogamandapa. The six-headed Kartikeya fallen.4 according to the Devi Purana the feet of image is installed in standing posture on the plain Adishakti fell here for which this place is pedestal. He has twelve hands ; the right six hands considered as one of the important Sakti pithas are holding naga-phasa, arrow-head, pasa- in India.4 The names of Vimala and Purusottama ankusa, club, lotus flower and touching the mouth are found mentioned in Matsya Purana.5 This of peacock while the left six hands are holding information is supported by other . rooster cock, shield, gada, bow, direction figure Goddess Vimala is regarded as the protectress and broken object etc. Peacock, the conventional of the kshetra, while Jagannatha is the presiding mount of deity is installed in a standing posture deity of the temple. on the right side of the Kartikeya image. On the basis of the architectural features, The ceiling of the bhogamandapa is finely the present temple of Vimala can be tentatively depicted with paintings of the flower designs. The assigned to the Ganga period of Orissan history. middle portion of the ceiling contain a lotus flower The sculptures, especially the parsvadevatas design which is suspending to down wards. seem to have been made in Somavamsi period. The bhogamandapa has four doorways The background slab of the deity is decorated to all opening sides. Jambs of these doorways with trefoil arch which was the unusual pattern of are completely undecorated. Two female figures the Somavamsi art. The images of the are depicted in the niches of the entrance doorway Parsvadevatas are not designed in the Ganga wall. They are acting as the dvarapalas in both style. It indicates that these images are the side sides of the entrance doorway. They hold knives deities of the original temple. So the present

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temple is erected on the ruins of the earlier deula. 4. S.D.Kar, Puri Guide, Puri, 1992, p. It is also said that before Lord Jagannath was 5. Matsya Purana, P.13 - 35. installed in the temple, goddess Vimala was enshrined there. References : 1. Quoted in Bharatiya Tantra Sastra (Oriya), Nilamani Mishra, p. 181.

2. Madalapanji, Prachi Edition, 1960, Shri Ratnakar Mahapatra is an ICHR Junior Research Bhubaneswar, p. 6 Fellow in the P.G. Department of History of 3. L.K. Panda, Pitha, edited in Odisara Sakta University, Jyoti Vihar, Burla in the district of Sambalpur- Sanskruti (Oriya), P.29. 768019.

His Excellency the Governor Shri Rameshwar Thakur inaugurating Sangam, a Confluence of and dances at Rabindra Mandap on 5.9.2005. Dr. Subas Pani, Chief Secretary is also present on this occasion.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

Sakti Shrines of Orissa and the Time of Their Existence

Dr. Janmejay Choudhury

With the evolution of society religion took a Durga. In ancient Babylon and Asiriya the complicated shape with the emergence of Gods benevolent Istar deity was the earliest Goddess and Goddesses, each of them symbolising a conceived from the natural Phenomenon. In particular phenomenon. This process was not only Babylon every women before copulation with her the speciality of India, but evolved simultaneously husband would be bed partner of other males and in different parts of the the income from this sacred ancient world. The earliest prostitution was dedicated to known Greek Goddess the Goddess. Such ladies represents a piece of long were regarded as sacred stone like Sivalinga. The prostitutes. Such ancient ancient Egyptians custom was prevalent in propitiated before erection Asiriya, Iran etc. The Goddess of pyramid, the Goddess Isis of Egypt was represented Hathar in the shape of a cow in a Pillar containing the and Sevak in the form of an symbol of Yoni. In this context aligator. The Gaia Devi of Goddesses of ancient World, Greece was later on like Venus and Diana of transformed into Dharitri Rome, Athene of Athena, Ma or Mother Goddess. Hulda of Germany may be The Mother Goddess of the worth-mentioning. In ancient Romans was Terramater. India many such Goddesses The ancient Semitic people were prevalent in the primitive propitiated the Goddess societies. Nana. On the coins of The worship of Sakti or Kushana emperor Huviska, the female principle which is Goddess Nana with an Kakatapur Maa Mangala the primordial factor in the inscription of her name is creation and reproduction of depicted. In the ancient India Bhramari was a the universe, occupies a unique position in the Goddess of this type. A Goddess in ancient Egypt religious system of India. Originated directly from was regarded as a War Goddess like Indian the primitive Mother Goddess the Sakti cult

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gradually crept into the mainstream of Indian Saivism and Saktism, the two schools of religions and the indigenous tribal faiths Tantra metaphysics, were the official religions of incorporating local godlings of aniconic and iconic the non-Aryans of the Indus Valley Civilisation forms, heterogenous elements, customs, rites, who practised various aspects of Tantra beliefs, worship patterns, interesting myths and according to their intellectual standards. Siva and legends etc. No other religion can claim to have Sakti, the dual deities symbolizing the two schools, continuous and colourful history right from the were their principal divine beings and worshipped. Indus Valley Civilisation with richest source of The Sakta Upanisads raised the position of Sakti mythology, tantras and numerous manifestations to the status of world mother Viswamata, as Saktism. The earliest Viswambara, Viswatmita, etc. The creator, evidence of tide of Tantrism preserver and destroyer of we get from the Indus the Universe. The Sakta Valley Civilisation. "Objects Upanisadas regarded her unearthed at the prehistoric as the idealistic (C.2750 B.C.) sites of the monism or absolutism. Indus Valley Civilisation Similarly the Saiva prove the prevalence of the Upanisad held Sakti as the cults of the Father God and creative power of Siva. Mother Goddess among These Upanisads the pre-Aryan people of introduced tantric India !! This male god is the terminologies like Bindu, Nada, Mantra, Yantra and proto-type of later Siva. He a number of plexuses. Sakti is represented in Yogic according to the Upanisads posture surrounded by is the ramification of the animals and having three whole world and there is visible faces with two horns. nothing in the Universe Besides several figures of devoid of Sakti. The Mother Goddess omnipotent, incompre- discovered from the site hensible and unknownable represent the idea of Mother character of the Sakti is Goddess cult which was described in a hymn of the the source of all creations Banapur Maa Bhagabati Devi Upanisad. We know of the later Tantrism and the genesis of Durga as the Saktism. Sir John Marshal who exavated all pervasive and all-powerful world mother. This Mahenjodaro and Harappa sites writes about the concept found fruition in the Puranas. The religion of the civilisation in the following lines- Mahapuranas, Upapuranas, especially the Sakta "Saivism and Saktism are the two aspects of Upapuranas and Tantras conceived and Tantra. Saktism represents the beginning of Tantra propitiated numerous goddesses with different Sadhana and Saivism is the culminating point of modes of worship, thus enlarging the horizon of the spiritual march." Saktism.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

Orissa with its territorial units of ancient hooded snake over the head (in case of Naga- Odra-Utkal-Kalinga-Kosala, was in the past, one Nagi). In course of time Naga-Nagi and - of the greatest centres of Indian religions which Yakshi become important cults in Jain, Buddhist were patronised and supported by the successive and Brahminical religions. royal dynasties and the people at large. It is In the beginning of the Christian era a pertinent to note here that in all cultural epochs of number of tribal deities were incorporated in ancient and medieval history numberless Gods and Jainism, . Stambheswari, Goddesses were conceived and propitiated. for example, represented in the form of a pillar Through the process of was adopted and permutation and worshipped by the . combination many of them The Teresingha copper were dropped out of the plate grant of King pantheons replacing new Tustikara states that ones; created accordingly to Stambheswari was the needs of situations. The worshipped as his tutelary nucleus of Sakti cult in deity. At present such Orissa is traced from the Goddess is worshipped at Ashokan (3rd century Aska, Sonepur, Bolangir B.C.) and post-Ashokan and Sambalpur etc. as an periods when the tribal important deity. A tribal Gods and Goddesses like Goddess was Naga-Nagi and Yaksha- adopted as the patron deity Yakshi were incorporated in of the Chauhan Raj family Buddhism. After Kalinga of Sambalpur in the War (261 B.C.) Kalinga sixteenth century. became a stronghold of Buddhism. Ashoka laid the The classical Goddesses foundation of art and in the forms of architecture through the Mahisamardini Durga, medium of stone. The rock- Jajpur Maa Biraja Sapta Matrukas in group cut elephant and special and in individual Rock-Edicts of the colossal Bhaskareswar manifestations, 64 , Katyayanis, Manasa, Sivalinga, bell-capital and lion (all three forming , Lakshmi, , Tara, Bhagabati, Vimala, parts of Asokan pillar at Bhubaneswar), the Naga- Mangala, Charchika made their appearances in Nagi, Yaskha-Yakshi images of Sundarpada Orissa from the Gupta period and enlarged the village and a few other images of this type from Pantheons with the addition of local godlings. The the vicinity of Bhubaneswar are some of the two-armed Durga holding in her right arm a Sula important archaelogical remains of Asokan period piercing the buffalo shaped demon and the left in Orissa. The Naga-Nagi and Yaksha-Yakshi hand pulling the tail of the animal is the earliest images are marked for their crude workmanship classical Goddess worshipped as Viraja at Jajpur. with bulging breasts and hips, pot bellys, five- Of all the forms of Sakti Mahisamardini became

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extremely popular in Orissa flourishing from the The Sapta Matruka images have been Gupta period till Orissa lost her independence in found at Jajpur, Belkhandi in Kalahandi district, 1568 to the Afgans of Bengal. She has the largest Markendaswar Tank at Puri, Solanpur in destribution in the State from two-armed to Jagatsinghpur district etc. These seven mothers twenty-armed varieties. The influence of the are accompanied by Ganesh and . The Goddess was so great in the religious arena of iconographic peculiarity divides the Matrukas of Orissa that some Ganga and Gajapati monarchs Orissa into two broad groups, earlier and later. styled themselves as Durgaputra and The earlier group of Matrukas seem to have been Purushottamaputra. On in prevalence in the the basis of the forms of Sailadbhava and the Mahisasura and Bhaumakara periods and Mahisamardini, the Durga the later group with their images are broadly distinctive attributes, seem divided into three groups. to have originated in the In the first category Somavamsi period. Mahisasura is in the form Satpamatruka found in the of buffalo, in the second modern temple of group he has human body, Dasaswamedha Ghat on but with the head of the river of Vaitarani at buffalo and in the third Jajpur, Markandeswar category Mahisasura is a tank, Puri and the images fully developed human of Solanpur belong to the being fighting with the later group. There are 26 goddess with his sword sets of Sapta Matrukas and shield. and many images of Chamunda and several of The Sapta Varahi developed Matrukas representing the individually as Saktis of important Gods independent cult deities. spread sporadically in The Matrukas were Orissa from the 7th conceived as War century onwards. In the Bhusandapur Maa Ugratara Goddess to assist the Puranas are Mahadevi in her combat with Mahisasura and his many, but the number seven has been universally allies. Although they were born as War Goddesses accepted. The worship of Sapta Matruka (seven they are depicted as mothers holding each, a child mother) was another form of Saktism during the on the lap (except Chamunda who was created Bhaumakara period. The Seven Goddesses are in the battle field from the third eye of Durga). Varahi, , Vaishnavi, Kaumari, Sivani, Matrukas were associated with child from the Brahmani and Chamunda. The deities are two or Somavamsi period onwards. fourarmed. The earliest representation of such Matrukas are found at Parasurameswar, Vaitala A significant development of Saktism took and Mukteswar Temples at Bhubaneswar. place when Tantrism made its appearance (from

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about 8th century A.D.) and was amalgamated 64 temple. Manasa, the Naga Goddess with Saktism. The Cult of 64 Yoginis was the who saves people from snake-bites is very exuberant expression of extreme form of popular in folk level. The rural folk propitiates Tantrism in about 8th century A.D. Out of the her to be freed from snake bite. With the total 7 circular Yogini temples erected in India emergence of mainspring of Indian religions the between 8th-12th century A.D., two are found Naga Cult of ancient origin was relegated to a in Orissa. One is at Hirapur near Bhubaneswar subsurvient position; and even in many cases the (the earliest one built towards the end of 8th entwined Naga-Nagi was depicted as decorative century A.D.) and the other at Ranipur-Jharial in motifs in the temples. In the 7th/8th century a Bolangir district. The 64 terrific images of Yogini vigorous attempt was made to save the cult from enshrined in their respective niches in a circle with ruination. Hence sprang up Goddess Manasa, the at the centre create a grim atmosphere. mindborn daughter of Siva. She gradually carved When Tantrism was widespread Sakti was out a niche in the Saivite Pantheon. multiplied into sixty-four manifestations. Besides these important cults there are Parvati, the consort of Siva is invariably minor Goddesses and numerous folk-Goddesses depicted as a parswadevata in the Siva temple. further enlarging the horizon of Saktism. Saktism She is a Paribaradevata, benevolent by nature. mingled with Tantrism greatly highlighted the In Orissa she was raised to the status of an whole religious system, substantially enriched art independent cult. The magnificent four-chambered and architecture and developed vast mass of Parvati temple, enshrined with a four-armed literature interestingly mixed with legends, myths, Parvati within the complex of Lingaraj Temple at philosophy and spectacular iconography of Bhubaneswar, suggests her pre-eminent position Goddess of multifarious nature. Thus Orissa has in the Saiva-Sakta pantheon. Lakshmi the immense contribution to the evolution and Goddess of Wealth in the Indian Hindu villages is development of Saktism. The royal patronage and an important form of Sakti in Orissa. She exerts popular support were greatly responsible in the an exulted position in the Brahminical Pantheon. growth of Indian Religions. The peculiarity of She is an auspicious symbol depicted in the Orissa is that the quintessence of all religious faiths Lalatabimba of Hindu temples, Buddhist was absorbed in Sri Jagannath who stands monasterics and in Jaina architecture. She supreme all-pervasive and the Rastra Devata of flourished as the consort of and as an the State. independent cult. The beautiful Lakshmi temple within the precinct of Jagannath Temple at Puri in the 1st part of 12th century A.D., relates her high position in the Jagannath culture. Ganga and Yamuna, the two sacred rivers are manifested in sculptural art and found in almost all Hindu Dr. Janmejaya Choudhury is a Lecturer in History in the Temples. They are also depicted as Yoginis in the Sri Jagannath College, Kaipadar, Khurda.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

The Concept of the Goddess Khambhesvari in The Culture of the Orissan Tribes

Dr. Bidyut Lata Ray

Prolegomenon : numbers in the districts of Sundargarh, Two major racial elements can, Mayurbhanj, Phulbani, Koraput, Keonjhar, nevertheless, be identified in Orissa following the Kalahandi, Sambalpur and Bolangir. The socio- classification of Dr.B.S. Guha,1 the former economic and cultural life of the hill tribes of the director of Anthropological Survey of India. state is out and out structured with the elements Those are the Proto-Australoid type and the of the forests, the river-beds, the valleys, the Western Brachycephals. The first kind is mostly mountains, the lakes, the streams, the plains and represented among the scheduled tribes and above all, the total biosphere exposed to the tribal among lower castes in Orissa. It is mostly found race. in the hilly tracts of Western, Southern and Goddess Tradition : Northern zones of Orissa. The second type is Generally the tribes live in the forests, found widely among the higher castes both in valleys and hill-tracts. They are the lovers of Eastern and Western Orissa. A third racial group, nature. Therefore, they worship the components the Mediterranean is found in good major in the of the nature as their deities. The worship of the population of Orissa. Sun, the Earth and the tree is popular among the In ancient Orissa the non-Aryan Savara tribal community. The Sun is most commonly tribes predominated. Though the generic term worshipped deity of the tribes. The Sun worship 'Savara' was applied to all the tribal folk of Orissa by the aboriginals of Orissa played the significant in ancient India, it may safely be surmised that role in the spread of Mahima in the State. some other tribes besides the Saora tribe of The worship of the Earth has taken the form of Orissa were also present in the remote past. This mother-worship among them. For this, they is evident from the prevalent tribes speaking sacrifice animals and birds etc. in the honour of Dravidian languages, like the Gond, Kondh, the mother-goddess. Another chief objective of Oraon, Kisan, Koya and some others of Koraput worshipping spirits, ghosts and witches is to district of Orissa. Again, there are also some folk protect the society or community from diseases, customs of South-East Asian type found in the floods, cyclones, fires and other natural calamities. southern most part of Orissa. There are nearly The tribes like Gond and Juang held such festivals 63 tribes found in Orissa such as Bhuiya, Kondh, to wipe out the fear of spirits, ghosts and witches. Kolla, Gond, Ho, Santal, Savara, Juanga, Paraja, It is observed that the worship of a female deity Munda, Kharia, Oraon, etc. Majority of the predominates the worship of a male divinity. The backward classes of Orissa comprises mostly of principal deity is the Earth Goddess and her off- scheduled tribes, scheduled castes and a few spring the Tiger god. The other deities include the others. Scheduled tribes are scattered in large village Mother-Goddess (gramadevi), the

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

water-god and the gods of the forest, fire, air and to the fact that she was originally a Sakta goddess; rain. The five elements of nature, i.e. the earth, the most important of which is that she is still the air, the fire, the water and the antariksa are worshipped with a Sakta Mantra, the mantra of being worshipped by the tribes in general. Bhuvanesvari.6 Biosphere is another attraction for them. They live The figure of Khambhesvari in Aska on the products of a tree and hence worship the (Ganjam) resembles very much with the figure of trees as the goddesses. The worship of a pillar or Subhadra in Puri. There are only marginal post is the further development observed in the differences : the shape of Subhadra's head is tribal culture. slightly different, more oval. While the present Tree Worship : Jagannatha figure has a waist line, has the body of Khambhesvari in Aska is a straight pole. The Tree-worship is also prevailing among the main image of the place is striking. It consists of a hill-tribes of Orissa. This tree-goddess is later stone pole, which has been anthropomorphized known as 'Khambhesvari' (the post-goddess). The by the addition of a disk as head. The image goddess Subhadra worshipped in the temple of confirms that gradually the pillar-post has been Lord Jagannath of Puri has a link with converted into an image in order to appear 2 'Khambhesvari', as she is having an aboriginal somehow as a human being. It is also noteworthy origin. The Savara Srestha (the great Savara) to record here that a wooden pole stands opposite Visvavasu was worshipping Lord Jagannath as to the main door of the Aska temple and in front 'Nilamadhava' in the dense forest on the bank of of the main image of the goddess. This wooden river '' of Orissa. Later, the deity pole presides over the sacrificial pit in the temple.7 appeared as the great 'Daru' in the east-sea (Mahodadhi) near Nilacala (Puri) and from this The worship of Khambhesvari was 'Daru', king Indradyumna had ordered the skilled gradually converted to the worship of the stone- architects of his kingdom to consecreate the idols images. The name of the goddess is familiar in of Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra. Thus, Western Orissa. The cult of 'gramadevi' (the Lord Jagannatha is termed as 'Daru Devata' village goddess) is of a very 'tribal' typology : the having tribal evolution.3 Rgveda4also refers to the goddess is represented by a uniconical symbol floating of Daru in the sea and its worship. In due which often can hardly be distinguished from its course of time, the tribal deities of Orissa have surroundings and is only occasionally worshipped passed through the process of Hinduization. The with animal sacrifices by a non- priest. Kondh priest worships 'Khambhesvari' (the lady The process of Hinduization has led to of the post) represented by a stone under a tree.5 an association of the tribal deity with Durga, though mostly found in this realm. In many temples Khambhesvari, the Tribal Deity of Hinduized mother goddesses, in the hinterland, The iconography of Subhadra stones or pebbles are worshipped alongwith the corresponds to the usual iconography of a tribal main image in the garbhagrha.8 Frequently stones deity. She has been Hinduized by being identified or wooden posts stand outside such temples or with a Sakta goddess and resembles particularly even in their compounds. Mostly these symbols to the iconography of the Hinduized goddess are daily worshipped alongwith the main image. Khambhesvari 'the pillar goddess.' Both, the It is usually in front of them, that the sacrifice is figures of Khambhesvari and Jagannath performed, and to them the blood is offered and developed from the same tribal substratum. Many not to the main image, which on the contrary may features in the mode of worship of Subhadra point be sheltered by closing the doors of the temple.9

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

The symbols represent the main goddess, although Note and Reference : they are another murtti of her or of a related 1. Guha, B.S., quoted in Sidelights on History and goddess, a 'nonvegetarian sister'. The tendency Culture of Orissa, edited by Prof. M.N. Das, to separate the sacrifice from the main cult is Vidyapuri, Cuttack, 1977, p.28. evident and it might be natural at this state of intensive Hinduization. 2. Eschmann, A., 'Hinduization of Tribal Deities of Orissa : The Sakta and Saiva Typology', in the book, When the symbol of the goddess is a The Cult of Jagannatha and the Regional Tradition wooden post, there is a further possibility to of Orissa, edited by Eschmann, A., Kulke, H. and combine images and symbols. The post may Tripathy, G.C., Manohar Publications, New Delhi-2, become the movable image (calantipratima) of 1978, pp.79-97. the main image. For instance, in the Samalai temple 3. Ray, B.L., Jagannatha Cult : Origin, Rituals, at Sonepur, besides the main image, a wooden Festivals, Religion and Philosophy, Kant post, wrapped in a sari, represents the goddess Publications, Delhi, 1998, Introduction, p.4. Baunthi and is daily worshipped alongwith 4. Rgveda, X. 155.3 : Samalai. During Dasahara, this representation of Ado Yaddaru plavate Sindhoh Pare apurusam / Baunthi visits the shrine of an old tribal deity, Tada rabhasva durhano tena gaccha Parastaram // Budha Raja. Wrapped posts in the same fashion 5. Ray, B.L., Op. cit., p.19. are found in Ranpur, representing the goddess Khilamunda (from Oriya, Khila 'waste land' and 6. Ray, B.L., A Critical Edition of Niladri Mahodayam, Munda 'trunk') and in Banpur for Bhagavati a Classical Publishing Company, New Delhi, 1998, goddess called kathi (Kathi in Oriya means piece Ch.88, p.481. of wood).10 7. Ray, B.L., Jagannatha Cult, op.cit., p.19. The worship of the goddess 8. Eschmann, A., op.cit., p.89. Khambhesvari is performed by a Suddha-dehuri, For instance in the temples of Samalai in Patnagarh a tribal priest. He is perfectly aware of the fact (Bolangir district) and Barpali (Bargarh district) and that the stump of a post will not last much longer, in the Khambhesvari temple of Aska. (Ganjam and also has a vague idea of how a renewal should district). be made. But, he and the villagers are equally 9. Stones as the representatives of the goddess, positive on the fact that it is impossible for them accepting sacrifices in her stead outside the main to perform the complicated ritual, and that to temple are found for instance in the Bhairavi temple remove the post without the proper knowledge in Puruna Katak (near Baudh), in the Manesvara would be moreover highly dangerous. So, they temple near Sambalpur and, in the Samalai temple of calmly wait for the post to disappear, which does Barpali. Posts in the same function are found in the not mean that the worship of Khambhesvari is Bimalesvara temple in Huma (), in going to be discontinued; she will be by then the Patnesvari temple in Sambalpur, the three temples represented by the stone only. of Sonepur. Above discussions reveal the fact that the 10. Cf., Kulke, H., 1975, p.40f, quoted in CJRTO, Delhi, goddess tradition in Orissa has its inception in the 1978, p.89. culture of the aboriginals of the state. During the process of Hindusization, the pillar-goddess has been anthropomorphized and transformed into Dr. Bidyut Lata Ray is the Head of the Department stone images, Ostensibly, the root of the worship of , Neela madhava college, Kantilo, Nayagarh - of the present 'grama-devi' lies in the culture of 752078 and lives at 'Divyadyuti', Debottar Colony, the tribal people of Orissa. Nayagarh - 752069

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

Sakti Centres in Cuttack District : A Historical Perspective

Pareswar Sahoo

With its bountiful nature, Orissa is an enchanting Kathajodi on the south. The stone embankment state of old charms and new glamour. Having protecting the river banks speak eloquently of the thirty districts in her heart it has a kaleidoscope engineering skills of the earlier era and is regarded of tourist attractions. Cuttack, as an interregnum in the the previous capital city of history of the Somavamsi rule modern Orissa, is famous for in Orissa. filigree silverware, horn and The origin of Sakti cult brass work. The old Cuttack is shrouded in mystery. Since district is known for its silk and time immemorial the worship cotton textiles, besides the of Sakti (power) has been an Buddhist golden triangle and important religious persuit. also for Sakti pithas The archaeologists, (Bhattarika, Charchika and historians, indologist, Maa Pragala). These places philosophers and scholars of are associated with Devi many other disciplines have Durga, the symbol of power expounded various theories and strength and are therefore with regard to the origin and regarded as traditional Sakti evolution of the Sakti cult. It Kshetras of Orissa dedicated is easy to understand that to Brahmanical Sakti means power and Panchadevatas. 1 These strength, which is expressed centers are honeycombed by through different phenomena. glamorous scenic beauty and the religious In Devisukta, the Saptasati records,2 potentialities are intended for all sections of visiting intelligence, satisfaction peity etc. as the various tourists, both inland and outland. The domestic forms of Sakti.3 tourists belongs to the eastern belt and the southern belt, although few of them are from the central The Sakti or goddess in her different region also. Abhinaba Katak, the earlier manifested aspects and forms represent various capital city of medieval Orissa and British time phenomena. For instance, depicts Orissa has river Mahanadi on the north and river learning and wisdom, Laxmi means wealth, Durga

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and Kali represent benevolent and malevolent Jagannath, who is regarded as the epicenter of aspects respectively and Maa Sarada Devi Tantra cult. Historians like Dr. S.C. Behera has represents the socio-religious aspect of the pointed out that, Saktism in Orissa too, has philosophy of humanism and so on.4 absorbed the tree worship of the aboriginals into Archaeological evidences prove the concept of its fold. The worship of 'Stambha' or a pillar Sakti, which can be traced back to 2200 B.C. - made of stone or wood as the Divine Mother, is 1700 B.C. As a result of the fusion of the Vedic prevalent now also among the tribals and concept of Sakti, known as 'Uma' with the cult aboriginals of Orissa in various places. We learn of' Stambha there emerged the worship of from the Maranjamura Charter11 that the tutelary Stambheswari who is considered to be the deity of Somavamsi rule was Panchambari universal mother, the supreme reality.5 Bhadrambika,12 identified with Stambheswari. It seems very probable that it is the result of fusion Both Mahenjodaro and Harppa of the cult of Stambheswari and Bhadrambika discoveries have corroborated the concept of which contributed to the evolution of Goddess Sakti in the pre-Vedic period. A seal from Subhadra, the central wooden figure in the Harappa showing on the observe a nude female Jagannath temple.13 In the evolution of the Saktism figure, head downwords and legs sretched out in ancient Orissa, primitive tree worship of the upwards with a plant issuing out of her womb, aboriginals was an important aspect. The may be regarded as the proto-type of the mother assimilation of two cultures viz. the Aryan and goddess Sakambari.6 Macdonald remarks, the aborigin also led to a synthesis of religious "Goddesses occupy a very subordinate position beliefs which characterized the growth and in the Vedic belief and worship. The important development of the various forms of religious goddesses of this period were , Usha, beliefs like , Saktism and Saivism in Saraswati, Prithvi, Ratri, Riti, Revati, Indrani, Orissa down the centuries.14 Rudrani."7 Although, Saktism was developed in the ancient times, now in Europe, the female There are several Sakti Pithas all over worship is conducted through the worship of Orissa. They include the seats of Goddess Bimala Virgin Mary.8 There are instances of mother at Puri, Goddess Viraja at Jajpur, Goddess worship in Far-Eastern Asian and African Bhubaneswari at Bhubaneswar, Goddess countries. The Tantra legends speak of the Mangala at Kakatpur, Goddess Charchika at and Daskhya Prajapati9 episode which reminds Banki, Goddess Sarala at Jhankada, Goddess us the terrible sacrifice of Sati in the kunda Tarini at Ghatagaon, Goddess Samaleswari at due to the unbearable insult meted out by Dakshya, Sambalpur, Goddess Pataneswari at Patnagarh, her father. It also tells us how Lord Siva in anger Sambalpur and Bolangir, Goddess Bhagavati at cut off the dead body of Sati into several pieces Banpur, Goddess Bhattarika at Baramba, and threw the pieces all over (Matsya Purana). Goddess Pragala at Narasinghpur, Goddess The places where the parts of the Sati's body fell Katak Chandi at Cuttack, Goddess Mahakali at are know as Sati's pithas.10 Kharuda, Goddess Dakshinakali at Bandhahuda. I would like to focuss here one of the traditional Orissa has taken the root of every major but much informative topics relating to the Sakti religious sects of Hinduism. Lakhs of pilgrims Pithas in Cutack district. The district of Cuttack pay a visit to Puri to have a glimpse of Lord was consisting of six old Garhjats i.e.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

Narasinghpur, Baramba, Tigiria, Athagarh, Banki, Mahanadi. The hills encircling Bhattarika on either Saranda. These Sakti pithas are closely sides of the river are Basistrunga, Ratnagiri, associated with the cultural and social Nilagiri, Bankamunda, Gayaldiha, Baigani and developments of the people of the district.16 They Manibhadra, which are considered to be sacred draw great inspirations from the worship of Katak by the local people. Besides the scenic beauty is Chandi at Cuttack, Charchika at Banki, Bhattarika truly exotic and a heart throb to any visitor, at Baramba, Maa Pragala at Narasinghpur, devotee or tourist. This place occupies the Mahakali at Kharuda, Dakshinakali at central position in the sacred panchakosha22 Bandhahuda. (distance of 10 miles) extending from Simhanath Saktism in Orissa is a long tradition. to Nilamadhab. The following hymns describes Banki, which was one of the old Garhjats of the nomenclature along with the sacred pithas : Cuttack district, has been famous as a seat of the Xoã`mñVw XjreUZrao Xodr Zmam`Ur ^~oV presiding deity, Maa Charchika since 14th Century A.D.17 It is located on the picturesque Zmam`U npíM_oVw Zrb_mY~ ê$nYyH$ }&& mountain named Richika, where the sacred river _mY~íMrVao íå`H$mZZo {~ÝÜ`dmerZr Renuka washes its feet. On their way from VWm VÎm nyd©Jrer BíMm: {ghZmW _hrída Bhubaneswar to Narsinghpur, via Govindpur, tourists, both inland and outland, visit the temple nÝMH$moe{_X_ "»`mV: nyÊ`nmVH$ ZmemZ§ }&& in the month of October and offer their worship (Gist - Devi Narayani exists on the to the Goddess. Especially a large number of Southern bank and Narayana, Nilamadhava to visitors come to this Pithas in autumn due to the West. Vindhyabasini is worshipped to the Mahastami puja.18 Several other festivals are also north in a beautiful forest. Simhanatha Maheswar observed in the temple with high testimony. lies to the West of Vindhyabasini. All these sacred In ancient time, the whole region was a pithas spread in an area of Panchakosha wash beautiful fertile land, with green paddy fields, dense the sin of the people.) forest with cajurina trees and some tall palm trees. The existence of the presiding deity Maa 19 20 Usually the tribals like Kondhs, Sabaras, use Bhattarika can be traced back to the 7th century to live there. Historically speaking the region was A.D.22 The iconography of Bhattarika image can inhabited by the Aryans and some rulling give an idea whether it was a Buddhist and Hindu dynasties, viz. Airas, Somas, and Gangas. Some Sakti pitha. The Deity image of Bhattarika is historians believe that Goddess Charchika, known seated on Lalitasana, the left hand holding a lotus 21 as "Mother Earth" is being worshipped on the stalk, and the right one in the Varada pose Blue Mountain Richika, in Banki since 3rd century associated with the pedestal having eight very B.C. According to Gibbon, precious stones was small images five in Padmasana and left in exported from Banki region to the ancient Roman Lalitasana with the Ayudha as the central figure. empire. Ptolemy and Hieun Tsang supported the The Oriya book 'Bhattarika' identifies the view of Gibbon. associated images of this temple as Prabha, Maya, The goddess Bhattarika at Baramba, in Jaya, Sakshama, Visuddha suprabha, Avaya, Cuttack district has a sprawling complex, to the Brahmani, Maheswri, Kaumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, west of Ratnagiri hills, over looking the river Indrani, Chamunda and Mahalaxmi. Now the

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

head priest Nilamani Mahapatra and his associates his palace by offering one goat in each step. It worship the Goddess as Raja Rajeswari, was a difficult task for the king to fulfill this wish Mahamaya Tripura Sundari and Bhattarika of the Goddess. He collected a large number of by reciting the Durga . So it is believed goats from all parts of the Garhjat which were that the iconography of the Goddess is similar to not sufficient. The dense forest where the Sakti Maa Astabhuja Mahisamardini Durga. The local pitha is located, the king constructed a house with people say that the goddess worshipped here is brick walls and straw thatched roof and installed very powerful with divinity. In earlier times, the the goddess there. Since those days Maa Pragala practice of human sacrifice or Balipratha23 is worshipped as the Sakti, the source of power prevailed here. Gradually that practice was given by the people. Apart from the place like up and only the practice of animal sacrifice Bhattarika at Baramba, Katak Chandi at Cuttack, continued. On the full moon day of Mahastami Charchika at Banki, the place bears the testimony puja the people from all over Orissa come to the of the history and culture of Orissa in some way sacred place and offer their prayer. The three or other. The village Pragala is constituted with great Sankrantis like Raja, Mahavisuba and the tribal people like Kondhs, Savaras, Santals Makar are celebrated here with a great interest and Kolhas. In early period the priesthood system and ferver. was based on tribal heredity.24 Gradually the A historic place of pilgrimage, practice has deteriorated and taken over by 25 Narasinghpur is located on the bank of the river Mahapatras and Dehuries. Therefore, Maa Mahanadi, which has the sacred Sakti pitha of Pragala is accepted as the tribal deity. Now the Maa Pragala. Narasinghpur is situated at a goddess is worshipped in the form of a metal idol distance of 144 kms from Bhubaneswar, and 124 with 12 feet long sword by her side. kms from Cuttack by road. The location of this These Sakti Pithas in the district of place is beautiful, and therefore it is a natural Cuttack, provide enough evidence to support the picnic spot for the picnickers. Especially for the notion that once upon a time Saktism played a celebration of New Year, on January 1st, thousand dominant role here. of visitors come to this place only to enjoy its References : calm and quite natural scenery. The attraction of this place is the small waterfall. 1. See Bhagavati . 2. J. Pradhan, : A Journey to Orissa, Bhubaneswar, The background of Maa Pragala is also 2001, p. 27. ancient in origin and its existence has been traced back to 8th - 9th century A.D. According to the 3. M.N. Das (ed) : Sidelights on History and Culture of Orissa, Cuttack, 1977, p. 380. head priest Braja Dehuri, the early name of Maa Pragala, was Balangi,23 the daughter of the then 4. Skandapurana (Vishnukhanda), Ch. VII, Vr. 97. king of Angul. When Narasinghpur garh (fort) 5. F. Brighenti, : Sakti Cult in Orissa, New Delhi, was ruled by Anantavarman Singh Deo, in a 2001, p. 179. bloodiest war he defeated the king of Angul. Then 6. B. C. Roy (ed) : Cultural Heritage of Orissa, Vol. I, Balangi turned into the manifestation of Maa Calcutta, 1977, pp. 4 - 5. Pragala. She said to the king Anantavarman Singh 7. V. S. Agrawala : Matsya Purana : A Study, Varanasi, Deo in a dream to take her away and worship in 1963, pp. 105-107.

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8. Sakti Cult in Orissa, op.cit., p. 182. 19. Interview with Nilamani Mohapatra, the head priest of Bhattarika held on 15.9.2004. 9. Orissa Review,Vol. VIII, No. 3, Oct. 2001, p. 21. 20. N. N. Bhattacharya : Indian Mother Goddess, 10. Ibid., Calcutta, 1971, p. 78. 11. K. C. Panigrahi : History of Orissa, Cuttack, 1975, 21. R. N. : Religious Institutions and Cults in p. 353. the Decan, Delhi, 1973, p. 76. 12. Cultural Heritage of Orissa, op.cit., p. 7. 22. Interview with Gadadhar Mohapatra the priest of 13. L. Pujapanda, : Srikhetres Wari, Bimala (Orissa), the goddess, Maa Charchika on 10.10.2004. Puri, 1976, p. 13. 23. P.K. Das : Orissa Review, Temples of Nayagarh 14. H. C. Das : Religions of Orissa, OHRJ, Vol. XXX, District : An Overview, Vol. LX, No. 10, pp. 35 - 38, Nos. 2,3 and 4, Bhubaneswar, p. 133, 1972. Bhubaneswar, May 2004. 15. H.C. Das : Sakti Pitha-A Study, Bhubaneswar, 1994, 24. Ibid., p. 114. 25. G.D. Pattnayak : Narasinghpur Itihas, 16. Interview with Sadananda Mohapatra, the priest Bhubaneswar, 1943, p. 76. of Maa Charchika held on 10.9.04. 26. Ibid. 17. H. Bhattacharya : Cultural Heritage of India, Calcutta, 1969, pp. 74 - 76. Pareswar Sahoo is a Ph. D. Research Scholar in P.G. 18. A. K. Rath : Studies on Some Aspects of History Dept. of History, Utkal University, Vani vihar, and Culture of Orissa, Calcutta, 1987, p. 84. Bhubaneswar.

Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik inaugurating new Traffic Tower Building at Angul on 4.9.2005. Shri Nagendra Kumar Pradhan, Minister, School & Mass Education is also present.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

Place of Goddess Bimala in the Cult of

Durgamadhab Das

Goddess Bimala is the Pitha-Devi of Srikshetra, of intellect and the elephant, the expression of Puri. She is described as Shrikshetraswari in , the adversarial qualities of the Jiva. The many Puranas of our mythology. She is the main combination of the two animals in the aforesaid goddess in the Temple of Lord Jagannath. The disposition goes on to say that, when intellect temple of Bimala is a very old shrine. A four- reigns supreme, the Jiva is freed from the negative roomed structure, it is situated in the southwest qualities of human nature like lust, greed, hatred, corner of Jagannath Temple complex at Puri. The anger, jealousy and so on. Avidya actually hinders construction of the temple dates back to the rule the spiritual progress of an aspirant. If Avidya is of Ganga dynasty. It is believed that the shrine of vanquished, spiritual progress in general becomes Bimala was built on the foundations of an earlier possible and the Jiva is on spiritual march without Shakta shrine dedicated to some other goddess obstruction to attain the goal of life. This is the of the time. As stated in Madala Panji, the first underlying concept of the lion and elephant temple of Bimala, which refers to the above sculpture situated in front Bimala temple and by position was constructed during the time of the the side of Rohini-Kunda in Jagannath Temple Somavanshi king, named Jaya-I. It is stated in complex at Puri. the history of Orissa that the present structure of The image of goddess Bimala is made in the Bimala temple was built during the rule of chlorite stone. The image is consecrated in the Ananta Varman Chodaganga Dev in the first half temple in a full-bloomed lotus pedestal. The image of the 12th Century. Goddess Bimala is entirely a is deified as Bhairabi having four hands in a divine Shakta deity. manifestation, one hand holding a rosary known There is a small concrete structure in front as Akshyamala, another hand holding a serpent of the temple of Bimala. It is adorned with the known as Nagaphasa, still another hand holding image of a lion pouncing upon the image of an a pot of ambrosia known as Amrit Kalasa and elephant. The posture of the animals has a the fourth hand displaying Varada-pose, a pose significant disposition. The position of the lion of blessing. Bimala is described as the prowess pouncing on a crouching elephant is the symbolic of delusion. She is at the same time invoked as expression of the soul ruling over the intellect of Kriya-shakti (the prowess of action) of Lord the Jiva. The lion represents the soul and the Balabhadra, Ichha-shakti (the prowess of will) elephant the intellect. Some scholars are of the of Subhadra and Maya shakti (the prowess of opinion that the lion here conveys the expression the delusion) of Lord Jagannath. Not only this,

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She is also worshiped as Mahakali, Mahalaxmi In the Siva Purana, Siva is described as and Mahasaraswati constituting the Shakti Triad the Lord of the Universe. He is also described as in the Shakti cult of Hindu mythology. Bimala is the Supreme Brahman and the celestial cause all-powerful as the ruling governess of the Temple behind the creation of the universe. Dakshya, in of Lord Jagannath and venerated as Srikhestra these Puranas is described as the son of 's Rajeswari and Sripada Rajeswari. We also get divine will and his birth had a divine mission. Yet, to know many more details about Bimala in the under the influence of Maya, the divine illusion, Hindu scriptures like the Devi Bhabagbat and Dakshya was motivated to commit an incredible Kalika Purana. aberration in not inviting Lord Siva to the sacrificial function of the family. In the analogy of the cosmic The Puranic descriptions say that one day pastime, this was a negative happening and yet Dakshya , the Manasaputra (willed son) this, like every positive happening, had a divine of Brahma, the Creator of the Universe, held a purpose. According to the Puranic descriptions, divine sacrifice in his place. He invited to this Sati was insulted at her father's place with a divine function all gods, demigods and all his son-in-laws purpose. However, Sati tolerated everything so but not Lord Siva, the consort of Dakshya's long as his father's actions were directed against daughter, Sati. Siva did not mind the lapse of her individual self. But things went beyond control Dakshya Prajapati. But Sati was greatly when Dakshya insulted Lord Siva. Now, Sati, bewildered. She remembered the days when she awfully intolerant, jumped into the sacrificial fire. was given in marriage to Lord Siva against the All those present there were but silent witnesses will of her father. Narada Maharshi, brother of to the incredible happening. They counted danger Dakshya Prajapati, was actually instrumental in at hand. When Siva received the information, he this marriage. But for him, her marriage with Siva got wild at the loss of her beloved Sati. He could not have been possible. Sati therefore immediately rushed to Dakshya's place where the concluded that, out of a revengeful attitude, her sacrifice was being performed. He witnessed all father had not probably invited Lord Siva to the that had happened there. In no time, he took out aforesaid function. But Sati could not avoid the the half-burnt body of Sati from the sacred fire of function despite the ill treatment meted out to her the sacrifice and, stretching it on his shoulders, he husband. After all she was a daughter. How could started doing Tandab, frenzied by a historical she remain away from the function, which was impulse. The goddess of Earth could not bear the organized by none other than her own father? So poundage of the Lord's steps. So she she decided to attend the function, albeit uninvited accompanied by the Devas, went to in the usual order. She appealed to Siva to permit and appealed to Lord Vishnu for immediate help her to attend the function. At first he denied saying to alleviate her distress. Vishnu having realized that one should not attend a function without her perplexities consoled goddess Earth that he proper invitation. Yet, when Sati insisted on his was fast going to Dakshya Prajapati's place to permission, at last he permitted her and Sati thus intervene in the unprecedented catastrophe and proceeded to her father's place and attended the solve her hardship in no time. Vishnu came to the sacrificial function. Dakshya Prajapati was neither spot. Siva was then awfully insolent in his dancing happy nor unhappy seeing her daughter Sati at poses. Vishnu used his divine disc and severed his place. the half -burnt body of Sati from Siva's possession.

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The body of Sati thus decapitated was scattered this legend, once, on a special religious occasion, to different places. With the severing of Sati's body Maharshi Narada had the privilege to visit from his possession, Siva came to his senses. It is Vaikuntha, the abode of Lord Vishnu. He had the believed in this connection that, the leg portions darshan of the Lord and his consort Mahalaxmi of Sati's body fell in Nilachal Dham of Udradesha. in their celestial position. Lord Vishnu was gracious At a later period, the temple of goddess Bimala enough to offer him Prasad in his own hands. was constructed at that place. This is how Bimala Maharshi Narad enjoyed the Prasad and felt is known and worshipped as Pada Pitheswari and immensely blessed and gratified. Then he left Pada Rajasweri in the Temple of Lord Jagannath. Vaikuntha and moved across the sky singing the Here, some scholars are inclined to hold that after name of Lord Narayana. Lord Siva was seated severing of Sati's half-burnt body, her tongue then in Kailash in deep meditation. The spiritual portion fell at Nilachal Dham. So the citadel of ecstasy of Narada had the divine feeling of a goddess Bimala is also worshipped as the gleaming lustrous aura, which shook Yogiraj Siva embodiment of her celestial tongue. There is a from his spiritual repose. Siva opened his eyes as legendary belief that, because of this reason, the Narada passed across Kailash. He looked onto women of Udradesha while worshipping gods and the sky and had a glance at Narada Maharshi's goddesses ululate in devotion to invoke their splendorous drift in divine sublimation. Seeing the divine power. The practice of ululation, it is said, Lord seated in meditation, Narada Maharshi has originated from Udradesha i.e. Utkal for the descended on Kailash and said his usual prayer aforesaid reason. This practice is not seen in any to Lord Siva. The Lord said to Maharshi Narada, other part of India. "How come you are so delighted today ?" Goddess Bimala , as described in the Maharshi said, Bhagawan, I had been to Vaikuntha scripture, has an infallible yearning for the Prasad today. Lord Vishnu, graciously pleased, fed me of Lord Jagannath in her daily ritualistic oblation. Prasad in his own hands. I enjoyed its immaculate It is further said that, the Devi assumed this form divine taste, the one of which I had never enjoyed in the Kaliyug (Iron Age) only to be worshipped before. This is the cause of all that you see in me in the massive Temple of Lord Jagannath with the today." Immensely gratified with his testimony, offering of Lord's Prasad. Pursuant to the Lord Siva requested Narada to give him some customary religious practices of the Temple, Prasad. In fact, Lord Siva also wanted to have everyday the Prasad of Lord Jagannath is re- the same divine gratification like Narada. But offered to goddess Bimala in a golden plate. It is Narada was virtually helpless. He remembered then that the Prasad comes out of the Temple as well that he had consumed the entire stock in Mahaprasad for the consumption of the devotees. Vaikuntha. He explained his helplessness to Lord This ceremonial offering is not noticed in any other Siva. But Siva was not prepared to leave Narada temple of India. This is a peculiar religious after hearing his explanation. He noticed at a practice, which is symbolic of both Shakta and corner of Naradaji's mouth a morsel of Kaibalya. Vaishnavite rites. Taking the morsel from his mouth, he took it with utmost satisfaction. Lo and behold ! Siva too had How could this practice be introduced in a similar divine sensation. In no time, he was the Temple of Lord Jagannath ? A Puranic legend stooped to unusual divine swings in his eternal explains its religious background. According to celestial dance. Now Parvati appeared on the

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

scene. She could not believe her eyes seeing the from the first day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra. celestial dance of the Lord. She came to know The second one falls in the month of Aswina all details about the cause of Lord's excitement (Sept.-Oct.). This is celebrated for sixteen days from Maharshi Narad. Parvati was the better half starting from the 8th day of the dark fortnight of of the Lord. In that way, she was also entitled to Aswina. Goddess Durga and Lord Madhab are a portion of the Prasad, which the Lord had taken the presiding deities of this ritual. Before from Narada. She started fretting the moment she welcoming the deities to the acropolis, the blessings learnt from Narad that the Lord had taken the of Subhadra are invoked by the priests for the entire morsel and that nothing was left out for her. successful celebration of the ritual. According to In a frenzy of excitement, She resorted to the practice being followed in this connection, the austerities beseeching the blessings of Lord Vishnu golden idol of Durga is consecrated on the stone for Kaibalya Prasad. Gratified with her devotion, platform of the temple. Thereafter the idol of Lord Vishnu appeared before her and offered her Durga, after a formal customary rite, is taken to Kaibalya, which she was frantically craving. Majanamandap and installed there on a special Vishnu also blessed her saying that in Kaliyug, he divan. The image of Madhab is then brought to would make his appearance in Daru form in this place and placed by the side of goddess Nilachal Dham by the side of sea in Udradesha. Durga. After completion of all the rituals over There, he would be offered Prasad in the form of here, the deities, Druga and Madhab, a rare rice. Parvati would have the most sacred privilege combination in the Pantheon order of the Temple, of being worshipped in His Temple in the name are taken to Bimala temple and seated in a of Bimala and partake of his Prasad in the order palanquin for ritualistic worship. The last eight days of a customary practice. The Prasad that would of the ritual are performed in of come out of his Temple would be then known as Dolamandap sahi (street) of Puri. On the seventh, Mahaprasad. This is how the Prasad of Jagannath eighth and ninth days of the fortnight, the servitors Temple has come to be known as Mahaprasad of the Temple make a temporary kitchen by the and the glorifying eminence of Bimala has come side of the temple of the goddess Bimala. The down over the ages in the Cult of Lord Jagannath. Prasad of the goddess is prepared for these three Bimala has thus come to be known as the craver days at the temporary kitchen. As per the practice of Mahaprasad of Lord Jagannath. She is the being followed, on Mahasaptami, Mahastami and celestial amalgamation of both Vaishnabi and Mahanavami, fish is specially caught from Bhairabi Tatwa and in this sense, goddess Bimala Narendra Tank, Puri and, after proper cooking is associated with Durgamadhab Puja, which is in the temporary kitchen, the curry is offered to unique of its kind in Hindu mythology. It may be goddess Bimala in the ritualistic oblation. Not mentioned here that Durgamadhab Puja has only this. On the Mahastami night, a goat is killed originated from Udradesha i.e Utkal. in full obeisance of the goddess and then offered According to the ritual of Durgamadhab to the goddess by the servitor-priests through a worship, both Bhairabi and Madhab are secret passage to her temple. This sacrifice is worshipped at one place two times in a year in performed at mid-night after the temple of the Temple of Lord Jagannath. The first ritual of Jagannath is closed. The offering is not directly this order falls in the month of Chaitra (March- presented to Bimala. It is offered to an image of April). This ritual is celebrated for nine days starting Dakhinakali enshrined within the Jagamohana of

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the temple. The sacrifice testifies to celebration Bimala is no different from Vishnu. It is said in the of Shakta rites encapsulated in the Tantrik order. scriptures of our mythology that Lord Vishnu During Durgapuja, Bimala is regarded and deified assumes Devi Shakti when he embarks upon an as both Durga and Bhairabi. The Devi, during this adventurous operation to vanquish evil and restore period, is worshipped in red garment akin to the righteousness on the earth. Bimala and Durga are customary rituals of Tripura Bhairabi. Thus in the one. Bimala is worshipped as Durga during worship pattern of this Temple, we notice a Dashahara Puja in the Temple of Lord Jagannath. combination of Vaishnavite and Shakta rites which Bimala is believed to be the nourisher of the world is peculiar to the Temple of Lord Jagannath. and bestower of happiness and well being of Bimala is evidently a Shakta deity. She is mankind. She is addressed and worshipped in the earliest Shakta deity of Purusottama different names and although a Shakta deity, She Srikshetra. But her Vaishnavi character is more enjoys a dignified place in the Vaishnavite cult of conspicuous on account of her infatuation about Hindu mythology. the Prasad of Lord Jagannath. This is a Vaishnavite inclination. The origin of the Bimala of Purusottama Srikshetra goes back to a hoary past. It is believed that she emerged as the Pithadevi of Nilachal, Puri even before the Shri Durgamadhab Das lives at C-80, Palasapalli, emergence of Lord Jagannath at this place. Bhubaneswar - 20.

Hon'ble Chief Minister, Shri Naveen Patnaik inaugurating District Consumer Dispute Redressal (DCDRF) Forum Building at Angul on 4.9.2005. Shri Nagendra Kumar Pradhan, Minister, School & Mass Education is also Present.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

Sakti Worship During the Ganga Rule (An Epigraphical Study)

Bharati Pal

The Gangas ruled over the glorious country Lord of the Universe, from whom the avataras Kalinga from 6th century A.D. to about 14th of Vishnu are borne, has been called as Bhairava century A.D. They conquered Utkala and unified in association of Saktism. According to the it with their own kingdom in the first quarter of Buddhist Tantra, there exists a wonderful world 12th century A.D., then they shifted their within the celestial world of a where the Lord headquarters from Kalinganagara to Jagannatha, with his Sakti is seated on a hundred Varanasikataka, the modern Cuttack on the petaled lotus, made of gold and flouted on the bank of the river Mahanadi. In the time of the surface of the water of the Kshira-Samudra.2 Gangas prior to Chodaganga they were residing at Kalinganagara and worshipping Siva and Saktism took a different form in the Ganga period. In this period all male deities were Sakti who were installed at Mukhalingam in 3 the temple of Madhukesvara. provided with consorts or female counterparts. The innovation introduced shows that during the From the historical records it is known Ganga period it was thought necessary to provide that before the advent of the Imperial Gangas, consorts to all male deities. The temple of Parvati Orissa was under the Somavamsi kings who were in the compound was built in devout Saivite. It is known that their headquarter the Ganga period. The great temple of Konark was located near Jajpur which was a religious had originally a temple of Chhaya, the consort of centre of Saktas. The principal Goddess was Sun God. In the compound of the Jagannath Viraja, who was the important deity of the temple at Puri the temples of Vimala and Lakshmi previous kings of the Bhaumakara dynasty. So seems to have been built during the Ganga period, Anantavarman Chodagangadeva, the ruler of the which proves that Saktism took a different turn in Imperial Ganga dynasty conquered Utkala by Orissa. defeating the Somavamsi King and shifted his capital to Varanasikataka, the present Cuttack city Though the Ganga rulers patronized of Orissa. His empire extended from Ganga in Vaishnavism, the worshipping of Sakti still was prevalent which has been revealed from their the north to the river Godavari in the south. His 4 religious centre was Puri where he constructed epigraphical records. A copper plate grants of the great temple of Lord Sri Jagannatha. He Anantavarman Chodagangadeva which was installed the images of Siva and Sakti1 within the issued in 1084 A.D. states that he registered the premises of Jagannatha temple. Vimala the gifts of the village of Sellada in the Rupavartani principal goddess has been worshipped in the Vishaya to Komarachandra, son of Nanni Pangu same temple premises in the process of Saktism. and grandson of Vellana Pangu, a resident of As the Sakti cult is also present at Jagannath Talagrama for worship, offering and lamps of the temple it shows the inter-relation between Saktism goddess Bhagavati of Sellada village. He also and Vaishnavism. It is therefore clear that the God donated the land for the repair of the temple. Jagannatha who is considered as the Supreme Another grant was made by the Eastern Ganga

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ruler Yuvaraj Rajendra Varman in favour of the the epithet Paramamahesvara (a devout goddess Kanchipotti Bhattarika. The Pattali grant5 worshipper of the God Mahesvara or Siva) and was issued from Kalinganagara by Yuvaraja the imperial title Paramabhattaraka and also has Rajendravarman, in which he is described as the been described as the son of the Goddess Durga. son of Maharajadhiraja, Paramesvara. Parama It is clear from the statement that Narasimha I Bhattaraka Ananta Varman of Eastern Ganga was devoted to Mahesvara and his consort Durga. family. The object of the charter is to record the He is also described as the son of God grant of the village Pattali situated in the territorial Purushottama, the Creator of the Universe. It is unit called , in favour of the goddess therefore interesting to note that the Kapilas Kanchipotti Bhattarika. The grant was made in Inscription represent Narasimha I as order to facilitate for her offerings like bali, charu Paramamahesvara, Durga-Putra and etc. (Srimat Kanchipotti-Bhattarikayo-Va (ba) Purushottama-Putra. His father Anangabhima III linivedya-charnimita (ttaya). It also records that himself is also called both Paramamahesvara as Loka-Mahadevi, mother of Rajendravarman well as Purushottama-Putra, -Putra and granted the village Kusa Sarikiragrama in Durga-Putra in one of his inscriptions in the Siva Dapupanchali and Arali-grama in Jambotta- temple at ,10 which records the grant Panchali in favour of the same deity Kanchipotti- made by the king in favour of the Saiva shrine in Bhattarika. The grant was issued in the year 313 his 8th Anka or 6th regnal year. of the Ganga Era. The temple of goddess Mahishamardini The opening verses of some Ganga Durga called Dvaravasini11 is situated on the charters are devoted to the adoration of Lakshmi eastern bank of the Bindusarovara at and her husband (Vishnu). In the Nagari plates6 Bhubaneswar. There is one inscription of of Anagabhima, Verse I is in adoration to the Narasimhadeva in this temple, where the king has Goddess of Prosperity (Lakshmi) while the used the epithet Durga-Putra. following verse speaks of her husband. The The reign of Ganga is an important land relationship between Rajaraja and Rajasundari mark in the history of Orissa. The outstanding fact has been compared to that between Lakshmi and in the religious history of the Ganga is the revival Narayana. The same thing is repeated while of Bhrahmanical Hinduism. The Gangas were referring to Jakalladevi as the queen of 7 originally Saivas but after the conquest of Utkala Bhanudeva. So the association of Lakshmi with they were attracted to Vaishnavism. They Narayana is found in many inscriptions of Ganga encouraged the principle of tolerance towards period. other cults. Saivism continued to be a major cult Lakshmi was primarily an agricultural and Ganga rulers continued to show reverence goddess8 developing out of a primitive fertility cult to Siva by building temples for him and donating and that is why she is still worshipped with paddy lands for their maintenance. Similarly the corn and cowrie shells. Later on, she became the construction of Parvati temple in the compound presiding deities of trade and commerce, and of Lingaraja temple at Bhubaneswar and Lakshmi ultimately symbolized royal fortune. But the and Vimala inside the Jagannatha temple at Puri inscriptions bear no trace of her agrarian or are examples to show the religious catholicity of commercial associations. She is just the symbol the Gangas towards different religious cults, of wealth or Sri, born from the ocean of milk and particularly the Sakti cults. bestower of all happiness. Many Ganga rulers also used the title such as Durga-putra. In the Kapilas Stone Bharati Pal is the Assistant Curator (Epigraphy), Orissa Inscription9 of Narasimhadeva I, the king has used State Museum, Bhubaneswar.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

Devi Cult in Medieval Hinduism and Jainism

Dr. Gouri Shankar Tripathy

A Jain writer of tenth century Somadeva had referred to the Cult of Chandika. In his Bhabasamgraha, Devasena, a few decades earlier, mentioned about the killing of goats at the altar of Chandika.

In Somdeva's Yasastilaka the most important is, Mahakala Siva and the offering of flesh cut out of of course, that of Candamari which forms the one's own body as an oblation in the fire which is starting point of the matter among the non-Jain the self torture as described by Somdeva as being cult. Human sacrifice was an essential feature of practised by certain fanatics in the temple of the worship of that goddess. To some extent it is Candamari. The offering of slices of one's own gruesome and fantastic. There was another form flesh to the devi has bean mentioned in of Chandika in the tenth century A.D. as is evident Kuvalayamala composed by Uddyatana in the from the descriptions of the devi and the blood eighth century A.D. In the seventh century A.D. stained temple in works like Kadambari of Bana, the Chinese traveller Yuan Chwang visited a temple the great writer of repute and Haribhadra's at Prayag where certain devotees committed Sumaraiccakaha. The Deity is called also suicide in the hope of gaining the Swarga of the Katyayani and Kadambari. In his work gods. Vasavadatta, Subandhu refers to the shrine of Katyayani while narrating the city of Kusumapura On the island of Mandhata in the which was otherwise known as Pataliputra. In Narmada situated in the Nirmar district of the then Malatimadhava the goddess appears as Karala Central Province, a similar practice was or Chamunda to whom a human victim is to be prevailing. At the eastern end of the island over offered by a in accordance with the the rocks of the river brink, the terrible god Kala great Bhavabhuti. She appears as Vindhyasini to Bhairav resided where the devotees until recent whom lengthy hymn is addressed by Yasovarman times were in the habit of dashing themselves on in Gandavaho of Vakpati. The Goddess is also the Birkhala cliffs. In 1824, the last such offering called as Narayani, Sabari and Chandi. to Kala Bhairava was witnessed. In Somadeva's Yasastilaka the shrine of Chandamari is called Among other things, sacrifice of the Mahabhairava which is really significant. A human victim and the custom of selling human flesh Chauhan Rajput named Bharat Singh took as depicted in the hymn in question is really Mandhata from Nathu Bhil in 1165 A.D. It is said gruesome and horrible. In another context that a priest named Daryao used to worship Harsacharita of Bana refers to the burning of Omkar on the island for the protection of Guggulu resin on the head while supplicating the the pilgrims. As the legend goes, that Daryao Nath

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by his austerities shut up Kali Devi, the consort has been regarded as one of the finest specimens of Kala Bhairava who fed on human flesh in a of India as found in the so-called cave. The mouth of the cave is still shown to the Mahisasuramandapa. pilgrims visiting the place. For of the worship of On a much smaller scale, in a beautiful Omkar Siva, the disciples of Daryao Nath still panel discovered near the Siva temple at Bhumara enjoy landed property allotted to them. In these of the early Gupta - period a wonderful scene is traditional accounts it is difficult to separate fact represented the goddess is four-armed, where from fiction. Evidently at a later time, an abnormal with a sword in one hand and a trident in another, kind of tantric cult seems to have developed in putting the left foot on the head of the Buffalo and Mandhata. This is "Bamamarga" as narrated in grasps his tail with one of her hands. Yasastilaka of Somadeva which is a debased type of Saivism. One of the worshippers is shown as cutting off the tresses of his hair with a sword as a From about the seventh century onwards votive offering to the goddess in Draupadi Rath it seems to have been widely prevalent as the Devi which is quite noteworthy. As described by came to be known by different names such as Somadeva and others, such practices are, of Chandika, Katyayani, Bhavani, Durga etc. The course, far different from the various forms of self- Shakti worship must be distinguished from the torture, practised in connection with the cult of abnormal ritual mentioned by Somedeva in his Candamari or Chandika. In Yasastilaka, the Yasastilaka as is ordinarily practised. About 64 practices narrated belong to an abnormal kind of kms south of Chennai there are two rock-cut the cult appealing to the fanaticism of a limited temples dedicated to Sri Durga at Mamallapuram class of worshippers. now known as Mahabalipuram. Out of the two temples on the sea-coast one is known as Kotikal In later times, some of the old temples Mandap and the other one is Draupadi Rath. dedicated to Devi have been rebuilt. The temple Kotikal Mandap is a primitive-looking shrine of Amba Bhavani is an important centre of consisting of a hall of size 22 feet long and 8 feet pillgrimage situated on the summit of the hills of width. Draupadi Rath is a beautifully carved shrine Arasur at the south-western extremity of the with a domical roof with a figure of Durga inside. Aravali range. It lays claim to a remote antiquity. There is a huge rock-cut figure of Durga's About 32 kms to the south east of Baroda vehicle, the ferocious lion, carved in front of the the ancient town of Dabhoi contains a temple temple. Near the temple facing the sea, a number dedicated to Bhadra Kalika Mata. To the right of of crudely fashioned figures of the goddess and the famous Hira Gate at Dabhoi on the east side her vehicle lion are also carved on some of the of the old fort it is situated and stands in honour isolated rocks. The figure of Durga is four-armed of the same goddess on the site of an older shrine. in the so-called Draupadi Rath. It has been Probably it was built around 1255 A.D. by portrayed standing on a lotus pedestal with two Vishaldev Baghela. Of the monuments of the Pre- worshippers kneeling at her feet. In one of the Muslim period in Gujarat, this temple is one of large panels of the walls of the temple known as the most important architectural monuments. On the Varahamandapa, these features are also seen the lofty summit of the hill of Pavagadh situated in the representation of the goddess. The goddess about 38 kms north east of Baroda, another Devi with eight arms, trampling on the head of a buffalo temple known as Kalika Mata stands in glory. occurs on the facade of the temple in a For many centuries as the guardian deity of the panel. Not only in India but in Java also, the story hills, the goddess has been worshipped on the of Durga slaying the buffalo demon is popular. A rocky peak. As a place of pilgrimage developed remarkable fight of the goddess with the demon under the rulers of Anhilvad Patan the shrine is

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visible from a distance of many miles in the plain to end. It has one head, ten arms all holding clubs below and is no doubt very ancient. In the Garoth and wearing pendents of skulls. There is a district of M.P., an ancient temple of Devi exist at scorpion on its chest and a rat on its right side, the small village of Antri which is venerated by while one foot rest on a smaller prostrate human Rajputs throughout Malwa and Mewar. With the figure. This huge image no doubt represents materials collected from the ruins of an older Chamunda or Mahakali. It was evidently intended shrine, the present temple is built in a modern to be placed in a colossal temple which was never structure. completed. With huge basalt salt rocks, slightly A couple of miles from the frontier of curved in some places, the entire bed of the revine Hyderabad, and six miles east of Kajgaon station is covered. in the east Khandesh district a small temple In different parts of India, temples of dedicated to the god Sambhu is built outside the Durga appear to have been built during the village Dighi. The sanctum contains a small Linga medieval period. Four miles to the north of Kalinga and a large standing image of Devi. A niche on Pattanam in the then Ganjam District, an the north wall of the Mandap contains a dancing inscription was discovered in the village Dirghasi figure of Chamunda. In an emaciated body she which records the erection of a Mandap in front has four hands. She holds a trident, a skull-mace of the Durga temple at Dirghasi by a Brahmin and a skull cup in her three hands. Chieftain named Ganapati who was in the service A small revine on the north bank of the of the eastern Ganga king Raja Raja I of Orissa. Narmada, very close to the island of Mandhata is popularly known as the Rawna Nala which contains a figure stretched out on the ground facing downward and is 18 feet in length. It is crudely Dr. Gourishankar Tripathy lives at 847, Kapil Prasad, carved in bold relief on four basalt slabs laid, end P.O. Sundarpada, Bhubaneswar- 751002.

Information & Public Relations Department, Kolkata Office organised Debate Competition among the Oriya High School Students and prizes with certificates were awarded to them on the occasion of Independence Day - 2005 at Kolkata. Shri Saidutta Biplab Kumar Pradhan, Manager Utkal Bhawan distributing the prizes.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

The Mother's Mirror

Prafulla Sahoo

Golden flowers of wine obliging to ritualistic worship bloom brazenly of earthen embodiment ? on the road-side Kadamb tree, with infected torn under-garments Since, numerous cosmic bodies of a gang-raped woman across the endless expanse drying under its boughs; with inherent when in the mid-yard of gambling malice and magnanimity today's God-fathers are mirrored reflections are harvesting of your creative satanic affluences and playful instinct; through remote-controlled why don't you set apart crime and terror. your dualistic game-plan and add a new leaf The ostentetious river to your 'Will's Dictionary' of carnal pleasure sprinkling heavenly nectar is overflowing its boundaries on this blessed planet, ravaging green pastures and sprouting only of ancient, Aryan culture. angelic brilliants, Don't you see honest, innocent Oh, Mother Divine; and so truthfully humane ? Your benefic creation of beauty and veracity, Why don't you under devilish pressure, Oh, Mother, Omnipotent; is pale, panicky and penurious tastefully decorate awaiting your the earth instead compassionate manifastation ? as your permanent abode with celestial architecture They are millions and millions and loving care ? of buffalo - demons; how many can you slay within short stay of Shri Prafulla Chandra Sahoo lives at Budhima Lane, Dutta sixteen days Tota, Puri-1.

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Tributes and Statements of Mahatma Gandhi on Madhusudan Das

Surasinha Patnaik

The collection of 'Tributes and Statements of Mahatma Gandhi on Madhusudan Das' containing seventeen references of Mahatma Gandhi is really a historic document which had projected Madhusudan Das the maker of modern Orissa and the mentor of Mahatma Gandhi in real perspective, wiping out the dusts that had settled down on his image by sheer distortion of facts and by misleading interpretation of the statements and events. The facts presented in this unique collection are so revealing and startling that they may ultimately lead to replacing of priorities and to redrafting of few chapters of Orissan history of pre-independence era. By these efforts Madhusudan Das can be projected in his original glow and stature brilliantly resplendent in the rare insight and innovative vision he possessed coupled with his exceptional qualities of alacrity and steadfastness in execution of projects he conceived.

It is really astounding that the all embracing and first stressed by a Russian writer T.M. Bondaref. wide ranging vision of Madhusudan Das was quite Tolstoy advertised it and gave it wide publicity".1 closer to the highly evocative intellectual Surprisingly, Madhusudan Das spoke in perceptions of Count Leo Tolstoy, who had the same language, "the hand is supreme. The hand exerted deeply stirring impact on the highly that eats the bread should earn it".2 How forceful, receiptive yet delicately sensitive mind of Mahatma and compelling his words were. Gandhi. Count Leo Tolstoy and Madhusudan Das breathed the same air, drew inspiration from the Tolstoy was born on 28th August 1828 same source and having the same thoughts though and Madhusudan Das was born only twenty years they were brought up in two different regions of after the birth of Tolstoy on 28th April 1848. In the world and belonged to different cultural the mental set up both belonged to that age of backgrounds. The neighbourly feeling exuded by medieval tradition where thought was upheld in them have the same triumphing pull and same pristine purity, communion of Godhead with man pulsation of life. Mahatma Gandhi, the trusted was spontaneous and the spirit of idealism was disciple of Tolstoy projected the vision of his burning effulgently shedding light in the seething mentor in the following words; darkness. Both lived a rich and rewarding life like a king in the midst of affluence and in the end of "The divine law is, man must earn his their life, they reached the stage of homelessness, bread by labouring with his own hands'. It was devoid of any wealth and property. Madhusudan

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Das, the maker of the Modern Orissa exerted a programmes and ideologies with a spirit of total deep and widely stirring influence on the highly dedication. sensitive and encompassing mind of Mahatma Swadeshi Industrial endeavour (1896- Gandhi, the effect of which remained unfaltered 1930), reduction of Salt tax and revival of Salt and undiminished throughout his entire life. Industry (1896-1930), removal of untouchability Mahatma Gandhi had held Madhusudan Das as and rehabilitation of depressed community in the his mentor at the time of formulating his sphere of industrial undertaking (1898-1930), recuperative programmes for economic improvement of handloom weaving (1930 resurgence of the country, for spearheading his onward), Hindu Muslim unity (1888), Charakha Swadeshi Industrial Movement embracing the as a symbol of rural resurgence (1902 onwards), entire country and for the rehabilitation of forlorn preservation of the rights of the peasants (1912), and dejected untouchables as a measure of social organisations of Praja Parishadas the Peasants reformation and regeneration. Organisation (1909), integrated and The life of Madhusudan Das was deeply comprehensive growth of agricultural and industrial committed for the cause of alienated untouchables sectors (1896 onwards), scientific processing of and underprivileged minority communities, whose agricultural commodities (1904 onwards), rights were perpetually infringed, putting them at reservation for untouchables in the committee of the mercy of the affluent classes. But the management of local bodies (1923) and assigning triumphant spirit deeply ingrained in Madhusudan a place to the labour in the management of Das, revolted and raised a shrill voice in protest industrial undertaking - Utkal Tannery (1919) etc.3 against the evil plots designed to subjugate them. From the memoirs of Suryamoni Nayak, The anguished and frozen faces of the depressed the caretaker of Chittaranjan Das, it was revealed classes tormented the restless spirit of that Madhusudan Das had his first contact with Madhusudan Das and the naked and hostile Mahatma Gandhi in the month of December 1920 attacks on the weaker section of the community when he was assigned with the highly interactable stressed Madhusudan to inner core of his heart. job of bridging the yawning gap between In fact, he was a Messiah of the downtrodden 4 people. Mahatma Gandhi and Chittaranjan Das. Practically at the instance of Rabindranath Tagore Gaining abiding strength in carrying on he had to persuade Chittaranjan Das to remain experiment with the truth in South Africa, under the all-embracing sway of Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in the year Though this was a very tiring job, Madhusudan 1915. Madhusudan Das was far ahead of Das through his compassionate and Mahatma Gandhi in the implementation of the communicative bearing could able to bring the two programme relating to Swadesi industrialisation, stalwarts together without avoiding the clash of rehabilitation of untouchables and social their egos. During his first parley at Calcutta, reconstruction. In fact Madhusudan Das started Madhusudan Das apprised Mahatma Gandhi with these works since 1895. the pioneering ventures he had taken up in Orissa, Much before the arrival of Mahatma for bringing about lasting changes in the rural Gandhi in the Indian political scene, Madhusudan economy and for the rehabilitation of alienated had long since implemented Gandhiji's following untouchables.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

From the chronological sequences, Mahatma Gandhi, adversely affecting his health. recorded in the reminiscences incorporated in the Blood pressure was running high with a slight autobiography of Sailabala Das named 'A Look temperature in the body when he reached Cuttack back and After' it is learnt that Madhusudan Das and pined for Madhusudan Das. Congress after renouncing his ministerial assignments at workers had made arrangements for his stay. But Patna in the year 1923, had proceeded to Madhusudan joining Mahatma Gandhi at the point Sabarmati Ashram in the year 1924 to revive his of his arrival had practically snatched him away. old acquaintance with Mahatma Gandhi and to On reaching the residence of Madhusudan, resolve the financial crunch through which Utkal Mahatma Gandhi felt relaxed. The very touch of Tannery was passing.5 Both the master minds his fingers gave him immediate relief.8 came together face to face and reviewed the entire In the deliberation with Mahatma Gandhi, gamut of circumstances and situations the country Madhusudan Das laid stress on the introduction was facing with. On this occasion particularly for of rural industries and handicrafts in the villages, Mahatma Gandhi, this meeting was highly which would have an invigorating effect on the rewarding yielding bountiful returns. During their rural society. The application of the fingers, in deliberations, the vision of Mahatma Gandhi was producing an industrial product would have its widened to a legendary proportions. At the close immediate impact on the psyche of a person, of the deliberation, Madhusudan Das invited keeping him alert, smart, intelligent and Mahatma Gandhi to come down to Cuttack for enterprising. visiting the Utkal Tannery, which was conceived After fully recovering from the illness, and designed as a fore-running venture for the Mahatma Gandhi left Cuttack on 21st December rehabilitation of the subjugated untouchables. to attend the All India National Congress Session In response to the request made by held at Madras. Madhusudan Das, Mahatma Gandhi came down During these four recorded contacts of to Cuttack on 19.8.1925 and visited the Utkal Mahatma Gandhi with Madhusudan Das the total Tannery which had practical kept him non- period of interaction was hardly less than a week. plussed, perceiving the size and the enormity of Yet the effect of these significant and memorable the venture. The visit had a electrifying effect on meetings with Madhusudan Das, on the psyche Mahatma Gandhi. To salvage the Utkal Tannery of Mahatma Gandhi was so startling, he decided to acquire the project which did not 6 overpowering and engrossing that within the span of course materialise. However later on of the period from 1925 to 1938, Mahatma Mahatma Gandhi started a tannery at Sabarmati Gandhi had not only paid tributes to Madhusudan Ashram during the year 1928 after seeking Das in glowing terms by writing nearly seventeen 7 detailed guidance from Madhusudan Das. articles and write ups in Young India, Harijan, Mahatma Gandhi arrived in Orissa on his Navajivan, Harijan Bandhu, Hindu, Bombay marathon tour covering a period of nearly a Chronicle and other leading papers but also had fortnight. He entered Orissa on 3rd December placed Madhusudan Das with deep reverence in 1927 and finally reached Cuttack on 18th an enviable position of adoration comparable with December 1927, after covering long distances in Leo Tolstoy, who had created an indelible the journey. This prolonged heavy entourage in a impression on the mind of Mahatma Gandhi during speed of a whirlwind had completely exhausted early career of his life.

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After the All India Congress came into praiseworthy and commendable venture of the power in various states of India during the election Utkal Tannery, for inlaying in it, the primarily held in the year 1937, Mahatma Gandhi took a fundamental yet supremely significant objective firm decision to introduce 'Basic Education' as an of introducing the diversified aspects of basic- effective system in the educational curriculum of cum-vocational education. Really this formed the these states. For this purpose he convened a integral part and the focal core in the schedule of meeting of All India Educational Conference at the work undertaken in the giant manufacturing Seagaon on 22nd October 1937. While delivering unit of the Utkal Tannery. In this tannery besides his momentous address in the All India Educational 100 skilled cobblers and tanners, nearly 300 semi- Conference on that historic day Mahatma Gandhi skilled and unskilled were engaged thus said "The late Madhusudan Das was a lawyer, making this huge undertakings a memorable and but he was convinced that without the use of hands colossal edifice designed to provide fruitful and and legs our brain would be atrophied and even remunerative livelihood to the deprived classes. it worked, it would be a home of Satan. Tolstoy This was first of its kind in the entire country. had taught the same lesson through many of his To the utter surprise of Mahatma Gandhi, 9 tales." It was really a proverbial statement of in the year 1932 the issue of the alienated paramount importance, in which while paying depressed class of people surfaced into a major glowing tribute, Mahatma Gandhi placed crisis, never witnessed before. The issue relating Madhusudan Das in par with his earlier pathfinder, to untouchability and the representation of Count Leo Tolstoy, the international celebrity. depressed classes in the administration of the Madhusudan Das was projecting the country erupted with vehemence, shattering the effectiveness of the Basic Education in close entire fabric of the society. To resolve the crisis association with the vocational training through Mahatma Gandhi had to go on fast unto death on his powerful delivery of speeches replete with 20th September 1932. On this occasion Mahatma spellbinding eulogies, on the floors of the Bengal Gandhi was reminded of Madhusudan Das. After Legislative Council as early as 1896 which had the fast was over he paid tributes to Madhusudan created a furore among the Conservatives aligned Das, by writing a special article on 15.11.1932 in with the imperialist forces.10 Mahatma Gandhi was Bombay Chronicle14 in the following manner. indebted to Madhusudan Das for his ramifications "Madhusudan Das, a great philanthropist and further elaborations of the supreme concept and had himself learnt the modern process of of the application of Basic-cum-Vocational tanning, had prepared statistics to show what the Education, which was deeply grounded in the country was losing annually owing to the various projects, launched by Madhusudan Das. superstition of untouchability masquerading under In the articles written on 'National School the name of religion. Harijan workers can learn at Bombay' published in Navajivan on the method and acquaint the tanners with it in so 23.9.192811, 'Statements on Untouchability' far as it is practicable." published in Bombay Chronicle on 15.11.193212 Besides projecting the basic-cum- and 'The Village Tanning and Its Possibilities' vocational education as the co-ordinated activity published in Harijan on 7.9.1934,13 Mahatma of the Utkal Tannery, Madhusudan Das had laid Gandhi lauded Madhusudan Das for his the real thrust on the removal of the corroding

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and degrading features of untouchability. In reality of Utkal and studied how they did their tanning. in the day- to- day life, the alienated and deprived He was not satisfied with it, and he went to sections of the community were subjected to harsh Germany and saw leather work there. He brought oppression and crippling exploitation beyond any a German (expert) with him and set up a factory. measures of human tolerance. This has been stated It is no longer under him. I do not know its present with conviction and further affirmation by condition. Many Harijans learnt the work during Mahatma Gandhi. While paying deep obeisance the days of Madhusudan Das. Like Madhusudan to his mentor and pathfinder Madhusudan Das, Das you too should first master the craft. It cannot in the article on "Village Tanning and Its Possibility" be done in one month's time. You can do very published in Harijan on 7.9.1935,15 Mahatma well, if you learn it properly." Gandhi wrote as follows: Mahatma Gandhi was deeply moved by 'The divorce of intellect from body labour the candid revelation made by Madhusudan Das has made us perhaps shortest lived, most about the gnawing and depraving state of affairs resourceless and most exploited nation on the prevailing in the rural India in which a slumberous earth. The state of village tannery is perhaps the peasant was reduced to the degrading state of an best proof of my indictment. It was late animal while passing his time in perpetual lethargy Madhusudan Das, who opened my eyes to the and inertia. This penetrative yet highly startling great crime against a part of humanity. He sought revelation of Madhusudan Das based on his to make reparation by opening what might be lifelong investigation was projected in its proper called an educational tannery'. perspective by Mahatma Gandhi in the article 18 In an article in Navajivan, Gandhi used published in the Harijan on 7.9.1934. even stronger words. Cruelties to the untouchables 'When the village handicrafts disappear, did not merely equal to the Punjab atrocities; they the villagers working only with their cattle on the constituted 'an outrage grosser than that in Punjab field, with idleness for six or four months in the against which we have been protesting' year, must, in the words of Madhusudan Das, be 'We . . . . . segregate them . . . . drive reduced to the level of the beast and be without them to live on the outskirts of the village, (are) proper nourishment, either of the mind or the body, not concerned whether they live or die . . . . Give and therefore, without joy and without hope.' them food left over by others'. (C.W.M.G. Mahatma Gandhi had undertaken the Vol.XIX p.331)16 historic walking tour in Orissa passing through the Mahatma Gandhi as the chronicler of hamlets and villages mostly inhabited by the Madhusudan Das had brought out the glorious deprived and alienated Dalits from 15.5.1934 to yet a forgotten chapter in the eventful life of 8.6.1934. This highly eventful and engrossing tour Madhusudan Das in his article 'Advise to a had brought sweeping changes in the mental set Harijan Worker' published in Harijan Bandhu17 up of Mahatma Gandhi and provided a new on 3.9.1937. It was as follows : dimension to the work schedule taken up by him in the rural India. Giving the entire credit for this "We have to see how better tanning of to Madhusudan Das for his encompassing vision leather could be done in the villages : What did endowed with supreme sensibility and Madhusudan Das do ? He gathered the tanners compassionate fellow feeling for the lowliest of

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the low, Mahatma Gandhi said in his speech proof of his teaching by establishing at great delivered at a public meeting held on 23.2.1935 sacrifice a tannery in Cuttack." 17 at Nagpur as follows. References : "It was during my walk in Orissa in 1. Nag Kalidas - "Tolstoy and Gandhi" - Patna course of my Harijan tours that it was clearly Publication, Patna (1948). brought to me that the village industries must be 2. Das N.K. - "Madhusudan's Immortal Words" - Kala revived, if Khadi is to be made universal. I could Vigyan Parisad, Cuttack (1956). not have realised this in any tour by rail or car. 3. Patnaik Surasinha - "Madhusudan Das - The Pride As the late Madhusudan Das has said of the Nation"-Priyadarshi, Cuttack (1999), p.59. 'our villagers were fast being reduced to the state 4. Pattanayak Jagannath - "Suryamani Nayak" - of brutes with which they work and live; as a result Sambad, 19.5.1995. of forced idleness in which they pass their days.' 5. Das Sailabala - "A Look back and After" - If this continues in that state even Madhusmriti, Cuttack - 1956, p.131. independence would little improve the state of 6. Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi(C.W.M.G.) - India. I therefore, decided that I must in the Publication Division, New Delhi, Vol.XXVIII, p.248-49. evening of my life make a heroic effort to end this idleness and inertia. This may be considered 7. C.W.M.G. - Vol. - XXVI, p.110-11. quixotic but it was my firm faith that he who 8. Das Sailabala - "A Look back and After", p.131. undertakes to do something in the name of God 9. C.W.M.G. - Vol.LXVI, p.260. and full faith on him, even at the end of his days 10. Sahu N.K. & Mishra P.K. - Madhusudan Das, the does not work in vain and I am sure that the work. Legislator" - Pragati Utkal Sangha, Rourkela - 1980, I have undertaken is not mine, it is God's. (Harijan p.3-5. - 1.3.1935). 11. C.W.M.G. - Vol.XXXVII, p.301-302. It was certainly a work of supreme 12. C.W.M.G. - Vol.LI, p.428-29. sacrifice. Providence had brought Mahatma 13. C.W.M.G. - Vol.LV, p.416-419. Gandhi closer to his mentor Madhusudan Das. It 14. C.W.M.G. - Vol.LI, P.428-29. was divine intervention. The work undertaken by Mahatma Gandhi was placed at the altar of the 15. C.W.M.G. - Vol.LV, p.416-419. Supreme as a dedicated offering. 16. C.W.M.G. - Vol.XIX, p.331. On the sad demise of Madhusudan Das, 17. C.W.M.G. - Vol.LV, p.392. Mahatma Gandhi paid his sublime tribute in a tone 18. C.W.M.G. - Vol.LV, p.416-419 20 of benediction in the following words. 19. C.W.M.G. - Vol.LX, p.258. "I had the privilege of meeting the late 20. Das Sailabala - "The Life of Madhusudan Das, As Madhusudan Das. He was a great patriot. He Seen By Many Eyes" - Madhusmriti, 1956, p.1. held most liberal views about religion. Though he C.W.M.G. - Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi. professed Christianity, he had the same regard for Hinduism that he entertained for his own faith. He wore himself out in teaching the youth of the Shri Surasinha Patnaik lives at Light House Square, country the dignity of labour and gave practical Gopalpur, Ganjam.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

Mahatma Gandhi

Er. Niranjan Rath

He dedicated his life for the freedom of the nation, Struggled to remove the sufferings of the country men; He was not an ordinary man, In this world a unique person. Started the non-co-operation movement against the foreign ruler, Was arrested very often and went ahead without any fear; He was very brave mentally, maintained himself spiritually. Under his leadership, the people of India marched with courage, Non-violence, peace and truth were the main weapons of usage; He was realistically a sage, Acted always on moralistic stage. Tried to eliminate untouchability and taught for unity, Irrespective of caste and religion observed integrity; He was pious like Lord, His thoughts were very broad. By his power of tolerance conquered over the enmity, Helped the poor people who were in adversity; An eminent lover of truth and peace, Non-violence was his main wish. He is an international guide; we pray for his greatness, We will never forget his sacrifice and selflessness; He is practically a great patriot, For the welfare of India suffered a lot. Acquired the victory with sustainable wisdom, As father of nation, he is the champion of freedom; He is dead; immortal yet, Has taken rest forever at Rajghat.

Er. Niranjan Rath lives at S-2/617, 618, Niladri Vihar, PO - Shailashree Vihar, Bhubaneswar - 21.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

Tribal Museum : An Exotic Tourist Destination

Pravukalyan Mohapatra

Museum of tribal arts and artifacts in Bhubaneswar continuous endeavour to adapt to the changing has opened up a new vista into the future direction environment had given rise to variations in man of Orissa's tribal economy and culture. It would himself and his culture. In the post-modern age, usher in a cultural renaissance in the State. The "Museum of Man" connotes tribal culture in it's aim of setting up this museum is not only to help ambience as people of such cultures refer to preserve tribal cultures from extinction but also to promote appreciation of a better understanding of tribal development vis-a-vis culture. It is in a way, an acceptance of the fact that no more can we afford casual approach to the life and living of our tribal brethren. Rather, we have to be more pragmatic and practical towards them than ever before. The idea of setting up a tribal museum in SCSTRTI (Scheduled Cast and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute) located at themselves as "Sons of Man". In other words, C.R.P.F. square, Bhubaneswar was originally museum of tribal cultures or tribal museum can conceived in 1987, but materialised on March 5, be valued naturally as a "Museum of Man". 2001. The exhibits of the museum represent the This museum has approximately 1900 elementary human cultural values that had shaped displayed tribal artifacts in five halls. They exhibit our past, are determining our present and will be dresses and ornaments, dhokra items, dances and guiding our future. So the Museum of Tribal Arts and Artifacts can be conceptually labelled as musical instruments, hunting implements, fishing "Museum of Man". In common parlance, nets, weapons of offence and defence, personal "Museum of Man" means an integrated institution belongings, arts and photographs. which disseminates knowledge covering the The indigenous tools, technologies, human species in its totality. In the process of weapons, basketry, pottery, textiles, dresses, evolution, man acquired "culture", the ultimate tool ornaments and rural objects are losing their with the help of which it tried to adapt to the meaning to the new generation. Hence protection different types of environmental condition. The and preservation of these tools, appliances and

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material traits in the museum have become a Among these Dhokra items 'lionet', 'paji' and necessity to know the antecedents of human life 'snake charmers' of Desia Kondh, 'ox head' of and living. Bathudi and 'elephant' of Bhuinya tribe are quite Tribals have enriched the complex ethno- spectacular. Besides, 13 musical instruments like cultural mosaic of the state. Each individual tribe horn trumphet of Kutia Kondh / Lanjia Saora / Santal / Bonda, double membrance drum of 'holva', 'flute' and 'violin' of Santal, 'changu' of Juang attract all categories of visitors including musicians. The agricultural implements include a variety of hoes of primitive tribal groups, wooden ploughs of progressive farmers alongwith 168 tribal household objects such as 'tumba gourd container' of Dongria Kondh, siali net, siali oil extractor and siali fibre basket of Mankirdia, wine container of Paroja and wine pot of Lanjia Saora create a vivid picture of the ancient culture of a is unique in terms of its material culture, settlement remote tribal area in the visitor's mind. pattern, house type, mode of subsistence, social Hunting implements of 22 tribes including organisation, traditional decision making the primitive groups, 36 items of fishing nets and institutions, language, dance, music, adornment, crafts of 15 tribes add to the speciality of the food habit, tools and technology aesthetics, belief museum where axe of Kondh, spear of Paroja, system, traditional practice of health and healing sword of Oraon / Bonda, knife of Dongria Kondh etc. They have excellent creative talents, skills and and bow - arrows of all the tribes attract power of imagination in designing art, craft and researchers and commoners alike. Besides all artifacts. The dress and ornament section of the museum has 34 textile items of 8 tribes and ornaments belonging to 17 tribes. The traditional costumes include typical textile items like 'ringa' of Bonda, 'phute saree' of Santal, 'gatungkap' of Lanjia Saora etc. Bead neckless like 'tangam' of Lanjia Saora, 'Shaska' of Kutia Kondh, 'Kunti' of Juang, coin neckless like 'mecodica' of Dong Kondh, 'puste' of Koya, 'dabu' and 'lubeida' of Bonda tribes figure in the ornament section. these, the presence of net -traps of Mankirdias / Dhokra and musical instruments section Kutia Kondh / Santal / Kisan, Gunstick of Juang, of the museum has 117 dhokra items of Bathudi, fish basket of Bonda, fishing traps of Gond Desia Kondh, Dongria Kondh and Kondh tribes. enhance the beauty of the museum.

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The attraction of the arts and photographs of tribal population. So tribal culture forms an section includes snaps like 'shaman' and 'anital' important part of the colourful spectrum of of Saora, Koya dancing girls, women of Bonda Orissa. Besides, Orissa is the homeland of the and Dongria Kondh with traditional costumes and largest variety of tribal communities numbering sketches drawn by tribal children at school. sixty-two, including 13 primitive tribal groups, Saora shrine crafts like 'Manduasum' / which are now at various stages of socio- 'Jenanglosum', Dongria Kondh shrine crafts like economic development. They express their 'Kateibali' / 'Meriah' post / 'Kandruduma' cultural identity and distinctiveness in their social displayed on the organisation, open air language, rituals, platform inside festivals including the museum and their dresses- Saora shrine ornaments and arts- crafts like crafts. Every facet of 'Jodisum' / their life is intimately 'gunwar rang' connected with beneath the religious belief, ritual trees beyond practices, livestock the museum sacrifices and beliefs premises amuse in supernatural visitors of all power. It is these hues. aspects of their culture that give solidity to their social structure. Above all, five typical huts of Santal, With the advent of time, traces of borrowing from Juang, Gadaba, Saora and Kondh constructed Hindu religious ceremonies are noticed among the within the institute's ambit provide an opportunity tribals of Orissa. to the interested public, researchers and foreign visitors to have a feeling of the tribal habitat in its The tribes of Orissa have retained the rich natural ambience. and varied heritage of colourful dance and music forming an integral part of their festivals and rituals. Orissa has been a repository of one of It is through art and craft that the tribals seek to the world's finest cultural heritages. Throughout satisfy their inner urge for revealing soul and to its ancient history, it has attracted many saints, express the joy of life. philosophers, pilgrims and invaders, who have shaped the mosaic texture of art and craft of the The artistic skill of tribal people is not only land much to the applause of international tourists confined to dance and music but also manifested and scholars. This wonderful land of fascinating through their dress-ornaments, handicraft-wall beauty, girdled by verdant hills of India's Eastern paintings, wood carving-decorations etc. The Ghats on one side and the surging waves of Bay exquisite wall-painting / exotic floral designs of of Bengal on the other, is also a virgin land of Santals, the pictograms of Saoras depicting stylistic tribal culture. It has the highest percentage of tribes figures of plants and animals are the best examples and ranks third amongst all Indian states in terms of colourful tribal art. Likewise, the multi-coloured

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designs of animals / human beings decorated on wooden deities of the (schedule tribes) the walls of "Mundaghar" in Juang tribal have great iconographical similarity with Lord community are indeed works of rare artistic Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra. The tribal excellence. Besides all these, the wood carvings society of Orissa has undergone great changes of Kondh, metal work of Bathudis, bamboo under the impact of new economic and political basketry work of Juangs are also exquisite forces. In the name of development their society specimens of tribal artistry. and culture should not be distorted or As tribals constitute a major segment disintegrated. It is the duty and responsibility of (21.13% of total population, numbering 81.45 the modern civilization to preserve the valuable lakhs as per 2001 Census) of Orissa, non-tribals ingredients of the endangered tribal culture and living in close proximity with them for centuries tradition with all its distinctiveness and purity. It is are considerably influenced by tribal traditions and expected that the Museum of Tribal Arts and cultures. Both tribals and non-tribals in Orissa are Artifacts will have a positive and constructive influenced by each other's lifestyle to a great contribution towards this goal. extent. That is why Orissan culture is an integrated, composite culture. The supreme God of Hindus, Lord Jagannath, had been the God of The writer is a Bhubaneswar-based freelance Journalist primitive tribe, Savaras or Saoras. Half-hewn and he lives at Qr. No.VR 3/2, Unit-3, Bhubaneswar.

Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik inaugurating the Trinath Sundari Hospital Cabins at Chhatrapur on 17.09.2005. Shri Surjya Narayan Patro, Minister, Energy, Tourism and Information Technology is also present.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

Ancient Sundials of Orissa

Nikunja Bihari Sahu

Sundials are simple time-keeping devices which 'praharas' of the day, one prahara being equal works with the help of the Sun. It consists of a to three hours of time. The hub of the wheel casts pointer (known as the 'Style') that casts shadow shadow on the spokes indicating time. on a calibrated dial indicating the time. Unlike Sundials of Orissa mechanical clocks, the sundial does not give the Standard Time of the country. Rather, it indicates In Orissa, sundials were mostly the Local Time corresponding to the place of constructed during the British period. Sundials observation. However, the Local Time can be enjoyed a period of monopoly till the introduction easily converted to the Standard Time by taking of mechanical clocks by the Britishers from into account the longitudinal difference between England. The devices were generally located in the place of observation and the standard (mean) public places like 'Kachery' to enable people to longitude of the country. Sundials are classified keep track of the time. In most devices, each hour as Equatorial, Horizontal or Vertical depending is divided into four divisions and further each on the alignment of the dial to the corresponding division into three smaller divisions. Thus the dials plane. were sensitive to indicate a minimum time period of five minutes which is equivalent to a small Evolution of Sundial division. Historic sundials are found at The earliest sundial was simply a vertical Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Konark, Kendrapara, pole which was used by the Egyptians around Barambagarh, Khandaparagarh, Madhupurgarh 4000 B.C. The Greeks, by their enormous etc. The possibility of many sundials existing mathematical prowess, used it for a variety of unnoticed at other places cannot be ruled out. astronomical calculations under the name 1. Sundial of Mukteswar Temple, 'gnomon'. Sawai Jai Singh (1686-1744) the king Bhubaneswar of Jaipur, constructed colossal masonry observatories incorporating various kinds of Made of stone, the huge sundial in the sundials at five different places of the country. The premises of Mukteswar Temple, Bhubaneswar, magnificent Sun Temple of Konark, built in 13th belongs to horizontal category and is still in century A.D. is designed into a huge chariot with working condition. But due to many high buildings its decorated wheels acting as sundials. Each and trees located on the southern side of the wheel consists of eight spokes that indicate eight sundial, sunlight is often obstructed leaving the

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

device non-operational. Account of the Barambagarh. Its dial is beautifully designed into construction period and the constructor of the a crescent moon shape. However, the style is device is not known. dislocated leaving the device in non-operational 2. Sundial of Ravenshaw College, Cuttack condition. Account of the constructor and the construction period is not known. The Sundial was designed by one Mr. R.C. Choudhury of the Chemistry Department 7. Sundial of Madhupurgarh of the College in the year 1902. Made of brass, A small horizontal sundial is found in the the device belongs to 'horizontal' category and is premises of Madhupur High School, Kalana of in working condition till now. Jajpur district. This was built by Shri Narayan 3. Sundial of Konark Chandra Dhir Narendra, the then king of Madhupurgarh around the year 1917. The 'style' It stands in a desolate place in the is made of iron. premises of the Inspection Bunglow of Konark not very far from the Sun Temple. It is made up Conservation of stone and the dial belongs to 'horizontal' type. These tireless time-keeping devices The designer is Rai Prasanna Kumar Pal Sahib, represent the best of our technological skill, and Asst. Engineer; and its Construction Period hence, are invaluable assets of our heritage. The is1906. The device is still in working condition. government should go all out to preserve these 5. Sundial of Khandaparagarh ancient masterpieces. The damaged components should be replaced and calibration of the dial This is an 'equatorial' sundial made of redone. Write-ups on the devices should be brass and stands in the Kachery campus of provided for the benefit of common man. Khandaparagarh. However, its 'style' is damaged Encroachment in the vicinity should be cleared to leaving the sundial in a defunct state. It was allow sunlight to fall continuously for uniterrupted designed by Gadadhar Sinha Samanta, the son operation of the device throughout the day. Finally, of Samanta Chandrasekhara, the illustrious adequate publicity should be given to attract astronomer of Orissa. scholars for study and research. 6. Sundial of Barambagarh This is an 'equatorial' sundial made of Nikunja Bihari Sahu is the Education Officer, Regional brass which is in the Tahasil Office campus of Science Centre, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Bhubaneswar-13.

His Excellency the Governor of Orissa Shri Rameshwar Thakur unveiling the statue of Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das at Paradeep on 13.9.2005.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

Archaic and Ancient History of Jajpur

Dr. C.B. Patel

Jajpur is situated on the right bank of Baitarani end to this trauma of Siva, Lord Visnu cut the river at longitude 20051 N and latitude 86020 E. corpse into three pieces by his Chakra. The naval The origin of the name of Jajpur is shrouded in portion fell at Baitarini i.e. at Jajpur for mystery. Some scholars think that it is derived which it became famous as Navigaya. A temple from the word Yajnapura while some other of Sati was built subsequently which later on scholars opine that the name originated from became famous as Viraja. However Brahma Jajatipura. King Yajati of Somavansa was known Purana refers that Brahma himself installed to have made a great Yajna called Viraja deity at this holy centre. According to Linga Dasaswamedha at this place. For this, he brought Purana Viraja originated from the sacrificial altar 10,000 Brahmins from North India and settled where Brahma made a Yajna at Jaipur. them in various Sasanas for which now we find a Brahmakunda of Jajpur is believed to be the site series of Sasana villages in Jajpur area. of Yajna. Since then Virajakhetra was famous all Some historians are of the opinion that Yajati over India and it is believed that seven generations Kesari made his capital here and named the city of ancestors get salvation when one visits the as Jajapura. However recent researches indicate pitha of mother Viraja. There are other 68 that the place has a haory antiquity. subsidiary tirthas at Jajpur to heighten the glory of Viraja. In ancient time Jajpur was called as Viraja or Parvati Khetra. At times it was also known as Jajpur is also associated with the Baitarani Tirtha. Viraja Khetra finds mention in Gayasura legend. He was a benevolent who Sanskrit . The Puranic literatures used to save the pious Hindus from perdition and refer to Viraja as Baitarani tirtha which was one hell. The gods became envious of his piety and of the famous tirthas of India. The place has been attempted to destroy him. Knowing this, he described in the Kapilasamhita, Brahmanda sacrificed himself on the condition that his head Purana, Purana, , should fall at Gaya in Bihar near the Phalgu river, Tantrachintamani, Astapithamahatmaya and his feet in the Godavari river and navi in Baitarani Chaitanya Charitamruta. river near Jajpur where when Sraddha ceremony would be performed by the devotees, they will According to Lengends says that Siva escape consignment of hell along with seven became disconsolate when his wife Sati died. He generations of ancestors. Accordingly at the three moved madly with her corpse. In order to put an centres, Srigaya, Padagaya and Navigaya

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developed. Even today people believe this and that there were one less to one crore Sivalinga visit the site in pilgrimage and perform Sraddha in Jajpur area which indicates the religious ceremony for the departed ancestors. Another importance of the place. legend says that Brahma performed ten horse At present we find that images of sacrifices at Dasaswamedha ghat and so the place Padmapani Avalokiteswar, Buddha, , became a centre of pilgrimage later on. Among Varahi, Chamunda and Indrani. The images of other gods and goddesses, mother Ganga Sapta Matrukas and Avalokiteswar have been attended the ceremony. It a believed that she has declared as protected ones by the Archaeological sent a flow of her sacred water through the mother Survey of India. The colossal image of Padmapani earth which gushed forth at Gonasika in Keonjhar Avolokiteswara is locally called Shanta Madhava district where from Baitarani river has originated. since it was brought from the nearby village of It is believed that a gift of cow at this tirtha, gives Shanta Madhava. It measures 16 feet 5 inches in salvation. height and 5 feet 3 inches in width. It is carved By about 4th/5th century A.D. there was out in relief. The Chamunda image is 9 feet 1 inch unprecedented revival of Brahmanism in India with in height and 6 feet in width. It is made of chlorite the emergence of the imperial Guptas. Various stone. It is projected as an emaciated old lady royal houses brought pure Brahmins from Kanauj seated on a corpse wearing garland of skulls and area and settled them in North-Eastern India to other ornamentations. The four-armed Indrani curb influence of Buddhism. Hence in all figure (8'8" x 5'x9") is found seated in Lalitasana probability, it appears that a series of great on a high pedestal. The life size Varahi image is were performed on the bank of Baitarani for found seated with her right leg on the buffalo. She revival of Brahmanism which later on seems to has three eyes and curly hair. Two Buddha figures have assumed mythological and legendary are carved out in Bhumisparsamudra. Another dimensions. Buddha image is found in serene posture Garuda In historical period, during the rule of the is exuberant for its embellishment, ornamentation Bhaumakaras and the Somavansis, Viraja was the and articulation. capital of Orissa and was the nerve centre of The monolithic pillar of Jajpur called political and cultural activities. The extant Subha stambha and Chandeswar pillar stands archaeological remains point out that even during majestically on an elevated platform made of three the rule of the Gangas and Suryavansi Gajapatis blocks of stones. It is square at the base and there was unprecedented cultural and monumental octagonal and sixteen sided at the top. It is made efflorescence. of chlorite stone and the total height from ground Virajakhetra is triangular. In each corner level is thirtyone feet. It is believed that the we find a Siva temple in equal distance. There Somavansis, as their mark of victory, have are Bileswar, Khitateswar and Baruneswar. The installed this as the Vijaya Stambha or Victory first two temples have received land grants from Pillar. king Anangabhimadeva as is evident from King Anangabhimadeva of Ganga Madalapanji. Beautiful ancient Buddhist and dynasty had built a Jagannath temple at Jajpur, in Jaina images are found in the architectural imitation of Jagannath temple of Puri, which was programme of the temples. Brahma Purana says known to have been destroyed by the Muslim

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invaders. Near Dasasmamedha ghat we find the the Gajapaties heightened the glory of this tract images of Sapta matrukas namely Chamunda, during their regimes. With the rising Muslim Varahi, Indrani, Vaisnavi, Sivaduti, Kaumari and invasion the kingdom and culture of eternal Jajpur Maheswari. They are found seated on lotus eclipsed. nevertheless the extant exuberant pedestal with their respective mounts with babies archaeological remains vindicate the victorious on their left hand. The figures are heavily bedecked heydays of Jajpur in glowing terms. with drapery and ornaments. Sivaduti has been References : depicted in emaciated form. One very big sitting Ganesa image is also found at this centre. Other 1. N.K. Sahu, Utkal University, History of Orissa, Vol.I, 1964 figures like that of Jaina Santinatha, Chandranatha and Parswanatha etc. are found in Jajpur. At 2. Ibid, History of Orissa Vol.II, Calcutta 1955. present they are being worshipped as Visnavite 3. Ibid, Buddhism in Orissa Utkal University, 1958 icons. Apart from these we find a large number 4. H.K. Mahatab - Odisa Itihas, Vol.II (Oriya), of fragmentary sculptures of Jainism, Buddhism, Cuttack, 1964. Vaisnavism, Saivism, Saktism and Tantricism. 5. U. Subuddhi, The Bhaumakaras of Orissa, Their study reveals that there was un-precedented Punthi Pustak, Calcutta, 1978 religious and monumental efflorescence in Jajpur 6. C.B. Patel, Dynastic History of Nalas, Punthi from ancient time. The two-handed Durga image Pustak, Calcutta, 1990. without her mount (present Viraja) killing Mahisa 7. K.C. Panigrahi, Chronology of the Bhaumakaras is considered to be one of the earliest Durga and the Somavamsis of Orissa, Bhopal, 1961. images of India. 8. District Gazetteer, Cuttack, 1992. The Bhaumakaras ruled in this part of 9. N.K. Sahu, P.K. Misra, J.K. Sahu, History of Orissa from 736 A.D. to 910 A.D. and Orissa, Cuttack. contributed significantly to the history and culture of Orissa. Subsequently the Bhauma Kingdom with its capital Viraja came under the suzerainty of the Somavansis by the 3rd quarter of 10th Dr. C.B. Patel is the Superintendent of the State Museum century A.D. The Somavansis, the Gangas and of Orissa, Bhubaneswar.

Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik inaugurating the DPEP School Building at Ankorada, Hinjili Block on 17.9.2005. Shri Surjya Narayan Patro, Minister, Energy, Tourism and Information Technology is also present.

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Barabati Fort Dr. P.K. Trivedi Dr. J.K. Patnaik P.K. Dikhit

Barabati fort amidst the Cuttack city (Topo Sheet Barabati fort witnessed the fortunes and No.73H/15, Latitude 20.29" N and Longitude falls of a long line of the Ganga and Suryavamsi 85.52"E) is situated at the apex of the delta of the kings of Orissa. King Anangabhimadeva III (1211 Mahanadi in Cuttack district. It lies on the western to 1238 A.D.) of the Ganga dynasty was mainly part of the present city which is flanked by the responsible for the construction of such a huge river Mahanadi on the north and Katjodi on the fort. The Ganga Rule lasted till 1434 A.D. and south. Geographically was followed by that of the fort was very the Suryavamsi Gajapatis important as it was at the till 1540 A.D. There was junction of passages a short rule of Bhoi from south, north and dynasty upto 1560. The west, and was Bhois were succeeded by strategically located Raja Mukundadeva who between two rivers died fighting the Sultan, which acted as natural Suleman Karrani of defences and was one of Bengal in 1568 A.D. the important medieval Subsequently the forts of eastern India. It Barabati fort passed into is roughly square on plan the hands of Mughals in and surrounded on all 1595 and Marathas in sides by a stone lined moat. It covers an area of 1751. Later on the Britishers conquered Cuttack 102 acres of land. The fort wall save for the gate in 1803 and took possession of the Barabati fort on the eastern arm is missing. The fort was as their main seat of administration (Sinha 1990 : declared as a centrally protected monument in 59-67). 1915. According to the tradition and William Brutom (1633), Thomas Motte Madalapanji, the construction of embankments and A. Sterling (1766) visited the fort and of the Katjodi in the proximity of the fort is described the square slopping large bastions of attributed to King Nrupakesari in 989 A.D. but stone inside the fort area. The fort sustained the same could not be corroborated by material vandalism and stone robbing by the British in 1830 evidence. and at the instance of Peckeniham, the then

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Commissioner, stones In continuation of the previous work (IAR retrieved from the fort 1996-1997 : 79-82) Excavation Branch-IV, area were used in the Bhubaneswar of the Survey took up excavation construction of the at the south-eastern part of Barabati Fort Cantonment Road at complex. The aim and objectives of the work was Cuttack and the Falls to unveil the structures and correlate with the Point Light House at earlier excavated ones; of the total ten trenches, Paradeep (O'Malley eight were completely excavated. A 3.6 m. thick 1933 : 23). Toynbee deposit is divisible into two periods. observed in 1873 that the fort was converted The Period I witnessed two structural into "an unsightly series phases assignable to circa fifteenth-sixteenth of earthen mounds century A.D. In the phase-I were encountered and wilderness of two parallel structures numbered as IA-B, stone pits" (Behuria composed of two courses of laterite stones running 1991:284-285). in north-south direction. The structures nos. IA In 1989 the millennium of Cuttack city and IB measure 1.90 x 1.00 m and 1.56 x 1.00 was celebrated and it is during this time the m respectively. The structure No.2 is 'T' shaped, Archaeological Survey of India, for the first time 2.50 m wide and composed of six courses of undertook excavation work at Barabati fort with ashlar masonry. Its east-west and north-south a view to unveil the cultural relics of the past arms measure 14m and 15m respectively. The pertaining to this fort. (IAR 1989-90:74-77). This decorative architectural pieces of earlier work continued unabruptly till 1996-97. These construction have also been used here. excavations had revealed structures viz. temple, The structure No.2-A is 'L' shaped on citadel, architectural fragments, columns and other plan and has preserved two courses of laterite; antiquities dating from circa thirteenth century to eighteenth century. The field work could not be while its east-west arm measures 2.80m, that of pursued further due to non-availability of the north-south is 1.40m in length and 1.05m in width. space as the peripheral area of the excavated site The phase II is marked by structure No.3 which was heavily encroached by government and other is a 1.60m high moulded platform, exposed in agencies. The natural soil could also not be the north -western corner. Probably representing reached due to the high water level. a pavilion, its eastern arm from bottom upwards exhibits a pair of plain receding courses, a Khura Recently in response to a Public Interest like moulding punctuated with projected triangles Litigation Case, Hon'ble High Court, Orissa, Cuttack vide order OJC No.1086/94 dated (tankus), overlain by a broad projected pattika 7.3.2003 had directed the Excavation Branch- and a plain course of laterite masonry retaining IV, Bhubaneswar to take up excavations in the the lime plaster. The floor of the pavilion was area in which Govt. of Orissa has removed some paved with pieces of coarse standstone, laterite encroachments. In response, this Branch has and blue-greenish schist stone. On stylistic carried out excavations from 15th November grounds it may be attributed to circa sixteenth 2003 to 8th June 2004. century A.D.

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From the deposit of period II dating from may be attributed to circa seventeenth to eighteenth century, was circa fifteenth exhumed a male elephant (3 x 1.15m) placed in century (from west-east orientation. The remnants of the tusks Period-I). were found articulated with jaws. The large burial 2. Fragment of pit also showed the fire activities. An altogether a sculpture carved in 18 massive pillar-bases raised over the fillings and pinkish sandstone. It aligned in four rows at regular intervals were has retained lower exposed in the southern area. Mostly made of half of a dancer laterite, they also display occasional use of earlier (BBT-09/2003-04) architectural pieces worked in standstone. The over a lotus pericarp average size of square pillar-bases vary from 1.80 resting on a pilaster. x 1.80m to 1.33 x 1.30m, the maximum available The left leg is bent height being 1.15m. and a girdle secures Some of the pillar-bases are out of plumb the lower garment but the tallest one has retained six courses. It fastened by tassels. It appears that they supported a large edifice. This measures 38 x 11.5 x 11 cm. It is assignable to pillared-complex is encircled by a 2.40m wide circa fifteenth century (From Period-I). wall of laterite running in a perimeter of 58m on 3. A fragment of off-white sandstone the east (23m), north (16.40m) and west (18.50m) representing a female head (BBT-10/2003-04) the southern side being unexposed. From this level carved in high relief with a prominent chignon. It were also recorded terracotta ringwells composed is adorned with elongated ear ornaments, the of seven to ten rings and inscribed with Oriya forehead, nose and lips being damaged. The numerals in the characters of circa eighteenth vertical borders are decorated with vertically century and subsequently followed by later arranged beads and alternately arranged lozenges. accretion. It is probably a part of an ornamented pillar. It The limited number of antiquities made measures 20 x 38 x 07 cm. The object is attributed of stone and terracotta were found from different to circa sixteenth century A.D. (From Period I). levels. As many as seven stone objects were 4. A circular spheroid (BBT-01/2003-04) recorded from excavation, they are described as of blackish soapstone in badly damaged state with below : uneven surface having dia 2.3 cm. (From period I). 1. Figure of a bearded male person (BBT- 5. A standing couple (BBT-02/2003-04) 08/2003-04) in dancing posture; his upraised left carved in off-white sandstone. The male is hand has been partly damaged whereas the right touching the chin of female by his right hand, held palm is chopped off. The right leg has also been by the female to his left. The head of the male, badly damaged. On the forehead is seen a beaded arms and legs of both the figurines are badly fillet. He is bedecked with beaded valayas and damaged. The male wears a broad necklace, keyuras, circular earrings, necklace, keyuras and the lower garment is fastened by padavalayas and a scarf. The eyes are half- tassels. The hairdo of female is arranged into a closed. Worked in pinkish sandstone, the image chignon fastened by a single beaded string. She

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puts on a necklace 3. Fragment of a humped bull (BBT-06/ and large circular 2003-04) is in grey colour. The head and legs earrings. It measures are missing. It measusres 3.5 x 4.5 x 7.5 cm. The 13 x 10 13cm. The object is assignable to circa eighteenth century sculpture is (From period II). assignable to circa The pottery assemblage of Barabati is seventeenth century mainly wheel thrown, well fired and made of (From Period II). levigated clay available in the alluvium of 6. Fragment of a Mahanadi delta. It comprises red ware, black head (BBT-04/ slipped ware, grey ware and red slipped ware. A 2003-04) carved in white sandstone showing major portion pervaded with wash while slip is bejewelled low-crown studded with a crest in also noticed in some examples. The decorative front, the hairdo is arranged into a bun on the designs include horizontal bands on neck, nail top. The ears are decorated with circular headed notches and groovings on shoulder. The kundalas encompassing a four-petalled motif. The shapes include jar, vase, basin, trough, bowl, dish, left eye, forehead, nose and headgear are handi, surahi, knobbed lid, spouted pot, demaged. It measures 11.5 x 7 x 10.5 cm. It is miniature pot, carinated handi, hookah, footed attributed to circa seventeenth century (From pot and lamp. The lamps are decorated with Period II). denticulated borders. 7. A lamp of black chlorite schist (BBT-07/ Bibliography : 2003-04) is broken at the spout. The circular 1. Behuria, N.C.(Ed.) 1991 Gazetteers of India, Orissa border is carved with lotus-petals, whereas the State, Vol.II, Cuttack. Indian Archaeology - A projected handle shows parallel incised lines. It Review for the years 1989-90, 1990-91, 1991-92, measures 12 x 12 x 05cm. It is assignable to circa 1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97. seventeenth century (From Period-II). 2. O'Malley, L.S.S. 1933 Bihar and Orissa District Gazetteer (Cuttack), Patna. Only three terracotta animal figures were recorded. These are solid and exclusively hand 3. Sinha, B.K. 1990 Excavation at Barabati Fort, Cuttack, Orissa, 1989-90. In Cuttack One made. They are described below. Thousand Years (Eds.) K.S. Behera et al, Vol.I, 1. Fragment of an indeterminate animal Cuttack. (BBT-05/2003-04). Its head and legs are missing. It measures 4.5 x 4.7 x 06 cm. The object is assignable to circa fifteenth century (from period I). 2. Fragment of an indeterminate animal figurine (BBT-03/2003-04) in red slip is also Dr. P.K. Trivedi is the Superintendent of the broken from head and legs. To the back is applied Archaeological Survey of India, Excavation Branch-IV, a ring like semicircular strip. It measures 3.5 x Bhubaneswar. 3.7 x 06 cm. The figurine is attributed to circa Dr. Patnaik and Shri Dikhit are supervising excavation seventeenth century (From Period II). and conservation work of ASI.

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The Nirvana Trail

Sunil Kumar Pattnaik

Buddhism - The great philosophy had its origins (such liberation was often called or mukti, in India. As we know some time in 6th-5th century but other words also came to be used, such as B.C. it emerged as a dominant force in Indian nirbana and kevalin). The third idea was that there religion right from its birth, down about the eleventh are certain means, for liberation from rebirth. With century. It declined in India, but still prevalent in these notions also went the conception of a soul parts of the North India and in Nepal and beyond of Jiva or Purusa who might continue into in Tibet and Mongolia and in the Island of Ceylon liberation. The Buddha's new spin was first to or Lanka. It spread to South-East Asia, from identify the problem of rebirth as having to do Thailand and Myanmar into Combodia, Laos, and essentially with impermanence. The fabric of life Vietnam, so that by modern times Buddhism is impermanent. But, secondly, this means that became a dominant force. In the first millennium there can be no permanent soul or self; there is of Buddhist India, the predominant form was therefore no entity, there is liberation. Nirvana Mahayana, which developed does not involve the persistence of the saint or in amazing directions. Much of this material, the Buddha or Tathagata. Or more strictly, since together with Tantric notions, were retained and the Buddha's analysis of life reduces things to elaborated in Tibet. Meanwhile from the first complexes of events, the very question as to century B.C. / A.D. Buddhism had begun to move whether the self exists after death is meaningless; into China via the Silk Route (North of Tibet) and in due course, some Chinese-flavor developed, like the querry as to whether a flame goes north, notably Mua Yen an Chan which had their south, east or west after it goes out. Though the influence in Korea and Japan, where Zen in means to liberation lies in or contemplation, particular, evolved in a Japanese way. Chinese there are ethical pre-requisties. The Buddha had Philosophical Buddhism is largely based on Indian an ethical interpretation of brahmanical rituals and sources. ritual powers. The framework of this worldview was moral. The Buddhist philosophy contained three main ideas. One idea was that of rebirth or From an early time the Buddha Sangha, reincarnation. Generally, the Sramanic movements created formulas, for instance, the four noble accepted the thought that without special effort, truths analyzed the human predicament and its we are destined to continuous rebirth. The second solution in the guise of a medical formula. The idea was that nevertheless, liberation is possible human condition of suffering (dukkha) or ill force

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is caused by carring; there is a cure for suffering, the form of Stupas, Monasteries, Temples and and that is the eight-fold path (the attangikamarga Chaityas can be seen in the excavated sites at or magga in Pali), which culminates in samadhi. Lalitgiri, Udayagiri, Ratnagiri and Langudi Hills This formula of four noble truths, parallels the of Cuttack and Jajpur districts. The development declaration that everything is conditioned - a view of Buddhism from mere a religious creed to ultimately formulated in the doctrine of dependent acceptable forms of mass religion like Hinayana, origination, patccasamuppada (Pali) or Mahayana and Vajrayana, all conglomerated in pratityasamatpada (Sanskrit). This common the different forms of monuments and images. formula see human problems as deriving from Some scholars even identify Hinayana greed, hatred and delusion. This is akin to monuments, Mahayana images and Vajrayana ignorance but slightly different. At any rate, the Temples etc., which can be very well attested from opposites of these "sins" (lack of benevolence, these monumental remains. grasping and insight) bring about liberation. In Buddhism, it is believed that Lord These ideas and thoughts have been Buddha had declared Kalinga (ancient Orissa) knobbed in every Buddhist sites of India. All the as one of the twelve places where attainment of sites like Rajgir, Bodhgaya, Nalanda (Bihar) perfection can be achieved. It was one of the four Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri, Langudi (Orissa) Salihundam, important places possessing inexhaustible Nagarjunkonda, Amamavali () or treasures of precious substances. These four Ajanta, Ellora, Bagh, Karle (Maharastra) etc. tells precious treasures have also been referred to in the same story. The narrative stories can be found Divyavadana, which states that Pingla of Kalinga, in the form of material remains such as Stupa, Panduka of Mithila, Elepatra of Gandhara and monastery and Chaitya and the images of Buddha Sarikha of Varanasi would be ruling when and Boddhisattvas spread over the country. As Maitreya (future Buddha) would appear as we have seen, the spark of ideas have been Buddha. Buddhist tradition also pay tribute to the transported to the countries of South-East and cultural heritage of Kalinga by admitting that after Far East Asia. India remains the epicenter. Thus, the death of Buddha, one of his tooth relics was the Buddhist sites have a great relevance to the carried to Dantapura, the capital of Kalinga where modern thought and culture. it was enshrined. The State of Orissa is literally dotted with The spark of Buddhism can be glanced hundreds of Buddhist sites. The material remains when Asoka the great Mauryan Emperor (269- such as monuments, their art and architecture, 232 BC) conquered Orissa then known as settlement pattern and other cultural remains are Kalinga in 3rd century B.C. The Kalinga war the reflections of the ancient glorious heritage. marked the turning point in the life of Asoka as Buddhist Heritage of Orissa can be well as in the history of Buddhism. Asoka became glimpsed through the monumental remains at great champion of Buddhism. It is in Kalinga that Dhauli, Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri, Udayagiri, Langudi Hill, the foundation of a great religion and culture was Kuruma, Ganiapalli, Aragarh, Boudh, Solampur, laid and Kalinga became the torchbearer of peace Khadipada, , Khiching, Achutrajpur etc. and non-violence to the whole world. The Stray Buddhist images are spread over almost all archaeological remains in this context found at parts of Orissa. But the monumental remains in Dhauli (near Bhubaneswar) and Jaugada (Ganjam

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District) in the form of major Asokan rock edicts (Stupa and Chaitya Griha), residential area with are the earliest historical monuments and are monasteries and images of numerous Buddhist Buddhist in nature and spirit. To add to this, the pantheons. Hence, the Buddha and host of other edicts at Dhauli (ancient Tosali) is distinguished Buddhist images appeals in contemporary world by sculptural forepart of an elephant coming out when traditional values are being questioned in of the rocky womb. The elephant here can be the intellectual suptism of the times. Here, the taken theriomorphically and symbolically as the Buddha images seated in various posses like representation of Buddha. Asoka is said to have Bhumisparsa mudra, Abhaya mudra, built a monastery called Bhojakagiri Vihara near Dharmachkra pravatana mudra, taught us how Tosali (Bhubaneswar) where his brother Tissa to perfect ourselves as human beings and to make spent his last days. From the rock edicts, we can the most of life. 'Dhammapada' - the collection of get glimpses of the benevolent work extended to 423 verses, that holds the kernal of Buddha's the people of Kalinga and the communication teachings, reminds here that "Our life is shaped system developed during that time such as roads, by our mind; we become what we think." The rest houses, mile stones, wells etc. There are also image of Buddha, mostly found in Orissa, seated some other Asokan remains like the broken pillar in Bhumispraja mudra (Earth touching pose) as and Bell capital found at Bhubaneswar. serene meditator, un-disturbed by the ebb and flow of history, is at once a comforting and Buddhist vestiges from 3rd century BC compelling one. The reflection is that we are largely to the time of Gangas and Gajapatis (14th - 15th responsible for our own misery, because we century A.D.) can be seen from the excavated cannot control our mental states, and the remains at Lalitgiri, Udayagiri, Ratnagiri and recognition that we can transform our lives by our Langudi Hill. The vastness of the monuments own effort, instead of waiting for help from discovered / excavated at these places are the external sources and authority. The name of this treasure houses for the tourists which form the settlement stand revealed from a monastic sealing Nirvan Trail or Diamond Triangle. depicting "Sri Chandraditya Vihara Samagra Lalitgiri in Cuttack district forms a part Arya Vikshu Sangha". This site can be of Buddhist Heritage triangle and is one of the comparable to other Buddhist sites like Sanchi earliest and the most important Buddhist site in (M.P) and Saranath (UP). Orissa. The Buddhist remains at Lalitgiri are Ratnagiri, another big Buddhist site protected monument of Archaeological Survey situated only 20 km. away from the above site is of India. The extensive mounds at Lalitgiri spread located midway between the rivers Brahmani and over on the hills of Lands, Parabhadi and Birupa in the present district of Jajpur, where the Sukhuapara were taken up for excavation during archaeological excavation was carried out during the year 1985-92. The excavation revealed the the year 1958 to 1962. Stratigraphically, the cultural sequence of the site to be from 3rd century earliest strata has been dated to fifth century A.D. B.C. to 14th century A.D. The earlier starta (D. Mitra, 1981) on the basis of inscriptional revealed the Mauryan inscriptions on the pot evidences. This site witnessed a phenomenal sherds and the main stupa and Apsidal Temple growth in religion, art and architecture till 13th - (Chaitya Griha). This site has all the pre-requisities 14th century A.D. Here we find the Stupa area for the Buddist settlement i.e. worshipping place and two well-built monasteries also. Besides these

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a large number of stone sculptures a few bronzes, is still under operation. The central stupa with including inscribed tablets, terracotta seals and Dhyani Buddhas is unique in this centre. The sealings have been discovered here. The central stupa with Dhyani Buddhas gives us an inscription of the ceiling has given the reading "Sri idea of Buddhist universe. The monastery Ratnagiri Mahavihara Arya Vikshu Sangha." buildings reflects art motifs of 7th-8th century A.D. In the beginning, this was a great Buddhist center Numerous clay tablets, seals and sealings were of Mahayana form of Buddhism. Towards 8th- discovered. This site was also functioning as nerve 9th century A.D. Vajrayana form of Buddhism centre for trade and commerce during the played an important role. Pag Sam Jan Zang, a medieval period. Tibetan source, indicate that Ratnagiri Langudi, another beautiful Buddhist site establishment had played a key role in the is discovered recently, near Salipur village within evolution of Kalachakrayana during 10th-11th Jajpur district. The hillock is a cluster of low-lying century A.D. which is evidenced from numerous hills and surrounded by other Buddhist sites like, monolithic votive stupas with reliefs of divinities Vajragiri, Radhanagar and Kaima Hills. This site of Vajrayana Pantheons. Here, the Buddha seated seems to be very early and an inscription referring in earth touching pose flanked by two the name of Asoka was also discovered. Another Boddhisattvas, in the shrine chamber of inscription referring Puspagiri also was discovered monastery, perhaps sends the message of service here Puspagiri one of the great centers of learning to humanity as contained in Pali text - "Caratha, in Orissa by 7th century A.D. as referred by Bikkhav easikam bahujana hitaya, bahujana Hiuen Tsang the Chinese Traveller who visited sukhaya, attaya hitaya ca manussanam Orissa in 639 A.D. This centre of learning is one bhikkus, "Go on with your rounds everywhere of renowned places of early medieval Buddhism for the purpose of welfare of many; happiness of like that of Ajanta or Aurangabad caves. Scholars many and for the prosperity of many and well say that the inscription may be dated to pre-Gupta being of gods and mankind." This site can be period. comparable to any major Buddhist site of India like Vikramsila or Nalanda. The monumental remains such as a huge stupa of early period, rock-cut Dhyani Buddhas Udayagiri, or some Buddhist triangle on and other images together with monastic areas Birupa Valley is located on the midway between were also traced. The unique findings of this site Lalitgiri and Ratnagiri in the district of Jajpur. This include terracotta Buddha images. The site is still is an important and a major Buddhist site which under excavation. has yielded a magnificent complex with a huge stupa in the middle. The cultural sequence of this There are other sites like Kuruma in Puri site date back to 7th-8th century A.D. The name District and Ganiapalli in Bargarh District which of this settlement has been revealed as have good many Budhist monumental remains. Madhavpur Mahavihara from an inscription. This The monastic remains of these sites are unique. settlement is an important center of Vajrayana. The Muchalinda Buddha images from Ganipalli The sculptural wealth of this site is overwhelming. are very beautiful and important so far Buddhist So far are exposed three monastery complexes studies is conquered. upto 2002 A.D. Still there exist more monastery Therefore from existence of all these complexes. However, archaeological excavation material remains it is clear that Mahayana

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Buddhism flowered here and again mingled with References : other contemporary religious faiths, such as 1. T.W. Rhys Davids, The Sacred Books of East, Saivism, Vaisnivism, Saktism and finally in Oxford, 1881. Jagannatha Cult. The image of Boddhisattva, who 2. D. Mitra, Buddhist Monuments, Calcutta, 1981. is a Buddha on the way, conducts himself with 3. R.L. Mitra, Antiquities of Orissa, Calcutta, 1963. love, wisdom and concern for others through many 4. A. Gosh (Ed.), An Encyclopedia of Indian lives until he stands at the threshold of Nirvana. Religions. And the message that radiates from the Buddhist 5. B.T. Bhattacharya - Buddhist Iconography, sites is "Hatred never ceases through hatred in Calcutta, 1968. this world; through love alone they ceases. This 6. N.K. Sahu, Buddhism in Orissa, 1958. is the eternal law." Thus the message goes through 7. S.K. Patnaik, Buddhist Heritage of Orissa, tourism that by a little bit of sharing and love, we Bhubaneswar, 2000. can indeed make this world a better place for all 8. B. Bandhopadhya, Buddhist Centres of Orissa, New Delhi, 2004. of us. Further, the Buddha images seated in 9. L.M. Josi, Studies in Buddhistic Culture of India, Bhumisparsa Mudra found almost from every sites Delhi, 1977. of Orissa reminds the eternal truth of Nirvana like 10. N. Dutta, Buddhist Sects of India, Calcutta, 1977. Mukti of Vaisnav cult or moksha that radiates from Odissi dance. The Nirvan Trail once somebody visits, get to know all the faiths and philosophies The Author belongs to Orissa Tourism Service. He is the Buddhist World. an Archaeologist, working on Buddhist Heritage of Orissa and lives at E-63, Srikhetra Colony, Puri.

His Excellency the Governor of Orissa Shri Rameshwar Thakur appreciating the achievements of Master Varun Mohapatra, a young Karate Master at Rajbhawan, Bhubaneswar on 3.9.2005.

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Violation of Child Rights as Violence Against Children

Sushree Sumati Behera

We adults typically consider violence against paying the price further. The indicators are already children when they are physically abused and the there. Drug-abuse, suicide, inhuman behaviour at signs are visible. On the contrary, having worked a much earlier age and degradation of the need for a long period in this area, I consider violation to be correct, are all there and increasing. Children of child rights as violence against children. deserve special and urgent attention. Children are always better than adults. * Children are more vulnerable than adults to Firstly, because they are unspoilt by the meanness, the conditions under which they live, they are base instincts of discrimination and vain more affected than any other age group by gloriousness of the adults. Secondly, they carry the actions and inaction of governments and in them the seeds of the future, the possibility of society. solutions of many problems that afflict the present * They have no control or influence over day society. Thirdly, they are so vulnerable and resources. deserve the protection and at the same time they * They are citizens of the country. come with in-built superior adaptive ability as a part of generation growth of intelligence and Child right is very much a part of human personality. rights. It may appear to be infringing on the unquestioned rights of the adults over the children We ignore the children at our own peril. but critically analysed it is the expression of our We like to enjoy the fruit of democracy, every unfulfilled desire for freedom from fear, fear of individual's Right to Life with Dignity irrespective the authority, fear of the unknown and fear of of denomination, caste, creed, gender and failure. Almost every Indian, no matter what the economic prosperity. Yet, we promote a kind of social position he/she occupies suffers the sense feudal appraoch completely antithetical to the of inadequacy often demonstrated as a superiority concept of democracy in our child rearing complex. We need to become equal to each other practices. We laud discipline at the cost of far while respecting each other. We need to and we superior dimensions of respecting each other, must give it to our children what we never could respecting the rule of law and setting priority on have in our lives. It is the responsibility of all adults being a contributing citizen of the democratic set within the family and the community to preserve up. We are paying the price and we will go on these basic rights for all children.

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We, the Children of India : All these promises are not honoured.It is 1. Constitute 44 percent of our country's time to wake up to reality. We can not afford to population. neglect the rights of our 440 million Indian children, the future citizens of this country. 2. Receive just about 2 percent of the budget allocation of the Union and the The children of India have a right to : State. * Full recognition as citizens; 3. Are denied of our basic entitlements, and * Survival, life and liberty. our birth right of care, protection and * Equality before law and in the society. development are not ensured. The tragedy is that often the children are 4. Many of us have died of avoidable denied access to judicial protection. deaths. * Full development of opportunities to 5. Mostly have no access to protection and realize their potential. have waited too long for justice. * Education, with open and equal access 6. Are increasingly becoming the targets and to justice and information. victims of violence, abuse and exploitation. * Dignity, and respect for their identity and culture. 7. Girl children are disappearing from the population, they are denied the right to * Public accountability for all neglect or be born. violation of children's rights. 8. Constitute a large part of the workforce We need to : of India as child and bonded labour. 1. Make the child rights the key indicator 9. With special needs are neglected and of national development. mal-treated. Very few of us have access 2. Honour the human rights of all children to any kind of services. as non-negotiable national obligations. 10. Child trafficking is on the rise. 3. Ensure nutrition food security for every The promises made by our own Govt. in child. various national and international conventions are 4. Accept the best interest of the child as hardly ever respected. the guiding principle of policy and action. 1. In 1950, the Constitution of India 5. End child labour and to ensure time- guaranteed equality before the law to all bound actions to abolish it. citizens, and pledged special protections for children. 6. Halt and punish all trafficking and bondage of children. 2. In 1974, India adopted a national policy for children and declared us to be the For this we, the civil society and the Govt. "supreme national asset." level must : 3. In 1992, India acceded to the 1. Formulate new national policy for Convention on the Rights of the Child. children's rights.

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2. Formulate national plan for children. the adults, the vote banks (at least the immediate 3. Establish National Commission for ones) and the often debatable question of national Children, with statutory authority. security take priority over children's concerns. Our need to become super power (of a doubtful kind) 4. Ensure children's health and health or even a regional power vis-a-vis our neighbour promotion. China has to be truly tested against our children's 5. Reach all children with early care and Right to have a square meal a day, some decent ensure survival supports. education and freedom from exploitation. 6. Register all infant and child births and Giving everybody equal opportunity deaths and causes of deaths. becomes a mockery when the odds are not equal. If I run against someone who does not have two 7. Ban and abolish child marriages and take legs is not giving everybody equal opportunity. action to change the existing law to Those adults who can create pressure groups enforce this. have managed to collar reservations in many 8. The state must register all births. The state spheres. Like the persons with severe impairment, must ensure provision of a birth certificate children do not have any representation anywhere. to all migrant, displaced, homeless, They are helpless and need someone to voice their orphan and street children. concern. The psychological damage, inflicted 9. The Juvenile Justice (care and protection through years of neglect, denial of rights and lack of children) Act 2000 must be of access can only mean greater difficulties in implemented effectively. future. If every action has an equal and opposite reaction, we need to imagine the equal and 10. Amend the existing laws to make it child opposite reactions of the 440 million Indian friendly and sensitive. children who have been subjected to such 11. Make education inclusive. inhuman actions. It is time for us to ask questions, set our priorities right and realize that funds crunch 12. Institute a common school system of can only be a dumb answer by a dumb government quality standards for education of all given to a dumb civil society too scared for its children. own skin to fight for the rights of its own children. 13. Ensure that there are age-specific Children must become our top most priority as allocations for children in every budget they are the true resources of our society and sector. need the exposure to make their mark in a world I would very categorically state here that that is becoming more unified and therefore more children are not part of the social welfare scheme. competitive than ever before. They are not appendices to the national development program. They are the cause and the effect of the programs. The tragedy is that when it comes to sharing food at home, usually it Sushree Sumati Behera is the Information Officer in the is the adults who ask whether the children of the Department of Information & Public Relations, family have eaten. In budgetary allocations it is Bhubaneswar.

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Role of Forest in Sustainable Agriculture : An Overview

Dr. Bibhuti Bhusan Mishra

The importance of sustainable agriculture for an depletion of genetic resources and abnormal agrarian country like India is being increasingly climatic fluctuations etc. having a strong agricultural realised from the view point of both food security implication. and environmental stability. On the one hand, the Controlling Soil Erosion challenges before us to meet the ever increasing food demand of the burgeoning population and Erosion of top soil and landscape on the other hand perils of the modern input based degradation accelerated by massive destruction intensive agriculture which is highly exploitative in of forests are among glaring environmental nature pave way to the necessity of a sustainable problems badly affecting agricultural productivity agriculture. Sustainable agriculture is largely based and continuously turning productive lands into on management of natural resources in an wastelands. Moreover it results in landslides and ecologically sound fashion to meet the objective flooding of catchment areas. The floods cause of both food security as well as environmental damage not only to life and property but also lead to sand casting on fertile lands disrupting their sustainability. productivity. It is an irony that while nature takes Forest is among precious natural some 3000 years to form only one centimetre of resources our earth is endowed with. It not only top soil, it is estimated that as much as 5334 million plays a pivotal role in maintaining ecological tonnes of soil gets eroded every year in India balance and conservation of environmental accounting for about 16.4 tonnes of soil per quality, but also provides a physical sustenance hectare per year (Deb, 1995). It is estimated to agriculture by various protective, ameliorative that 29 % of the soil so eroded is permanently and regulative functions played by it. Some of lost into sea, 10% is deposited in reservoirs, the valuable services rendered by forest resulting in loss of their storage capacity and 61% supporting agriculture include conservation of soil is transported from one place to another. and moisture, prevention of land from Moreover it causes depletion of about 5.4 to 8.4 degradation, preservation of soil fertility, million tonnes of major plant nutrients such as conservation of biodiversity and regulation of nitrogen, phosphorous and potash (Venkatramani, temperature and rainfall. On the other hand 1991) apart from other micronutrients thus massive deforestation invites drastic ecological forming a potential threat to the agricultural consequences such as extensive soil erosion, sustainability.

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Out of a total geographical area of 329 more water to percolate into the soil. Evidences million hectares of the country, approximately 144 suggest that while soil devoid of vegetation can million hectares are affected due to soil erosion increase run off by 40 %, a well managed forest of which about 40 million hectares have already can reduce the peak flow of water discharged become degraded (Subba Rao, 1999). Rampant from a watershed by as much as 60 % destruction of forests and denudation of soil has (Krishnamurthy 1999). The rate of infiltration has been found largely responsible for accelerated soil been recorded to be as much as 30 cm per hour erosion as it exposes soil surface to the various in a grass land. forces of degradation. It has been estimated that Siltation of tanks and reservoirs etc. is under extreme situations as much as 250 tonnes yet another serious outcome of soil erosion of soil per hectare per year can be lost from bare triggered by large scale destruction of forests. and highly erodible land (Sehgal, 1996). Studies Huge amount of sediment loads are carried away reveal that destruction of forests due to cutting by surface run off and get accumulated in river and brining of trees alone causes nearly 4 ton of beds, reservoirs and irrigation channels. It soil materials to roll down the hills per hectare reduces their capacity to hold and convey water, per annum (Singh, 1978). Soil erosion forms a often resulting in flooding of catchment areas. more acute problem in hilly tracts triggered by Most of our reservoirs are silting fast. Surveys clearing of vegetation. A study has indicated the conducted in Nizam Sagar and Tungabhadra magnitude of soil loss to an extent of 147, 170 reservoirs have recorded a loss of their storage and 30 tonnes per hectare, during the first, second capacity by 44% and 10% respectively (Abrol, and third year respectively from a hill slope of 60 1990) due to increased rate of sedimentation. to 70 % (Singh et al, 1978). The available Reduction in the storage capacity of the reservoirs information reveals that in southern India about in turn reduces the land area it can irrigate. 68, 000 hectares are severely affected by soil erosion, deforestation and overgrazing being the Indiscriminate deforestation makes the soil main causes behind (Subba Rao, 1999). Soil loss vulnerable to erosion, not only by water but also by water in form of rill and sheet erosion has also by wind. Strong winds lift and drift away the sand been alarming in the red and laterite soils of eastern particles from deserts and get them lodged on India where as much as 40 tonnes of top soil per productive lands turning them unproductive. hectare is lost annually (Reddy et al, 1995) loss Forest belt considerably reduces the wind velocity of vegetation being largely responsible for the by acting as a barrier to it while destruction of situation. forests enhances the process of desertification. It is surprising to note that Sahara desert itself is On bare land, the fine particles of soil get said to have been created by cutting down the dislodged being acted upon by strong splashing forests of North Africa. action of rain drops and become more vulnerable Enriching Soil Fertility to erosion. In a forest area the canopy offers physical resistance to rain drops reducing their Forest provides the soil with enormous velocity and striking action on the ground, thus amount of organic matter in forms of leaf litter, minimising the damage so caused. Profusion of twigs and other plant debris. Further it also offers vegetation also provides adequate resistance to a congenial micro environment to hasten the run off and reduces the speed of its flow rendering decomposition and mineralization of organic

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wastes by accelerated microbial activity. The wilderness which has gone down to only about 6 humus thus produced enriches the nutrient content lakh square kilometres now. There are reports of soil and improves its physical condition. The that many valuable species have already vanished amount of nutrients made available to the soil from and many more are on the verge of extinction due litter fall largely depends on the plant species to fast habitat clearance. Biodiversity once lost predominantly existing in the forest. A study can not be recovered. Urgent measures therefore conducted in a tropical deciduous forest in need to be taken for its conservation and Western Ghat evidenced a production of as much protection. as 10754 kg of litter per hectare per annum Preservation of Botanicals of Pesticidal contributing about 238 kg. of nitrogen, 9 kg of Importance phosphorus and 89 kg of potassium, besides other essential plant nutrients. Similarly another In view of the harmful impact of the observation on nutrient recycling by chir pines in synthetic pesticides on health and environment, Kangra Valley of Himachal Pradesh indicated that use of botanical pesticides in agriculture has now 75.8 kg of nitrogen, 0.64 kg of phosphorus, 18 been gaining increased importance and kg of potassium, 16.10 kg calcium and 16.20 kg acceptance for controlling crop pests. More than of magnesium could be made available to soil from 2000 plant species have so far been identified to 4999 kg of litter produced per hectare per year be possessing appreciable pesticidal properties. (Rawat and Tondon, 1993). Moreover a vast These are distributed in 189 families, the number population of leguminous plants existing in the of species being highest (more than 500) in the forests also supply enormous amount of nitrogen family Meliaceae. Forests of Indian sub-continent to soil through the process of biological nitrogen possess a large number of such plants of fixation to enrich the soil fertility considerably. outstanding pesticidal importance. Some of the common examples are Azadiracta indica, Conservation of Biodiversity Annona squamosa, Annona reticulata, Endowed with a wide variety of flora and Pongamia pinnata, Melia azdrach and fauna India has the privilege of being the tenth Delbergia retusa etc. Indiscrimate deforestation among the plant rich countries in the world (Subba if allowed to go on unchecked would ultimately Rao, 1999). Out of twelve biodiversity hot spots lead to a rapid depletion of such valuable plant located in the world, India has two, one being the resource in the years to come. north-eastern region and the other being the Regulation of Precipitation Western Ghat. India's plant wealth possesses about 45000 plant species including a large Out of a total cultivated area of 143.8 million number of wild species of economically important hectares of India, only 43.8 million hectares crops. They provide a valuable genetic base for accounting for about 30.5 % of the total cultivable crop improvement particularly in fortifying the land is irrigated while dry land and rainfed areas cultivars with tolerance to pests, diseases and constitute the remaining 69.5 % of the cultivated stress conditions. Unfortunately depletion of these land (Reddy, 1995). Thus agriculture in a larger valuable genetic resources has been going on part of the country is left to the mercy of nature, unprecedented due to habitat clearance. India being entirely dependant on rainfall. Crop had earlier some 30 lakh square kilometres of production is severely affected when the

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precipitation is inadequate. Forest considerably Forest Policy laid down in 1952 and again influences the hydrological cycle with an reviewed in 1988, one third of the country's appreciable impact on precipitation. A geographical area should be under forests. considerable amount of rainfall received over the Unfortunately the forest area has been declining forest area returns back to the atmosphere as continuously due to various reasons such as water vapours through evapotranspiration and reckless felling of trees, forest fire, shifting form potential clouds, which in turn precipitate cultivation, overgrazing and diversion of forest land being condensed. Deforestation interrupts this towards non-forest uses. At present India has a process resulting in reduced precipitation total forest area of about 76.5 million hectares eventually causing droughts. The fact that accounting for about 23 % of country's destruction of West Africa's forests being largely geographical area (Oberoi, 2000). However, the responsible for the droughts that are now a forest that can be said to be reasonably protected common feature in the entire belt ranging from is hardly about 19% of the geographical area Sahel to Ethiopia. while rest of the forests are under different degrees Prevention of Drought and Flood. of degradation. It is estimated that India is losing about 1.5 million hectares of forests every year In a well forested watershed, a large (Sodhi, 1997) consequences of which could be amount of annual precipitation received is held in drastic enough to put the environment into the elaborate sponge like network of the roots jeopardy. underlying the forest floor. The high organic matter content of the soil renders more water to be Contribution of forest to sustainability of absorbed and infiltrated into the soil. It contributes both agriculture and environment is being to ground water storage and increases the water increasingly realized and it is an urgent need of table which is then slowly released into the streams the hour to develop, judicious and location specific, enabling them to flow during dry season. forest management strategies. Success in Destruction of forest on the other hand makes conservation and maintenance of forests can be the rain water rush down the denuded slope achieved to a considerable extent through a well untapped into the rivers and streams causing heavy designed participatory forest management floods. Moreover, as the rain water is no longer programme involving government and non stored underground, the local streams and rivers government organizations together with the local can not be replenished and they quickly dry up people living around. Need-based efforts are once the monsoon is over giving rise to serve required to be directed towards conservation of droughts. Thus the so called drought - flood cycle existing forest resources and as far as possible is a result of deforestation causing massive floods compensation of loss of forests is to be made in monsoon alternating with devastating droughts through extensive afforestation programmes with during dry season, both of these being detrimental plantation of location specific effective tree to agriculture. species. In view of the necessity of forests for References : sustainability of agriculture and environment, 1. Abrol, P.P (1990) Caring for Soil Resources. conservation and management of the forest International Symposium on Water Erosion and resource need utmost priority. As per our National Resource Conservation, Deheradun.

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2. Annon.(1987) Tropical Forest - a Plan for 9. Singh and Singh (1978). Action. The Ecologist, 17(4/5); 129-133. 10. Sodhi, S.S (1997) Significance of Forests in 3. Deb, D.L. (1995) National Resource Ecosystem. Employment News; 22(11) pp.1-2. Management for Sustainable Agriculture. 11. Subba Rao (1999) Soil and Environment Pollution Angkor Publishers (P) Ltd. New Delhi. - a Threat to Sustainable Agriculture. The 26th 4. Oberoi, C.P (2000) Forests for New Millennium. Dr. R.V. Thamne Memorial Lecture, TNAU, Employment News ; 25(51): pp.1-2. Coimbatore. 5. Rawat, J.K & Tondon,U.N.(1993) Biomass 12. Venkatramani, G (1991) Soil Erosion - a Man-made Production and Mineral Recycling in Yo u n g Disaster. The Hindu Survey of Environment. pp. Chir Pine Plantations in Himachal Pradesh. Indian 115-119. Forester, Dec: 977-985. 6. Reddy, S.R. (1995) Principles of Crop Production. Kalyani Publishers, New Delhi 7. Sehgal, J.L (1996) Pedology- Concept and Dr. B.B. Mishra is the Jr. Agril. Officer of the Minor Application, Kalyani Publishers, Ludhiana. Irrigation and Water Use Training Institute, 8. Singh, 1978 Bhubaneswar, Orissa.

Shri Kalindi Behera, Minister for Scheduled Tribes & Scheduled Castes Development (Scheduled Castes Development), Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare, Excise addressing the students and public on the occasion of District Level Independence Day, 2005 at Khurda. Shri Krushna Chandra Mohapatra, Collector and Smt. Subhalaxmi Mohanty, DIPRO, Khurda are also present.

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Assessing Training and Extension Needs for Socio-Economic Development of Farm Women

Dr. Sanjeeb Kumar Mohanty, Dr. Souvik Ghosh Pradeep Kumar Gan

Identifying the right training and extension needs The needs assessment for formal training of women is one of the most important steps courses, whether in a village or in the training initiating any development programme. Almost all centres, has to focus on the problems in the area the programmes had spent time and money in as well as on the problems expressed by the target identifying these needs, but rarely had addressed group themselves. Staff member's ability to do them in planning the training programmes. A lot this has to be built up over a long period, as it of data is collected for assessing the training needs requires technical knowledge, experience and of farm women, (data covers even local physical analytical ability. conditions for farming as well as some socio- Training Cycle economic data of the population). However, this The first phase, and the most important data is often not analyzed fully because staff phase, of the Training Cycle is the Training Needs. members have not been trained in their analysis Assessment phase as the subsequent four phases and in how to develop action plans that relate to (Training Plans Development, Design of Training the actual farming problem identified (DANIDA: Programmes, Training Programmes Danish International Development Agency, Implementation and Training Monitoring and 1995). Women's role in agriculture with regard Evaluation) of the Training Cycle are dependent to gender related division of labour, resource upon it. A great deal of thought and attention is allocation, decision-making and control of income necessary in this phase. Extension personnel need is not taken into consideration in the need assume three principal forms: assessment. Similarly, the local agricultural situation, i.e. availability of farming inputs and Training Need, Personal Need and market facilities for products are not normally Development Need included in need assessments. In most of the A training need may be described as programmes, it was noticed that the need existing any time, says Morrison (1976), an actual assessment was not conducted according to the condition differs from a desired condition in the specified guidelines. The reasons cited for this human, or "people", aspect of organization lapse included the busy time schedule, large performance or, more specifically, when a change jurisdiction and mobility constraints of Agricultural in present human knowledge, skill, or attitude can Officers. bring about the desired performance.

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A personal need may be said to exist women group, development of appropriate work always and personnel said to actively seek to culture conducive to optimum performance, satisfy it within the constraints imposed by the relationship with research or agricultural and other organization. Advancement in career is an example departments. of personal need so also the orientation towards The State Training Needs relate to family or other non-work issues. Only work- production and other priorities in agriculture and related personal needs are relevant here. allied fields within a State. This will include, for A development need as differentiated example, 'thrust' programmes of the State for a from a training need by many training particular crop or for a particular target group, professionals, according to Morrison, it deals with say, small and marginal farmers and farm women, the total growth and effectiveness of the individual, or for a specified area, say, hill region. For particularly as the person expands realized abilities example, Training of Women in Agriculture towards the potential that he or she seems (TWA), and Training and Extension for Women capable of achieving. To others, development in Agriculture, Orissa (TEWA). activities are pointed towards future, usually higher-order, responsibilities than those held by The Regional Training Needs relate to the individual at present. production and other priorities in agriculture and allied fields, within a region, that is a group of Seven Levels of Training Needs States. Less common than either State or There are seven levels of training needs National Training Needs, they are usually based in training for extension personnel, namely, on national priorities though confined to a region. (i) Individual, (ii) Group, (iii) Organizational, Paddy production in Eastern States of India, (iv) State (v) Regional, (vi) Sectoral, and Eastern India Rainfed Farming Project (EIRFP) (vii) National. are examples of this level of training needs. The Individual Training Needs relate to The Sectoral Training Needs relate to knowledge, skills, attitudes and other things, production and other priorities in agriculture and KSAOs as the training jargon says, required for allied fields, for a specific sector. For example, the job. training needs relating to oilseeds production The Group Training Needs relate to technology. Though usually based on national performance of personnel as a group or team. 'Thrust' programmes, their distinguishing Here the focus is on inter-personal relationship, characteristic is often needed for dissemination group dynamism and team building. This may be of new technology at national level. needed while contemplating remedial action in The National Training Needs relate to case of, say, serious outbreak of pests or diseases production and other priorities in agriculture and or occurrence of a natural calamity like floods, allied fields at the national level. This will include, droughts, etc. for example, special production programmes like The Organizational Training Needs relate Special Food grains Production Programme to organizational development (OD). This will (SFPP), Special Rice Production Programme include, for example, management by objectives (SRPP), National Watershed Development (MBO), framing of rules and regulations for Programme for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA) and

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Integrated Women Empowerment Programme convinced about the benefits of attending these (IWEP). programmes. Their participation in training and Theoretical Perspective for Training Needs other extension programmes are severely Assessment. constrained due to their inability to release time from their already over stretched daily routines. A theoretical framework for training But over the years, with visible benefits of getting needs assessment is necessary for developing a trained in scientific agriculture, this reluctance has conceptual framework. Training needs assessment subsided. provides information on (i) where training is needed, (ii) what the content of training should Selection of candidates for training is not be, and (iii) who needs training in (iv) certain kinds always based on scientific approach. This has of skills and knowledge. resulted in selection of women who are not poor or belonging to small and marginal holdings. The This assessment is however not complete belief that more "progressive" women would be and few more dimensions are required to be more receptive to training has also influenced added, namely (i) who will organize the training, selection in a few cases. The women selected (ii) where will it be organized, (iii) will it be were of the same caste, as it was believed that institutional or non-institutional training (iv) are they could communicate more easily to each other requisite training facilities available, (v) are and lower castes were not given preference as resource persons of requisite calibre available (vi) they "are illiterate and have not land". who will finance training and lastly but not the least (vii) what are the like outcomes of training? Curriculum Development The training needs for extension In the Women in Agriculture projects of several personnel can be defined in terms of gap between states (MP & Tamil Nadu), agricultural officers Job Requirement and Job Performance. A defect were trained to prepare curriculum separately for in the above definition of training is that it does each training programme based upon training not take into account the development needs of needs of women farmers of each area, crops the personnel. If the development needs of the crone, potential income generation options etc. personnel are also taken into account then training In TEWA, consultants were involved in producing needs can be defined as: a resource book "Skills made easy", which included skills geared towards women. However, TRAINING NEEDS = JOB REQUIREMENT - PRESENT in the women's training programme in Rajasthan, PERFORMANCE + DEVELOPMENT NEEDS no such efforts were made and the choice of Lessons from on-going programmes content and approach was left to the resource persons, leading to a less specific and more Selection of Trainees uniform approach to teaching. Women belonging to small and marginal farm household have been the target audience for Skills Taught many training programmes. Getting enough Where front line workers visit women trainees has been a problem in itself in the past. farmers individually, e.g. in the TEWA project, Many trainee women farmers had virtually no time the women have direct influence on the subjects to spare for these meetings and were not fully taught. But where the projects conducted

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common training sessions or train women farmers proper need assessment exercise exploring in groups, the training needs were stipulated by specific training needs of farm women. The staff, based on their interpretation of available reviewing of different projects recommended that background information. preference for training needs of women should The skills selected tend to follow a be more on food and nutrition, animal husbandry, uniform pattern in all the four DANIDA projects: poultry development, agro-forestry and dry land seed treatment, seed selection, nursery farming. The EIRFP has taken these issues on management, maintenance of plant population, board and has relevant specific components in its fertilizer application, plant protection, seed storage project, for example, training on livestock practices, mushroom cultivation, composting and production, horticulture, aquaculture and mixing cattle field (DANIDA, 1995). The skills homestead farming. In the dry land areas, specific taught under Tamil Nadu Women in Agriculture training on soil and water conservation, irrigation Project, (TANWA) include, increasing fertilizer and seed priming has been offered. use efficiency, organic manure conservation Farm The evaluation of the projects suggests Yard Manure (FYM), compost enriched FYM, that programmes for women should expand their use of bio-fertilizer, tree cropping, field definition of agriculture beyond technologies for identification of pest/diseases, seed treatment, rat crop production and should be based on site- control, and grain storage. specific needs assessments. It was found that the most popular skills in training for women farmers, were kitchen gardening, rat control, preparation and use of plant protection chemicals and scientific storage Dr. Sanjeeb Kumar Mohanty, Fakir Mohan University, Vihar, Balasore, Orissa methods. However, activities that are mostly performed by women, such as poultry, livestock, Dr. Souvik Ghosh is a Scientist, WTCER (ICAR), horticulture, agro-forestry and backyard farming Bhubaneswar-23 were often neglected in the training programmes. Pradeep Kumar Gan, Fakir Mohan University, Vyasa These shortcomings can be avoided with the Vihar, Balasore, Orissa

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Development of Local Self Government and Orissa

Tarakanta Mohanty

De Tocqueville has aptly said "Local institutions in olden times had a village panchayat which used constitute the strength of free nations. A nation to function as an autonomous body. may establish a system of free governments but Although the British East India company without municipal institutions it cannot have the had set up Corporations in three presidency towns spirit of liberty. Mr.Leacock has said, "The of Madras, Calcutta and Bombay in 1687, 1720 distinction between local and Central and 1793 respectively, the local people did not Governments lies partly in their relative get much share in the local administration. The constitutional positions and partly the nature of final control was vested on the British hands. It public services performed." Local Self-Governing was only during Lord Mayo's regime that some Institutions may be called the cradle of solid steps were taken in the direction of self- democracy. They provide the best training in good government. The next step was taken during the citizenship. They are primary schools for the period of Lord Ripon who has been rightly called future parliamentarians and national leaders. In the father of Local Self-Government in India. He the complicated political structure of today, the directed the Provincial Governments to maintain three vital organs of the Government remain and extend a network of local boards in every burdened with duties of different types. Local district having independent sources of income. He problems demand on the spot enquiry and quick suggested that the local bodies should have limited solutions. This demand is met best by the local jurisdiction and the official element in them was institutions. Besides relieving the pressure on the not to exceed one third of the whole. He allowed Govt. the local bodies serve some other useful the boards to elect their Chairmen also. His purposes. They bring about awakening in the scheme thus was a landmark in the growth of people of the locality and arouse their active municipal institutions in India. Some of Lord interest in problems which concern them vitally. Ripon's suggestions were approved by the Crown They, moreover, make the citizens feel actively and thus the beginning of a major experiment in associated with the administrative machinery of local self-government was made in India. Ripon's their country. scheme and policy, however, was not carried out Local Institutions have deep roots in by his successors. The progress in this direction Indian soil. History tells us that every Indian village became slow. The local bodies could not deliver

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the goods because they continued to be under Out of the total 367.00 lakh population too much control of the Government. Secondly, of the State as per 2001 Census, 54.96 lakh their sources of income were inadequate. Lastly, people live in Urban Centres. The decadal growth the elective element continued to be weak and of urban population in the State is 29.78%. Large ineffective. scale migration to urban areas has accelerated Montford Reforms proposed to remove the demand for infrastructural facilities, supply of these evils in the municipal system. It was expected safe drinking water, provision of sewerage systems that under the diarchical system of Government, and has created a large and unmet demand for the machinery would be set in order. The housing. Department of Local Self-Government, no doubt, At present about 651 million litres of was transferred into the hands of an Indian Minister drinking water is supplied per day to the 102 but the Minister incharge could not do much owing urban Local Bodies and 1 census town by to paucity of funds. The key portfolio of Finance augmentation and improvement of existing water continued to be under the charge of an Executive supply system benefiting a population of 4.2 Councillor who had no sympathy for nation- million. About 1.1 million urban populations are building schemes. benefited through 173752 of house connections Things improved under the Act of 1935 and the rest 3.1 million population are served which granted autonomy to the Provinces. The through more than 17,183 public stand posts. popular Minister who looked after the department Besides, there are nearly 16.503 hand pump tube- of Local Self-Government did not have wells functional in different ULBs to cater to the handicapped of funds. Two years after entering water demand during non-supply hours and areas upon office, the Congress Ministries submitted uncovered by piped water supply systems. their resignations. The system of local administration thus drifted along without any During the peirod 2004-05, 66 MLD of radical change till the advent of independence in drinking water was additionally supplemented 1947. through augmentation of sources, pumping systems etc. to benefit a populationof around As per 1991 census the population of 42.00 lakh. Urban areas has exceeded from 20.7 crores and has reached till now 30 crores. 30% of the Administrative Approval of 8 schemes population of the country dwel in Urban areas. have been received at an estimated cost of Rs.3699.45 lakh for which there was a budget In comparison to other states, the pace provision of Rs.1847.03 crore during the year of development and progress of Urban areas is 2004-05. This drinking water scheme will benefit comparatively slow and static. In 1951 the number a total projected population of around 4.3 lakh. of towns in Orissa was 19. Due to rapid industrialization and establishment of major So far 29 accelerated Urban Water projects, during this half century (in between 1951 Supply Project (AUWSP) have been technically to 2001) the number has increased from 19 to sanctioned and administratively approved by the 103. State Government.

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National Slum Development Programme Projects for major towns in the State of Orissa (NSDP) which is a Central Plan Scheme has been with Loan assistance from HUDCO and margin under implementation in the State since 1996-97 money from State Government. During 2000-01 with a view to improve the living conditions of to 2004-05, OWS and SB has successfully Urban slum dwellers. Since inception, completed four Water Supply Projects at Government of India have provided a sum of Cuttack, Jeypore, Sambalpur and Kendrapara. Rs.2604 lakh under N.S.D.P. which has already Rourkela Civil Town water supply project been released by the State Govt. to different completed except Bandamunda areas under trial ULBs basing on their fund utilisation position as run. Work in three water supply projects i.e. at well as their requirements. Titilagarh, Angul and Talcher is going on in full Swarna Jayanti Sahari Rojgar Yojana swing which are expected to be completed very (SJSRY), a centrally sponsored Plan Scheme has soon. been under implementation in all the ULBs of the Integrated Development of Small and State from 1.12.1997. The target group is the Medium Towns (IDSMT) is covered under urban poor with special focus on women and Centrally Sponsored Schemes which aims at persons belonging to SCs and STs, physically arresting migration of people from rural areas and Handicapped and family headed by a woman. smaller towns to the larger cities. 65 towns of the The scheme is under implementation in all the 103 State have been covered under the scheme. During ULBs of the State with special emphasis on low- 2004-05 Govt. of India have provided Rs.117.00 income neighbourhood. lakh in favour of towns such as Barbil, Malkangiri, The new scheme self employment through Khariar and Khariar Road. Moreover Rs.32.00 KIOSKS has been launched during the year lakh has been sanctioned in favour of Banki Town. 2003-2004 as a special drive towards creation Apart from this, 50 ULBs have been of self employment opportunities for educated covered with public toilets facilities so far. During unemployed youth in urban areas of the State. the 10th five-year plan it is proposed to construct The land for the proposed KIOSKS / shopping 150 public toilets with an estimated cost of Rs.8.00 units is to be provided by the State Government crore. Consequent upon abolition of Octroi Tax free of premium, which is to be treated as in the State with effect from 1.12.99, it has been Government subsidy. decided to provide Entry Tax entitlement towards A Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely compensation in favour of all ULBs of the State the Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY) taking in account the Octroi collection during is implemented in the State since 2001-02. So 1988-99 as the base year. During 2004-05 a sum far 21 ULBs have deposited Rs.228.60 lakh as of Rs.128.55 crore has been provided in the matching share and Government of India have budget for payment of entry tax to ULBs. released Rs.112.00 lakh as Central subsidy in Urban Bodies in Orissa favour of 13 ULBs. List of Municipal Corporations : Orissa Water Supply & Swerage Boards (OWSSB) has been executing Water Supply 1. Cuttack Municipal Corporation.

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2. Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. urban bodies election one-third seats have been Municipalities - 35 (thirty five) reserved for tribal, Scheduled Caste, Backward Caste and Women. The State Finance Notified Area Councils - 66 (Sixty six) Commission in the meanwhile has submitted its Civic Poll Fact-Sheet 2003 report to Government. According to the estimate of finance Commission the expenditure load has Urban local bodies - 96 been increased in a vast speed and there is a deficit Number of Wards - 1629 of annually Rs.120 crore in comparison to the Votes Polled by Political Parties, income of urban bodies. In the rate of expenditure Independent and Others of the urban bodies, if it is not altered then by the end of 2005 the deficit amount of the urban bodies (a) BJD - 530 will exceed Rs.1557 crore as estimated. (b) BJP - 334 Government is making all out efforts to ameliorate the living condition of people dwelling in urban (c) Congress(I)- 502 area. (d) Independent - 212 Let all of us take a solemn pledge to keep (e) Others - 46 our towns, free from pollution and create a Now, out of the total population of the pollution free environment, the life line of our State 16 to 17% people remain in Urban areas civilisation. and as estimated by 2011,25% of the people will dwell in urban areas. In the existing administrative method and policy in urban areas a revolutionary change has been made in the 74th Constitution Amendment Act, 1992 and the State Government has Shri Tarakanta Mohanty is presently working as Deputy amended the Municipal Act accordingly. An Director (Print Media & Advertisement) and Deputy Election Commission has been constituted which Secretary in the Department of Information & Public is conducting Panchayat and Civic Polls. In the Relations, Government of Orissa, Bhubaneswar.

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Handloom and Powerloom in Dhenkanal District

Next to Agriculture, Handloom Industry plays a Under the scheme Swarojagar Credit pivotal role for providing employment in rural Card, 158 nos. of weavers have been benefitted areas and upliftment of the socio-economic and sent to different Commercial Banks / G.B. condition of the weavers. It provides sustained for availing loan. It is proposed to cover 200 and gainful employment to the rural artisans with weavers for eye testing and supply of spectacles less investment compared to others in a pollution under the Health Package Scheme during the free environment. current year 2005-06. As per last census, there are 1065 nos. of house-holds having 5633 nos. of weavers Cluster approach is being undertaken in population with 1520 nos. of looms in the the District in 2 nos. of Blocks for overall Dhenkanal District. Out of 1065 nos. of development of the Handloom Weavers as well Households, 35 nos. of Households belongs to as Handloom Industry. Scheduled Caste and 3 nos. of Households belongs to Scheduled Tribe. During the year 2004-05 a sum of In the District, 24 nos. of Pry. WCS have Rs.10.00 lakh has been provided towards Interest been organised with 1373 weavers working in Subsidy, M.I. and M.D.A. for development of the co-operative fold. the weavers. The production, sale and NABARD Cash Credit operation of last 3 years are The weavers of Dhenkanal District are enumerated below : producing mostly coarse variety of Handloom fabrics, but the weavers of Siminoi Area are Items Years famous for producing fine cotton Siminoi Saree

2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 which is appreciated not only in the District itself but also in the other districts of the State. Production (i) Lakh Sq.mts. 1.03 1.15 1.72 Powerloom (ii) Value in lakh Rs. 21.20 24.67 38.54 2 nos. of powerloom Servicing Co- Sale (i) Lakh Sq. Mts. 1.05 1.22 1.77 operative Societies have been registered in (ii) Value in Lakh Rs. 22.93 27.00 39.75 Bhuban and Siminoi for generating employment NABARD Cash Credit to the Powerloom Weavers of Dhenkanal District Operation (Lakh Rs.) At present approximately 80 nos. of powerlooms (i) Limit Sanctioned 73.56 73.76 78.66 (ii) Drawal 2.45 11.73 9.39 are running in the district. (iii) Deposit 2.53 1.06 1.03 (iv) Outstanding 64.06 74.73 81.35 The Handloom Weavers in the district are Besides, 15 nos. of S.H.G.s have been regularly participating in different Exhibitions / formed in the District to provide employment to Melas for display-cum-sale of handloom fabrics 167 nos. of weavers. produced in the district.

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Mahisamardini in the Temple Art of Suvarnapura

Prabhas Kumar Singh

Fourteen handed Durga, Khambeswari Temple, Sonepur Sonepur, the district headquarters of Suvarnapur, Sumbha, Nisumbha, Raktabija and Mahisasura; situated in the right bank of river Mahanadi, near Mahisamardini became the most powerful Sakta- the confluence of its major tributary the Tel. The tantric goddess, revered by the people. Goddess discovery of hundreds of Punch marked coins of Durga in her perfect nature represents a pre-Mauryan period from Sonepur area prove consolidated idea of different aspects of the divine the great antiquity of the place1. Sonepur has been truth as divine power. She is described as the most mentioned as Suvarnapura for the first time in the powerful martial goddess equipped with the 9th century copper plate charters of Somavamsi sharpest weapons and ravelling in a terror striking king Janmejaya-I 2. Being situated in the bank of war cries and as the omnipresent, omnipotent and mighty river Mahanadi, it might have played an omniscient Creator, Preserver and the Destroyer important role in the remote past for trade and of the universe. As described in Markandeya and commerce and in shaping the fate of many royal other Puranas5, She is conceived as war goddess dynasties. The literal meaning of Suvarnapura is killing the buffalo demon, variously armed city of gold. It was ruled by various royal dynasties plunging her trident into the neck of the body of such as the Somavamsis, the Teluguchodas, the the demon. She has three eyes, bulging breasts, a Kalachuris, the Gangas, the Bhanjas and the thin waist and three bends in her body with her 3 Chauhans as known from inscriptions and hair arranged in Jatamukuta. The decapitated 3 copper plate charters . Thus Suvarnapura was trunk of the buffalo with blood oozing out of its the capital city and the centre of political gravity neck lies at her feet and Mahisasura two armed for centuries. The art heritage was flourished to carrying sword and shield, terrific in appearance such an extent that it was described as Varanasi is found emerging from within the trunk. Devi (the temple city of North India) in the plants one of her legs on her mount lion and the 4 Kosalananda Kavyam . At present also Sonepur other on the buffalo. There is no unanimity among contains large number of temples either in ruins various texts with regard to her hands. or in Situ. The present paper aims to highlight goddess Mahisamardini Durga in the temple art The sculptural representation of of Suvarnapura. Mahisamardini Durga can hardly be datable to pre-Gupta period 6. On the basis of religious texts Mahisamardini Durga and archaeological evidences, learned scholar J. Born out of concerted energy of N. Banerjea 7 indicates that the image of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesvar and other gods to kill Mahisamardini was carved in the Gupta and Post the fierceful demons like Chanda, Munda, Gupta periods.

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Orissa Review * September - October - 2005

Coming to Orissa, images of Goddess Mahisamardini also appears Mahisamardini from two armed variety to twenty as the side deity in the northern niche of the armed flourished between 4th century A.D. to Vimana of the Ramesvara temple. It is a six 15th century A.D., indicating the varieties and armed Durga depicted in her conventional archer signifying the popularity of the cult in Orissa and pose. She assumes the alidha position. Goddess development of plastic art over the ages8 . The is shown killing the demon Mahisa by piercing two armed Durga holding in her right arm a Sula the trident by holding it in both her lower hands. piercing the buffalo shaped demon and the left The demon is absent here. The right leg of the hand pulling the tail of the animal is the earliest goddess is on the back of her mount lion. She classical goddess worshipped as Viraja at Jajpur. holds a mace, in her uplifted right hand where as Of all the forms of Sakti, Mahisamardini became the upper left and middle right arms are broken. extremely popular in Orissa flourishing from the Here, Devi is wearing a Karandamukuta. Gupta period till today. A four armed Mahisamardini is found 9 Learned scholar H.C. Das has divided in the niche of the Jagamohana of the Samalei the Mahisamardini images in three categories on temple. She holds conch and disc in her upper the basis of the forms of Mahisasura. In the first back arms and a trident in front arms. Another category, Mahisasura is in the form of buffalo, in sculpture of Mahisamardini is found on the lintel the second category, he has human body, but the of the Budhi Samalei temple. She is found sitting head of buffalo. In the third category, Mahisasura on a tiger, endowed with her usual ornaments. is a fully developed human being fighting with his She is eight handed holding disc, trident, sword sword and shield. in her right three hands and the fourth one is in Sonepur being a centre of Sakti Varada mudra. Her left hands hold conch, mace, worship, large number of Mahisamardini images bow with arrow and lotus. This image is quite are found worshipped in the temples either as graceful. presiding deities or as Parsvadevatas. Such images are found in Samalei, Gopaljee, An unique dancing deity of fourteen Ramesvara, Budhi Samalei and Bhagavati handed Mahisamardini is found in the western temples. During the time of the later Somavamsis niche of the Khamvesvari temple. She holds battle especially during the time of Chandihara Jayati axe, bow, disc, pasa, kharpara, shield in her left Mahasivagupta III (C.1025-1040 A.D.), the hands and mace, arrow, ankusa, sword etc. in synchronisation of Saktism with Saivism took her right hands. She is ornamented with place. From his Jatesingha and Dunguri copper Kiritamukuta, kundalas in ears. She is wearing plates,10 it is learnt that goddess Bhagavati Naramundamala, a long garland of skulls. Panchamvari Bhadrambika, his Istadevi was Snakes are coiled around her anklets and wrists installed and worshipped at Pattana as Nupura and Kankana. The deity stands in Suvarnapura, the capital city. This Panchamvari Samabhanga posture on her mount lion which is Bhadrambika, is perhaps enshrined as Bhagavati in a marching position. Female attendants are in the modern temple of Bhagavati in Sonepur 11. standing on her both sides on the pedestal. This Here, the presiding deity is Mahisamardini. Her image has been dated to C.18th Century A.D., attributes are not clearly visible but her third eye i.e. the Chauhan period4. Another eight handed is quite noticeable on her forehead. standing figure of Durga is enshrined in the

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northern niche of the same temple. She hold disc, References: knife, bow and battle axe in her left hands and 1a. Nath, B. B., Punch-marked coins from Sonepur, sword, arrow, trident and dagger in her right Orissa Historical Research Journal, Vol.I, No.2, hands. She is flanked by two attendants while her pp.27-28. mount lion is found below her.12 b. Orissa State Museum has recovered 325 number of Punch-marked coins from Tarabha Police One unique image of two handed Durga, Station, Suvarnapura district, during 2001-2002. sitting on her mount lion holding two swords in 2. Epigraphia Indica, XII, p.218. both her upraised hands, is fitted in a niche of the 3.a) Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, IV, pp.483-490 exterior wall of the Bahari Gopaljee Temple, b) Journal of Numismatic Society of India, XIII 13 c) Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta, situated in front of the ruined palace of Sonepur. 1998, Vol.XLVII, p.322-326 Some scholars14 have wrongly identified d) Orissa Historical Research Journal, Vol.X, No.4, 1962, pp.1-10 goddess Suresvari as Mahisamardini. But to our 4. Mishra, Gangadhar, Kosalananda Kavyam, (1929), personal observation, she is identified as Sonepur, canto-17, verse-55, p. Chamunda iconographically. She is the presiding 5. Markandeya Purana, Translated by Pargiter, deity of Surevari temple of Sonepur and (1903), ch.82. worshipped in Vana Durga mantra. Images of 6. Majumdar, R.C., Classical Age, p.442 ten handed dancing Durga and four handed Devi 7. Banerjea, J.N., Development of , p.496. sitting in Lalitasana on the Visvapadma 8. Das, H. C., Cultural Development in Orissa, pedestals are fitted to the Parva devata niches Calcutta, 1985, p.95. of this temple. One four handed Mahisamardini 9. Das, H. C., Sakti Cult in Orissa (Unpublished image is also found in the Gokarnesvara temple article). premises. 10. Inscriptions of Orissa, Vol.I, Bhubaneswar, 1966, p.223. The presiding deity of Narayani Temple, 11. Panda, Sasanka Sekhar, West Orissa-A Study in is a Mahisamardini Durga. The deity has ten hands Ethos, Sambalpur University, 1992, p.207. 12. Panda, Sasanka Sekhar, Durga Icons of Upper and scattered hair. She holds a sword and shield Mahanadi Valley of Orissa, Orissa Review, in upper right and left hand respectively. The Vol.XLV, No.3, 1988. buffalo demon lies at the bottom. One of her legs 13. Panda, Sasanka Sekhar, Sculptural Art of rests on the back of lion and other one on the Suvarnapura, Orissa Historical Research Journal, LXIV, No.1 to 4, p.70. buffalo. She is shown as killing the buffalo demon 14a) Dolandson, T.E., Tantra and Sakta Art of Orissa, with her trident. The temple is dated to circa 19th Vol.I, 2002, p.174. 15 century A.D. b) Mishra, Sangeeta, Sakta images of Sonepur-A Study, Orissa Review, Vol.LX, No.2&3, September- The present Sonepur town has a glorious October, 2003, p.13. past and the temple ruins, sculptures and literary 15. Tripathy, B.K & Singh, P.K., Sakta Monuments of accounts speak volumes of her rich cultural undivided Bolangir district, Orissa Review, heritage. It was a hot bed of Tantric Saktism in vol.LIX No.III-2002 P.g.56. the remate past, the influence of which can be realised even today especially during Dussehra Prabhas Kumar Singh is working as Assistant Curator, Archaeology Section, Orissa State Museum, or . Bhubaneswar-14

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Some New Facts About Goddess Samlei

Sasanka S. Panda

It is a popular belief that goddess Samlei is none- was originally a deity of the tribal populace of else than goddess Lankesvari, the titulary deity Sambalpur region and to appease them king of Ravana,the demon king of Lanka, who was Balaram Dev elevated her to the status of the killed in the battle field by Purusottama Rama in Rastra Devi of Sambalpur the Tretaya Yug. As the demon kingdom. king Ravana was deeply Goddess Lankesvari is engrossed in evil deeds, being worshipped at Sonepur now also disgusted the titulary goddess of on a rock bed in the river Suvarna Puri Lanka left the fort Mahanadi,at a distance of of Lanka and vanished. As about Samlei it is said that then around one furlong from the right Lankesvari reappeared in the bank. It is said that the monolithic kingdom of Sambala and was rock is surrounded by a deep worshipped as Samlei by the gorge having unfathomable local populace in her place of water. The impression we get open-air worship on a rock bed from the Lankesvari pitha at inside the river Mahanadi in a Sonepur that of oper-air place called Gumodarha worship. There is no shrine or (Gumo Gorge). When the temple for this goddess, but Chauhan kingdom of various religious symbols like the Sambalpur was established by gada, sankha, padma, chakra, Goddess Samalei king Balaram Dev some time in a pair of foot-prints, a pair of the 16th century, she was brought from her original sacrificial pillars or posts called Merukhunti, two seat of worship and installed in a temple, lions and three yonipithas are carved on the construced by the king. However,as the when this monolithic rock.In the south-west side of this temple became dilapidated the seventh Chauhan monolithic rock, there is a two-lined long king of Sambalpur, Shri Chhatra Sai (1689-1725 inscription in the Nagari character of the 10th- A.D.) rebuilt the present temple form of the 11th century A.D.This monolithic rock is quite goddess is uniconic and does not confirm to any interesting as we find the rock-cut carving of a Hindu iconography, it seems probable that she temple diagram also amidst the above mentioned

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symbols. Each line of the inscription has twelve to yoni worship might be prevailing there also in characters. In the starting of this inscription there the remote past. As this Lankesvari pitha at is the rock-cut carved figure of a running horse Sonepur is situated deep inside the river with a chhatra fixed on its back. The entrance Mahanadi, it seems that in the ancient days portion of this rock-cut diagram is in the southern sadhakas were engaged in austerity in complete direction, where in both sides there are two figures seclusion. of lions with their raised forepaws as if depicting Identifying Samlei of Sambalpur with the simhadvara or the lion's Lankesvari by the priests gate of a temple. After these and taking into account the carvings, to the proper left original place of worship of there are two rock-cut pillar figures on the floor, goddess Samlei,which was symbolizing the pair of in the Gumo Darha (Gumo sacrificial posts, called the Gorge)of the river Merukhunti or the Mahanadi, it can be Merukham (Meru pillars). A surmised that like the figure of is carved Lankesvari pitha of near these pillars in the north- Sonepur,the Samlei pitha east corner. It is quite of Sambalpur was also on interesting to be noted that in a rock bed inside the river, the Samlei temple at being surrounded by deep Sambalpur, a huge image of water. Hanuman is enshrined in a Is Samlei the same subsidiary shrine, situated in goddess Lankesvari who the north-east corner of the has been mentioned in the pradaksina patha, the path Tantric Buddhist text of circumambulation). An old Twenty Armed Durga Sadhanamala as a deity of priest of the Samlei temple of Sambaleswari Temple Vajrayana ? If so, was she Sambalpur once told this popular atleast from the time of Indrabhuti, the scholar that Hanuman is also worshipped there king of Sambala, who was a great devotee of because he was instrumental in bringing Lord Jagannath in the 8th century A.D. ? Is she Lankesvari (Samlei) to Sambala from Lanka in having any connection with Vaisnavism ? In this the Tretaya Yug. This theory is very interesting connection it can be mentioned that for the first as we find a pair of foot-prints,Vaisnavite images time Jagannath has been mentioned in a religious like Kacchapa, Varaha, Matsya and Narasimha text titled Gyanasiddhi, authored by king etc. in the big Mukhasala hall of the Samlei temple Indrabhuti of Sambala. Now the question arises, at Sambalpur. It is quite possible that these whether there is any connection between symbolism is associated with the cult of Jagannath and goddess Samlei or Lankesvari ? Lankesvari. As three yonipithas are carved on the monolithic rock, Lankesvari Pitha at Sonepur, It is also said that goddess Samlei was it is possible that some sort of esoteric cult related worshipped as the protectress goddess by the

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boatmen who were navigating the long and vast are in the abhaya and varada mudras. She has water course of the mighty river Mahanadi in the a protruding tongue like that of goddess Kali. ancient days. Therefore, goddess Samlei is called Lankesvari as a goddess of tantric Chaurasi Samlei also who protects each and Buddhism was already popular in the 8th century every boat journey through Mahanadi. The A.D. By the late Somavamsi period, around the Chaurasi or Eighty-four is vaguely related to the closing years of the 11th century A.D. the Sonepur 84 (Chaurasi Siddhas) who were region was known as Paschima Lanka,as experts in Tantric Buddhism or the Vajrayana recorded in the Sonepur Copper Plate grant of Sahajayana. the Somavamsi prince, Kumaradhiraja Goddess Samlei of Sambalpur and Somesvara Deva, who was the governer of the goddess Subhadra of Sri Jagannath temple at Puri Sonepur region of the mighty Somavamsi empire. are worshipped in the This Charter was same Bhuvanesvari declared from mantra by the priests. Suvarnapura, his There might be some administrative similarities between headquarter, in which, both the goddesses. he has been Lankesvari is mentioned as called Vindhyavasini Paschimalankadhipati Durga also.In the or the Lord of Kaumudi Western Lanka. The Mahotsava, we find present seat of the mention of worship of goddess Ekanga(Ekanamsa)as Lankesvari on the the tribal goddess of the rock-bed of river Yadavas.Here the Hati Gate, Sambaleswari Temple Complex Mahanadi at Sonepur goddess is depicted in was so much popular her dual capacity as Vindhyavasini Durga and the as a place of religious sanctity that in the first tribal deity of the Yadavas. decade of the 12th century A.D. the Telugu Choda king Somesvara Deva II registered the land grant Although it is quite interesting to be noted of his Mahada Copper Plate Charter near the that Samlei or Lankesvari worship is associated Lankavarttaka (Lanka Whirlpool) on the bank with open-air worship in the rock bed on huge of river Chitrotpala (Mahanadi). monolithic rocks, at Junagad in the present Kalahandi district, Lankesvari is worshipped It is possible that Kot Samlei Cave on inside a temple of the pidha order, built some the Trikuta Parvat(mountain), situated one km time in the 17th century A.D. It is a four-handed away from the left bank of river Mahanadi, just deity, seated in vajraparyankasana on a opposite Sonepur town, was the original place of visvapadma pedestal. She is holding sankha and worship of goddess Samlei and Samlei has some chakra in her upper left and right hands connection with Lord Jagannath, as the idol of respectively, while the lower left and right hands Lord Jagannath was kept hidden in this cave

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during the invasion of the Yavana invader described as Bhagavatya Panchambari Raktavahu some time in the 7th century A.D.It Bhadrambika or a goddess related to the seems more probable that Samlei and Subhadra Bhagavata cult of Vaisnavism. The uniconic form are the one and the same goddess, as both are of goddess Samlei at Sambalpur, Barpali and worshipped in the same Bhuvanesvari mantra Patnagarh denote her tribal origin, but the icon of even now. Therefore Lankesvari alias Samlei alias Samlei at Sonepur relates her to the Supreme Subhadra is the same deity in the uniconic form, Goddess Durga, and that of Bolangir also to the who was worshipped by Indrabhuti, the king of great goddess ( Mahadevi ). Therefore Maa Sambala in the 8th century along with Lord Durga is the same deity who is worshipped as Jagannath in the Kot Samlei Cave of Trikuta Lankesvari and also as Samlei and has been Parvat. Most probably the same goddess was menifested in the form of goddess Subhadra, the called Panchambari Bhadrambika by the sister of Lord Jagannath in the Supreme Somavamsi king Mahasivagupta Yajati II ( circa Jagannath Cult. 1025-1040 A.D.), who installed her as his titulary deity at Pattana Suvarnapura,the capital city of In the Tebetan text Bstan - hgyur the Somavamsi empire. As she was in the uniconic Laksmikara has been mantioned as Bhagavati form, she was having the Panchamahabhuta or Laksmi and the successor of king Indrabhuti in nature as her dress. (Panchambari). It connotes the succession list of the Siddhacharyas. (158, a sort of open-air worship. Further researches K. Sahu). can prove this contention. The all-pervading Universal menifestation In the Samlei temples at Sambalpur and of Sakti, the great goddess Mahadevi was Sonepur, in both the places, Hanuman, the worshipped by Rama and therefore she is called monkey-god and the supreme devotee of Ramachandi. An image of goddess Ramachandi Purusottama Rama is enshrined inside the temple is fitted to a Parsvadevata niche of the Samlei as a Parsvadevata of goddess Samlei. At temple at Sambalpur in the western side of the Sambalpur, the priests of Samlei temple told this Pradaksina Patha which proves her connection scholar that as goddess Samlei was brought from with goddess Samlei. She is the same goddess Lanka by Hanuman, he is also installed there as a who was called Lanka Devi or Lankesvari in the devotee of the goddess. Goddess Samlei and . Her magic force was pervading over goddess Lankesvari seems to be the great Lanka and it was protected by her. But ultimately, Goddess Durga herself, whom Purusottama Ram being satisfied by the prayer of Rama she left worshipped and satisfied (propiated) to built the Lanka and Ravana was defeated. Then she was bridge over the sea (Setubandha) to enter Lanka taken to Kosala, the kingdom of Rama to be and kill Ravana. Therefore Samlei and Lankesvari worshipped there. As Sambala was also a part might be the same goddess and both are of South Kosala, which was the maternal place associated with the Vaisnava cult. Panchambari of Rama (His mother Kausalya was the daughter Bhadrambika might be the sane goddess of the king of South Kosala and as she was having Lankesvari of Sonepur, who was Bhadrambika no brother, ultimately it merged with Kosala of having the nature as her garment ( Pancha King Dasaratha. After Rama it was ruled by ambara ) and at the same time she has been Kusa), the Great Goddess preferred to be

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installed and worshipped in the kingdom of South 8. Brighenti, F., Sakti Cult in Orissa, New Delhi, 2001, Kosala. p.165-166. 9. Bhattacharya, N.N. History of the Sakta Religion, Selected References : New Delhi, 1974, p.57. 10. Singh, Prabhash Kumar, 'Goddess Lankesvari of 1. Orissa District Gazetteers, Sambalpur, ed. by. N. Junagarh', Orissa Review, Vol.LX, Nos.2 & 3, Senapati and B. Mahanti, 1971, p.538. September-October, 2003, pp.94-99. 2. Epigraphia Indica, Vol.XII, pp.237-92. 11. Sahu, Dr. Nabin Kumar, 'Buddhism in Orissa', Utkal 3. Ibid, Vol.XXVIII, pp.283-92. University, Bhubaneswar, 1958. 4. Sadhanamala, II, Sadhana No.218, p.427 vide N.K. 12. Indian Culture, Vol.IV, p.212. Sahu, Buddhism in Orissa, Pub. Utkal University, 13. Mohapatra, R.P., Archaeology in Orissa, Vol.II, 1958, p.149. New Delhi, 1986, p.241. 5. Dr. Chitrasen Pasayat, 'Samlei to Sambaleswari - 14. Sahu, J.K., 'Temples of Sambalpur Town,' in New Ashapuri to Samalei', Orissa Review, Vol.LXI, No.3, Dimensions of Tourism in Orissa, Bhubaneswar, October, 2004, pp.10-18ff. 1976, p.38. 6. Panigrahi Bibekanand, 'Jagajjanani Samalesvari Devinkara Abirbhava Ebam Mandira Nirman' (Oriya Book), Pub. Mrs. Manorama Panigra Budharaja, Sambalpur, 9.10.1994, pp.2-10ff. 7. Nayak, Dr. Pabitra Mohan, 'Somalai : A Unique Image in India,' The Orissa Historical Research Journal, Vol.XLVIII, No.2, 2004, pp.119-121. The writer lives at VR-23, Unit-6, Bhubaneswar

Temple Sambaleswari

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ORISSA REVIEW

VOL. LXII NO. 2, 3 SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2005

DIGAMBAR MOHANTY, I.A.S. Commissioner-cum-Secretary

BAISHNAB PRASAD MOHANTY Director-cum-Joint Secretary

SASANKA SEKHAR PANDA Joint Director-cum-Deputy Secretary Editor

BIBEKANANDA BISWAL Associate Editor

Debasis Pattnaik Sadhana Mishra Editorial Assistance

Manas R. Nayak Cover Design & Illustration

Hemanta Kumar Sahoo Manoj Kumar Patro D.T.P. & Design

Raju Singh Manash Ranjan Mohanty Photo

The Orissa Reviewaims at disseminating knowledge and information concerning Orissa¶s socio-economic development, art and culture. Views, records, statistics and information published in the Orissa Review are not necessarily those of the Government of Orissa. Published by Information & Public Relations Department, Government of Orissa, Bhubaneswar - 751001 and Printed at Orissa Government Press, Cuttack - 753010. For subscription and trade inquiry, please contact : Manager, Publications, Information & Public Relations Department, Loksampark Bhawan, Bhubaneswar - 751001.

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CONTENTS

Editorial Dassera and the Tradition of Kingship in Sonepur Ex-State Dr. Pabitra Mohan Nayak ...1 Tara Gitarani Praharaj ...4 Vimala Temple at the Jagannath Temple Complex Puri Ratnakar Mahapatra ...9 Sakti Shrines of Orissa and the Time of Their Existence Dr. Janmejay Choudhury ... 15 The Concept of the Goddess 'Khambhesvari' in the Culture Dr. Bidyut Lata Ray ... 20 of the Orissan Tribes Sakti Centres in Cuttack District : A Historical Pareswar Sahoo ... 23 Perspective Place of Goddess Bimala in the Shakti Cult of Hindu Mythology Durgamadhab Das ... 28 Sakti Worship During the Ganga Rule Bharati Pal ... 33 (An Epigraphical Study) Devi Cult in Medieval Hinduism & Jainism Dr. Gouri Shankar Tripathy ... 35 The Mother's Mirror Prafulla Chandra Sahoo ... 38 Tributes and Statements of Mahatma Gandhi Surasinha Patnaik ... 39 on Madhusudan Das Mahatma Gandhi Er. Niranjan Rath ... 45 Tribal Museum : An Exotic Tourist Destination Pravukalyan Mohapatra ... 46 Ancient Sundials of Orissa Nikunja Bihari Sahu ... 50 Archaic and Ancient History of Jajpur Dr. C.B. Patel ... 52 Barabati Fort Dr. P.K. Trivedi, Dr.J.K.Patnaik P.K. Dikhit ... 55 The Nirvana Trail Sunil Kumar Pattanaik ... 59 Violation of Child Rights as Violence Against Children Sumati Behera ... 64 Role of Forest in Sustainable Agriculture : An Overview Dr. Bibhuti Bhusan Mishra ... 67 Assessing Training and Extension Needs for Socio- Dr. Sanjeeb Kumar Mohanty ... 72 Economic Development of Farm Women Dr. Sauvik Ghosh Pradeep Kumar Gan Development of Local Self Government and Orissa Tarakanta Mohanty ... 76 Handloom and Powerloom in Dhenkanal District ... 80 Mahisamardini in the Temple Art of Suvarnapura Prabhas Kumar Singh ... 81 Some New Facts About Goddess Samlei Sasanka Sekhar Panda ... 84 Click Here & Upgrade Expanded Features PDF Unlimited Pages CompleteDocuments

EDITORIAL Orissa Review

The most sacred occasion Durga Puja has already set in. The people in Orissa with utmost devotion and reverence are all set to worship shaktimata to get rid of worldly worries. This land being a supreme Shakti Khetra has got a rare flavour of its rites and rituals. Over the ages, Orissa has become a place of serene atmosphere perhaps with the blessings of Goddesses and served as a platform for meditation and action. Puja this year has brought many happy tidings with it. It is a boon for the common man that the system representing their hopes and aspirations is effecting positive changes in order to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the very process of its functioning. People will now feel comfortable asking for any information in their interest. They will also witness the open atmosphere of governmental functions. The Right to Information Act, 2005 is being implemented from 12 October 2005. The Information & Public Relations Department being the modal Department has adopted target specific approaches in implementing the provisions of the said Act. The change is inevitable.