Orissa Review September - 2009

Shakti Cult in Orissa

Dr. Atul Chandra Pradhan

The worship of the deified form of female energy buffalo demon. The two-handed image of or principle which is called Shakti in our religious Mahisamardini is the earliest form of Goddess terminology is traced back in the Indian history Durga. Besides Jajpur, an image of this type has to the pre-Vedic Indus been found at Somesvar Valley Civilization. On near Kakatpur of the Orissan context, some Prachi valley. In first half of scholars trace the worship the seventh century A.D., of Shakti in the form of Hiuen Tsang noticed a Viraja at Jajpur to the pre- large number of Deva Christian era on the basis temples in Orissa. Some of of certain references to the temples must have been this deity in the places of Shakti worship. Mahabharat, Hari Vamsa During the early and Vayupurana. But Bhaumakara rule, the Shakti worship at Viraja, Durga image became the ancient place-name of eight-armed. During the Jajpur, was over- later Bhaumakara period shadowed by the this image is found to be predominance of ten-armed. The ten-armed Buddhism for some Mahisamardini images of centuries preceding the the Prachi valley are Gupta era. With the assigned by the scholars to efflorescence of the the tenth century A.D. The Brahmanical religion in the Dasabhuja or ten-armed Gupta period, the Shakti worship at Jajpur Durga was depicted as a war Goddess, armed assumed new importance. The present image of with weapons of different Gods like Siva's trident, Viraja in the temple at Jajpur belongs to the fifth Vishu's disc, Varuna's conch, Agni's dart, Yama's century A.D. This image, called Mahisamardini, iron rod, Vayu's bow, Surya's arrows, Indra's is a two-handed Durga, engaged in killing the thunder bolt, Kuvera's mace, Brahma's rosary and

3 Orissa Review September - 2009 pot, Viswakarma's sword and Himavan's lion. terrific looking deity, with sunken belly, emaciated Though the early Bhaumakara Kings were body, bulged eyes and garland of skull, seated Buddhists, Shakti worship flourished at Jajpur, on a corpse, and flanked by jackels. The name their capital, all through the Bhaumakara rule. The Vaitala is derived from Vetala, the spirit whose popularity of Shakti worship at Jajpur is borne help the Kapalikas and Tantrikas sought for the out by the fact that the Bhaumakara queen attainment of Siddhis. In the Vaitala temple strange Tribhuvan Mahadevi compared herself with Tantrik rites like human or animal sacrifice were Katyayani (Durga or Viraja) at her accession. being practised. In front of the temple, the During the Sailodbhava and Bhaumakara basement of a stone Yupa which was used for periods the deification of female energy was sacrificial purposes is found. In the inner wall of conceived and executed in various ways. The this temple, a fierce image of Bhairava is found. image of Siva was accompanied by that of his Chamunda was a deity worshipped by consort Parvati. Deification of female energy was the Buddhists, Saivites as well as Tantrikas. Apart also introduced within the framework of Saivism, from the Vaitala temple, a prominent centre of because Siva was conceived as Ardhanariswar Chamunda worship in the Bhaumakara period was (half-male and half-female). Khiching. The most important factor contributing to The Shakti worshippers of the the popularization of the worship of mother- Bhaumakara period conceived of worshipping a Goddess during these periods was the growth of group of seven mother Goddesses, called Sapta Tantricism from seventh century A.D. The Tantriks Matruka. The seven Goddesses are Varahi, worshipped the mother Goddess as the source Indrani, Vaishnavi, Kaumari, Sivani, Brahmi and of power or Shakti and the giver of the highest Chamunda. These seven Goddesses were spiritual bliss. From seventh century onwards accompined by Ganesha and Virabhadra. The Tantricism continued to dominate Buddhism, Sapta Matruka images have been found at Jajpur, Saivism and Brahmanical religion. Belkhandi (in the district of Kalahandi), near The Buddhist Tantricism, called Vajrayan, Markandeya tank of Puri, Salanpur (Jagatsinghpur conceived of the Goddess Tara (Saviouress). Tara P.S of the undivided Cuttack district) and in the images have been found in such places as Parasuramesvara, Vaitala and Muktesvar temples Banapur, Vanesvaranasi, Ratnagiri, and Khiching. of Bhubaneswar. Dr. K.C.Panigrahi has discerned During the Bhaumakara period the some iconographic differences between the Tantrik Shakti worship dominated Bhubaneswar, Saptamatrukas of earlier period (Sailodbhava and the great centre of Saivism. The Kapalikas who Bhaumakara) and those of the later period were the devotees of Siva worshipped the Tantrik (Somavamsi period). The later Sapta Matrukas, Goddesses, Chamunda and Mahisamardini, for such as the image found in the modern temple of the attainment of Siddhis. Four Shakti shrines were Dasasvamedha Ghat of Jajpur, Markandeya tank erected on four sides of the Vindu Sarovar tank, image (which is attributed to the Somavamsi ruler near the Lingaraj temple. Of these four temples Bhimaratha in the Madala Panji) and the image Vaitala, Mohini, Uttaresvar, and another unnamed- of Salanpur hold babies in arms. The seven Vaitala is the most important. The presiding deity mothers with babies in arms were designed to of Vaitala temple is Chamunda. Chamunda is symbolically deify the maternal affection.

4 Orissa Review September - 2009

Like Chamunda, Varahi, one of the seven The Somavamsis were Saivites. During mother Goddesses, was worshipped their rule the worship of Shakti or Tantricism did independently. Varahi temple is found at Chaurasi not suffer from any negligence due to the close village of the Prachi valley (in the Puri district) relation between Saivism and Tantricism, i.e. the and Narendrapur in the Balasore district. The cult of Siva who is known as Bhairava and that of Varahi image of the Chaurasi temple which is His female consort whi is called Bhairavi, Shakti, assigned to the tenth century A.D. is a colossal Parvati, Durga or Mahamaya. But the Ganga image, seated on a crouching buffalo, holding a rulers extended their patronage to Vaishnavism fish in right hand and a skull in the left hand. By and showed no interest in Tantrik cult. worshipping Varahi, people sought to ward off Chodagangadeva was antagonistic to the Shakti pestilences. The Brahmanical Tantricism worship. But the worship of Shakti did not developed in the form of a cult, called Yogini cult. disappear; it assumed a new form. In the temples According to Kalika Purana, Orissa was the land of Ganga period the Dikpalas or guardian deities where the female Tantrikas just as the Kapalikas appear with female consorts. The Gangas built were the devotees of Lord Siva, Yoginis were the temple of Parvati inside the Lingaraj temple the devotees of Shakti or Durga. The Yoginis and compound. They also built the temples of Lakshmi Kapalikas lived in spiritual as well sexual intimacy and Vimala inside the compound of the Jagannath for the attainment of spiritual bliss. The Yogini temple at Puri. During the Ganga period the temples contain Shakti, i.e. a deified form of female deification of female energy entered into energy as the presiding deity, and contain as many Vaishnavism. Jayadev, the twelfth century poet, introduced Radha as the consort of Krishna. The as sixty four manifestations of Shakti. In Orissa Tantrik cult adjusted itself within the pantheon of two Yogini temples of Bhaumakara period are deities at Puri or Shreekshetra during the Ganga found. The Yogini temple of Hirapur, near and Suryavamsi rules. The Bata Avakasha of Bhubaneswar, is presided by the ten-armed figure Balaram Das, the poet of early sixteenth century of Bhairava and a four-armed Ajaikapada A.D. tells us that Jagannath is attended by sixty Bhairava. This temple contains sixty three images, four Yoginis, Katyayani, Saptamatruka, Vimala symbolizing the different manifestations of Shakti. and Viraja. The Bata Avakasha mentions seventy The presiding deity of the Yogini temple of six mother Goddesses. The worship of Shakti or Ranipur-Jharial (in the district of Bolangir) is a mother Goddesses continues to prevail in different terrific Chamunda. This temple possesses forty parts of Orissa under different names. manifestations of Shakti. This was situated within the territory of the Somavamsis of Kosala. During the Bhaumakara rule, the Sulki rulers worshipped a mother-Goddess in the form MIG - 68, Baramunda Housing Board Colony, of a pillar Goddess called Stambhesvari. Bhubaneswar - 751003.

5