Journal of Indian History and Culture JOURNAL OF INDIAN HISTORY AND CULTURE September 2006 Thirteenth Issue C.P. RAMASWAMI AIYAR INSTITUTE OF INDOLOGICAL RESEARCH The C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation 1 Eldams Road, Chennai 600 018, INDIA September 2006, Thirteenth Issue 1 Journal of Indian History and Culture Editor : Dr.G.J. Sudhakar Board of Editors Dr. K.V.Raman Dr. R.Nagaswami Dr.T.K.Venkatasubramaniam Dr. Nanditha Krishna Referees Dr. T.K. Venkatasubramaniam Prof. Vijaya Ramaswamy Dr. A. Satyanarayana Published by C.P.Ramaswami Aiyar Institute of Indological Research The C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation 1 Eldams Road Chennai 600 018 Tel : 2434 1778 / 2435 9366 Fax : 91-44-24351022 E-Mail: [email protected] Website: www.cprfoundation.org Subscription Rs.95/- (for 2 issues) Rs.180/-(for 4 issues) 2 September 2006, Thirteenth Issue Journal of Indian History and Culture CONTENTS ANCIENT HISTORY Bhima Deula : The Earliest Structure on the Summit of Mahendragiri - Some Reflections 9 Dr. R.C. Misro & B.Subudhi The Contribution of South India to Sanskrit Studies in Asia - A Case Study of Atula’s Mushikavamsa Mahakavya 16 T.P. Sankaran Kutty Nair The Horse and the Indus Saravati Civilization 33 Michel Danino Gender Aspects in Pallankuli in Tamilnadu 60 Dr. V. Balambal Ancient Indian and Pre-Columbian Native American Peception of the Earth ( Mythology, Iconography and Ritual Aspects) 80 Jayalakshmi Yegnaswamy MEDIEVAL HISTORY Antiquity of Documents in Karnataka and their Preservation Procedures 91 Dr. K.G. Vasantha Madhava Trade and Urbanisation in the Palar Valley during the Chola Period - A.D.900 - 1300 A.D. 99 Mr. V. Palanichamy Bhattas as Teachers in Chola Times 121 Dr. S. Chandni Bi September 2006, Thirteenth Issue 3 Journal of Indian History and Culture Perundevi Samudram, Devaraja Samudram and Accharavakkam Grants of SriRangaraja III (or VI) of Aravindy Dynasty 130 Dr. P. Sumabala MODERN HISTORY Maritime Trade Relations between the port of Gopalpur and Overseas Countries in the Nineteenth Century : Some Reflections 151 Dr. N.P. Panigrahi Cattle Varieties and their Breeds in the Madras Presidency (1920 - 1936) 171 Dr. P. Sivunnaidu Remedial Measures for India’s Economic Underdevelopment : from “Swadeshis” to M.K. Gandhi 184 Dr. Madhumitasaha A Note on Understanding of History and Historical Research by Professor B.C. Ray, The Front - Ranking Historian of Orissa 201 Dr. R.C. Misro Book Review - 1 217 Book Review - 2 223 Book Review - 3 226 Book Review - 4 229 printed on paper made from bagasse, an agricultural waste 4 September 2006, Thirteenth Issue Journal of Indian History and Culture EDITOR’S NOTE We have kept our promise. We have made the journal a refereed one. In otherwords, the quality of the Journal is higher than ever before. We would like to thank Prof. T.K. Venkatasubramaniam, Prof. Vijaya Ramasamy, and Prof. A. Satyanarayana for taking time off from their busy schedules to referee the papers that we sent them. We are indeed grateful to them. As regards the papers, Prof. T.P. Sankaran Kutty Nair’s work on ‘Atula’s Mushikavamsa Mahakavya’ is a path breaking one. Prof. R.C. Misro and friends from Orissa deserve our thanks for their continued interest and contribution to the Journal. We are happy that senior scholars like Prof. V. Balambal and Dr. K.G. Vasantha Madhava have sent in their papers. Brilliant young scholar like Ms. Madhumita Saha who is currently a Fullbright Fellow has contributed to this issue and she hopes to contribute in the future too. We are happy that certain scholars had readily agreed to the suggestions of the referees and re-submitted their papers after modification. We are carrying several Book Reviews this time. I hope this will become a regular feature in the years to come. My Doctoral Candidate Ms. P. Pramila deserves my thanks for helping me with the proofs. Dr. Nanditha and her staff deserve to be congratulated for making this Journal a refereed one. Dr. G.J. SUDHAKAR September 2006, Thirteenth Issue 5 Journal of Indian History and Culture 6 September 2006, Thirteenth Issue Journal of Indian History and Culture September 2006, Thirteenth Issue 7 Journal of Indian History and Culture 8 September 2006, Thirteenth Issue Journal of Indian History and Culture ANCIENT HISTORY September 2006, Thirteenth Issue 9 Journal of Indian History and Culture BHIMA DEULA: THE EARLIEST STRUCTURE ON THE SUMMIT OF MAHENDRAGIRI Some Reflections Dr. R.C. Misro Professor, P.G., Department of History, Berhampur University, Orissa B. Subudhi Former Research Scholar, Department of History, Berhampur University,, Orissa Mahendragiri, the kulaparvata of the Eastern Ganga Kings, identified with the Eastern ghats1, is located on the Andhra-Orissa border in the Gajapati district of Orissa. The abode of Gokarneswara Siva, Mahendragiri, rising to a height of about 5000 feet from the sea level, is a sacred hill since very early times. Gokarneswara on the Mahendragiri was the family-deity of the Early Gangas of Kalinga2. Apparently, a temple of the God stood on this hill when the Early Gangas were ruling from Kalinganagara. The present-day shrine of Gokarneswara, however, is of a much later date3. On Sivaratri, pilgrims from the surrounding area make a night-long journey along a very difficult path to worship Gokarneswara on the Mahendragiri. Epigraphic records also refer to this mountain as sacred and famous for the temple of Gokarneswara Siva, the presiding deity of the Gangas of all the mountains of ancient Kalinga. The most famous one is the Mahendragiri which finds mention in the epics and the Pur´nas4. The Pur´nas refer to Mahendragiri as one of the seven kulagiris in India. The Sailodbhava kings considered Mahendragiri as their kulagiri. The kings of the Early Ganga age salute Lord Gokarneswara in the preamble of their charters5. However, the antiquity of Mahendragiri may be traced back to the epics and Pur´nas. The Mah´bh´rata describes this religious centre as being connected with Parasurama, one of the incarnations of Vishnu6. Tradition also associates this mountain with the visit of the Pandavas. In the Mah´bh´rata, we find that, on the way to Kalinga, the 10 September 2006, Thirteenth Issue Journal of Indian History and Culture Pandavas, on the advice of their guide sage Lomasa, climbed upon a vedi in Mahendragiri to get blessings, and thus acquired divine power7. After climbing the vedi, they had a sacred bath in the sea and then went to Mahendragiri to take rest during the night. It is interesting to note that even today there are three dilapidated temples on the top of Mahendragiri that bear the names of Yudhishthira, Bhima and Kunti. According to local tradition, these temples were constructed by the Pandavas when they visited this locality. The summit of Mahendragiri is not only rich with monuments of the ancient Palaeolithic and Gupta ages, but also of the early medieval age, when the Gangas and the Sailodbhavas ruled the land to the north and south of the mountain. A number of temples crown the summit of Mahendragiri. Besides the Gokarneswara temple, otherwise known as the Kunti temple, the other two outstanding temples on the summit of Mahendragiri are the Yudhishthira and Bhima temples. The construction of Bhima deula with seventeen huge rocks is very surprising. How the huge rocks were lifted to that height, since that type of granite stone was not available on the mountain, fills one with wonder. The local people believe that the temple at that height was built by super human beings. The Ganga kings built more temples in the seventh and eighth centuries at a level lower than the Bhima deula. Thsee later temples were named after Kunti, Yudhishthira, Arjuna, etc. and may be compared for similarity of style with the Somesvara temple of Mukhalingam8 (Kalinganagara), which was the capital of the Eastern Gangas. The temples were probably named after the Pandavas because the Mahabharata describes that the five Pandava brothers with their mother Kunti had arrived at the t+´rtha to worship the God Gokarneswara and also to perform the holy pitra sr´ddha, as prescribed in the ´gamas9. Bhima deula The Bhima temple (or deula), which appears to be the earliest structure on the top of Mahendragiri, is situated further southwest of the Yudhishthira temple. The temple is made out of huge stone blocks placed one over another - a pile of huge granite stones balanced on each other. No carving, no decoration, only the panoramic view of the temple, is its majesty. It is needless to say that though the temple is smaller in height September 2006, Thirteenth Issue 11 Journal of Indian History and Culture (over 7 metres), it is unique due to its large dimensions (4m. x 4m.). The temple was constructed with only seventeen pieces of huge stone blocks. The four lower courses are made out of four pieces. Altogether, there are sixteen pieces of huge dressed stone placed one above another. The seventeenth stone forms the top, serving as the last course of the rekha temple, enormous in size (3m. x 3m. x 1.40m.). One circular beki was added, followed by the usual amalaka again dressed out of a single stone. The huge stone blocks were not only lifted to such a height but were also placed in a proper plumb. The temple has one small door, 1.2 m. in height and 31 cm. in width. The inner garbhagriha is 1.5 x 1.5m. It is no exaggeration to say that the Bhima temple is an architectural marvel. But it stands on barefeet: the temple’s basement is out of plumb and big gaps are formed, probably due to the dislocation of the plinth because of tectonic movement and lightening.