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Orissa Review July - 2008

Synthesis of Diverse Cults in Jagannath

Dr. Gourishankar Tripathy

For the origin of Sri Jagannath shrine and His cult been possible to throw some light on the early we have only some legends without evidences. It history of the shrine, had it been possible to prove is shrouded in obscurity. The task of extricating his historicity. There are numerous copper plate history from the legends is impossible as the grants and rock edicts of the ruling dynasties of legends vary from source to source. What is true Odissa but they do not refer to Lord Jagannath. to the historians based with evidence cannot be That He did not exist in Odissa is not the proof of extricated from the source that depend on legends. absence of references from the stone inscriptions. It is the faithful who takes the legends as the true In the Hindol plate of Subhakaradev III, history of Jagannath. the word Purushottam is found with sacred city There is a story which relates that the partial of which is capable of yielding two meanings. burnt dead body of Sri Krushna came floating to Purushottam means the best of men and also it Puri from Dwaraka turned wood. This wood was means city of Purushottam which is another name carved into the images of Jagannath, of Puri. Hence it is an ambiguous reference. The and . The details of this story do not story of Raktabahu invasion recorded in tally with the story written in Sarala Madalapanji is probably an echo of the Rastrakuta composed in the fifteenth century A.D. In invasion of Odissa under Govind III. This has Deulatola there is another story which is different happened during the reign of Subhakaradeva I of from the two stories mentioned above. Hence it the Bhauma dynasty. If this interpretation is taken will be felt that the Legends are of highly conflicting for granted, then we will be sure Sri Jagannath character about Sri Jagannath which have come shrine existed in the early Bhauma period of the down to us. When some corroborating evidences eighth century A.D. The Bhaumas came from are obtained from the sources like epigraphic . Both Uddiyana which is identified by many records or coins or from excavations etc, the as Odissa and Kamarupa were the primary matter of facts of history on Jagannath can be of Vajrayana. Jagannath and Kamaksya of Odissa reconstructed. The history of origin of the great and Assam respectively had identical name shrine of will continue to be a guess work Nilachala. This name Nilachala is still attached to until such time. both the great shrines of both the states. From It seems to be great antiquity with its history the Bhauma period, the name Nilachala shrine of Jagannath going back to the Pre-Christian era. seems to have originated as Bhaumas might have In all the legends the builder of the first temple of built a temple at Puri. Jagannath, still remains a legendary In the later Ganga copper plate records, figure till his historicity is established. It would have Chodaganga is represented as the builder of the

108 Orissa Review July - 2008 present Jagannath temple at Puri. He was the work Jnaan-siddhi opens with a salute founder of the Ganga dynasty in Odissa. For Lord to Sri Jagannath worshipped by all sages who Jagannath Jajati I also built a temple at Puri. A have conquered all their inner desires. In several greater attention had been paid by both Jajati I other verses of the same work the word Jagannath and Chodaganga who were actuated by political has occurred bearing the same sense. In its motives to the shrines of Jagannath which had etymological sense, Jagannath means, the Lord acquired a great sanctity by the time they ruled of the universe. But some scholars through a the then Odissa. Jagannath cult has a great forced interpretation maintain the Jagannath of the significance in the national life of the Indians and verse refer to Lord Jagannath of Puri only which He is the unquestioned Supreme deity of cannot be accepted. and the world. In the Sanskrit Drama Anargha Raghava In the earliest time it seems that He was a Natakam by Murari assigned to the mediaeval Brahminical deity worshipped on an altar as period a definite reference to Lord Jagannath at described in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata. Puri occurs. It has been stated by Sutradhara of The altar was probably made of wood and like the drama that during the festival of Prabhu the images, they were liable to be renovated every Purushottam on the seashore studded with the twelve years. Subsequently Savaras became the Tamal trees it was meant to be staged. A number custodian of Jagannath who became the virtual of other Sanskrit work composed before Ganga rulers. In the first part of the eighth century A.D. rule had been cited by Dr. Mahatab in his Odissa Bhaums came from Assam and obtained the Itihas. shrine from Savaras. They got the wooden altar carved into three images and enshrined Them in In the early part of the 12th century A.D. a temple built on the spot. They gave the name from the beginning of Ganga rule in Odissa, the Nilachala which was the famous shrine of shrine of Jagannath became very famous for Kamaksya in their homeland of Assam. several reasons. On the charming seashore the spectacular great temple which had been built by These Bhauma rulers of Odissa were Chodaganga, attracted the notice of the whole Buddhists. As suggested by General world specially the Hindus. Sacred sanctity has Cunningham and explained by Dr Mahatab in his been enhanced with the great antiquity of the deity History of Orissa, it is most likely that the three enshrined in it. The sacredness of the shrine of images carved represented as tri-ratna due to Lord Jagannath had been increased to a greater Mahayana influence. During the next two political degree in the last part of the 12th century A.D. periods of Somavansi Jajati-1 and Chodaganga with the political condition of India after the Turkish of Ganga dynasty spectacular temples had been invasion. Odissa remained a very strong built for the deity. Gradually it became famous as independent Hindu kingdom up to 1568 A.D. a great religious centre of Hindus which was a eventhough Muslims rapidly occupied the very famous religious centre of Jains at the time neighbouring regions of Odissa. of Kharavela the great. It was named as Pithunda at that time when Chandasoka took Jinasana by To follow their religious performances force to after defeating Kalinga. unmolested the faithful flocked to Puri in large Archaeologically Puri has not yet been surveyed numbers gradually. It is quite noticeable that the so far to find out the two temples in the Bhauma Cult of Jagannath is a composite one. The diverse and Somavamsi periods. Assigned to the eighth elements that compose it at various stages of its century A.D. and attributed to Indrabhuti, the developments have got into by degrees. During

109 Orissa Review July - 2008 the Ganga period its composite character became to also. As in reality Jagannath grew into well-marked. It is really surprising and amazing an institution embodying the principles of all the how the diverse cults could be welded together sects and cults found in . The views of into a cosmopolitan form of religion which are so different scholars on the matter are no doubt right, different in origin and sometimes even antagonistic of course, but partially. But the character of the to each other became the order of the age. cult in its earlier phases is not definitely known There were three main cults in Odissa eventhough the shrine of Jagannath was existing before the commencement of Ganga dynasty. much earlier than the Ganga period. The final Saivism, Saktism, Vaisnavism existed side by side shape of Jagannath cult embodying the principles each preaching its own superiority over the other. and ideas of various sects has been synthesized They have not lost their separate entity at no time with the emphasis of the theory of its Brahminical either in theory or in practice. There were attempt origin. Then it was given a very wide publicity to amalgamate them in one form of religion during during the rule of the Ganga dynasty. In the history the Ganga period that contained the principles of of Indian Civilization, Brahminism was a great each and every ism representing none. According unifying factor. One may recognise in its gradual to the cult of their origin the shrines continued to development the assimilation of various bear distinct names. The traditional five Pithas heterogeneous ideas and beliefs synthesizing into representing five distinct cults continued to be the larger concept of Hinduism. An attempt to termed as Vaisnava, Saiva, , Ganapatya and endow the various strains, the emphasis on the Sakta with respect to Puri, Bhubaneswar, Brahminical origin of Jagannath cult is nothing that Konarak, Mahavinayak, Viraja of Jajpur. Both went to the formation of the cult with an five form of worship became essentially a authoritative sanction. In early British period an cosmopolitan one that came into vogue in them. account of had been written by Sterling There was a movement aimed at a synthesis of in 1822 pertaining to the orthodox interpretation. cults and sects in Jagannath by taking Hinduism, Of the three images namely Sri Jagannath, and Jainism along with the primitive Balabhadra and Subhadra as current in Ganga cults that were practised by the primitive people period followed by Suryavamsis, they respectively of Odissa. In Jagannath it affords the best example represent , Siva and . The three main of this synthesis that embodies all these diverse cult of Hinduism namely Vaisnavism, Saivism and cults in principle and practice. Saktism had been sought to synthesize in Jagannath in its final phase along with some On the origin and development of the practices of the solar cult and religion and became Jagannath cult there are different scholars who the religion of Odisha. put different interpretations. Savara origin of the cult is further supported by the existence of a class The synthesis of the cults with the spirit of of Sevakas known as Daitapatis or Devatapatis the age has been manifested gradually in art, meaning custodian of the deity in the Jagannath architecture and literature, of which enough temple who claim their descent from the materials are now available at hand. The religious through Savara mother Lalita. There history of Odissa has been formed through its are some scholars who suggest that these images influence by degrees culminating the principles of represent Ananta, Vasudev and Ekanama as the past with the cult and shrine. depicted in Brahmasamhita. Buddhist scholars think that they represent Buddha, and Dr. Gourishankar Tripathy lives at 847 Kapil Prasad, Sangha. One scholar would like to trace its origin P.O. Sundarpada (Old Town) Bhubaneswar-2.

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