Chandan Bandyopadhyay and Elija Gayen find it out: Jeopardize Jagannath: Class augmentation from the deity of classless to His Lordship a case of political detention for the rest of his life, incarcerated in Nilachal

 

Jeopardize Jagannath: Class augmentation from the deity of classless to His Lordship and a case of political detention for the rest of his life, incarcerated in Nilachal

         Abstract:

Chandana-charchita-nīla-kalevara-pīta-vasana-vana-mālī |      Keli-calan-maṇi-kuṇḍala-maṇḍita-gaṇḍa-yuga-smita-śālī ||1|| “Chandana Charchita Aṣtapadī" is a term that refers to a set of eight devotional verses composed by the renowned poet Jayadev, who was a 12th century Indian poet and mystic. These verses are a part of his famous work called "Gīta Goviṇda," which is a lyrical poem that describes the divine love between Lord Krishna and Radha, his beloved. The "Chandana Charchita Aṣtapadī" was written in Sanskrit and is known for its rich imagery, vivid descriptions, and deep spiritual symbolism. The verses are filled with emotions of love, longing, and separation, as Radha pines for Krishna and express her deep affection toward him. The term "Chandana Charchita" literally translates to "sandalwood-smooth," and it describes the beauty and grace of Radha. The "Chandana Charchita Aṣtapadī" is often recited, sung, and performed in classical music and dance forms, particularly in the tradition of Odiśī, a classical dance form of India. It is considered a masterpiece of devotional literature and has been celebrated for its profound expression of divine love and the ecstatic union of the soul with the divine. Krishna was also known as Vanamali and associated with Brindavan. In Sanskrit the ‘Van’ pronounced as ‘Ban’ denotes jungle in English. In numerous texts we studied during for the preparation of this article it is observed that, His Lordship, Jagannath was also closely attached with the jungles and the (Daru) woods. We have also traced the origin of Jagannath to the sacred wood worship of the Savara, who belonged to the Proto-Australoid tribe and are believed to be the descendants of Visvavasu. Our arguments are based on the cult of tree worship, which was common among the Savara. The Ficus tree was first worshipped by the Savara, and later on, the concept of tree worshiping was introduced to other religions. Further, to state that the Savara of Ganjam and Koraput districts worship tree as their Kitung (in the Savara language God is known as Kitung). They believe that their Kitung dwells in a tree, so they never cut down a tree. Kitung is otherwise also called Jaganta or Jaganelo. The Savara believe that Kitung has ten incarnations, such as [ Jagant, Tod, Tuman, Bhim, Titi, Rung, Garsid, Roman, Yojopala], which is similar to the concept of ten incarnations of Vishnu. In our opinion, Jagannath is neither a Sanskrit word nor a Pali word, but Sanskritised from the Austrian word Jaganta. We believe that Jaganta of the Savara in the course of time was converted into the Aryan god Jagannath. It was in the process of the intermingling of the Aryan and grass-root Indian cultures that many tribal deities were Aryanized, viz., Shiva. The marriage of Vidyapati, who was a Brahmin, with a Savara girl, Lalita, is an important step towards the assimilation of Aryan and Indian cultures. We strongly differ in accepting the Aryan culture being termed as Indian culture.     Polish Indologist Olgierd M. Starza has reviewed various theories on the tribal, Buddhist, Jain, or Vaishnav origins of Jagannath in the Jagannath temple at Puri: Its Architecture, Art And Cult, (1993) and has arrived at the conclusion that, “…several early theories regarding the origin of Jagannath have been refuted; only the tribal theory remains a possibility…” The factors responsible for the acceptance of tribal origin theories are as follows:  The structure and shape of the Jagannath deity is commensurate to a pillar. The Savara, the earliest tribal inhabitants of Odisha, were tree worshipers, and their rituals involved dancing and singing before the ‘Kitung’ or ‘Jaganata’ or god. It has been argued by some authors that when the Vedic Aryans migrated to Odisha, they adopted the local tribal tradition of ‘Jaganata’ worship, and effected the transformation of the tribal wooden pillar ‘Jaganata’ to aryanized ‘Jagannath’. In fact, among tribals of Vindhya region, tree or khamba worship is prevalent. The worship of Aruna Stamba, Garuda Stamba and especially the worship of the Sudarshan chakra are very similar to the wooden pillar worship practice among the tribal communities of Odisha. A deep association of a class of non-Brahmin, tribal origin servitors, called Daitas, exists with the worship of the deities at Puri. These Daitas are the hereditary servitors of Jagannath. They are inextricably and exclusively connected with many of the rituals of Jagannath. The image of Sri Jagannath is worshiped as Daru Brahma is applicable to Lord Jagannath only and not to any other deity in India. This peculiar wooden iconography of the Jagannath triad displays a “tribal or exotic look” which is unique, mysterious and unparalleled to any other Hindu shrine in India, as opposed to the universal use of stone for the construction of images of all Brahminical Hindu deities. The daily offering of Mahaprasad, prepared by the Savaras through steaming in earthen pots preserving nutritious values and vitamins, is offered to the deities and then accepted by all. Besides, the wide varieties of food prepared by the tribes in Odisha are included in the Chappan Bhoga (fifty-six varieties of offerings) to the lord Jagannath in Puri temple. The Navakalevar ritual, i.e. the ceremony of periodical renewal of the deity, is a bigger replica of the tribal ritual practices observed by the Savaras, Gond, Kondh and other tribal communities in Odisha who claim Jagannath as their original deity.  Rituals like Ankuraropana (germination of seeds) followed by Yajna (fire sacrifices), burial of the wooden deities (increasing soil fertility) and other such practices during the Nabakalebara Ceremony are very important from scientific, spiritual and ethical perspectives. There is no caste distinction in the cult of Jagannath, which is akin to the practices of tribals and significantly different from Vaishnavism. Thus, analyzing the legendary association of Jagannath with a class of aborigines, called Savara, the peculiar shape as a pillar and typical nature of the wooden icon of the deity and his associates, Balabhadra and Subhadra; many scholars have held that Jagannath has originally been a tribal deity of Savara origin. The origin of the cult of Jagannath is mysterious. Scholars in the cult of Jagannath believe in the aboriginal tribal (Sabara) origin of the Jagannath triad. Scholars like B.M. Padhi, A. Eschmann, G.C. Tripathy, H. Kulke, B. Schnepel and H.V. Stietencorn have dealt with the tribal origin of the Jagannath cult. Even scholars like B. Mohanty, N.K. Sahu, K.C. Mishra, S. Mohanty and G.N. Mohapatra have accepted the tribal influence of the cult of Jagannath. If we read the Purusottam Mahatmya of the Skanda Purana, the Musali Parva, the Vanaparva of Sarala Dasa’s Mahabharata, Deula Tola of Sisu Krishna Das and Nilambar Das refer to the Sabara or tribal origin of the Jagannath. They all narrate the story of legendary king Indradyumna and Sabara king Visvavasu, although in a different manner. In this blog, we are not going to tell you that story, but instead that, we tried to gather some information while reading several books and what we observed during our visit to Odisha; we are going to share with you. So far as our knowledge goes, the connection of Jagannath with the Tribals has manifested revelations like:   The Indradyumna legend, which tells us how the deity originally worshiped by the Tribal chief Vishvavasu migrated to Puri. As a matter of fact, the Savara group of tribals continues to live up today with their unique tradition. The Jagannath figures, along with their respective morphological features and countenance, give the impression of an unfinished, premature, aboriginal, savage, exotic appearance. The Jagannath triad worshiped predominantly in the form of crudely designed wooden images, as if unfinished wood carvings suggested the primitive or tribal mindset of the designer or the craftspeople. Thus, we have no hesitation in overruling the queen Gundicha, who had been blamed for her inquisitiveness, for which it was said that the figure work of the deity got incomplete; instead of Gundicha, we believe it’s due to the influence of the Aryan Manu-ism which had a keenness to oppress and accuse women in every sphere of life.  The continued practice of a special priesthood bestowed upon the Daitas, Sabaras and a lot more, who are the descendants of the tribal worshipers, believed to be the inheritors or relatives of Lord Jagannath and doing services intimately with the deity, like giving them baths, dressing them up daily, cooking food for them and moving them when ordained. The Nabakalebara ritual and the Tribal practices of the ritual of renewal. Among some other connections which are not very far from the above and quite easily traceable are: a.       The continuing ritual practices by the owning lineage/clan of the Daita and Sabara priests are comparable to all those in the different lineage/clan groups of many tribal communities of Odisha. b.      Culinary practices and cuisine in Jagannath temple correlated with those of the Tribal traditions of simply boiling cereals, pulses and vegetables in earthen pots without frying in oil. c.       The traditions of drawings, paintings, and engravings on the temple wall and the wall-deity are comparable to ritual art, paintings, and drawings of tribal dwellings. d.      The kin relationship of the Jagannath triad and its connection to the tribal societal system. The cult of Ratha Yatra and Nabakalebara, compared with the commemoration ritual for the dead and ancestor worship among the tribals. Non-Brahman priesthood in many Hindu temples and in rituals of both the tribal and caste communities. The Jagannath cult and its festivities vis-à-vis the cultural performances and cultural traditions of non-coastal and coastal Odisha. Traditions and social institutions keep in mind the role of Subhadra, the sister, and Laxmi, the wife. For the sake of clarity, the points outlined above concerning the tribal connection with Jagannath can be amplified as follows: In tribal societies, each clan and lineage often have its own deity which is closely related to their ancestors. Each clan has its own priest, as also each lineage. Each priest takes care of his own ancestral deity under a specific symbol. In the Jagannath temple, each of the triads has its own priests, daita sebakas, who are understood to be of tribal origin. Each has its own symbol clearly distinguished from the others in terms of colour, texture, and other associated adornments, including the respective decoration of the wooden chariots at the time of Ratha Yatra or the famous Car Festival. In the Jagannath temple, the culinary practices are such that the Lord offers only the boiled food, consisting of native varieties of cereals, pulses and vegetables, never an item imported from outside, such as potato, tomato, etc. The food is only boiled and never fried with oil (called aphuta in odiya) and without any spices except ginger. Onions and garlic are being ruled out altogether. Till today, the caste Hindus continue to observe for ten days by not taking any fried food. The tribal mode of culinary practices is similar to the temple food, as the tribals also neither fry their food nor take spices. Their main food items are rice, dal, dalama (mixture of dal and vegetables) and boiled green leaves (saga). The wall paintings in the dwellings of tribal society and the wall paintings in temples, with their implication of the walled-in deity as a form of ancestral deity, can be compared with great clarity. Ritual wall drawings are very common in Sabaras, Kondhs and many more tribal communities and caste communities of Odisha. Jagannath-patti used to be the main paintings of the patta-painters of Puri and are used and worshiped in the form of wall-hangings by the people in the nooks and corners of Odisha. The devotees unconsciously greet all the walls of the temple, as the walls often contain the deity or feature it prominently. In Odishan society, whether tribal or non-tribal, before leaving the home and setting out for any major work, people respectfully greet the wall of the dwellings by touching the head of the wall.

 

            Pic.1. A statue in Biraja Temple, Jajpur, Odisha(PC:Supriya Mishra)

Conclusion:

Dominance through Culture:  Instead of direct control through force or law, cultural hegemony relies on shaping the "common sense" of a society. Institutions like education, media, religion, and even popular culture play a crucial role in disseminating the dominant ideology. Cultural hegemony in religion refers to when one religious group's beliefs, values, and practices are dominant and shape the broader cultural landscape; it often influences societal norms and institutions, even for those who don't subscribe to that particular faith.  This dominance is not necessarily achieved through force, but rather through the subtle and pervasive influence of the dominant religious group's worldview, which becomes the accepted norm. Cultural Hegemony and Homogenization is nothing new in the Indian society. A homogenizing society refers to the process by which diverse cultural, social, and economic elements become increasingly similar or uniform, often as a result of globalization, technological advancement, and media influence. The fascinating legacy of Jagannath is manipulated through the patronization of the then rulers of Odisha, the narratives of the grassroots people of a vast land were effectively used as a tool for cultural homogenization in a pluralistic arena. This is a serious contamination of the cultural system for political manipulation and use. The serialized version of Jagannath myth provides the ground for hegemonic representations, which reduce the whole pluralistic system into a hegemonic one. Through such hegemonic representations, the political authority wins consent to its rule from those it subjugates. The present rulers of India have successfully adopted the tradition of the old rulers. Hegemonic representations mislead cultural manipulation to misinterpret a diverse, multi-layered, pluralistic state of past Odisha into a Hindu Kshetra (Sree Kshetra, Jagannath Dham).  

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Authors Details:

Chandan Bandyopadhyay presently employed in a State-owned PSU in West Bengal, India; is an author, researcher, motivator, traveler and photographer and fascinated by the power of mind.

Elija Gayen is an author-illustrator, traveler, photographer and a vivid reader of Bengali literature but not an avid one; was a daydreamer in high school, and, unsure of future goals, went to self-train at different fields of technology, culinary and languages; graduated from the Jadavpur University in Civil Engineering in 1995; presently engaged in making stories from a pretty little apartment in the old city of Berlin in Germany and for bread and butter employed in an ITes.

Both the authors are obsessed with self-improvement; personal mission is to help people realize their potential and reach higher levels of consciousness without causing harm to fellow people or the nature.

We respect different socio-cultural-ethnic group across the world despite of their caste, creed and financial-so called social status.   

Authors’ Contributions Authors have contributed equally to the study process and the development of the manuscript.

Declaration In order to correct and improve the academic writing of our paper, we have used the language model Ginger.

Transparency Statement Data are available for study purposes upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.

Acknowledgments We would like to express our gratitude to all individuals helped us to study this.

Declaration of Interest The authors report no conflict of interest.

Funding The study had no sponsorship.

Ethical Considerations In this study, ethical standards including obtaining informed consent, ensuring privacy and confidentiality were observed.

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