THE EVOLUTION

    OF LORD JAGANNATH

                         Apart from the above mentioned faiths, various Dalapatis(group leaders), Gondrama dhipatis(rulers of Gondrama),kings and Emperors have tried to claim  this deity as their own in order to exercise power and influence over  this sacred land.By influencing the simple tribals through fair and foul means,they have tried to give this deity various shapes according to their own intent and judgement.They have not always been guided exclusively by spiritual thoughts and religious inspirations.Whenever the followers of a new faith have come to this sacred land in order to propagate their religion,they consider this tribal deity as the primary obstacle on their way.  In such circumstances they have felt the need to identify their own faith with this deity in order to win the heart of the masses.It was not possible for them to propagate any religion bypassing this deity. Therefore ,by identifying their faith with this tribal deity,they have facilitated their attempt to propagate their own religion.

                                          As Rastra Devata Jagannath has assumed new forms and changed sites at different times ; similarly, strangely enough, his sacred land has assumed various dimensions at different times. Its presant territorial limit is not the same as it was in the past.It has been disintegrated.Almost all historians agree that it stretched from the Bay of Bengal in the east to Amarkantak mountain in the west and from the Ganga in the north to the Godavari in the South.Apart from this land,  the Bideha kingdom at the foot hills of the Himalayas in the north ,  Burma(presently Myanmar) in the east and the Vindhya region in the west constituted the habitat of the Savaras(a primitive tribe)Kalinga,Trikalinga,Odra and Utkal were included in this region and it was called Savarsthan(the land of the Savaras).Though it wae called Savarasthan, actually Savaras speaking Mundari dialect , Kandhas,Mundas and Gondas lived in this region.The Mundari dialect is the primitive form of modern Oriya and Purva Magadhi language.Though the tribals speaking Mundari language were  divided into different tribes like Savar,Kandha,Munda and Gonda etc.,they primarily belonged to a larger community.The descendants of these primitive people still inhabit the hilly regions and forest lands of orissa.Some of them use Mundari dialect as means of communication. Besides language,
close similarity is noticeable in their religious thought and worship and in the form of their presiding deities.Among these tribals who spoke Mundari dialects ,tree or khamba(pillar or post) worship was in vogue.In trying to give a human  shape to the tree or Kamba(post) they in fact gave it strange shapes. Perhaps that might origin shape of Lord Jagannath.
We see a unique combination of shape and shapeless in this tree or Khamba deity.This structure is their own original creation.

               That lord jagannath is being worshiped in Shreekshetra Puri from time immemorial is based on Puranic evidences given by schlors. However, there is no historical evidence of worship of Jagannath at Puri prior to the 10th century A.D . When Yayati Kesari was the ruler.But we come to know from the  Indirabhuti's Jnanasiddhi about the place of Jagannath , Pt. Neelakantha Das has mentioned that the Savaras were worshipping the image of Jagannath made of neem wood in a place called Sambal(Samal,now in Talcher of Angul District) in Uddiyan,the kingdom of Indrabhuti.We can say that Jagannath was worshipped in some part of Uddiyan prior to the rule of Yayati- I. Indrabhuti has described Jagannath as Buddhist deity in Jnanasiddhi.In the opinion of Indrabhuti Jagannath was worshipped by the Savaras in one of the Budha Viharas.

                          The Puspagiri Vihar which has been mentioned in Hieun-tsang's travellogue has not yet been discovered.Possibly it has been completly destroyed. Although history is completely silent over this issue,it may be said that it was destroyed due to anti-Buddist activities of king Sasanka  and his feudatory chief Madhav Raj-II in
the 7th century A.D  . Prior to its destruction Jagannath was  shifted to a place in Sonpur in Uddiyan and kept hidden under the earth . Jagannath was shifted before the arrival of Hieun-Tsang and Puspagiri Vihar was destroyed after his departure.But by that time Jagannath was accepted and recognised as the most popular deity. Therefore ,after 80years from the rule of Sasanka and Madhav Raj-II,we see Indrabhuti as a worshipper of Jagannath in 717 A.D.There are various opinions about the place where the image of Jagannath lying buried . Madalapanji(the temple Chronicles) identifies this place with the village Gopali of Sonpur.But according to local legends this place is mountain cave of Kotsamalai near Sonpur.According to the same legend ,king Indrabhuti of Uddiyan was worshipping Jagannath in the same cave.The Madalapanji records legend of king Yayati recovering the wooden images of Jagannath from the Sonpur region where it lay buried for over 144 years . Since ,the image weres were damaged , new images were made out of the trees brought from Sonpur.Even now in the forest of Kakdein and Kotsamalai of Sonpur lives a Savar tribe which knows the technique and art of making Jagannath images out of neem wood.A good number of them in the past were settled at Puri as tribal priests through the patronage of Yayati-I for worshipping Jagannath.

                                                          The odra kingdom inhabited mostly by primitive Savaras was famous even from the time of Mahabharat .We find the mention of Odras in the Dharma Sastra of Manu .The name of a Odra king is found in the Mahabharat . From the ancient time ,the primitive Savaras were the worshipper of Khamba.They were attracted towards Buddism duing the rule of emporer Ashok.For propagating Buddhism among the tribal Savaras,Ashok had kept one of his minister at the foot hills of Suvarnagiri in the district of Phulbani . In the ancient time Sonpur ,Baud,Phulbani,Dasapalla,Ghumsur,Angul and other Odra regions were under the rule of Bhanja kings.The  Bhanja kings belonged to the Naga dynasty. Though , orginally they were Saivites , later on they were attracted towards Buddism.
Before they were Buddhism,they worshipped  Naga(a species of snake) . In order to bring unity between their religion and the religion of their subjects , these kings combine their Khamba deity of tribal Savaras with their own snake totem and conceived the image of Jagannath . Later on they worshipped him as Buddha . According to historical records, Saivism , Naga worship and Buddhism were part of the religious faith of the Bhanja kings at different times . The images which were conceived in these three  types of worship were combined together in the conception of Jagannath images by the Bhanja kings belonging to Naga dynasty.

                                   A close observation of the body of Lord Jagannath reveals that His face resembles that of a snake
and the body resembles khamba as worshiped by Savaras.The complete image is virtually a symbol of unity of the  two main races of Odradesa , namely Nagas and Savaras .Jagannath bought emotional and religious unity among the Nagas and Savaras and was worshiped as Buddha . At the primary stage of civilisation those Buddists could conceive of such image of jagannath . In order to bring unity among the Savaras , the Nathas (the Vratyas) and Nagas , Buddhists and Indrabhuti , the exponent of Vajrayan conceived of the image of Jagannath and  brought out emotional and religious unity.For this they will be ever remembered in history.The vision of this unifying deity and the name Jagannath projected the odras or Oriyas as a nation and brought recognition and respect to Jagannath as Rastra Devata . Since Bhanja kings of Naga dynasty were Buddhist , they were able to propagate the idea of their God and make the tribal Savaras accept the new image of Lord Jagannath.In order to bring Savaras into the fold of  Buddism,the Buddhist also accept the idea of the new image and worshipped Jagannath as an incarnation of buddha.

                                  From the above discussion we can say that before Jagannath was installed at Puri by Yayati-I of
Soma(Lunar) dynasty . He was worshipped by the Savaras in the western region of Orisssa .The original seat of Jagannath was located in the impenetrable hilly regions on the  banks of river Mahanadi . Mahanadi has long association with the religion , culture and economy of orissa . Flowing through the middle of western orissa to the coastal regions it has been influencing and integrating the people of Orissa in a comprehensive bond . Even today the influence of the civilisation and culture of western Orissa upon the coastal belt is strongly felt.

                                                    The Buddhist sculptures visible on the bank of the Mahanadi startig from Boud (now in Phulbani district) to Choudwar(near Cuttack) might have been possible due to the patronage of Bhanja kings.
The  Puspagiri Vihar mentioned by Hieun-Tsang was located in this region . Since this Puspsgiri Vihar was palce of union for Hinayani and Mahayani sects it seems probable that the new image of Jagannath was worshiped here . When antiBudhaist activities began during the reign of king Sasanka of Karnasuvarna(now in Midanapur District of W.B) ,   Jagannath was shifted to a secret place at Kotsamalai of Sonpur  and burried there . Later on 9th and 10th century A.D Yayati Keshari-I of Lunar dyansty retrieved the image and installed Him in a thirty eight feet Patola(temple) and made an arrangements for His worship . The above mentioned basic research findings have been given in detail in various chapter of this thesis . A glimpse of the scope of the work leading to a slew of original conclusions obtained from the schema of chapter listed in the next page.
Courtesy-Mr. Harihara Kanungo
Ph.D, Professor, Department of Oriya Language and Litreture,
Bhadrak MahaVidyalaya, Bhadrak.