Click Here & Upgrade Expanded Features PDF Unlimited Pages CompleteDocuments Orissa Review * September - October - 2005 Sakti Centres in Cuttack District : A Historical Perspective Pareswar Sahoo With its bountiful nature, Orissa is an enchanting Kathajodi on the south. The stone embankment state of old charms and new glamour. Having protecting the river banks speak eloquently of the thirty districts in her heart it has a kaleidoscope engineering skills of the earlier era and is regarded of tourist attractions. Cuttack, as an interregnum in the the previous capital city of history of the Somavamsi rule modern Orissa, is famous for in Orissa. filigree silverware, horn and The origin of Sakti cult brass work. The old Cuttack is shrouded in mystery. Since district is known for its silk and time immemorial the worship cotton textiles, besides the of Sakti (power) has been an Buddhist golden triangle and important religious persuit. also for Sakti pithas The archaeologists, (Bhattarika, Charchika and historians, indologist, Maa Pragala). These places philosophers and scholars of are associated with Devi many other disciplines have Durga, the symbol of power expounded various theories and strength and are therefore with regard to the origin and regarded as traditional Sakti evolution of the Sakti cult. It Kshetras of Orissa dedicated is easy to understand that to Brahmanical Sakti means power and Panchadevatas. 1 These strength, which is expressed centers are honeycombed by through different phenomena. glamorous scenic beauty and the religious In Devisukta, the Saptasati records,2 potentialities are intended for all sections of visiting intelligence, satisfaction peity etc. as the various tourists, both inland and outland. The domestic forms of Sakti.3 tourists belongs to the eastern belt and the southern belt, although few of them are from the central The Sakti or goddess in her different region also. Abhinaba Varanasi Katak, the earlier manifested aspects and forms represent various capital city of medieval Orissa and British time phenomena. For instance, Saraswati depicts Orissa has river Mahanadi on the north and river learning and wisdom, Laxmi means wealth, Durga 23 Click Here & Upgrade Expanded Features PDF Unlimited Pages CompleteDocuments Orissa Review * September - October - 2005 and Kali represent benevolent and malevolent Jagannath, who is regarded as the epicenter of aspects respectively and Maa Sarada Devi Tantra cult. Historians like Dr. S.C. Behera has represents the socio-religious aspect of the pointed out that, Saktism in Orissa too, has philosophy of humanism and so on.4 absorbed the tree worship of the aboriginals into Archaeological evidences prove the concept of its fold. The worship of 'Stambha' or a pillar Sakti, which can be traced back to 2200 B.C. - made of stone or wood as the Divine Mother, is 1700 B.C. As a result of the fusion of the Vedic prevalent now also among the tribals and concept of Sakti, known as 'Uma' with the cult aboriginals of Orissa in various places. We learn of' Stambha there emerged the worship of from the Maranjamura Charter11 that the tutelary Stambheswari who is considered to be the deity of Somavamsi rule was Panchambari universal mother, the supreme reality.5 Bhadrambika,12 identified with Stambheswari. It seems very probable that it is the result of fusion Both Mahenjodaro and Harppa of the cult of Stambheswari and Bhadrambika discoveries have corroborated the concept of which contributed to the evolution of Goddess Sakti in the pre-Vedic period. A seal from Subhadra, the central wooden figure in the Harappa showing on the observe a nude female Jagannath temple.13 In the evolution of the Saktism figure, head downwords and legs sretched out in ancient Orissa, primitive tree worship of the upwards with a plant issuing out of her womb, aboriginals was an important aspect. The may be regarded as the proto-type of the mother assimilation of two cultures viz. the Aryan and goddess Sakambari.6 Macdonald remarks, the aborigin also led to a synthesis of religious "Goddesses occupy a very subordinate position beliefs which characterized the growth and in the Vedic belief and worship. The important development of the various forms of religious goddesses of this period were Aditi, Usha, beliefs like Vaishnavism, Saktism and Saivism in Saraswati, Prithvi, Ratri, Riti, Revati, Indrani, Orissa down the centuries.14 Rudrani."7 Although, Saktism was developed in the ancient times, now in Europe, the female There are several Sakti Pithas all over worship is conducted through the worship of Orissa. They include the seats of Goddess Bimala Virgin Mary.8 There are instances of mother at Puri, Goddess Viraja at Jajpur, Goddess worship in Far-Eastern Asian and African Bhubaneswari at Bhubaneswar, Goddess countries. The Tantra legends speak of the Sati Mangala at Kakatpur, Goddess Charchika at and Daskhya Prajapati9 episode which reminds Banki, Goddess Sarala at Jhankada, Goddess us the terrible sacrifice of Sati in the Yajna kunda Tarini at Ghatagaon, Goddess Samaleswari at due to the unbearable insult meted out by Dakshya, Sambalpur, Goddess Pataneswari at Patnagarh, her father. It also tells us how Lord Siva in anger Sambalpur and Bolangir, Goddess Bhagavati at cut off the dead body of Sati into several pieces Banpur, Goddess Bhattarika at Baramba, and threw the pieces all over (Matsya Purana). Goddess Pragala at Narasinghpur, Goddess The places where the parts of the Sati's body fell Katak Chandi at Cuttack, Goddess Mahakali at are know as Sati's pithas.10 Kharuda, Goddess Dakshinakali at Bandhahuda. I would like to focuss here one of the traditional Orissa has taken the root of every major but much informative topics relating to the Sakti religious sects of Hinduism. Lakhs of pilgrims Pithas in Cutack district. The district of Cuttack pay a visit to Puri to have a glimpse of Lord was consisting of six old Garhjats i.e. 24 Click Here & Upgrade Expanded Features PDF Unlimited Pages CompleteDocuments Orissa Review * September - October - 2005 Narasinghpur, Baramba, Tigiria, Athagarh, Banki, Mahanadi. The hills encircling Bhattarika on either Saranda. These Sakti pithas are closely sides of the river are Basistrunga, Ratnagiri, associated with the cultural and social Nilagiri, Bankamunda, Gayaldiha, Baigani and developments of the people of the district.16 They Manibhadra, which are considered to be sacred draw great inspirations from the worship of Katak by the local people. Besides the scenic beauty is Chandi at Cuttack, Charchika at Banki, Bhattarika truly exotic and a heart throb to any visitor, at Baramba, Maa Pragala at Narasinghpur, devotee or tourist. This place occupies the Mahakali at Kharuda, Dakshinakali at central position in the sacred panchakosha22 Bandhahuda. (distance of 10 miles) extending from Simhanath Saktism in Orissa is a long tradition. to Nilamadhab. The following hymns describes Banki, which was one of the old Garhjats of the nomenclature along with the sacred pithas : Cuttack district, has been famous as a seat of the Xoã`mñVw XjreUZrao Xodr Zmam`Ur ^~oV presiding deity, Maa Charchika since 14th Century A.D.17 It is located on the picturesque Zmam`U npíM_oVw Zrb_mY~ ê$nYyH$ }&& mountain named Richika, where the sacred river _mY~íMrVao íå`H$mZZo {~ÝÜ`dmerZr Renuka washes its feet. On their way from VWm VÎm nyd©Jrer BíMm: {ghZmW _hrída Bhubaneswar to Narsinghpur, via Govindpur, tourists, both inland and outland, visit the temple nÝMH$moe{_X_ "»`mV: nyÊ`nmVH$ ZmemZ§ }&& in the month of October and offer their worship (Gist - Devi Narayani exists on the to the Goddess. Especially a large number of Southern bank and Narayana, Nilamadhava to visitors come to this Pithas in autumn due to the West. Vindhyabasini is worshipped to the Mahastami puja.18 Several other festivals are also north in a beautiful forest. Simhanatha Maheswar observed in the temple with high testimony. lies to the West of Vindhyabasini. All these sacred In ancient time, the whole region was a pithas spread in an area of Panchakosha wash beautiful fertile land, with green paddy fields, dense the sin of the people.) forest with cajurina trees and some tall palm trees. The existence of the presiding deity Maa 19 20 Usually the tribals like Kondhs, Sabaras, use Bhattarika can be traced back to the 7th century to live there. Historically speaking the region was A.D.22 The iconography of Bhattarika image can inhabited by the Aryans and some rulling give an idea whether it was a Buddhist and Hindu dynasties, viz. Airas, Somas, and Gangas. Some Sakti pitha. The Deity image of Bhattarika is historians believe that Goddess Charchika, known seated on Lalitasana, the left hand holding a lotus 21 as "Mother Earth" is being worshipped on the stalk, and the right one in the Varada pose Blue Mountain Richika, in Banki since 3rd century associated with the pedestal having eight very B.C. According to Gibbon, precious stones was small images five in Padmasana and left in exported from Banki region to the ancient Roman Lalitasana with the Ayudha as the central figure. empire. Ptolemy and Hieun Tsang supported the The Oriya book 'Bhattarika' identifies the view of Gibbon. associated images of this temple as Prabha, Maya, The goddess Bhattarika at Baramba, in Jaya, Sakshama, Visuddha suprabha, Avaya, Cuttack district has a sprawling complex, to the Brahmani, Maheswri, Kaumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, west of Ratnagiri hills, over looking the river Indrani, Chamunda and Mahalaxmi. Now the 25 Click Here & Upgrade Expanded Features PDF Unlimited Pages CompleteDocuments Orissa Review * September - October - 2005 head priest Nilamani Mahapatra and his associates his palace by offering one goat in each step. It worship the Goddess as Raja Rajeswari, was a difficult task for the king to fulfill this wish Mahamaya Tripura Sundari and Siddha Bhattarika of the Goddess. He collected a large number of by reciting the Durga mantras.