Archaeological Treasures of Khiching

ISSN 0970-8669 Odisha Review Khiching, a corrupt pronounciation of Khijjinga 23, Rama Prasad Chanda, the then or Khijingakotta, situated in the Panchphir Sub- Superintendent of Archaeological Section of the division of Mayurbhanj district is the ancient Indian Museum, Calcutta visited Khiching and capital of the kingdom called Khijjingamandala published a report in the Annual Reports of A.S.I. of the early Bhanja rulers. Today, Khiching, After visiting the archaeological sites of different having the ancient temples dedicated to parts of Mayurbhanj Mr. Chanda remarks, Kichakeswari, Kutaitundi and Chandrasekhar, “Khiching far surpasses all these sites in antiquity the ruins of the forts Viratgarh and Kichakagarh, and importance”. He reports that at Khiching few stupas and several sculptures, is acclaimed there were remains of two fortified palaces known as a great heritage site of Odisha. as Viratgada and Kichakagada after the well The archaeological finds brought to light known characters of the Mahabharat. But the chief through explorations and excavations are valuable centre of interest at Khiching, both for pilgrims source materials for writing the history of Khiching. and archaeologists are the temples and sculptures It was in the year 1840 A.D. that the ruined and of the Thakurani’s compound. Goddess Archaeological Treasures of Khiching Balabhadra Ghadai devastated Khiching was visited by the British explorer Lieutenant Tickell. His report gives an Kichakeswari, a Chamunda figure now the family idea of Khiching when it was not only in complete deity of the Bhanja royal family of modern times ruins but also was so much overgrown with forest was installed in a small plain brick built shrine on that it was difficult to approach the site that was a mound of the old temple in the centre of the full of antiquities of the Bhanjas. In 1874 and 1876 compound. Near the shrine of Thakurani stands J. D. Beglar, Cunningham’s Assistant, visited the the Khandia Deula or the unfinished temple. sight which has been described under the name Around the Khandia Deula under a shade near of ‘Kichang’ in Cunningham’s reports in a mound lie scattered a very large number of Archeological Survey of India. He has reported images and sculptures. All sects including to have seen pillared hall, Vaishnavite and Saivic Buddhist and Jain are represented in the temples, Buddhist mound, brick of 12" x 9" x 3", collection. life size figures, a hut with images and the sacrificial The excavation during 1923-24 inside the remains of twenty goats. Prior to 1911, N. N. Thakurani compound has brought to light stray Vasu visited the remains of Khiching. In 1922- scriptural pieces, foundation of a few temples, 90 FEBRUARY - MARCH - 2018 Odisha Review ISSN 0970-8669 fragments of an image of Tara to which the early the tutelary deity of the Bhanjas. The images of Bhanjas of Khiching have referred to in their Maheswari, Brahmi and Vaishnavi now copper plate inscriptions, the foundation of preserved in the museum belong to Jateswara Siva Temple, a good numbers of Saptamatruka group of goddesses then Nagas and Naginis the workmanship of which popularly worshipped at Khiching. Other images are of very high order and many other relics. of the Saptamatruka group are missing –perhaps The archaeological museum located in the damaged when the great temple collapsed or Thakurani compound contains large number of buried under the earth at different places at images which were found in course of excavation Khiching. Ganesh is regarded as the ‘gem of at different sites. Many of these images are of life Khiching art’ for its grandeur and elegance. The size and of great artistic merit. The Vishnu Chakra dancing Ganesh with eight hands on a lotus with Navagrahas with sculpted deities on either pedestal alongwith other figures of Ganesh with sides recovered from the ruins of Khiching, is now two and four arms preserved in the museum go preserved in the site museum at Khiching. This to prove that the cult of Ganapati was popular at Chakra has an original pedestal to be fixed at Khiching. The mention of ‘Bhaba’ in the Copper the top of a temple. Besides this emblem of the Plate Grants of the Bhanja rulers and the Vishnu temple at Khiching the figures of Vishnu sculptural representation of Surya found in the housed in the site museum assert the popularity Khiching museum throw much light on the wide of Vaishnavite cult in this region. The life size prevalence of Sun worship at Khiching. Life size images of Siva indicate that Khiching was a centre images of Buddha in earth touching pose and of of Saivism during the mediaeval period. It is Avalokitesvara are also seen indicating the hold pertinent to mention that the worship of Siva in of Buddhism that one flourished here probablly the form of Linga is common throughout India earlier than Saivism. Jaina images like but the worship of Hara in human form as a cult Parsvanath, Risavanath and Santinath image is a peculiarity of Khiching. The sculpture recovered from the site bespeak the emergence looks elegant with his smiling face flanked by two of Jainism along with the mainstream of Indian beautiful chiseled female attendants and the religion. Among the sculptures representing mount (Vahana) bull. Two other large images Brahmanical Hinduism one finds large number of Chanda and Prachanda in a standing pose are Vaisnavites, Sakta, Saiva, Ganapatya and equally beautiful. In the artistic merit and bodily Soura (Solar) deities which proved that Khiching features they correspond to the features of the was a ‘Panchopasana Kshetra’. From the study image of Hara. They are elegantly carved with of different religious cults developed at Khiching, beautiful floral designs. The artist has successfully it appears that the Bhanja rulers were tolerant to depicted the distinction of Chanda and religious adherence of their subjects although they Prachanda by showing the pleasing feature in were the followers of Brahmanical faith. the face of Chanda and fiery (ugra) aspect in the Several pre-historic tools such as the face of Prachanda. The Saptamatrukas of crude pebble tools, hand axes, cleavers, scrapers, Khiching are beautiful pieces of art during the rule knives, ranging from the crudest to the most of the Bhanjas. Chamunda of the Saptamatruka developed forms, have been collected from the group is worshipped as Goddess Kichakeswari , sites in and around Khiching and displayed in FEBRUARY - MARCH - 2018 91 ISSN 0970-8669 Odisha Review the Museum. Besides, the primitive copper Gupta coins were not found in such numbers.Only shouldered celts found from Khiching and the gold coins of Chandragupta II were discovered exhibited in the Museum would suggest that these in August ,1939 at Bhanpur, on the bank of the were manufactured at a time when the knowledge river Sone. These three coins are of archer-type of metal working was much less developed than and very probably they were brought to this the early historic period. territory by merchants. Different varieties of coins representing A large number of of copper plate both political and commercial activities have been inscriptions issued by different kings of Bhanja found in Khiching. Among the finds, Kushan coins dynasty have been discovered from Khiching are large in number and few Roman and Gupta locality. These inscriptions provide ample coins have also been discovered. Unfortunately, information regarding the history and culture of Roman coins are lost at present but Mr. J. D. the Bhanjas of Khiching. They are: Beglar reported that he has seen few Roman coins 1. Bamanghaty Plate of Ranabhanja, discovered at Baman Ghaty of Mayurbhanj. The 2. Khandiadeuli Plate of Ranabhanja, finds of these coins at Bamanghaty shows that it 3. Bamanghaty Plate of Rajabhanja, 4. Ukhunda laid on some great line of road from the Sea port Plate of Prithivibhanja, 5. Keshari Copper Plate Tamluk to the interior, for it is more probable that of Satrubhanja,6. Adipur Grant (A)of they came in via Tamluk than overland from the Narendrabhanja, 7. Adipur Grant (B) of Roman Empire. Ranabhanja, 8. Adipur Grant (A) of Ranabhanja, The Kushan coins of Kaniska and 9. Adipur Grant (B)of Ranabhanja,10. Adipur Huvishka along with a large number of imitation Grant of Durjayabhanja, 11. Khiching Grant of coins known as Puri-Kushana coins with Mohan Madhababhanja alias Rajabhanja. standing figure of the king on the obverse and the Khiching Museum Votive Inscription is figure of MAO or Moon God on the reverse have inscribed on the pedestal of an image of been found mostly from Khiching and its Avalokitesvar stating that the image of God neibiourhood. A hoard of such coins was Lokesa is caused to have been carved out by discovered in 1923 at Bhanjkia near Khiching, Dharani Varaha with Kirtti (wife of Dharani and during the excavation of Viratgarh at Khiching Varaha) during the rule of Sri Rayabhanj, who is a number of Kushan coins were also found. In the same as king Rajabhanj of Bamanghaty copper May1939 as many as105 Kushan coins were plate. also found in a brass pot in Nuagaon, three miles Thus, Khiching occupies a place of east of Bhanjkia. In 1948 more than one thousand distinction in the Odishan archaeological heritage. imitation Kushan coins along with a single coin The remnants of the monuments standing here are of Kanishka were found at Bhanjkia. The the witness of its past glory highlighting the cultural discovery of the Kushan coins in Mayurbhanj as greatness of the region and the country as well. well as other districts of Odisha have given rise to much speculation amongst the scholars. Dr. A.S. Altekar believes that an Indo-Scythian tribe called Murunda were ruling over these parts Balabhadra Ghadai, Principal, Maa Kichakeswari during the second and third centuries A.D.

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