Purusottama Jagannath Is Purusottama Narasimha S.S
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Orissa Review * June - 2006 Purusottama Jagannath is Purusottama Narasimha S.S. Panda The Supreme Lord of the Universe Jagannath Narasimha Purusottamaya //) The three verses is invariably called Purusottama, and his abode immediately follow, narrated the greatness of Sriksetra is known as Purastama or the Lord in his Narasimha avatara. In Purusottama Ksetra. The deep reverence to translation by late Dr. Satya Narayan Rajaguru Lord Purusottama is found in the very it runs like this : "(Vr.1) Let the discuss-holder's beginning of the invocatory verses of the Sirpur foot protect you-the foot whose sharp claws Stone Inscription of the Panduvamsi queen emitted a sound like that of gunji berries Regent Vasata, who ruled Kosala as dowager (shaken) by the gust of strong winds passing queen in the first half of the 8th century A.D. through the long on behalf of her spaces between minor son each other, and Balarjuna (later on (looked) terrific known as (more so) with the Mahasivagupta jaws shining with Balarjuna). In the flame of rays 1904, Henry (emanating) from Cousens the nails, when discovered this they being lifted inscription up, tore through engraved on a thick the mass of dark red-coloured clouds in the sky stone-block of the and revealed the Laksmi Narasimha, Sonepur size of around four star with pearly feet in length and two feet and a half in breadth. brilliance, like a lion who, having overcome This inscription was edited by Hiralal. that storehouse of darkness; - the elephant, (Epigraplia Indica, Volume- XI, PP- 184-202 jumps about scattering brilliant pearls (torn ff). from his temples). (Vr.z) Let that Narasimha In the first line itself the queen paid her protect you, who looking with eagerness at (his deep reverence to god Purusottama. (Om ! own) nails, for the enemy ( Hiranyakasipu) 150 Orissa Review * June - 2006 who had not called Kevala Narasimha or Yoga Narasimha. been secured for A third category of Narasimha image is called being torn with Yanaka Narasimha, in which aspect Narasimha these (claws), is depicted as seated upon the shoulders of happened to see Garuda or upon the folds of Adisesa. There him hiding are some images depicting the seated figure through fear in ofYoga Narasimha and goddess Laksmi. Those the cavern-like are called the images of Laksmi Narasimha. cavity in the Although Purusottama Narasimha has interior of the been mentioned in the 8th century Sirpur Stone deep hollow of Inscription of the Panduvamsi queen-regent those (nails), Vasata, the worship of Kevala Narasimha in with a laugh (at the upper Mahandi valley was prevelent also his foolishness in in the Nala kingdom in the 5th-6th century A.D. Narasimha killing Hiranyakasipu, taking shelter in Sarsara, Sundargrah District. due to the influence of the Vakatakas of the place where Nagavardhana, whose titulary deity he could be easily crushed out) joy ( at finding (Istadevata) was Kevala Narasimha. Therefore him out) and contempt ( at the miserable we get three Kavala Narasimha images, one creature) he split the demon at once with the at podagad in the Umerkot Tahsil of print of the other claw and threw him away Nawarangpur district and another two at with wrath like dirt that had collected there. Sarguli-Deulpada and Parua-Simdapada. In the (Vr.3) As if bearing the jaws like a beautiful foot of a hill situated to the north of Podagad conch and the tongue like a sword, with the hill a modern temple has been constructed face burning like the discus (and) with the where the image of Kevala Narasimha called eyebrows (as it carrying) the mace, this form the "Bhairava Narasimha" is worshipped as the of Vishnu born for devouring, like sins, the central deity. demons, presented the appearance of the god Two-handed of death..." Narasimha in In the Vayu Purana and Padma Purana the pacified we get the account of Narasimha avatara (one form is sitting in among ten avataras of Visnu) killing the demon a graceful Hiranyakasipu. In the Kurma Purana also we Maharajalila find the brief account about the Narasimha posture, holding avatara or the man-lion incarnation of Visnu. a Cakra in his The Saura Purana also follows the Kurma right hand by Purana in stating a short account. Noted placing it on the iconologist T. Gopinatha Rao has found from ground and the texts Silparatna, Vaikhanasagama and putting his left Visnudharmottara, that the Narasimha images palm on His Parsvadevata Narasimha, are of two types; Girija Narasimha and the right thigh. A Narsinghnath Temple, Paikmal, Sthauna - Narasimha. Girija Narasimha is also Hara is round Bargarh district. 151 Orissa Review * June - 2006 his neck and occupied the capital city Pushkari (present another on His Podagad) and burnt down and devastated their chest, while a capital city some time in around the 5th-6th Yajnyopabita is century A.D. The association of Yaksa with on his body. Narasimha is found in another Nrsimha image Four front-faced at Sarsara (Banei) in Sundargarh district also. seated Yaksa A huge stone-block, measuring around 48" in figures are height and 30" in breadth is found at Sarsara, carved in a row having the image of a fourhanded standing on the pedestal Narasimha, killing the demon Hiranyakasipu of this image, by placing his body on His right thigh, which measuring is slightly raised. The lion-faced god is depicted eighteen inches as cat-faced, which seems to be a peculiar Parsvadevata Narsimha, Jagannath in length and Temple, Sonepur phenomenon in western Orissa. Such cat-faced four inches in four-handed Narasimha image seated in bredth. In the Narasimha images at Sarguli and Maharajalila on a high pedestal has been Parua the Yaksa figures are absent. The Sarguli discovered from Maraguda in Nuapada district, Kevala Narasimha sculpture is made of black which is dated to the 6th century A.D. Even granite. All the three Kevala Narasimha images cat-faced and lion-bodied feline form of Lord of Podagad, Sarguli and Parua are two-handed Narasimha is worshipped as the central deity and seated in the megestic Maharajalila of the Narsinghnath temple in Bargarh district posture. Srivatsa symbol is carved on the chest as Lord Narsinghnath. The earliest temple at of the Kevala Narasimha image at Parua- Narsinghnath is believed to have been built by Simdapada, which symbol is usually found on Queen Vasata, the mother of the Panduvamsi the chest-portion of the Visnu image. The lion- king Mahasivagupta Balarjuna sometime in the mane of the Lord is flowing from the head- second half of the 8th century A.D. The top portion on His back as well as both shoulders. portion of this His lion face is completely calm and serene. Sarsara stone slab A huge Kevala Narasimha image of the bearing the around five feet height is worshipped in the Narasimha image Garbhagrha of a flat-roofed temple at Ramtek is designed like a near Nagpur city of Maharashtra State, which Caitya window is strikingly similar to all three Kevala with a squatting Narasimha images found at Podagad, Sarguli Yaksa figure and Parua in the Nawarangpur district of Orissa carved inside it. State. As the temple at Ramtek is dated to the This design is 5th-6th centuary A.D. i.e. the Vakataka rule flanked by two from Nagavardhana (present Nagardhan near lotus-rosette Nagpur), the worship of Kevala Narasimha motifs in both might have been instituted by the Vakatakas, sides. Narasimha sitting in Maharajalila, when they attacked the Nala kingdom, Khariar Museum 152 Orissa Review * June - 2006 A pecified form of Narasimha figure, of two lady attendants. The lady near the Gada, seated in the Lalitasana is found at Khariar wearing a Mukuta seems to be Laksmi. The Museum in Nawapada district of Orissa which eyes of the Lord are half-closed and Jata is four-handed. It is dated to the Sarabhapuriya forming many stripes is hanging on both period, the 6th century A.D. as it has been shoulders. The strange characteristics of this collected from the historic Maraguda valley figure is that, there are long boots covering both and belongs to the Sarabhapuriya period. legs of the Lord up to knee portion. The Lord's Another place, where we get four body is heavily ornamented with all ornaments depictions of Narasimha is in the Narsinghnath like Hara, Keyura and Katisutra etc. The temple at Paikmal in the Bargarh district of figure is of the height of about four feet. Orissa. The Yoga Narasimha images, one The fourth one is the usual image of Lord diminutive images seated in Utkutikasana Narasimha killing the demon king worshipped by a profiled male figure in the Hiranyakasipu, which is fitted to the western gelaba scroll of the eastern doorjamb of the Parsvadevata niche of the Narsinghnath temple. Jagamohana and The lotus-petalled another one in a design of the pedestal small niche in the and the trefoil torana baranda portion of with the Kirtimukha the southeast side of motif in the centre of the vimana. In both its apex occur in this the cases, the Lord sculpture also. In is seated in the both sides of the top Utkutikasana, the portion, there are two legs being round lotus-rosette maintained is motifs. The Lord is required position by seen to be standing in the Yogapatta belt Narasimha killing Hiranyakasipu, Indralath Temple, Ranipur Jharial dvibhanga posture going round them and the back of the body. and killing the demon by putting his body on Another very interesting standing image his slightly raised right thigh and tearing the of Yoga Nrsimha is found at Narsinghnath.