Heritage Walk

November - 2011 Orissa Review Heritage Walk Gopinath Mohanty Rulers come and go. Time tides over civilization Samhita, Ekamra Purana etc. contain description but the heritage of the art and sculpture exhibits about Bhubaneswar. It has also been described the edifice being built during the ages. Future as “Sambaba Kshetra” which was established by generation looks at them with bewilderment and “Sambhu” or Lord Siva. It transpires that all these reverence. In the words of Viswakabi orthodox writings on Bhubaneswar describe it as Rabindranath Tagore on Konark, ‘the language a stronghold of Saivite culture in order to lessen of men is defeated by language of stone’. The the importance of Varanasi in those days. heritage buildings like temples, palaces are mute The “Svarnnadri-Mahodaya”, an witnesses to the glorious past. Here the language orthodox text defines Bhubaneswar as lying of stone is stronger than language of men. Each between Khandachala (Khandagiri) and the stone depicts the information more eloquently than temple of “Bahirangeswar” situated on the top of words. The stony silence is more gregarious than the Dhauligiri. Bhubaneswar like Pataliputra and the human voice. Baranasi bears long and chequered history but The history of Bhubaneswar goes back there are a remarkable series of ancient to 2500 years when it was the Capital City of monuments in Bhubaneswar, which are not found Kalinga. Now again it has been selected to be in Pataliputra and Baranasi. capital town of modern Orissa. Bhubaneswar is In the days of Ashoka (300 B.C.), it was a short form of ‘Tribhubaneswar’, which means known as Tosali, which was the capital of Kalinga. the God of Universe (Lord Siva) and was adopted The political history of Orissa began with rule of as Bhubaneswar for convenience. Nanda Emperors of Magadha. When Tribhubaneswar itself changed from ‘Tosali’ after Chandragupta Maurya ascended the throne, the construction of ‘Lingaraj’ temple during the Kalinga was not a part of the Magadha Empire. period of supremacy of Saivism in Orissa. Ashok invaded Kalinga in 261 B.C., which not only changed the face of the State but that of the Bhubaneswar has remained as the world also at large. Kalinga war converted religious-cum-cultural centre of Orissa since time Chandasoka to Dharmasoka. If Buddhism was immemorial. The ancient name of Bhubaneswar born in North India it was transported outside was “Ekamra Kanan” (A mango forest). It has India from the soil of Kalinga i.e from Dauligiri been described as “Utkal Varanasi” in old only. Since the Kalinga war, Bhubaneswar scriptures. Some puranic literatures like Skanda continued to be the capital of Kalinga Empire at Purana, Siva Purana, Ekamra Chandrika, Kapila the time of Ashokan Empire. 69 Orissa Review November - 2011 The second important phase in the history Anantavarma Chodagangadeva defeated of Orissa as well as of Bhubaneswar began with the Kesaris in 1114 A.D. Kalinga empire was Kharavela’s invasion in the second century B.C. extended till Godavari in the south and to the river The emperor, Kharavela drove away Nandas and Hooghly in north. The Gangas and Suryavamsi recovered Jinna (Jain-cult-object). rulers built Lord Jagannath temple at Puri and Sun temple at Konark. Following this the centre of During the 3rd Century A.D. gravity of religion in Orissa shifted from Bhubaneswar probably came under Andhra Bhubaneswar to Puri. After Ganga, the supremacy in Orissa. By 5th century A.D. coastal Suryavamsi kings or Gajapati kings had their districts of Orissa came under Gupta dynasty. capital at Puri. But they fortified the cultural Saivism became the dominant form of the religion. heritage of Bhubaneswar. After the decline of Buddhism and Jainism receded into the Suryavamsa, Bhoi dynasty ruled the state for a background. It is believed that most of the short period. Following the death of Buddhist monuments converted into the phallic Mukundadeva Harichandan the Mughals ruled emblems at that time. Orissa till 1740. Then came the Marathas who By the end of 6th century A.D., the King ruled from 1751 to 1803 and the British ruled Sasanka of Gauda destroyed a number of from 1803 to 1947. Buddhist monuments and revived Hinduism. He Cuttack became the State capital in 1936 built the Bhubaneswar temple, which is no longer after Orissa was separated from Bihar and in existence. The present temple of Lingaraj is a became a new province in British India. After monument of Eleventh Century A.D. independence Bhubaneswar was chosen as the State Capital in 1948. The famous architect Dr. The Bhaumakaras occupied Otto H. Keenigsberger prepared the Master Plan Bhubaneswar during 9th and 10th Centuries and for the new township in 1954 on the basis of the constructed Vaital-Sisiresvara group of temples. concept of “neighbourhood unit planning”. During this period Saktism made its appearance in Bhubaneswar. The Vaital temple, the first Sakti Over period of time Bhubaneswar grew shrine shows in its sculptures a strong rich with archaeological monuments representing amalgamation of Saktism. Saivism and Mahayana different religions at different periods. There are Buddhism. 117 caves with Hatigumpha inscription in the Khandagiri-Udayagiri complex depicting Jain The Kesari kings succeeded the religion, the rock-cut elephant with Ashokan Bhaumakaras. During this period art and inscriptions at Dhauli and the developed architecture of Saiva and Sakta cults flourished. metropolis of Tosali (Sisupalgarh) on the bank of Several temples were built at Bhubaneswar. river Gangua representing Buddhism. The Saivite During Kesari rule the capital was shifted from temples include Mukteswar temple, Rajarani Tosali (Bhubaneswar) to Abhinab Kataka (present temple, the magnificent Lingaraj temple, the Cuttack). The last two Kesari kings (Yayati II Bhubaneswar temple, the Megheswar temple, the and Uddyota Kesari) transferred their capital to Bhaskaresvar temple, the Yamesvar temple etc. Jajpur or Jajatinagar and Bhubaneswar lost its The temples representing the Sakti cult are Parvati importance. However, during the reign of Yajati temple in the precinct of Lingaraj complex, the Kesari innumerable Siva temples were built and circular sixty-four Yogini temple in Hirapur close the foundation of the famous Lingaraj temple was to Bhubaneswar, the Saptamatrika group of laid by him at Bhubaneswar. deities etc. 70 November - 2011 Orissa Review With emergence of the Ganga dynasty Daiteswar Temple, Mukteswar Temple, heterogeneous faiths like Saivism, Saktism and Kedareswar Temple lying at a walking distance Buddhism integrated into a cosmopolitan form of of 2.5kms. Route II connects 23 shrines like religion i.e. Vaisnavism. The quintessence of all Mukteswar Complex, Daiteswar Temple, these faiths merged in all-pervasive Jagannath cult. Swarnajaleswar Temple (by the side of The worship pattern, festivals, daily rituals in the Kotitirtheswar), Subarneswar, Bramha Temple, Lingaraj temple were patterned in the light of what Vishnu Temple, Vimaleswar/Gourishankar, was prevalent in the Jagannath temple. The shrine Chitrakarini, Makareswar, Vaitala/Sisireswar, of Lingaraj became Hari Hara, a synthetic form Taleswar, Kedareswar Complex, Siva temple, of Visnu and Siva. One part of the Lingaraj is Kotitirtheswar, Sampurnajaleswar, Ananta identified as Hari and the other part as Hara. Vasudev, Tirtheswar, Kainchi Temple, Papanasini, Additional structures like Natamandapa and Bharatimath, Uttareswar, Parsurameswar over Bhogamandap and Stambha were added to the 2.2 Kms. The Route III covers 11 shrines namely main temple. Parsvadevatas in the form of Ganesh, Laxmaneswar Group of Temples, Rameswar Kartikeya, Parvati were placed in separate temple, Gosagareswar Temple, Vaitala Temple, structures on three sides of main temple and were Bharatimath, Makareswar Temple, Papanasini also worshipped. The Chudangagada fort, Temple. Chitrakarini Temple, Kainchi Temple, Kausalyaganga tank, Laxmisagar tank, Vimaleswar Temple, Lingaraj Temple over a Simhagada (the present State Museum complex) distance of 2 km and the Route IV has 11 heritage and Badagada Forts were added during this time. Complexes like Taleswar, Dwarabasini, Bramha Also the art and the architecture were greatly Temple, Ananta Vasudev, N-E Corner shrine, changed. The Laxmi-Nrusimha temple, the Sarideula, Mohini Temple, Markandeswar images of Laxmi-Narayan, Ananta Vasudeva and Temple, Vaitala Temple, Chandana Mandapa, Ekanansa represented Vaisnavism. Kapilendra Uttareswar Temple stretching over 2.2 kms. Deva, the founder of Suryavamsi Gajapati dynasty The tourists along with officers and guides also constructed the Kapileswar temple. of Tourism Department, Orissa Tourism Millions of visitors are coming to Orissa Development Corporation, Orissa State to visit these cultural edifices of Oriyas and they Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India go marvel at these majestic monuments. But rapid around these sites between 7 A.M. to 8 A.M. on urbanization and callousness on the part of urban the last Sunday of each month. They cover one development authorities helped in obliterating the route in one day and go along the second route beauty of these monuments due to massive next month. When route four is covered, tours encroachments. In order to instill a sense of start again from route one in a cyclic order. awareness among the residents living around these This noble attempt of Tourism heritage structures and to provide a conducive Department has generated hope and aspiration atmosphere for the visitors/tourists the Department among heritage lovers to walk through the of Tourism has introduced a package of “Heritage corridors of the heritage sites and feel the pulse Walk” in the year 2003. of illustrious ancestors who gave us these Under this innovative scheme they have stupendous monuments that have withstood the developed four routes. The route I covers 8 ravages of time. Let us preserve these priceless temples namely Brahmeswar Temple, heritages for our posterity. Bhaskareswar Temple, Rajarani Temple, Taleswar temple, Parsurameswar Temple, Gopinath Mohanty, 4R-2/1, Unit – III, Bhubaneswar. 71.

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