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Invasions on the Temple of Lord Jagannath, Puri Orissa Review Invasions on the Temple of Lord Jagannath, Puri Abhimanyu Dash hroughout the ages the temple of Lord During this invasion the deities were taken away TJagannath, Puri had been invaded and to Gopali, a village in Sonepur and kept plundered for eighteen times in the annals of underground. Prof. K.C. Panigrahi has identified history. The temple was a lucrative Raktavahu with Govinda-III, the Rastrakuta King place of wealth for invaders to of Deccan and Subhanadeva with plunder. To non-Hindu Subhakaradeva-I of Bhaumakara dynasty. To invaders the temple was a prove, Prof. Panigrahi has taken the help of good place to display Zihad Hindol plate of Subhakaradeva-III of 839 AD (Religious War). To loot its and Sanjan plates of Amoghavarsha. It is stated property and profane in the Sanjan plates of Amoghavarsha that the idols were motives Rastrakuta king Govinda-III (AD 798-814) behind every conquered Kosala, Kalinga, Vanga, invasion. Owing to Dahala and Odraka. Under series of inroads on Govinda-III the Rastrakutas the temple of Lord became invincible everywhere Jagannath the triad and there is therefore no were exiled at doubt that they invaded various regions of Odraka (Orissa). Orissa. Basing on Hindol plate of The invasion Subhakaradeva-III of Raktavahu on the Prof. Panigrahi states temple of Lord Jagannath is that Rastrakuta considered as the first one as per the record of King’s invasion of Orissa took place during the the ‘Madalapanji’, the temple chronicle. Andrew reign of Subhakaradeva-I. Stirling has reproduced the description of Raktavahu’s invasion of the ‘Madalapanji’ in his Govinda-III alias Raktavahu approached writing in 1822. The story of Raktavahu’s invasion Puri with his army through the sea. The king of recorded in the ‘Madalapanji’ indicates that he Orissa fled from the city with the images of had defeated the King Subhanadeva of Orissa. Jagannath and His associates lodged in a cart. 82 July - 2011 Orissa Review The images reached in Western frontier of Sonepur looted the wealth of the temple. Narasinghadeva and buried at a place known as Gopali. After 146 III was unable to protect his people and the years Yayati-I, the Somavamsi king got the images temple. On the contrary he successfully hid the dug out, made new images, built a new temple at triad in an unknown place. The incident reveals Puri and enshrined them there. Gopali, a village the idea that no harm was done to the deities. with a shrine of Jagannath, still exists at a distance of 16 miles from Sonepur.1 During the reign of the Ganga King Bhanudeva Ill the third invasion took place in 1360 Yayati-I after bringing back triad AD by Feroz Shah Tughluq, the Muslim ruler of performed ‘Navakalebara’ of deities at Puri Delhi. At the time of invasion Bhanudeva - III because of degraded conditions with the help of was not in his capital. He got the news of invasion. servitors. The citadel of the Lords was fixed in He returned Puri with his army and found no Feroz the temple measuring 38 Hatas (cubits at present Shah Tughluq. Feroz went back Delhi via Jajnagar the temple of Lord Nrusingh) beside the Mukti (Jajpur). Nothing is known about his desecration Mandap in the precinct of Sri Jagannath temple. of the triad and plunder of the temple. But scholars That is why king Yayati is regarded as the ‘Second believe that he had thrown the triad into the Indradyumna’ in the annals of history owing to Mahodadhi (Bay of Bengal). This kind of view is restoration.2 not supported by historical evidence. During the period of invasion of The fourth invasion was launched by Raktabahu the deities were worshipped at Gopali Ismail Ghazi the commander of Allauddin Hussain in Sonepur. At present the place is at Chhalia Shah the Sultan of Bengal in the year 1509 A.D. mountain in Kotsamali. The deities returned to The Suryavamsi King Prataprudradeva was the Shrikshetra during 814 A.D. and 819 A.D.3 ruler of Orissa who was in South at the time of invasion. The priests of the temple sailed the triad The second invasion on the temple of to the forthills of the ‘Chadheiguha Pahada’ in the Lord Jagannath was waged by Illias Shah the ‘Chilika Lake’. On being informed, King Sultan of Bengal in 1340 A.D. during the reign of Prataprudradeva rushed back from Deccan and Narasinghadeva-III. His defence system in the drove away Ismail to the point at Huguli in the northern frontier of his empire was very weak. Bengal.4 The military organization of the fort of Raibania in north Balasore was not strong. The commandants The fifth invasion was launched by a of the fort were bribed by Illias Shah. Muslim invader Kalapahara in the year 1568 AD Narasinghadeva III felt insecured and kept his during the reign of Mukundadeva Harichandan, queens in the Giridurga near Simachalam. He the Chalukya King of Orissa. Kalapahara was prepared militarily to defend his empire of Utkal. one of the army assistants of Sulaiman Karrani, Inspite of his military arrangement to safeguard the Afghan Sultan of Bengal. In this expedition his empire Illias Shah suddenly attacked the Bayazid the son of Karrani was the commander temple of Jagannath in 1340A.D. He made havoc of the Bengal army. He was assisted by Sikandar among the religious minded people of Puri. The Uzbeg and Kalapahara. The reasons of Karrani’s people ran in panic to save their lives. The soldiers attack on the temple of Lord Jagannath was of lllias Shah killed the people mercilessly and Mukundadeva’s entanglement in the political July - 2011 83 Orissa Review diplomacy which created much bad blood got information of the fall of Katak (Cuttack) to between the two. Firstly, Mukundadeva gave the hands of the Muslims. They hid the triad in an political shelter to Ibrahim Sur who was a great island inside the ‘Chilika lake’ as stated in the enemy of Sulaiman Karrani. Secondly ‘Madalapanji’. The deities were hidden Mukundadeva committed another offence by underground at Hastipatna in Parikuda identified exchanging envoys with the great Mughal with Chhapali, Khepali and Hatipada. Kalapahara emperor Akbar. In 1566 A.D Akbar sent envoys could easily know about the secrecy of the hidden to the court of Mukundadeva and Mukundadeva deities. He carried the triad from ‘Chilika Lake’ in exchange sent a Hindu ambassador named to the bank of the river Ganges on an elephant Paramananda Ray to the Court of the Mughal where he burnt them. Bisher Mohanty, a emperor.5 Akbar was a great enemy of Sulaiman Vaishnavite saint followed Kalapahara and Karrani. These two offences committed by managed to bring back the ‘Brahmas’ to Kujanga Mukundadeva incurred great displeasure in the Gada keeping inside a Mridanga. Later on the mind of Sulaiman Karrani which paved the way ‘Brahmas’ were brought to the Gopal temple of for his Orissan invasion. Khurda Gada in 1575 A.D. by King Ramachandradeva. Subsequently the ‘Brahmas’ Kalapahara the Assistant Army General were placed in the deities. The deities were of Sulaiman Karrani led the expedition against brought back to the temple of Jagannath from Mukundadeva of Orissa in 1568 A.D. On the Khurdagada. contrary Mukundadeva sent Raghubhanja Chhotaraya to resist the army of Kalapahara but It is stated in the same chronicle that failed. Raghubhanja proved traitor and Kalapahara destroyed the great temple of Kalapahara occupied Cuttack. So Mukundadeva Jagannath upto the Amalakasila and defaced the surrendered before the Muslim army of Bengal. images. It is difficult to ascertain the truth of the In the meantime Ramachandra Bhanja the statement. But to us it seems that the temple was commandant of Sarangagarh fort (Baranga) not pulled down or rased to the ground, though rebelled against Mukundadeva. The latter was the images were damaged and disfigured as far killed at Gohiratikara (Near Jajpur) because of as possible. There is no archaeological evidence the two traitors Sikhi and Manai who were the to show that the temple was rebuilt at any time. generals of the King of Orissa. Ramachandra The original temple as built by Chodaganga has Bhanja was also killed by the invader. come down to us, though the carvings on the outer Ramachandra Bhanja who declared himself the faces of the temple have been damaged or king of Orissa finally proved himself as traitor disfigured.7 behind the assassination of Mukundadeva, the last Hindu king of Orissa. In the Madalapanji this A tradition in Bengal avers that traitor has sometimes been described as Kalapahara was earlier a Brahmin by caste. His Ramachandra Bhanja and sometimes as name was Raju alias Kalachand. He felt in love Ramachandradeva. The latter name seems to be with Dulari, the daughter of the Sultan of Bengal more correct.6 After occupation of the forts of and married her. But he wanted to retain his Cuttack and Sarangagarh Kalapahara religion. The Hindu society refused to accept him. successfully led his army to Puri to demolish the He came to the temple of Jagannath at Puri for temple of Jagannath. The servitors of the temple expiation. But the priests rebuffed him. This made 84 July - 2011 Orissa Review him reactionary and revengeful. He took a vow — Pentha where the Lords passed eight months to exterminate Hindu religion, images and temples. with ‘Shital Bhoga’ offerings. As per the This theory is only traditional and does not have description of the ‘Madalapanji’ Mirza Khurum any historical authenticity. Kalapahara was an invaded Puri temple during the time of Dola Yatra. Afghan. Kalapahara was a title used by many He found no deities in the temple and so looted Afghans.
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