About Odisha (Orissa) – The Place of Lord Jagannath

LORD JAGANNATH, SUBHADRA, BALABHADRA

Orissa now changed to “Odisha” is one of the richest cultured, naturally gifted state of India. It is popular around the world for its ancient Temples like Konark temple, Jagannath Temple at Puri and Lingaraj Temple situated in its capital Bhubaneswar, better known as “The Temple City of India”. It is the land of 62 tribes, including some of the most primitive ones, and is the third tribal concentration in India.

Its lush green countryside and fertile plains, tiny hamlets fringed with palm, coconut trees and mango groves offer the charm of rural beauty while the urban pockets, the four cities in particular, with the splendors of modern technology provide the amenities necessary for a comfortable stay.

This wonderful land of fascinating beauty boasts of colourful festivals round the year. Orissa is also the land of unique handicrafts and other excellent artifacts.

Orissa has a long tradition of art and architecture. The early monuments date back to the third century B.C. The remnant of an Ashokan pillar, turned into a Siva Lingam and enshrined in the Bhaskareswara temple at Bhubaneswar and the lion capital of an Ashokan pillar, presently in the State Museum, speak volumes of Orissa's past glory.

The rock-cut caves of Khandagiri and Udaygiri and the inscriptions recording Kharavela's short but eventful reign during the first century B.C. constitute the second phase of the evolution in Odian art. The Naga and Yaksha images found in places around Bhubaneswar belong to the post-Kharavela era. The fortification of Sisupalgarh near Bhubaneswar is yet another monument of ancient Orissa.

Orissa is also known for her exquisite handicrafts. Silver filigree work of Cuttack, horn work of Cuttack and Parlakhemundi and the famous applique work of Pipili deserve special mention. Pattachitra, a form of folk painting of Orissa, is a unique craft. Brass and bell metalware, particularly vases and candle stands, are beautiful and long lasting. 

The black stone bowls and plates of Nilagiri and Khiching and multi-colored stone statues are other attractions. Silk and cotton handloom products, especially saris are simply bewitching. The Sambalpuri Sarees and Maniabandhi Patas are matchless in their texture and designs.
Geographical Location:

Situated on the coast along the Bay of Bengal, Orissa stands for its ancient glory and modern endeavor. Endowed with nature's bounty, 300 miles (482 km) stretch of coastline with virgin beaches, serpentine rivers, mighty waterfalls, forest-clad blue hills of Eastern Ghats with rich wild life. In an area of 96,000 square miles (156,000 sq km) of peaceful and rural beauty, around 37 millions of people live.

Orissa is home to three mighty rivers (Mahanadi, Brahmani and Baitarani) and the largest brackish water Lake Chilika in Asia, to dozens of the most sacred places of pilgrimage in India, and to hundreds of thousands of small, traditional villages. Only four cities have more than one hundred thousand inhabitants, and Orissa's urban and rural populations’ like share a strong sense of the holiness of their beautiful land and of their enduring links with the past. Orissa is dotted with exquisite temples, historic monuments as well as pieces of modern engineering feat. The land, while retaining its pristine glory, also offers the visitors modern amenities.

Ancient History of Odisha:

“Kalinga” of the Mauryan age and “Utkala” of Mahabharata fame, and popularly known as “Odisha” today, boasts of splendid architecture and magnificent beaches.

Spread over a sprawling area of 1.55 lakh sq km, it lies in the tropical zones along the eastern seaboard of India. One can find an unmatched blend of rural tranquility with boisterous modern adroitness here. The scenic beauty of the place so much overpowers your spirit that the poet inside you is awakened.

The ancient state rose to prominence as a Kingdom under Kharavela, a great conqueror and patron of Jainism, in the second half of the 1st century B.C. Other great rulers belonged to the Keshari dynasty and the Eastern Ganga dynasty who were also great builders.

At one time the vast kingdom spanned from Ganga to Godavari. The flourishing maritime trade with South-East Asian countries i.e. Java, Bornio had brought in a golden era of affluence and opulence.

The Kalinga School of architecture flourished from the 7th to 13th century A.D. The most important monuments of this period can be seen in and around Bhubaneswar and Puri. The Mukteswar Temple is the finest piece of architecture of Kalinga. The Lingaraj Temple of Bhubaneswar, the Jagannath Temple of Puri above all the world renowned world heritage Sun Temple at Konark is the epitome of temple architecture and sculpture. The construction of Konark Temple utilized 12 years of state revenue which can be compared to the mighty Moghul Empire, which also utilized its resources of 12 years for building world famous Taj Mahal.

JAGANNATH TEMPLE, PURI

It has also shown its military strength and prowess during Buxi Jagabandhu, period of the warrior of Khurda Paikas. The glories of Orissa ended in later half of 16th century. Two centuries later the British administered the final blows by dividing the original territory in to several administrative units.

The mention of Orissa dates back to 260 BC, the reign of Emperor Ashoka. While spreading the boundaries of his kingdom, the emperor reached the gates of the then Kalinga and invoked its king to fight or flee. In the absence of her father, the princess of the state took reins and fought bravely with the emperor. The war was a true massacre and the bloodshed that took place moved the emperor so much that his killing instinct was capsized. A warrior was thence transformed into a great apostle of Buddhism. Buddhism followed by Jainism held sway until after the reassertion of Hinduism in the state in 7th century AD.

The Odian culture and architecture flourished immensely under the rein of Keshari and Ganga Kings at Orissa. A number of masterpieces of that golden era still stand today as mute evidences to a glorious past.

In 1936, ultimately an independent state Orissa was constituted as a separate province by carving out certain portions from the provinces of Bihar, Orissa and Madras. As centuries rolled by, Orissa continued to invite heros, Scholars and prophets alike. Famous Kings like Samudra Gupta and Harsha Siladitya came to Orissa on political missions while scholars like Prajna and Hieuen-Tsang came to learn at centers of learning. Hieuen-Tsang, the famous Chinese pilgrim of the 7th century who visited Orissa was surprised to see the University of Puspagiri imparting knowledge to innumerable scholars now lying buried under Buddhist complex at Ratnagiri-Lalitgiri-Udayagiri.

KONARK TEMPLE

Various prophets visited Orissa; the significant among those visitors is the visit of Adi   Sankaracharya in 9th century to Puri to make it a center of his mission and a towering citadel of his spiritual ideology & message. He established four monasteries in four corners of Indian Peninsula out of which “The Gobardhan Pitha” of Puri was one of the most significant. Another Great Saint Ramanujacharya, the profounder of Visista Dwaita philosophy also visited Puri and established the Emar Matha. In the same century Jayadev composed his world famous lilting treatise “Gita Govinda”. Subsequently in 16th century Sri Chaitanya, the exponent of the Bhakti Cult came to Orissa and made Puri his abode for last 18 years of his life. His contemporary Pancha Sakha i.e. Sri Jagannath Das, Sri Achyutananda Das, Sri Balaram Das, Ananta & Yasobanta were spiritual stalwarts and literary luminaries of the time.

Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja, Kabi Surya Baladev Ratha, Radhanath Ray, Fakir Mohan Senapati, Pandit Gopabandhu Dash, Pandit Nilakantha Das, Godabaris Mishra, Kalandi Charan Panigrahi, Sachidananda Routray & many others have contributed substantially to the language & literature of Orissa.

Utkal Gaurav Madhusudan Das was the architect of Modern Orissa and subsequently Sri Nabakrushna Chowdhury, Dr. Harekrishna Mahatab, Sri Bijayananda Patnaik & others engineered their best efforts for catapulting Orissa to himalayan heights of fame & glory.

Dance and Cultures in Odisha
 
Mostly of Proto Australoid stock, many of the Orissa tribes are high land tribes with rich ethnological character and customs, varying language and dialects. The territory conscious different tribes have long been able to reject the mainland influence and have preserved their social customs, living style and theological values. 

The most primitive among them are Bondas, Gadabas, Koyas, Kondhas and the Sauras. Not much has changed in the lifestyle of the tribes since the day Elwin, the British anthropologist, visited the highlanders in 1943. The unique rituals, shamanism, sacrifices, housing pattern, wall paintings, handicrafts, etc., are still intact to be discovered by curious tourists like you.

The state presents a kaleidoscope of ancient splendor and contemporary expression with its old monuments built by Buddhist, Jain, Hindu and Muslim rulers. It has a glorious history spanning a period of more than 2000 years. It is a treasure land for exquisite temples, superb architecture, sculptors, inviting beaches, enchanting wildlife and natural lush green landscape.

Odia people share a strong sense of holiness, peace, and tranquility; a sense of belonging with their beautiful mountains, lakes, paddy fields; and their enduring links with the past and spirituality. People of different faiths such as Hindus (Shaivites, Vaishnavites), Jains, Buddhists, Muslims and Christians have lived in total harmony for centuries.

Odia, its main language, is one of the earliest languages of the Indo-European languages. It is closely related to Sanskrit and Pali language, language of Buddha. It has its own unique Oriya script.

In fact, Orissa has become a multi dimensional, multi colored, many splendoured, vibrant & boisterous modern state all set on its journey in the present millenniums to make its presence and voice felt in the nooks & crannies of the world through the Universal Cult of brotherhood, its unique cultural heritage, luxuriant forests & wild life, sprawling Chilika Lake, bountiful coastline, wide range of tribes & colourful canvass of art & culture.

Odisha has been resurgent again rejuvenating and resuscitating its ancient glory, glamour & greatness.