Sakta Pithas of Purusottama Kshetra
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Orissa Review * June - 2006 Sakta Pithas of Purusottama Kshetra Prabhas Kumar Singh Saktism played a very prominent role in the The ancient sacred texts enumerate development of Indian religions. The all Uddiyana, Jalandhara, Purnagiri and pervasive sakti became so powerful a cultural Kamakshya as the earliest sakta pithas of India. force that all the religious thoughts in the Scholars like Sylven Levi, P.C. Bagchi, D.C. mainstream and folk religious faiths had to Sircar and few others have identified Uddiyana acknowledge its profound influence. With the of the Hevaraja Tantra and Odra of Kalika widespread efflorescence of sakti cult, there Purana with Swat Valley of northwestern India emerged numerous manifestations, sakta where Katyayani is the presiding goddess and pithas and vast masses of literature in support Jagannath is the tutelary god. But in fact there of the sakta principle. The sacred centres of is no archaeological evidence in the Swat valley India were spotted with sakta centres (sakta to justify the view points of scholars. Jagannath pithas). The royal houses in acknowledging is the original god of Orissa and Vimala, Viraja the significance of the emerging religion and Katyayani are his consorts. Vimala is the patronized it and people accepted it with heart pitha devi of Puri, Viraja, the pitha devi of and soul, as there was no caste or sex restriction Jajpur and Katyayani of Chausasthi Yogini in this faith. As a result of emergence of temple of Hirapur (Near Bhubaneswar). The numerous manifestations of sakti, the sacred Sanskrit Mahabharata refers to Odra, Utkala places in India were associated with them and and Kalinga in several contexts. The sakta these places came to be known as sakta tirthas importance of Odra or Uddiyana is or pithas. The literal meaning of pitha is the substantiated by the Kubjika, Pranatoshini and seat (asana). The sacred places which contain Yajnarnava tantras with the illustration of the seat of the devi are sakta pithas. The sakta Jagannatha as Bhairava and Viraja as Bhairavi. pithas, the favourite abodes of devi are virtually The Yajnarnava tantra relates Uddiyana and the places of pilgrimages. According to noted Ekamra as a Sakta kshetra. Uddiyana can be scholar J.N. Banerjea and others, a pitha sprang identified with Purushottama Kshetra (Puri) of wherever a limb or severed part of Sati's and Ekamra with Bhubaneswar. body fell as per the Daksha Yajna story. Of course there are certain sakta centres, which Puri is a holy city in the whole world though not linked with the limbs of Sati are and referred with many synonyms in Puranas also called sakta pithas. and old Sanskrit texts as Srikshetra, Samkha 91 Orissa Review * June - 2006 Kshetra, Purusottama Kshetra, Nilachala, of Siva traditionally associated with each Niladri, Jagannatha Kshetra etc. Out of these goddess presiding over a sakta pitha of her Puri is more popularly known as Purusottama own. The yantra of Purusottama consists of (best synonym of Lord Jagannath). Although an eight-pettalled lotus with the Vija Mantra Purusottama kshetra has been recognized as a "Klim" in the centre. The priest first worships great centre of Vaisnavism, it is also recognized Purusottama with Lakshmi and proceeds as a sakti pitha (pada pitha) where the foot of thereafter to worship the eight saktis of Vishnu sati fell down according to Daksha Yajna story. (Vimala, Utkarshini, Yajna, Kriya, Yoga, It was also a centre of Saktism of India as Prahvi, Satya and Eshana). Vimala is regarded attested by literature, tradition and as one of the Asta Chandis of Purusottama archaeological remains. Matsya Purana refers Kshetra. The other seven are Ramachandi, to Purushottama Kshetra as a sakta pitha with Harachandi, Vaseli, Varahi, Alamchandi, its presiding goddess Vimala. In tantric lore, Dakshina Chandi, Jhadeswari. lord Jagannath is considered to be a Bhairava In Purusottama Kshetra Jagannath and and Vimala is worshipped as Mahadevi. In the Vimala are regarded as Madhava and Durga Devi Bhagavata, Vimala is considered to be a respectively. During Dusshera festival the kshetra sakti. Vamana Puarana referes to images of Durga and Madhava are brought to Purusottama along with Viraja as a sacred Vimala temple for propitiation. A sculptural centre. According to Tantra Chudamani, the panel of Sun temple at Konark depicting naval portion of Bhagavati fell in Utkal and Jagannath, Siva Lingam and Durga altogether therefore this kshetra came to be known as symbolizes syncreticism of Vaisnavism, Viraja or Navikshetra where the name of Devi Saivism and Saktism. The worshiop of is Vimala and Jagannath is Bhairava. Tantric Madhava and Durga in the Madhavananda literature Rudra Yamala glorifies Jagannath as temple in the Prachi valley further substantiates adorning the Mahapitha. Another tantric the prevalence of Durgamadhava worship literature Kalika Purana refers to Odra pitha tradition in Orissa. as a famous sakti pitha which was the celebrated centre of goddess Katyayani and The origin of Vimala at Purusottama god Jagannath. Vimala has been mentioned as Kshetra is shrouded in obscurity. She has been presiding goddess of Purusottama kshetra in the pitha devi much before the emergence of the list of 108 pithas found in the Pranatoshini Lord Jagannath. It is pertinent to mention here Tantra. In the Puranic list of 108 names of the that the Bhogas of Lord Jagannath become mother goddess in Namastottra Sata, we come Mahaprasad after those are offered to Vimala. across the expression Vimala Purusottama. In The present temple of Vimala, a four- the list of Mahapithas and Upapithas given chambered structured shrine dating back to the by the author of Sivacharita also we come imperial Gangas, like most of the edifices lying across Nilaparvata or Nilachala where Vimala within the Jagannath temple compound, was is the presiding devi and Jagannath is Bhairava. most probably built on the foundation of an The saktas consider Vimala the real presiding earlier sakta shrine dedicated to the same deity of Srikshetra and that Lord Jagannath is goddess. According to noted scholar H.C. Das, merely her Bhairava (the terrific manifestation the iconographic features and artistic imagery 92 Orissa Review * June - 2006 of the goddess bear the art tradition of given an important part in the mode of worship. Bhaumakara period when most of the sakta The tantric panchamakaras are identified in a tantric pithas emerged in Orissa. The literary manner that divests the individual items of their traditions assign her origin to the Puranic gross sensuality. Matsya is replaced by green Period. However, Vimala is the earliest sakta vegetables mixed with hingu, mansa is dieity of Purusottama kshetra. replaced by adapacedi (ginger), green coconut water served in bell metal pots substitute for There are other sakta temples inside the madya, Mudra is replaced by kanti, a podding Jagannath temple complex. Those are prepared with sugar and water and maithuna dedicated to goddess Bhubaneswari and is replaced by dancing performed by devadasis Lakshmi. The fore-armed Bhubaneswari is and the offering of aparajita flower (conceived seated in vajraparyanka on a lotus cushion. as the yoni). Her front right hand shows varada while the left hand displays abhaya. The uplifted back The image of Subhadra with the hands hold ankusha (goad) and nagapasa. She Jagannath trinity probably has sakta origin. She has three eyes and has a crescent moon in her is no other than Ekanamsa, often considered crown. The four-armed Lakshmi assumes a to be the personification of Durga as well as similar vajraparyanka pose and likewise the sister of Krishna and Baladeva. Once displays varada and abhaya with her front set absorbed into this predominantly Vaisnavite of hands. Both uplifted back hands hold a lotus. trinity her association with Durga is still Within the bhogamandapa of Jagannath temple apparent in the Car Festival, however her itself is an image of Mahisamardini. chariot is decorated with nine representatives Mahisamardini or Kanaka Durga is also the of goddesses who are either aspects of Durga palace deity, the personal deity of the king of or her incarnation Navadurgas. In Brahma Puri and her image plays a major role in the Purana, Ekanamsa is identified with Durga Puja festival. Katyayani. Subhadra has been regarded as Parasakti, Yogamaya, Kampilya Vasini, The sakta environment of Purusottama Ekanamsa, Bhubaneswari, Mahalaxmi and also kshetra is also apparent in the believe that the in many other forms of supreme power of the shrine is protected by asta saktis namely, Sarva world. She is worshipped in Bhubaneswari Mangala, Bhubaneswari, Indrani, Patta Mantra (hrim), which implies that she is the Mangala, Chamunda, Durga, Vimala and lipta (gnana) sakti of Lord Jagannath. Learned Lakshmi. Sakta influence is also visible in the scholar Sasanka Sekhar Panda has opined that mode of worship of Lord Jagannath that is Goddess Samalei of Sambalpur is worshipped partly Vedic and partly Sakta/Tantra with the in the same Bhubaneswari mantra as in the incorporation of various Nyasas like sristi, case of Subhadra. The uniconic form of sthiti, samhara nyasa, matrika nyasa, kesa goddess Samalei like the present anthropoid vinyasa, etc. and yantras such as Sri and form of Subhadra seems to be identical. Bhubaneswari, kriyas (mudras) and Samalei initially worshipped and later absorbed vijamantras. Equally interesting is the yogic into Hindu fold by the Somavamsis who were tantric system of impelling the satkaras ruling over Orissa from the upper Mahanadi (satcakrabheda) of the body which is also valley from their capital city Suvarnapura in 93 Orissa Review * June - 2006 the 9th/10th centuries A.D. Noted scholar B.C. Bali Harchandi Pradhan and Herman Kulke hold the view that Bali Harchandi has been depicted in the iconography of Subhadra resembles that Tantra sashtra as one of the protector Chandis of the iconography of goddess Khambeswari.