Antiquities of Shri Jagannath : Amazing Findings Sasanka Sekhar Panda

Orissa Review * November - 2004 Antiquities of Shri Jagannath : Amazing Findings Sasanka Sekhar Panda The massive earthern mound contain cut stone come across a huge stone block with the image blocks, round Amalaka in four pieces, broken of "Anant Sayana Vishnu". This ancient Neel chakra in stone, which once adorned the sculptures since been shifted to a place on the temple top and other sculptures of historical right bank of river Tel, a tributary of Mahanadi. importance. These antiquities were unearthed It seems, many other sculptures like the from the mound by Trilochan Bhoi, a villager doorjamb with vase folige motif, Gajalaksmi of Kondh origin, and Nabagraha almost single handed panel etc. were over a period of one shifted from this site year. Bhoi mentioned to a neighbouring to me during my visit village Deulgudi on 29th June 2004 that about seventy years three handless stone back. This is an icons of Jagannath, extremely potential Balabhadra and site which calls for Subhadra were a planned recovered from the Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra excavation by the mound and are State Archaeology. presently kept in an adjoining hut for worship. With the discovery of this anthropoid forms of This discovery confirms the theory of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra cast in construction of the oldest temple for the holy stone, intriguing questions may be asked about trinity by the Somavamsi king Yayatikeshari the origin of Jagannath cult and present wooden ninth century A.D. as mentioned in Madala form of holy trinity worshipped in the Jagannath Panji, the temple chronicle of Puri Jagannath temple of Puri. For the first time we get the temple. It may be relevant to mention that this anthropoid form of Jagannath sculpted in two author in one of his earlier visits to this temple panels on the walls of the famous 13th century site in 1985 had discovered a big stone slab Sun temple at Konark. In these panels, engraved with "Astadala-Padma" design, Balabhadra is shown as a Shivalinga and besides stone amalaka and other temple Subhadra has been depicted as sculptures scattered all around. He had also Mahishamardini Durga. In one of these two 40 Orissa Review * November - 2004 stone panels, Purusottama Narasimha. Bhagawata Purana presently kept (v.25.2.3) has identified Balabhadra as Ananta in the National - Samkarsana Balabhadra, who has been Museum elevated to the status of elder brother of Jagannath is Purusottama. flanked by Anncharlott Eschmann, Hermann Kulke Durga on his and Gaya Charan Tripathi are of the view that right, whereas the uniconical figure represented in Konark in the stone Gajalaksmi was taken over from the Saiva model of panel on the Ekapada Bhairava, the Ugra aspect of Siva. temple walls of Konark, he is flanked by Durga They have further assumed that the Jagannath on his left. Positioning of Holy Trinity is not figure developed from the identification of a so relevant but depiction of Siva linga, tribal deity represented as Narasimha in the anthropoid form of Jagannath and Durga form of a wooden post or pillar. In fact, depicted in both panels of Konark conclusively Narasimha came out of a pillar to kill the demon prove that during the reign of the Ganga king Hiranyakasipu. In the upper Mahanadi valley Narasimhadeva I (circa 1238-1264 A.D.) a temple was built by queen-mother Vasata of builder of Sun temple, the three images of Holy the Panduvamsa some time in the 8th century Trinity were not worshipped in the present A.D. at Sripura, the capital city of Kosala for form. In the Pancharatra philosophy, worship of Purusottama Narasimha. Balabhadra Samkarsana is identified with Siva. Anantasayana Visnu image has been carved on Bramhapuran (23-132) states that Rudra is the door-lintel of the entrance to the sanctum known as Halayudha. Scholars like Eschmann, of this temple, which is known as Laksmana Kulke and Tripathi have further suggested that temple at present. Balabhadra could have been worshipped as Ekapada Bhairava in the remote past, since Goddess Subhadra has been identified Ekapada Bhairava is represented in the with goddess Khambesvari ( the Goddess of uniconical form as single-legged. The portion the Pillar or Post) whose worship was of the image below waist is shaped like a tree- prevalent in the upper Mahanadi valley in the trunk or a pillar. Such an uniconical figure of 5th-6th century A.D. as recorded in the Ekpada Bhairava could be seen as rock-cut Teresingha copper-plate charter of king figure on the monolithic rock in a hillock called Bhairo Pahad situated about 5 kms to the south of Titlagarh town in the upper Mahanadi valley, dated to eigth century A.D. Legend has it that king Indradyumna of Malava had a dream wherein he saw Purusottama Narasimha being worshipped in a form, over whose head snake Sesa had spread his hood. This was indicative of the association of the divine snake Ananta Sesanaga with Broken Amalaka 41 Orissa Review * November - 2004 Tusthikara, discovered from the Teresingha the sculptures of this site to the early village in Kalahandi district in 1947. Goddess Somavamsi period and probably to the reign Subhadra is worshipped in the Bhubaneswari of Yayati-I (Circa 885-925 A.D) . In that case mantra in the Jagannath temple at Puri. It is it can be surmised that in these forms the pertinent to note in this context that goddess Jagannath triad were worshipped in the upper Samlei, enshrined in the temple at Sambalpur Mahanadi valley in the 9th century A.D. is also worshipped in the same Bhubaneswari Like the anthropoid forms of the mantra. The uniconic form of goddess Samlei Jagannath triad, Daksina Kalika in the similar like the present anthropoid form of Subhadra form and also made of stone has been seems to be identical. Is Samlei a corrupt form discovered from the same mound. In the of the name Somalai or Samalei, a deity of the Mahanirvana Tantra, Jagannath has been tribal origin, initially worshipped by the tribals identified with Daksina Kalika. (Tara Saksyat and later absorbed into the Hindu fold by the Sulapani Subhadra Bhuvanesvari / Niladrou Somavamsis, who were ruling over Orissa tu Jagannatha Saksyat Daksina Kalika // ). from the upper Mahanadi valley first from Suvarnapura and then from Yayati Nagara in A stone Chakra (Nilachakra) found in this site is also of much significance. A huge around 9th-11th century A.D. Another fact stone-block with Visnu Anantasayana is also comes to mind that goddess Bhagabati found here. The earliest Visnu Anantasayana Panchambari Bhadrambika was enshrined at panel is found fitted to the door-lintel of the Pattana Suvarnapura (present Sonepur town) entrance to the sanction of the Laksmana temple during the rule of the Somavamsi king at Sirpur, which is dated to the 8th century A.D. Mahasivagupta Yayati-II Chandihara (Ruling The Visnu Anantasayana panels are found Period: Circa 1024-1060 A.D). Is goddess widely in the upper Mahanadi valley of Orissa Bhadrambika converted into Subhadra? in places like Kusang, Ranipur Jharial, Kagaon, The concept of Harihara worship can Sonepur, Vaidyanath and Charda, all in the also be found in the upper Mahanadi valley as undivided Balangir district, which was the seat early as the 8th century A.D. when the twin of a civilization during the early Somavamsi temples of Gandharadi were built by the Bhanja period in the 9th-10th century A.D. king Ranabhanja of Khinjlimandala, one Traditional account credits Yayati-I with dedicated to Nilamadhava Visnu and the other the construction of an earlier temple of to Siddhesvara Siva. Most probably during the Purusottama at Puri. In that case, he might have time of Yayati II the Somavamsi king, installed the stone image of the uniconic Panchambari Bhadrambika was also anthropoid form symbolising Lord Jagannath worshipped along-with Visnu and Siva on one in the temple at Puri, which he had already platform. done earlier at Tentelkhunti, the site under But if we take into account the recent discussion, situated in his original home land discovery of the stone images of Jagannath, Daksina Kosala. Then during the time of Balabhadra and Subhadra in the uniconic Yayati-II this anthropoid form of Jagannath anthropoid forms then the sculptural findings might have been worshipped alongwith from this Tentelkhunti mound allure us to date Sivalinga, symbolising Siva and Durga 42 Orissa Review * November - 2004 symbolising Sakti, upto the time of the Ganga Narasimhadeva-I, the son and successor of king Anangabhimadeva III and also during the Anangabhimadeva-III. reign of his son Narasimha-I, the builder of Thereafter the Gangas of Utkal-Kalinga the Sun temple at Konark. joined hands with the Kalachuris of Tummana- Now the question arises, when were the Ratanpur (Chhattisgarh) in fighting against the three images made in the present uniconic Muslim forces of north-eastern India. Learned anthropoid forms ? In this context, learned historians like late Prof. N.K. Sahu, Prof. J.K. scholar late Dr. Satyanarayan Rajaguru’s view Sahu and Prof. P.K. Mishra are of the view assumes significance. According to him, the that Narasimha Deva-I (circa 1238-1264 A.D.) anthropoid features of the stone images in the was powerful enough to engage himself in a temple at Puri war with the were not made of Muslim ruler of wood upto the Lakhnauti in rule of Bengal, who was Narsimhadeva-I defeated by him. (circa 1238-1264 Dr. Satyanarayan A.D.). They were Rajaguru is of worshipped in the opinion that similar forms as Narasimhadeva-I depicted in both was victorious due the stone panels to the great valour from Konark, when Baladeva - of the tribals Ekanamsa - Anantasayana Vishnu Panel (Savaras) who Krisna trinity were installed and worshipped then formed a large by Chandrikadevi, the widow sister of Ganga section of his army, and therefore, to appease king Narsimhadeva-I in the sanctum of the them the king might have installed such Ananta Vasudeva temple built on the bank of anthropomorphized figures of Jagannath, Vindu Sarovara at Bhubanesvar.

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