Durga Worship in Upper Mahanadi Valley
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Orissa Review * September-October - 2008 Durga Worship in Upper Mahanadi Valley Sasanka S. Panda We find the traces of the worship of goddess We find another two-handed Durga image Durga in her Mahisasuramardini aspect as early at Dharapgarh village of Balangir district, which as the sixth century A.D. This is evident from the can be dated to the same period. The textual discovery of the ruins of a references to the goddess collapsed brick temple with two arms is quite rare, containing a two-handed though Suprabhedagama, Mahisasuramardini Durga Purvakarmagama and image in the Alidha posture in Uttarakarmagama describe the Garbhagriha and having Durga as having two hands.2 an inscription on the pedestal R. Chanda has suggested that in the box-headed Brahmi the two-armed figures of the alphabets of the sixth century goddess were confined to the 3 mentioning goddess pre-Gupta period. But as the Mahesvari. The temple was Brahmanisation process unearthed by the noted seems to have started in western part of Orissa only historian, late Prof. N.K. after the subjugation of this Sahu, in 1983, during area by the Gupta monarch excavation in the Maraguda Samudragupta during his valley of the Nuapada district. military expedition to the A Sakta Math (Monastery), Goddess Durga, Lalei, Sundargarh District Daksinapatha in the middle said to be the earliest of its of the fourth century A.D., kind was also unearthed near this temple during 1 both the two-handed Durga images of Western this excavation. The discovery of the two-handed Orissa can be taken to be of the post-Gupta Mahisasuramardini Durga image in the period. Another unique image of two-handed Garbhagriha of the Maraguda temple ruins as Durga, sitting on Her mount lion holding two well as the Sakta monastery testify to the swords in both Her up-raised hands is found fitted existence of the Mahesvari cult as early as the in a niche of the exterior wall of the Bahari Gopalji sixth century A.D. Temple at Sonepur, situated in front of the 4 Orissa Review * September-October - 2008 destroyed palace of the erstwhile feudal ruler of during digging of the spill way of the Jonk Dam at Sonepur Ex-Princely State. Four-handed Durga Patora in the Maraguda velley in 1982, which is images are found at Belkhandi and carved on a in the private possession of the noted historian monolithic rocky escarpment at Ranipur Jharial Jitamitra Prasad Singhdeo of Khariar. In the alongwith figured panel of Saptamatrka, Uma- meantime four more stone Yonis have been found Mahesvara and standing Ganesa. Noted historian in places like Dangrital, Chuipain, Soseng and Dr. J.K. Sahu takes the four-handed Durga images Mundapada village, all in the Nuapada district.7 4 to be of the seventh century. Six-handed Durga The Mother Earth in the shape of Yoni, the images are found at Belkhandi, Gandharadi and female organ of generation, in the opinion of the in the Parsvadevata niche of the Ramesvara Siva learned scholar O.A. Wall, still very widely temple at Sonepur, as central deity in the Durga worshipped in the Asiatic religions, and the temple at Bausuni and enshrined as Vindhyavasini worshipper of Yoni are called Yonicitas.8 Durga at Narsinghnath. The six-handed Durga images can be taken to be of the eighth/ninth Yoni is wors-hipped as goddess Duarseni century when the Bhanjas and other local at Patalganga in Nuapada district and at dynasties were ruling this region. Sindhekela in Balangir district in shrines built for the goddess by the local populace. The worship of the Mother Goddess or the female principle can be traced in India as in other Even much before the Vedic period or even regions of the world to the most ancient period. the time when the Indus Valley civilisation In India the worship of Mother Goddess has been flourished, Yoni, the origin of the mankind and traced in the archaeological findings from Indus other living world, was worshipped in the rock- Valley. An oblong terracotta seal from Harappa shelters by the pre-historic cave-dwellers of the depicts a nude female figure upside down with upper Mahanadi valley. her legs wide apart, and with a plant issuing from Learned scholar Dr. Pradeep K. Behera her womb.5 Marshall has further mentioned that while doing exploration work in the dense such figurines have been found in various regions mountain ranges of Hemgir belt of Sundargarh situated in a wide belt of the ancient world from district in 1987-88 encountered hundreds of small the Indus to the Nile. He is of the opinion that and large rock shelters, out of which six yielded they are 'effigies of the great Mother Goddess.' evidence of pre-historic occupation and artistic Such depiction of the goddess with the similar activities. In two of those rock shelters out of the position, but with a lotus issuing from her neck six discovered by Prof. Behera, peculiar triangular instead of from her womb has been found on a engravings were found, which have been identified terracotta sealing of the Gupta period (circa 4th- by him as stylised depiction of female genital 5th century A.D.)6 Ringstones and discs found organs (Yoni). Dr Behera is of the opinion that from sites of the Maurya and Sunga periods (300- pre-historic people were somehow connected 200 B.C.) were probably associated with the cult with the process of procreation among the human of Mother Goddess symbolising the Yoni. beings, which has been subsequently referred in Ringstones, popularly known as Pandka Pathar the religious literatures as fertility cult.9 In Western is found in many places of archaeological Europe also we get evidences of the prevalence importance in the rural area of the upper Mahanadi of the stylised of Mother of Venus10 in the Upper valley. One carved Yoni has been discovered Palaeilithic and subsequent pre-historic cultures.11 5 Orissa Review * September-October - 2008 The Fertility Cult or the worship of the They both as the manifestation of a single Mother in the child-delivering postures has been Universal Mother Goddess has been mentioned emphasised in the Lajjyagouri or the Aditi in the Durgastotra of Mahabharata18 at least since Uttanapada images found all over eastern, the later Vedic period. In a Gupta coin, Laksmi western, southern and central India. Two such has been depicted as seated on a lion, the vehicle images carved on stone plaques, depicting of goddess Durga.19 Lajjyagouri has been discovered in the Nuapada In this context the story of Renuka, the wife district. One was discovered by the learned of sage Jamadagni can be cited. She is scholar J.P. Singh Deo in the Kotipadar village, worshipped as goddess Matangi, Yellama and situated at a distance of 10 kms from Khariar Prthvi etc. for procuring offspring by barren and the other one was found during digging of the women even today.20 plinth of the Panchayat College Building at Komna. In this context it is important to be noted In this images, the goddess is depicted as that during the Baliyatra at Sonepur, religious headless and instead of head, a full-blown lotus is issuing from the neck. This goddess has been rituals of esoteric nature are performed during identified with Aditi Uttanapada by Stella Dussehra in the Khaulgad, (most probably Kramrisch.12 symbolising Yoni or vulva), in a place called Renukapitha, near the Suresvari temple. H.D. Sankalia has identified her with Lajjyagouri.13 The prominent exhibition of vulva The nourishing mother aspect of mother in this images emphasize the Yoni type of the goddess Parvati is emphasised on an unique image fertility figurines.14 The sprouting of vegetation or of mother-son (Parvati and her son Karttikeya), lotus from her throat, thereby forming her head, fitted to the northern Parsvadevata niche of allure scholars to identify her with goddess Dhavalesvara temple at Mohangiri in Kalahandi Sakambari.15 district. It is the standing figure of a heavy-breasted female wearing a flat Mukuta, Makara-kundala In Parvati legend, her sexual aspect, in both ears and a broad neck-lace. This lady is nourishing nature and headless figure is meet with calm and while her right-hand is in Abhaya- in her Sakambari aspect. In the Laksmi Tantra mudra, the left hand is put around the shoulder we find mention of the blue coloured goddess of a youth whose mouth is near her left breast. Sakambari who was produced from the body of This youth is holding a Kartri in his left-hand. The Parvati during the fourteenth cycle of Vaivasvata lady-figure is wearing long cloth hanging from 16 Manvantara. waist below up to her feet while the youth is Learned scholar Dr. Baba Mishra has wearing cloth from weist upto knee-portion and rightly pointed out that the evolution of Durga- Uttariya hanging from their shoulders in both Parvati and Sri Laksmi cults have the same cases. It seems to be the mother-son figure of cardinal traits like headlessness, amorous aspect Parvati and Karttikeya. 17 and fertility / nourishment features. The association of vegetation with the Therefore in the Brahmanical culture, goddess has been described in her Sakambari although Durga-Parvati and Sri Laksmi appear aspect in the Markandeya Purana.21 This to be different, yet, they are considered as one. concept is given much emphasis even during the 6 Orissa Review * September-October - 2008 present time, in the Navapatrika ceremony of the kill the demon king Mahisasura and his the autumnal Durga worship, associating nine retinue.27 She is taken as the most powerful plants.