Orissa Review June - 2004

The Pillars of Homage to Lord Jagannatha

Prajna Paramita Behera

Drawing of Subha Stambha, , 10th-11th Century A.D. uilt in the 12th century, the temple of Lord Vaishnaism temples were erected. The BJagannatha at has the distinction of Nila Madhaba temple at Gandharadi of Boudh having two unique pillars, namely, the district in 9th century A.D. ruined Vishnu Garudastambha and the Arunastambha. In temple at Ganeshwarpur of district in Sanskrit the pillar or a column 10th century may be cited as is called a stambha and in notable examples. Jajpur, Oriya it is called khamba. which was primarily a The objective of this paper Shaktapitha dedicated to is to throw light on the Viraja, also has numerous significance and historical Vishnu images. In Jajpur perspectives of the pillars. there is beautiful column, which according to James Fergusson, Garudastambha originally seems to have supported a figure of Garuda, in Indian traditions is Garuda, the vahana of Vishnu and a detached considered as the vehicle of Vishnu. Lord figure of Garuda is also found in Jajpur and it Jagannatha is considered identical with Vishnu is said to be an identical one. Fergusson and . Hence his Vahan-stambha is assigned the pillar to the 10th or 11th century. placed in the nata-mandira of the temple. The This pillar locally called Subhastambha tradition of erecting pillars in honour of Vishnu indicates the existence of a Vishnu temple at goes back to 2nd century B.C. There is a pillar Jajpur. in honour of at Basnagar () The temple of Lord Jagannatha was in . It is known from the constructed by Varman Chodagangadev inscriptions that "this Garuda column of in the middle of 12th century. The temple Vasudeva (Krishna), the God of Gods is erected complex consists of Deula, Jagamohan, here by , his worshipper." He was Natamandira and Bhogamandapa. The an inhabitant of and he came as Greek presiding deities on the Ratnabedi or Jewelled- Ambassador from king Antialkidas to dias are the Chaturdha-darumurthi i.e. wooden Kasiputra . It is thus evident that statues such as Balabhadra, , Heliodorous was a Vaishnava, even though he Jagannatha and Sudarshan. The images are was a Greek. In Orissa with progress of made out of the wood of the Neem Tree (Melia

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azardicata). These period following the model of Jagannatha are renewed every temple. We find Garuda stambhas in later 12 years, the temples such as Madhavananda temple (13th ceremony being century) at village Madhava in called the and in 1278 A.D. at Navakalebar. The . Inside the Jagannatha temple the Ratnavedi is said Garudastambha is considered very holy and it to contain has its own rituals and devotees usually have Salagrama or a darshan of the lord from this place. They ammonite fossils. used to place lamps in honour of Lord by which It is taken to be a pillar becomes smoke stained. It will be stone and worthwhile to discourage this practice. worshipped by the Arunastambha Garuda from Madhabababda followers of temple, Madhaba 13th century V ishnu. In addition to the Garuda Salagrama means the "village where the Sal column inside the tree (Shorea robusta) grows." The Salagrama Natamandira in front of the shilas are found in the bed of Gandaki River, Singhadwar (eastern gateway a tributary of the Ganga. It is also found in the Jagannatha Temple), there is . a monolithic pillar of chlorite crowned by a squatting figure In the Natamandira of the temple on the of Garuda. The total height of eastern side a unique Garuda stambha is the pillar is 33 feet 8 inches. located. In the first sight it looks like an The pillar has a magnificent ordinary stone column surmounted by a Garuda base carved with military figure on the top. But on examination its shaft scenes and other figures. The seems to be a remnant of a plant of a past monolithic shaft of the chlorite geological era. The shaft bears the impression is 16 sided. The capital, or traces of a Sal tree shorn of its bark. The decorated by a series of lotus impression of the Sal tree is readily preserved. petals, is 2 feet 6 inches and The total height of column along with the the whole pillar is a pedestal and the Garuda capital is about 10 monument of great beauty. feet. The height of shaft is about 7 feet. The Aruna is the charioteer of the column is not made up of an ordinary stone but Sun God. Hence the pillar is a Salagrama stone. It is the largest Salagrama called the Sun Pillar or stone, unique in the fossil record of . This Arunastambha. Originally Garudastambha, made up of fossil, is quite this beautiful pillar was harmonious to the chaturdha-darumurthis on the erected in honour of the Sun ratnavedi made of salagrama stones. God at Konark. Heliodorus The erection of Garudastambha in Vishnu Garuda Stambha, King Narasinha I built Vidisha, Madhya temples became quite popular in the Ganga the famous temple of Sun God Pradesh

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at Konark in the 13th Andrew Sterling, a British officer, who was century. The temple, in Orissa from 1818-1822, has mentioned that consisting of the the pillar has been brought from the famous Deula and Jag "but now deserted, temple of the Sun at Mohan was in the form Konarak, about sixty years ago, by a of a solar chariot Brahmachari inhabitant of Puri, of great wealth provided with 24 and influence." The placing of Arunastambha wheels. In front of the in front of the temple of Lord Jagannatha is eastern gateway of quite appropriate as from the Vedic times, the Jagamohan there was Sun God is considered identical with Vishnu. this beautiful pillar Bibliography : called Arunastambha. 1. R.L. Mitra, "The Antiquities of Orissa", Vol.II, In the 16th century, 1984, New Delhi. Abul Fazal, the court 2. K.S. Behera, "Konark - The Heritage of historian of Moghul Mankind", Vol.I, 1996, New Delhi. Emperor Akbar, while 3. James Fergussan, "History of Indian and giving the description Eastern Architecture", 1994, Delhi. of the sun temple 4. N.K. Sahu (ed.) "A History of Orissa", by W.W. mentioned the Hunter, Andrew Sterling, John beams, Vol.II, "octagonal column of 1980, Delhi. black stone" which evidently represents Illustrations : the Arunastambha. * The Heliodorus Garuda Stambha, Vidisha, When the Konark Madhya Pradesh. temple was deserted * Drawing of Chaturdha-darumurti (from R.L. and worship ceased Mitra). there, this pillar was * Drawing of Subha stambha, Jajpur, 10th-11th brought to Puri in the century A.D. from Fergusson. Arunastambha last quarter of the 18th * Garuda from Madhabananda temple, Madhava century. The 13th century from K.S. Behera (ed.) Prachi Madalapanji records that during the time of Mahatmya. Divyasinghadev, the Maratha guru, * Drawing of Arunastambha from W.W. Hunter. Brahmachari Gosain brought this pillar from Konark and reerected it at the singhadwar of Jagannatha temple. A drawing of the Prajna Paramita Behera is a Ph.D. Scholar in the Arunapillar, prepared on 26th April 1815 at Department of Botany, Utkal University, Vanivihar, Puri, is now in the India Office library, London. Bhubaneswar.

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