-Prabhas Kumar

JagannAtha purI or PuruShottama kShetra has a great antiquarian value in art, architecture, literature, religion and tradition. For centuries, it has been the principal religious center of the Hindus – one among the four dhAms of Hinduism along with DvArakA, BadrInAth and RAmeshvaram. This holy city has been variously referred in ancient texts and purANas as NIlAchala, NIlAdri, NIlagiri, PuruShottama kShetra, ShrIkShetra and Shamkha kShetra. We find syncreticism of different cults such as VaiShnavism, Buddhism, Jainism, Shaivism and Shaktism here. In the daily rituals and practices of the Jagannath temple, Jaina, Vaishnavite, Buddhist, Shaivite and Shakta Tantric influences are found.

Shaktism is the worship of Shakti or the female principle – the primary factor in the creation of the Universe. Feminine Shakti commands as much respect as does ViShNu or Shiva in Hinduism if not more. Shaktism is a popular religion of the kings and people of Orissa from very ancient time to the modern age. In Shakta literature, Orissa is well-known as ODra pITha. The city of Viraja, Ekambra and Puri were notable early Shakti Pithas in Orissa as attested from various literary, archaeological as well as folk tradition.

Although Purushottama Kshetra came to be recognized as a great center of Vaishnavism, particularly during the reign of the imperial Gangas, it was also a center of Shaktism as attested from literature, tradition and archaeological remains. In the Tantric lore, Lord Jagannath is worshipped to be a Bhairava and Vimala as Mahadevi. In Devi Bhagavata, Vimala is considered to be a Kshetra Shakti. Matsya Purana refers to Purushottama Kshetra as a Shakti Pitha with its presiding goddess Vimala. Vamana Purana refers to Purushottama along with Viraja as a sacred pilgrimage center. Rudrayamala composed in 950 A.D. glorifies Jagannatha as adorning the Mahapitha. Kalika Purana refers to Odrapitha as a famous Shakti Pitha which was the celebrated seat of goddess Katyayani and Jagannath. Vimala has been mentioned as presiding goddess of Purushottama Kshetra in the list of 108 pithas found in the Pranatoshini Tantra. In the list of Mahapithas and Upapithas given by the author of Shiva Charita also, we come across Nila Parvata or Nilachala, an upapitha where Vimala is the presiding Devi and Jagannath is Bhairava. Many Tantric texts recognize Puri as Pada Pitha where the foot portion of Sati fell as per the Daksha Yajna episode.

If we take into account the recent discovery of the stone images of Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra along with Dakshina Kalika dated to 9 Century A.D. by scholar Sasanka Sekhar Panda at Tetelkhunti in the district of Balangir, it allures us to conclude that in these forms the Jagannath triad were worshipped in the upper Mahanadi valley in the ninth century. In the Mahanirvana Tantra, Jagannatha has been identified with Dakshina Kalika:

tArA sAkShAt.h shUlapANiH subhdarA bhuvaneshvarI |

nilAdrau tu jagannAthaH sAkShAt.h dakshiNa kAlikA ||

the worship of the holy trinity in the Jagannath temple represents the inter relation between Vaishnavism and Shaktism. Devi Subhadra enshrined between Lord Jagannath and Balabhadra is no other than Ekanamsha, one of the manifestations of Durga or Katyayani. In Brahma Purana, Ekanamsha is identified with Katyayani. In Purushottama Mahatmya of Skanda Purana, Subhadra has been identified as the Shakti of Vishnu as well as sister of Krishna. It is interesting to note here that Ambika, an aspect of Durga, appears first as Rudra’s sister and then as consort. So there is some similarity between the cult of Durga and the cult of Subhadra. Devi Subhadra has been regarded as Parashakti, Yogamaya, Kampilyavasini, Ekanamsha, Bhuvaneshvari, Mahalakshmi and also in many other forms of the supreme power of the world. She is worshipped with Bhuvaneshvari mantra which implies that she is the lipta (jnAna) shakti of Lord Jagannath. Learned scholars B C Pradhan and Herman Kulke hold the view that the iconography of Subhadra resembles that of the goddess Khambeshvari. So Subhadra existed in the Jagannath triad atleast during the Somavamshi period. She was a Shakta deity and was adored as Katyayani, Durga and Bhadrakali. The Shakta element of Subhadra is well indicated even today. The parshva devatas in Subhadra’s chariot are Durga and Chamunda. She is also worshipped daily with Bhuvaneshvari mantra. Thus it seems that the central placement of Subhadra in the Jagannath triad is an indication of pivotal position of Shakti in the great tantra pitha of Puri. Sasanka Sekhar Panda has opined that goddess Samalei of Sambalpur is worshipped with the same Bhuvaneshvari mantra as in the case of Subhdra in Jagannath temple. The iconic form of goddess Samalei is identical to the present anthropoid form of Subhadra. Samalei was initially worshipped by the tribals and was later absorbed into Hindu fold by the Somavamshis who were ruling Orissa in the 9th-10th century A.D.

The temple of Vimala, an important Shakti pitha, is located in the south eastern corner of the Jagannath temple. She is also known as Shrikshetreshvari. On examination of ritual pattern connected with Jagannath temple, it is observed that the role of Vimala is more important than that of Lakshmi, because, rituals of Vimala are based on Tantra, whereas those of Lakshmi are Vaishnavite in character. Tantra Chudamani describes Vimala as Bhairavi and Jagannath as Bhairava. It is pertinent to mention here that the Bhogas of Lord Jagannath become Mahaprasad after these are offered to Goddess Vimala. Learned scholar herman Kulke has drawn our attention to the representation of Jagannath in the form of Ajaikapada Bhairava on a sculptural panel of the temple of Konark. The above quoted literary and sculptural evidences very well indicate that Puri was a center of Tantric forms of Shaivism and Shaktism where Jagannath was worshipped as Bhairava and Vimala as his shakti:

ODreShu vimalA shaktiH jagannAthastu bhairavaH |

Goddess Vimala is four handed image of chlorite stone, holding naga keyura and human figures in the upper hands and kalasha or madyapatra and rosary in lower hands. The origin of Vimala goes back to much before the emergence of Lord Jagannath in Srikshetra. Noted scholar Dr. H C Das has dated the image to Bhaumakara period, when most of the Shakta Tantric pithas emerged in Orissa. Both Vaishnavite and Shakta rites are found in the ritual pattern of Vimala. Earlier in the dead of the night of Vijayadashami of Dashahara, animal sacrifice was performed. Later on this practice was stopped with the imposition of Vaishnavite rites.

Deep influence of Tantra can be observed in the yantra of Purushottama. The yantra consists of an eight petalled lotus with the bija mantra klim in the center. The priests of the temple first propitiate Lord Jagannatha with goddess Lakshmi and then worship eight shaktis of Vishnu namely Vimala, Utkarshini, Yajna, Kriya, Yoga, Prthvi, Satya and Ishana. Vimala is regarded as one of the eight chandis of Purushottama Kshetra. The other seven chandis are Ramachandi, Herachandi, Baselichandi, Alamchandi, Dakshinachandi and Jhadeshvari. In the traditional rites, Vimala is invoked as the Maya shakti of Jagannath, Kriya shakti of Balabhadra and Iccha shakti of Subhadra. She is regarded as the consort of Balabhadra.

Every year, the car festival of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra is celebrated with pomp and ceremony at Puri. But few people know that another car festival at Puri takes place in the month of Sep-Oct, popularly known as Durga Madhav rath yatra or Shakta Gundicha rath yatra. This festival begins on the ninth day of the dashahara puja and ends on the day of dashahara. The festival centers around two deities, Durga and Madhava. Lord Jagannath and Goddess Vimala are regarded as Madhava and Durga respectively. Goddess Durga is worshipped in the inner sanctum of main temple near the Bhadarghar. The deity of Madhava is worshipped on the left side of Sri Jagannath on ratna-simhasana in inner sanctum. He is also known as young Purushottama and joins the festival on behalf of Lord Jagannath.

The festival begins with Sahasra Kumbhabhisheka on the dark fortnight of Ashwin. After being permitted by Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath, Goddess Durga comes out to sit in Somnath Mandap to take bath with thousand pots of purified and scented water and is then offered puja. The deity Madhava also after getting permission from Jagannath, leaves ratna simhasana and joins Durga. Both the deities are tied together neat the Bhandarghar and after getting permission from Lord Jagannath, they are taken to the temple of Goddess Vimala, who is also offered ceremonial bath and puja. On the ninth day of Dashahara, both the deities are taken together in a chariot to Narayani temple near Dolamandap Sahi of Puri town. There they are offered puja and Prasad and at night, they return to Srimandir. This festival occupies a prominent place in the twelve festivals of Lord Jagannath.

Since early medieval period, Durga Madhava cult is very popular in Orissa. Madhava is a compound of two words, ma (mother) and dhava (father). So Madhava implies both the combination of Shakti and Purusha. Durga Madhava worship can be found in the Madhavananda temple in the Prachi valley.

In the early medieval period, Shaktism, Shaivism and Vaishnavism entered into the fold of Jagannath. A later sculptural representation in the Bhogamandapa of the Jagannath temple depicts the figure of Jagannath, Mahishamardini Durga and Shiva in one panel. In the Draksharama temple inscription of 1216 A.D., Anangabhima III is described as Purushottamaputra, Rudraputra and Durgaputra. Therefore it is amply suggested that Purushottama, Rudra and Durga were considered to be identical with Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra respectively. As learnt from Kanchipuram temple inscription, Anangabhima III by 1230 A.D. dropped the epithets Rudraputra and Durgaputra and described himself as only Purushottamaputra and Parama vaishnava. As rightly observed by B C Pradhan, Shaktism in Orissa began with the cult of Stambheshvari and was ultimately synthesized in the assimilative character of the Jagannath cult.