‘Jagannath cult has its roots in tribal culture’

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Bhubaneswar: German historian and Indologist Hermann Kulke has explained that Orissa’s culture is dependent on various levels of development of Hindu civilisation. Participating in a lecture on ‘Tribal deities at princely courts: The feudatory Rajas of central Orissa and their deities’ organised by the National Archives and State Archives at State Museum here Thursday, he said Hindu kings had patronised tribal deities as their tutelary deities. For example Lord Jagannath, was accorded the status of a state deity and Daru Devata from a tribal deity without losing any of their attributes, added Kulke. Through a pictorial presentation, he explained how deities like Bhattarika, Pathalika, Badamba, Maninageswari and
Tarini have gradually become Hindu deities and temples were built for them although most of the tribal deities are still worshipped by tribal priests. He also explained the transition from tribal culture to Brahmanisation of the deities in the course of history. As a founder-member of Orissa Research Project (ORP) of the South-Asian Institute and coordinator of the second ORP, he had travelled across the country and Orissa and discovered that “The impact of tribal deities on the Hindu cult is deeply-ingrained.” Among others, Culture Secretary Manoranjan Panigrahy, Culture director Bijay Kumar Nayak, assistant director of National Archives Lalatendu Dasmohapatra and superintendent of State Archives Suchismita Mantry were present on the occasion.
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