Orissa Review * July - 2005

Jagannath Temples in Mayurbhanj District

Pradeep Kumar Gan

The peculiar wooden images of the Holy Trinity, The main temple and its Yagamohana and consisting of , Balabhadra and natamandira are all located within a massive are special contribution of Orissa to the field of compound the floor of which is paved with Hindu Iconography as such images are not found dressed stone slabs. The temple and anywhere in except the Eastern Region. In jagamohana constructed on a high plinth Orissa the Jagannath temples are concentrated represent rekha and pidha style of Orissan not only in the plain areas of the old individed architecture respectively. On the outer walls of , and districts but also in the main temple are noticed the figure of the hilly tracts of Koraput, Keonjhar and , Trivikrama and Mayurbhanj. The forest clad Mayurbhanj district worshipped as parsvadevata. The door of Orissa is extremely significant due to the entrance to sanctum is surrounded with figures of worship of these three images collectively or Ganesa, Navagraha, Gajalaksmi, Kubera, Jagannath singly. Bhairava, Ganga, Yamuna, and Jaina The Jagannath Temple at Tirthankaras. Some of them are fixed to the inner walls of the jagamohana. This temple is made Baripada is situated on the bank of river of laterite stone with ornamental carvings. It is Budhabalanga and is the present headquarter of built in the style of Kakharua Baidyanath temple the Mayurbhanj district. There is an old temple, of Mantri. At present all the monuments including which is popularly known as the temple of Bada the raised compound walls are covered with lime Jagannath. It was built by King Baidyanath Bhanja plaster. in 1497 Saka era corresponding to 1575 A. D. A small inscription in two lines is now found fixed Besides the Bada Jagannath temple at to the upper portion of the right hand boundary Baripada, there is also another important wall of the temple indicating the date of Jagannath temple locally known as Banthia construction of this magnificent edifice. This Jagannath temple. inscription states that the shrine was built in the The Jagannath Temple at Haripur Saka year Muni (7) Randhra (9) Abdhi (4) and Haripur or Hariharpur is situated ten miles Subhransu (1) or 1497. to the south-east of Baripada. It was the capital Sakabde munirandhrabdhisubhransu pramite suve of the ex-Bhanja rulers of Mayurbhanj before the Bhajayan Baidyanathena prasadastu kruto muda // present town of Baripada was founded. In the

70 Orissa Review * July - 2005 traditional geneological account it is recorded that local tradition, Gajapati Prataparudra Deva, the Maharaja Harihara Bhanja erected this far famed monarch of Orissa travelled through magnificent township in 1322 Saka, this place of the Bhanja territory on his way of corresponding to 1400 A.D. The place was called pilgrimage to Brundaban. After the death of Raja Hariharpur after his name and the headquarters Prataprudra Deva, the name of the village was was shifted there from . The vast ruins changed to Pratapapur in honour of this illustrious of this place afford interesting materials for Raja and it was since then known by that name. historical research. In addition to other ruins and There was a temple constructed by the then archaeological remains, we found the Bhanja ruler for the worship of the images of Radhamohana, Rasikaraya and Jagannath Jagannath, Dadhivamana and Sri Chaitanya, but temples here. before its completion the iconoclast Kalapahada The famous Jagannath temple is situated at destroyed it. The images were removed secretly a distance of 270 feet to the south-east of the to the fort of Hariharpur in order to be saved from Rasikaraya temple and outside the fort area. the iconoclast. When Hariharpur was again According to local tradition, Raja Harihara destroyed on account of Maratha raids, the Bhanja, the founder of the capital city constructed images were brought back to Pratapapur and this temple. The date of the construction of the Maharaja Jadunath Bhanja Deo subsequently had Jagannath temple by Raja Harihara Bhanja may a temple erected there for the worship of tentatively be fixed around 1630 A.D., when he Dadhivamana and other images. The temple of was ruling after the death of Raja Baidyanath Dadhivamana in course of time collapsed and the Bhanja. This temple displays the Gaudiya style images are still worshipped in a small hut. of architecture. The artistic decorations on the The Purusottama (Jagannath) Temple at outer walls of the temple of Jagannath have lost Kosali much of their beauty. The temple was very The village Kosali is situated half a mile east artistically painted in various beautiful colours. of Badasahi. In this village there are two ruins of When Haripur was in a flourishing early temples, one dedicated to the Jaina condition, the Rathayatra festival of Jagannath Tirthankara Parsvanath and another to and Radhamohana, (the deities most honoured in Purusottama Jagannath. The original Purusottama the capital of the Bhanja Rajas) was celebrated image, Sudarsana chakra and the stone sculptures with great pomp and gaity and Vardhanapur of the temple have been removed from the site. served as the halting place of the idols. When the The site of the Purusottama temple lies to the temple was demolished, the image of Jagannath, south-west of the village, but except the remnants which was formerly placed in this temple, was of underground stone foundations on a piece of taken to Pratapapur, where the idol is worshipped land, no trace whatever of this temple exists at daily. present. The Dadhivamana Temple at Pratapapur The Jagannath Temple at Ratnapur Pratapapur is situated to the south-east of (Mulapal) Baripada. It was formerly called This place is situated on the bank of river Ramachandrapur after the name of Ramachandra Salandi flowing in the Panchpir sub-division of Bhanja Deo, who founded it. According to the the district. Ruins of the ancient fort belonging to

71 Orissa Review * July - 2005 the Zamindars of Ratnapur are traced here. At of caste, colour and creed and pull the chariot present there remains a mound surrounded by with great enthusiasm. jungles, probably on the ruins of the old fort. There Today there are many Jagannath temples was a Jagannath temple in the fort of Ratnapur. in the district of Mayurbhanj. The sacred name But when the fort was completely destroyed, of Jagannath is invoked on every occasion, in images of Jagannath and , the deities of the every village home in Orissa. He may be the Lord Zamindar family began to be worshipped in of the Universe, the highest supreme deity, the Mulapal gada, on the south bank of the river Purusottama, to the countless millions of the Salandi. , living in India and abroad, but this The Gundicha Temple at Brindavanpur relationship with Orissa and the Oriyas is almost Brindabanpur is situated at a distance of human and overwhelming. Whatever may be the one mile and a half to the north-west of hypothesis, Lord Jagannath holds a unique place Hariharpur. The tradition says that Raja not only in the history of Orissa, but also in the Brundaban Bhanja founded the village. The Raja lives of its people. To the millions of the Hindus erected a beautiful temple here, which he of Orissa, Jagannath is their nearest kith and kin. dedicated to his favourite God Brindavan Selected References : Chandra. There is another temple known as 1. N.N. Vasu, The Archaeological Survey of Gundicha temple, which was dedicated to Lord Mayurbhanj, Vol.I, Delhi, 1981. Radhamohana and Lord Jagannath. According 2. R.P. Mohapatra, Archaeology in Orissa, Vol.II, to local tradition, Vira Vikramaditya, a monarch Delhi, 1986. of that time built this temple. The Gundicha temple 3. P.K. Gan, "A Note on Haripurgarh, District seems to be an imitation of the style of Gaudiya Mayurbhanj", in Orissa Review, Vol.LVI, No.2/3, architecture of Bengal, which is in complete ruins. , Sept./Oct., 2000. When Hariharpur was in a flourishing condition, 4. N. Senapati, District Gazetteers of Mayurbhanj, the Rathayatra festival of Jagannath and Cuttack, 1967. Radhamohana was celebrated with great 5. K.N. Mahapatra, The Jagannath Temples in enthusiasm and the Gundicha temple at Eastern India, Bhubaneswar, 1977. Brindabanpur served as the halting station of the 6. P.K. Mishra, Archaeology of Mayurbhanj, New idols. Delhi, 1997. The Jagannath Temple at Kaptipada It is situated on the bank of river Sono, at a distance of 52 km from Baripada and 7 km to the south-west of . It was the capital of the Raja of Kaptipada, which is said to have belonged to the Birata family. Presently it is the headquarter of Kaptipada subdivision. The place is famous for the temples of Lord Jagannath and goddess Pradeep Kumar Gan is a scholar of History, Culture and Kanaka Durga. During the Rathayatra festival the Archaeology, presently researching at Fakir Mohan local people assemble together without distinction University, Balasore.

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