Rashmirekha Das
Lord Jagannath resides in every soul and the eternal hero, the Lord of the Universe is revered by millions around the globe. Orissa without Lord Jagannath is like Bethlehem without Jesus. Puri is one of the abodes of Lord Jagannath and the spiritual capital of the state. Popularly known as Nilachala, Nilagiri, Niladri, Purusottam Khetra, Srikhetra and Sankha Khetra, Puri occupies a significant place on the country’s tourism map and, apart from being a centre of spiritual activity, is also famous for its striking beauty.
Apart from Sankha Srikhetra and Tulasi Srikhetra, there is another abode of Lord Jagannath which is not known to many people due mainly to the state government’s lackadaisical attitude in promoting it as a tourism hotspot. Saran Srikhetra at Marada is an ideal destination for those eager to visit sacred spots in the state. This largely unknown abode of the Lord in Ganjam district has a rich history and cultural tradition.
Saran Srikhetra is the only Jagannath temple in the entire world where the daily rituals go on as usual but the Ratna Simhasana (sanctum sanctorum) lies empty. Priests and worshippers say that though there are no deities in the temple rituals are carried out every day with great ardour.
Historical records reveal that through the centuries Jagannath temple in Puri was invaded and looted on 18 occasions, mostly by non-Hindu rulers. The sacred town of Puri was the chosen place of invaders of different religious persuasions to display their religious war (‘jihad’). Owing to a series of invasions on the temple, the three deities were exiled to various regions of the state, mostly far south of the Chilika lake. Marada happened to be the shelter of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra for over two years in the 18th century where the deities could avoid sacrilege at the hands of Mughal invaders. This is, perhaps, the reason for the name Sharana Srikshetra – a place where the Lord took refuge.
Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath is celebrated with fervour and gaiety across the globe but it is surprising that the people of Marada, which is one of the significant abodes of the Lord in the state, did not get to witness the annual festival for the last 300 years. The 300-year-old temple that once offered shelter to Lord Jagannath and His siblings has lost its glory and lies in a state of disrepair. Sunday Post digs out the reasons behind the shrine’s fading glory.
Backdrop
Down the ages the temple of Lord Jagannath in Puri has been invaded and plundered according to historical records of these violent and unholy episodes. The temple stored huge wealth that lured plunderers and for non-Hindu invaders desecration of the temple was a means of carrying out jihad. Looting the temple property and profaning the idols were the motives behind every invasion. Owing to a series of such defilements the triumvirate was shifted to various places in Orissa.
It all started with the invasion of Raktavahu (Govinda III, the Rastrakuta King), which is considered the first attack on the Jagannath temple. He defeated King Subhanadeva I of Bhaumakara dynasty in Orissa. During the invasion, the deities were taken away to Gopali, a village in Sonepur, and hidden underground. Subhanadeva I fled the city with the idols and his associates in a cart. After 146 years, Yayati I, the Somavamsi king, ordered the idols to be dug out. He made new idols, built a new temple in Puri and enshrined the deities there.
The deities returned to Srikhetra between 814 and 819 AD. Subsequently, the temple was invaded by several rulers like Illias Shah, the Sultan of Bengal (in 1340), Feroz Shah Tughlaq, the sultan of Delhi (in 1360), Allauddin Hussain Shah, the sultan of Bengal (in 1509), invader Kalapahara (in 1568), Suleman, the son of Kuthu Khan and Osman, the son of Isha (in 1592). One such invasion was led by Muhammad Taqi Khan who later was the Naib Nazim (deputy subedar) of Orissa from 1727 to 1734.
During his rule Khan invaded the temple of Jagannath twice in 1731 and 1733. He invaded the temple with iconoclastic zeal, demolished it, desecrated the gods and looted its treasure. The servitors removed the idols to Hariswar in Banpur, Chikili in Khalikote, Rumagarh in Kodala, Athagarh in Ganjam and finally to Marada.
Kodala, located in the Athagarh region, was considered a safe place for the deities as it was under the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad and not the Mughals. Marada was surrounded by dense forests and hills and was invincible. The ruler of Athagarh Jagadev Harichandan had strong family ties with the Gajapati rulers of Khurda. The idols were kept at Marada from December 29, 1733 to April, 1736. At Marada a beautiful temple was hastily constructed and arrangements were made for the daily rituals of the deities. It is believed that Rath Yatra was held in the region with great vigour.
The temple has two chambers consisting of the Jagamohan and Vimana. Marada is deemed to be the second home of Sri Jagannath. The temple, built in the typical architectural style of that of other temples in Orissa, was constructed in a very short time and daily worship took place with great devotion. After the departure of the gods the shrine remained vacant for centuries. The short two and half years of stay of the Trinity at Marada is observed by the lighting of a lamp on every Ekadasi day in the evening followed by the recitation of a ‘sloka’ in honour of Harichandan Jagadeva. There was a close link between the two ruling families.
Even after the deities returned to Puri in 1736, Harichandan preferred to keep the temple untenanted to preserve the memory of the Lord’s short stay there. Unlike other temples, even on the day of Rath Yatra, no traditional musical instruments are played in the temple.
It is believed that Gajapati Ramachandra Dev II shifted the idols of the Trinity and Sudarshan after Nabakalebar in 1733. The Lord appeared in his dreams and warned him of the possible attack of Muhammad Taqi Khan on Jagannath temple. He sought the help of Athagarh ruler Jagadev Harichandan for shifting the idols. The Gajapati was held captive by Taqi Khan and following the death of the Muslim ruler the idols were brought back to Srimandir.
The temple today
In 2002, Gajapati Dibyasingh Dev paid a visit to the temple as Marada is inextricably associated with Jagannath culture. The chief administrator of Srimandir accompanied by a team of experts visited the shrine the following year and promised to promote the spiritual and historical significance of the temple which still lies in a state of neglect. They came up with proposals to introduce the Abhada scheme in the temple by employing a few servitors. But the proposals remain on paper. Besides, it was also decided that Marada would be popularised as a tourist spot but the failure of the state government in this regard has been all too evident.
The Marada temple development committee was formed to sort out the problems that beset the 300-year-old shrine with the district collector as its president. But the committee has failed to live up to the expectations of devotees.
After a visit to Marada Jagannath temple, the Puri temple administration decided to bear the temple’s daily expenses and provided it with Rs 100 every day for the purpose. The Jagannath temple administration used to provide monetary help for the smooth conduct of the ‘Anna Prasad’ system but stopped financial assistance from 2009 to 2010 much to the resentment of devotees. Besides, some land sharks have encroached upon the premises of the temple.
Locals are of the view that plans had been drawn up to develop the old Jagannath temple at Marada as a tourist hub but those plans have not materialised. The district administration has to play an active role and come forward with strategies to give the temple a facelift. The shrine is losing its sheen due to bureaucratic apathy, say locals who have been demanding that the encroachers be evicted.
The temple is built in the ‘pidha’ style and erected on an extensive rectangular platform. The roofs of both the adjoining structures are pyramidal and the roof of the Vimana that rises in three tiers that gradually diminish as they ascend is crowned by ‘garuda’, ‘amalaka’, ‘khapuri kalasa’ and ‘nila chakra’. The Jagamohana, an extension of the Vimana too has a pyramidal roof with seven steps that diminish as they ascend. It has three doors on the east, south and north. The eastern door called Simhadwara is the main entrance to the temple and on both sides two massive lion sculptures catch the eye. Finely-carved sculptures of the different avatars of Lord Vishnu adorn the outer wall of the Vimana. The centuries-old temple still stands mighty on a barren ground.
Polasara legislator Srikant Sahu says: “It is true that the shrine is lying in a state of disrepair despite being one of the Lord Jagannath’s important abodes. The historical significance of the temple will be highlighted only after the state government declares it as a tourist spot. Recently, the laying of a road connecting the shrine to the town was completed at a cost of Rs 30 lakh. Besides, the boundary wall has also come up recently. We are making all-out efforts to develop the place. I have submitted a proposal for the development of infrastructure at the site. The temple which was built as a shelter for the deities should be protected and this can be done by creating awareness about its historical importance.”
“The shrine is relatively unknown to tourists and outsiders and deserves an immediate facelift. If its historical association with Puri is highlighted, visitors from across the state will start flocking to Marada which will open up livelihood opportunities for the locals. Infrastructure development is essential to promote it as a tourist spot. Apart from the district administration and the state government, the state archeology department should also play a role in preserving the shrine,” says Laxmi Prasad Sahu, an Oriya lecturer who is a resident of Marada.