-Prabhas Kumar
Jagannātha-purī or Puruṣōttama kṣētra 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 dhāmas of Hinduism along with Dvārakā, Badarī, and Rāmēśvaram. This holy city has been variously referred to in ancient texts and Purāṇas as Nīlācala, Nīlādri, Nīlagiri, Puruṣōttama kṣētra, ṣrīkṣētra, and ṣaṅkha kṣētra. We find syncretism of different cults such as Vaiṣnavism, Buddhism, Jainism, Shaivism, and Shaktism here. In the daily rituals and practices of the Jagannātha 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 Viṣṇu or Shiva in Hinduism if not more. Shaktism is a popular religion of the kings and people of Orissa from very ancient times to the modern age. In Shakta literature, Orissa is well-known as ḍra pīṭha. The city of Virajā, Ekambra, and Purī were notable early Shakti Pithas in Orissa as attested from various literary, archaeological as well as folk traditions.
Although Puruṣōttama kṣētra 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 Jagannātha is worshipped to be a Bhairava and Vimalā as Mahādēvī. In Dēvī Bhāgavata, Vimalā is considered to be a Kṣētra Shakti. Matsya Purāṇa refers to Puruṣōttama kṣētra as a Shaktipīṭha with its presiding goddess Vimalā. Vāmana Purāṇa refers to Puruṣōttama along with Virajā as a sacred pilgrimage center. Rudrayāmala composed in 950 A.D. glorifies Jagannātha as adorning the Mahāpītha. Kālikā Purāṇa refers to drapīṭha as a famous Shaktipīṭha which was the celebrated seat of goddess Kātyāyanī and Jagannātha. Vimalā has been mentioned as the presiding goddess of Puruṣōttama kṣētra in the list of 108 pīṭhas found in the Prāṇatōṣiṇī Tantra. In the list of Mahāpīṭhas and Upapīṭhas given by the author of Shiva Charita also, we come across Nīlaparvata or Nīlācala, a upapīṭha where Vimalā is the presiding Dēvī and Jagannātha is Bhairava. Many Tantric texts recognize Purī as Pāda Pīṭha where the foot portion of Satī fell as per the Dakṣa Yajña episode.
If we take into account the recent discovery of the stone images of Jagannātha, Balabhadra, and Subhadrā along with Dakṣiṇā Kālikā 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 was worshipped in the upper Mahānadī valley in the ninth century. In the Mahānirvāṇa Tantra, Jagannātha has been identified with Dakṣiṇā Kālikā:
tārā sākṣāt śūlapāṇiḥ subhdarā bhuvanēśvarī |
nilādrau tu jagannāthaḥ sākṣāt dakśiṇa kālikā ||
the worship of the holy trinity in the Jagannātha temple represents the interrelation between Vaishnavism and Shaktism. Dēvī Subhadrā enshrined between Lord Jagannātha and Balabhadra is no other than Ekānamśā, one of the manifestations of Durgā or Kātyāyanī. In Brahma Purāṇa, Ekānamśā is identified with Kātyāyanī. In Puruṣōttama Mahātmya of Skanda Purāṇa, Subhadrā has been identified as the Shakti of Viṣṇu as well as sister of Kr̥ṣṇa. It is interesting to note here that Ambikā, an aspect of Durgā, appears first as Rudra’s sister and then as consort. So there is some similarity between the cult of Durgā and the cult of Subhadrā. Dēvī Subhadrā has been regarded as Parāśakti, Yōgamayā, Kāmpilyavāsinī, Ekānamśā, Bhuvanēśvarī, Mahalakṣmī and also in many other forms of the supreme power of the world. She is worshipped with Bhuvanēśvarī mantra which implies that she is the lipta (jñāna) shakti of Lord Jagannātha. Learned scholars BC Pradhan and Herman Kulke hold the view that the iconography of Subhadrā resembles that of the goddess Khambēśvarī. So Subhadrā existed in the Jagannātha triad at least during the Somavamshi period. She was a Shakta deity and was adored as Kātyāyanī, Durgā, and Bhadrakālī. The Shakta element of Subhadrā is well indicated even today. The pārśva dēvatās in Subhadrā’s chariot are Durgā and Chāmuṇḍā. She is also worshipped daily with the Bhuvanēśvarī mantra. Thus it seems that the central placement of Subhadrā in the Jagannātha triad is an indication of the pivotal position of Shakti in the great tantra pīṭha of Purī. Sasanka Sekhar Panda has opined that goddess Samalei of Sambalpur is worshipped with the same Bhuvanēśvarī mantra as in the case of Subhdrā in Jagannātha temple. The iconic form of goddess Samalei is identical to the present anthropoid form of Subhadrā. Samalei was initially worshipped by the tribals and was later absorbed into the Hindu fold by the Somavamshis who were ruling Orissa in the 9th-10th century A.D.
The temple of Vimalā, an important Shakti pīṭja, is located in the southeastern corner of the Jagannātha temple. She is also known as śrīkṣētrēśvarī. On examination of ritual patterns connected with Jagannātha temple, it is observed that the role of Vimalā is more important than that of Lakṣmī because rituals of Vimalā are based on Tantra, whereas those of Lakṣmī are Vaishnavite in character. Tantra Chūḍāmaṇi describes Vimalā as Bhairavī and Jagannātha as Bhairava. It is pertinent to mention here that the Bhogas of Lord Jagannātha become Mahāprasāda after these are offered to Goddess Vimalā. Learned scholar Herman Kulke has drawn our attention to the representation of Jagannātha in the form of Ajaikapāda Bhairava on a sculptural panel of the temple of Konark. The above-quoted literary and sculptural evidence very well indicate that Purī was a center of Tantric forms of Shaivism and Shaktism where Jagannātha was worshipped as Bhairava and Vimalā as his Shakti:
ōḍrēṣu vimalā śaktiḥ jagannāthastu bhairavaḥ |
Goddess Vimala is a four-handed image of chlorite stone, holding nāga kēyūra and human figures in the upper hands and kalaśa or madyapātra and rosary in lower hands. The origin of Vimalā goes back to much before the emergence of Lord Jagannātha in śrīkṣētra. Noted scholar Dr. H C Das has dated the image to Bhaumakara period when most of the Shakta Tantric pīṭhas emerged in Orissa. Both Vaishnavite and Shakta rites are found in the ritual pattern of Vimalā. Earlier in the dead of the night of Vijayadaśamī of Dussera, animal sacrifice was performed. Later on, this practice was stopped with the imposition of Vaishnavite rites.
The deep influence of Tantra can be observed in the yantra of Puruṣōttama. The yantra consists of an eight-petalled lotus with the bīja mantra klīm in the center. The priests of the temple first propitiate Lord Jagannātha with goddess Lakṣmī and then worship eight Shaktis of Vishnu namely Vimalā, Utkarṣinī, Yajnā, Kriyā, Yōgā, Pr̥thvī, Satyā, and īśānā. Vimalā is regarded as one of the eight Chaṇḍīs of Puruṣōttama kṣētra. The other seven Chaṇḍīs are Ramachandi, Herachandi, Baselichandi, Alamchandi, Dakshinachandi and Jhadeshvari. In the traditional rites, Vimalā is invoked as the Māyāśakti of Jagannātha, Kriyāśakti of Balabhadra and Iccāśakti of Subhadrā. She is regarded as the consort of Balabhadra.
Every year, the car festival of Lord Jagannātha, Balabhadra, and Subhadrā is celebrated with pomp and ceremony at Purī. But few people know that another car festival at Purī 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 Dussera puja and ends on the day of Dussera. The festival centers around two deities, Durgā and Mādhava. Lord Jagannātha and Goddess Vimalā are regarded as Mādhava and Durgā respectively. Goddess Durgā is worshipped in the inner sanctum of the main temple near the Bhadarghar. The deity of Mādhava is worshipped on the left side of Jagannātha on ratna-simhāsana in the inner sanctum. He is also known as young Puruṣōttama and joins the festival on behalf of Lord Jagannātha.
The festival begins with Sahasra Kumbhābhiṣēka on the dark fortnight of āśvina. After being permitted by Subhadrā and Lord Jagannātha, Goddess Durgā comes out to sit in Somnath Mandap to take bath with thousand pots of purified and scented water and is then offered pūjā. The deity Mādhava also after getting permission from Jagannātha, leaves ratna-simhāsana and joins Durgā. Both the deities are tied together neat the Bhandarghar and after getting permission from Lord Jagannātha, they are taken to the temple of Goddess Vimalā, who is also offered a ceremonial bath and pūjā. On the ninth day of Dussera, both the deities are taken together in a chariot to Narāyaṇī temple near Dolamandap Sahi of Purī town. There they are offered pūjā and prasāda and at night, they return to Srimandir. This festival occupies a prominent place in the twelve festivals of Lord Jagannātha.
Since the early medieval period, the Durgā Mādhava cult is very popular in Orissa. Mādhava is a compound of two words, mā (mother) and dhava (father). So Mādhava implies both the combination of Shakti and Puruṣa. Durgā Mādhava worship can be found in the Mādhavānanda temple in the Prachi Valley.
In the early medieval period, Shaktism, Shaivism, and Vaishnavism entered the fold of Jagannātha. A later sculptural representation in the Bhogamandapa of the Jagannātha temple depicts the figure of Jagannātha, Mahiṣamardinī Durgā, and Shiva in one panel. In the Drākṣārāma temple inscription of 1216 A.D., Anangabhima III is described as Puruṣōttamaputra, Rudraputra and Durgāputra. Therefore it is amply suggested that Puruṣōttama, Rudra and Durgā were considered to be identical with Jagannātha, Balabhadra, and Subhadrā respectively. As learned from Kanchipuram temple inscription, Anangabhima III by 1230 A.D. dropped the epithets Rudraputra and Durgāputra and described himself as only Puruṣōttamaputra and Paramavaiṣṇava. As rightly observed by BC Pradhan, Shaktism in Orissa began with the cult of Stambhēśvarī and was ultimately synthesized in the assimilative character of the Jagannātha cult.