Cultural Resurgence in Orissa During the Post Independence Era

Orissa Review * April - 2008 Cultural Resurgence in Orissa During the Post Independence Era Dr. Hemanta K. Mohapatra From the outset it must be clarified that it is an is to provoke further research on different aspects humble attempt to write the history of Orissa of cultural development of this period by present chronologically beyond 1947 and up to the turn living historians. of the 20th Century. It is a deviation of traditional Cultural Height in the Orissan History and historiography. But the historians of our times are the Oriya Identity in it : well equipped to effect this deviation because in changing scenario they have access to original Oriya identity had its glorious manifestation documents. Thanks to the Right to Information when the Oriyas as Kalingans faced the imperial Act,2005.1 With the development of Information challenge of the Magadhan invader Asoka and Technology the historians can go through the by their valour, courage, patriotism, and sense of Government and media websites and nothing is sacrifice brought a sea change in the mind of concealed before them. However the writers of Chandasoka and converted him into the websites are the same human beings who are Dharmasoka. The imperial ambition of the not free from bias and individual perceptions. The Kalingans was materialized with the Chedi king websites should be under scanner and even now- Mahameghavahana Aira Kharavela, who was a-days the historians have to read facts between able to prove his mettle as a great monarch as the lines and reveal the truth. But on the whole in well as a great national patriot. By carving caves the changing situation the historians are competent and engraving epigraphs he pioneered the Kalingan to write history down to their own times. form of architecture. The temple architecture of Orissan style started with the Bhaumakaras and In this article effort has been made to bring during the Somavanshis it culminated with the to the limelight the pattern of cultural resurgence construction of the Lingaraj temple at in Orissa in the post independence era. Materials Bhubaneswar. In fact Mukteswar, Rajarani and for the topic are available in plenty, but the body Lingaraj temples of Bhubaneswar are the greatest of this article is too small to accommodate specimen in which the artistic skill of the Oriya discussion on cultural aspects, as culture in itself architect has been vividly displayed. After the is a vast topic. To deal with a vast topic in a small Somavamshis, the Gangas went beyond article like this amounts the denial of micro study Bhubaneswar and they gave Oriya identity a new of the issues concerned. The purpose of this article dimension with the construction of mega- 1 Orissa Review * April - 2008 architectural and sculptural marvels like the Sun During the British rule conspiracy was temple of Konark and Sri Jagannath temple of hatched to dismantle Oriya identity from its root Puri, Oriya language and literature got its and even to dislodge Oriya language from its substantial expression during the Gangas. Oriya rightful place. In those days of negative complex script also evolved and got maturity during the and frustration the Oriyas had to fight again for Gangas and Gajapatis. The Jagannath Cult, which the vindication of their own identity and to protect continued to be the greatest Oriya contribution the Oriya language from possible extinction. When to the world culture, got its specific identity during India was passing through an era of renaissance the Gangas. and there was a process of modernization of Indian society and rationalization of Indian religion, the Oriya language and literature not only Oriyas were fighting a battle of life and death to developed but also reached its pinnacle during prove the worth of their language and separate the Suryavamshis, who were otherwise known cultural identify. for their great imperialist zeal and in their heydays were able to rule the entire Coromandal coast. In this juncture, in the second half of the Oriya magnum opus, the Mahabharat of Sarala 19th century especially after the shocking Na anka Famine (1866) the Oriyas were fighting a two Das was composed during this period. The dimensional battle. In one front they were fighting devotional poems of Panchasakha were produced to save the Oriya language and on the other front during this period. Oriya culture and Oriya identity they were making preparation for a big fight to received its greatest manifestation during the demand a separate provincial status for Orissa. Gajapati rule. Gajapati rule in Orissa was a glorious When Vyasakabi Fakir Mohan Senapati was epoch in the history of Oriya race. After the leading the Oriyas in the language front, Gajapatis the real decline of the Oriya race and Madhusudan Das was concentrating on the culture started and for the next 400 years the political unification of the Oriyas, Mr. Das was Oriyas were struggling for their own existence and also fighting for the Swaviman (self-pride) of the for the survival of their own culture. Oriyas. For this process Oriya language and We do not know why the great Sun-temple culture became the greatest motivating factor. of Konark put a big full stop in the process of After the skirmish of Gohiritikira and the architectural and sculptural acumen of the Oriyas. defeat of Mukunda Deb and the establishment of The great current of Oriya literature which started the Afghan rule in Orissa (1568), the worst during the mighty Gangas and had its culminating causality was the pride and identity of the Oriyas. manifestations during the Suryavamshis however Oriyas were passing through an ordeal-like continued even after the end of Hindu rule and situation for the next 375 years and ultimately the under the hostile situation of Afghan and Mughal Oriya race came out successful in the ordeal when rule in Orissa. Riti age with its prominent poets in 1936 Oriya identity was recognized and Orissa like Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja and Kabisurya became a separate province with its inauguration Baladev Rath enriched Oriya Literature in spite on 1st April, 1936. With the achievements of this of the socio-economic and political degeneration separate status the Oriyas were infact re- of the Oriyas. invigorated to initiate multi-dimensional efforts to 2 Orissa Review * April - 2008 enrich Oriya culture. This process of Progress of capital town of Bhubaneswar was laid by the the Oriyas got further boost when India was made Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru independent in 1947 and a greater Orissa emerged at Mahatma Gandhi memorial site, Bhubaneswar by January 1949 with the integration of Oriya- on 13th April, 1948.5 In modern times one can speaking princely states with Orissa. In his first see huge RCC structure in place of stone independent day speech, the chief minister of structures and the modern buildings in the twin Orissa announced the future task and city of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar includes the responsibility of the people of Orissa thus "Now High Court building, the buildings of Secretariat the country is ours. We must see it devolves to and Heads of the Department, the IDCO Tower such an extent that it may find an honourable place and the Pathani Samant Planetorium. The Barabati by the community of nations in the world. The Stadium of Cuttack and the Kalinga Stadium of duty of bringing back the glorious days of Orissa Bhubaneswar may be considered as the other develops upon us".2 Thus the enormous task of marvels of modern Orissa architecture. Some resurgent Oriya culture and identity fell on the temples were also built in different parts of Orissa. shoulder of the Oriyas and it was to be seen how In these temples one can not find the unique far they were able to carry on this responsibility Orissan style in sculptural decoration or fine stone with success. work. RCC materials and marble was used to Development of Art, architecture and construct these new temples. These temples sculpture include the Rammandir and Krushna Balaram (Iscon) Temple of Bhubaneswar and Sri Revival of the glorious tradition of Orissan Jagannath temple of Savara Srikhetra, Koraput. temple architecture was not felt necessary from the point of view of social utility. Neither was it In the field of sculpture the descendants of economically viable. However Orissa had seen a the artisans who once scaled the dizzy heights of new type of architectural development in the post excellence in temple building have kept the independence era, which of course had no sculptural tradition alive through their hereditary 6 identifiable unique feature. The specimens of craft of stone carving. The carved products modern Civil Engineering in Orissa includes the include replicas of temples, images of gods and huge dams constructed across mighty Orissan goddesses, the Konark wheel and horse and rivers. The great Hirakud dam was complete in decorative figurines like Alasakanya*, 7 1957 and other dams like Rengali-Bhimkund, Salabhanjika*, Lekhika*, which are popular Upper Kolab, Indravati Hydro-electric project items of household decoration. Stone works of came up subsequently by the end of the 20th Orissa has national and international market. century. In this period the construction of a new Raghunath Mohapatra, a sculptor from Orissa got capital started with a new capital building fund national acclaim and was awarded Padma award 8 constituted entirely on the grant received from the for his excellence in stone carving. The artisans Govt. of India towards the cost of the construction of Raghurajpur, known for the Pattachitras, were of a new capital of Orissa.3 The plan of the capital also reputed for the fine and polished stone work. city was designed by a German architect named Woodcarvings of Orissa are almost equally H.

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