Orissa Review July - 2010

Purusottama ±

Kalyan Kumar Panda

Lord Jagannath, the Lord of the Universe, has The earliest references about Lord taken his abode at Puri. The sacred temple of Jagannath are found in the various and Lord Jagannath stands on the hillock ³Blue- other literatures of India. There are several copper mountain in the heart of Puri which represents a plate inscriptions which established the idea of lovely picturesque panorama of great Orissan Lord Jagannath as a paramount deity of the entire Architecture. Various Sanskrit works country. The concept of Jagannath is like Padma Purana, Narada not only confined to Hinduism but Purana, Skanda Purana, also extends to both Jainism and Niladrimahodaya, Buddhism. Pandit Nilakantha Bamadeva Samhita etc. Das has suggested that have thrown ample light Jagannath cult is primarily on the sacred abode of a Jaina cult. He is of the Lord Jagannath at opinion that the three Purusottama Kshetra, images of Balabhadra, Puri. The origin and Subhadra and Jagannath antiquity of Lord collectively stand for the Jagannath worship at Puri Jaina-Trinity (Tri-Ratna). is still shrouded in mystery. There are other scholars Many scholars and historians who suggest that Jagannath have also left no stone unturned is of Vedic origin. The to trace the origin and antiquity of and have Lord Jagannath, but no positive and few references about the divine commonly acceptable evidence have come to light ³Daru´, which has been identified in course of so far to unveil as to how and when this concept time with Jagannath. But these references are not has come into existence in Puri and also became sufficient enough to prove Jagannath as a Vedic one of the prominent deities of Hindu Pantheon. deity. It is also not clear whether Lord Jagannath originally is a Hindu Aryan deity or tribal deity. In the different traditions that have Mystery is still wrapped behind the cult of Lord evolved about the deity, the name of Indradyumna Jagannath. is common. Indradyumna was a king of Avanti in

40 Orissa Review July - 2010 the Satya Yuga. Orissan literature particularly, dispute between Indradyumna and Galamadhaba Sisukrishna Das¶s ³Deulatola´ accepted him as a was amicably settled and full credit of building great votary of Lord . He sent Vidyapati, the temple was given to Indradyumna. the brother of his family priest to Odradesa to locate the exact place where Lord Nilamadhava Very interestingly, this Indradyumna (Vishnu) was worshipped secretly. Coming to legend associating the Sabaras with the Lord Nilamadhava (Jagannath) is also supported by Odradesa Vidyapati took shelter in a Sabara epigraphic and historical evidences. The Sabaras, village very near to the ³Blue Mountain´ who belonged to the proto-Austroloid tribe were (Nilasaila). Vidyapati made friendship with the the worshippers of tree in the Mahendragiri from family of the Sabara chief Visvavasu concealing the ancient times which was replaced by the his identity and motive of coming to that place. ³Sthanumurti´ worship in course of time. Later He married his daughter Lalita and with her help on this ³Sthanumurti´ worship seems to have Vidyapati was able to see Lord Nilamadhava. On mingled with the worship of the God seeing the image of Nilamadhava his eyes glittered. Purusottama-Vishnu. After tracing the route to the shrine he returned to Avanti and informed Indradyumna the Purusotttama-Vishnu is also known as whereabouts of Lord Nilamadhava. King Purusottama-Jagannath. Purusottama-Jagannath Indradyumna with his forces, accompanied by cult is a resultant composite of many divine Narad, set out in his journey to Odradesa. No concepts and gods. Starting from a local deity of sooner the king reached the boundary of an unknown tribe, Jagannath manifested himself Odradesa, than he came to know about the as one of the greatest religious centres of the miraculous disappearance of the shrine. Narada, whole world. He is not meant only for any sect or however, assured that the Lord would appear in tribe, in course of time, He has become universal. the form of ³Daru´ (sacred wood). After a few An analysis of the history of Jagannath indicates days, Lord Nilamadhava made his appearance that Saivism had rendered remarkable in a dream to the king Indradyumna. contribution to the evolution of Jagannath cult. In the early medieval period, during the rule of the As directed by Nilamadhava in the Bhaumakaras, Orissa was a great centre of tantric dream, Indradyumna brought the µDaru¶ from the Saivism. In several tantric works of the medieval sea-shore and ordered for fashioning beautiful period, Jagannath is described as the tantric god images out of the sacred µDaru¶. Accordingly, of Odradesa. Tantrayamala describes the Indradyumna got the images Lord Jagannath, wooden image of Jagannath as the presiding deity Balabhadra and Subhadra and Chakra Sudarshan of Srikshetra in Utkal. In various other tantric made out of the sacred µDaru¶. The story was texts, Vimala, the Pitheswari of Puri is described very interesting that Indradyumna was also as Bhairavi and Jagannath as . Rice advised by Narada to invite to construct offering in the temple is first given to Vimala and a temple as a sign of dignity. There was some then only it becomes Mahaprasad. Jagannath is delay in Brahma¶s coming and mean-while ages also worshipped in the Bhairava Mantra. had passed and Galamadhaba became the king of Orissa and claimed the temple as his own. The seat of Purusottama-Jagannath had Legendary account further continues that the attained celebrity as a tantric centre during the

41 Orissa Review July - 2010 rule of the Somavamsis. In Orissa, we find three connection the Purusottama Mahatmya also gives aspects of Bhairava, i.e, Ekapada Bhairava, Ugra great importance to Siva worship. Originally, the Bhairava and Virabhadra. Historians like Henry so-called ³Blue-Mountain´ (Nilasaila) was Stietencron draws our attention to the similarity nothing more than a Sivalinga, the symbol of of the image of Ekapada Bhairava with the image creativity. of Jagannath, sculptured along with Sivalinga and Mahisamardini () in one of the panels of In the ancient period the Savaras of the Konark temple. Here Jagannath appears as Orissa were worshipping a at the cardinal deity, surrounded by Siva, Durga and Mahendragiri region, which was most probably other Hindu gods and goddesses. This indicates an imaginary replica of the famous Sivalingam at strong Saivite influence over the cult of Jagannath. Sri Sailam in . The Savaras of The archaeological evidence of the Jagannath Orisssa were very much influenced by the Deity temple corroborate this view. There is an image and began worshipping as Nilamadhava. Later of Siva on a bull, installed on the Bhogamandapa on the Matharas took possession of the Deity. of Jagannath temple. In the same shrine there are Then the early Gangas worshipped the deity as also stone images of Jagannath, Siva and Durga Gokarneswar. In a complex and mysterious together and an eight-armed Nataraja image with manner, in due course this process was transferred snake over its head which may be assigned to the to Puri. This deity was no other than Nilamadhava 12th century A.D. We also know that or Srikrishna, initially identified as a Siva linga. Sankaracharya came to Puri in the 9th century Thus, through a slow and gradual process the A.D. and introduced Saivite form of worship in present Jagannath has emerged from the concept the Jagannath temple. of Siva. During the Ganga period Vaishnavite tradition developed round the cult of Jagannath. In this connection, archaeological Ramanuja emphasized Lord Krishna¶s relation evidences reveal that Puri was a Saiva Kshetra with his sister Ekanamsa and brother Balarama- on the basis of the prevalence of the Pancha Samkarshana. Ekanamsa was interpreted as a Mahadevas, i.e, Markandeya, Yameswar, form of Durga and Balarama as a form of Siva. Kapalamochana, Lokanatha and Nilakantheswar In Ramanuja¶s Pancharatra rites, Siva came to in Puri town and the Isaneswar, Pataleswar, be known as Balabhadra. So the Jagannath cult Kshetrapala Siva temples etc. inside the Jagannath brought the synthesis of three main cults of temple campus. These observations lead us to Hinduism, , Saivism and Saktism in conclude that the basic lay out of the Puri town its final phase. Anangabhimadeva III (1225 AD) consists of one temple on a hill near the sea-shore mentions in his Puri inscription about Halin, , with the Siva temples built on the foot of the hill Chakrin and Subhadra, who are no other than and these Siva temples are of considerable Balabhadra, Jagannath and Subhadra. Another antiquity. In fact, Saivism was the dominant Hindu strong evidence of this synthesis is seen in one of religion of Orissa throughout the period, during the sculptures of the Konark temple in which it is which the Hinduisation of the wooden God must seen that Narasimhadev-I is worshipping a Linga have taken place. (Siva), Purusottama (Vishnu) and Durga trinity. Thus, according to some scholars Jagannath Kalyan Kumar Panda is the Head of the Department of Nilamadhava was primarily a Siva Linga. In this History, Banamalipur College, Banamalipur, Khurda-3.

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