Part 15 - The Kingship (of the Mahanadi Delta and the Gangas)

The themes found in prasastis of phase I and II, are generally deals with the bravery and military calibre of the reigning kings with descriptions of their physical beauty and other qualities of their personalities that made them admirable among the ruled. In several occurrence kings were compared with the heroes and legendary kings of Mahabharata like Puru, Dilipa, Yudhisthira, Prthu, Nala, Nahusa, Mandhata, Bharata, Bhagiratha, and Bhima.

Kings of Early medieval Orissa were often refereeing themselves as the remover of the stain of Kali age, they were being eulogised for their efforts to counter the degeneration and destructive forces. The earliest instances of Kali age found in the plates of Maharaja Gopacandra (Jayarampur plates) and in inscriptions of Gangas of Kalinganagara around 5^th -6^th century AD. This practice continued throughout the ages of Early Medieval period.

The kings were often found eulogised as the protector and the maintainer of the dharma and establisher and maintainer of the varna and asrama system as its proper status. Right from the plates of Gopacandra almost all the dynastic rulers were spoken of these claimants. Nevertheless, the Bhaumakara king Subhakara I and II, despite being Buddhists, were taken the pride of this act. The Nandodbhabas were also credited for these achievements.

The reference of Vedic sacrifices was got prominence in the inscriptions of the Sailodbhabas. The ruling aspirants of the Sailodbhaba dynasties were claimants of performing Asvamedha and Vajapeya sacrifices consistently. Apart from the Sailodbhabas, sacrifices like Asvamedha and Vajapeya, and especially the Srauta sacrifice does not appear as the significant component of the ideology of legitimizing the kingship in early medieval Orissa.

In inscriptions, the analogy of kalpa-vrksa, found in consistent manner to eulogise the king’s benevolence as donor. The donations listed are lands, gold, food grains, cows, and elephants. The land charters benedictory and imprecatory verses praising the king as the donor of land to the Brahmanas. The practice of donating land is described as the recommendations of the ancient seers or risis of Mahabharata, Dharmasastras and Manu-Smrti. The devotion to this Brahmanical tradition was praised by the titles of Parama-Brahmanya (greatly devoted to the Brahmanas). In period I, we find Prthvi-Maharaja and the Bamhani plates of Panduvamsi king Bharatabala; in period II, Ganjam plates of Sailodbhava king Madhavavarman and Russellkonda grants of Nettabhanja; and in period III, Anantavarman-Codaganga’s korni and Vishakhapattanam plates, evidently show the reverence to the Brahmanas. Throughout the period under study we find affluent number of grants of land or ritual-giving of land (bhumidana) to the Brahmanas and religious establishments as a pious act of the excellence of the kings.

Temple building reference in inscriptions were found but in small numbers. The Sirpur stone inscription of the time of Mahasivagupta Balarjuna, the inscriptions of the Sulkis, Jatesinga and Dungri plates of Somavamsi king Mahasivagupta Yayati, Anantavarman-Codaganga’s Vishakhapattanam plates (saka year 1040), are few references which mentions of temple building. In all these above cases the reference is related to Siva temple. In some references, inscriptions found with instances of building activities of Buddhist monasteries and mathas. In Asanapath inscriptions of Satrubhanja and Dhenkanal plate of Tribhuvanamahadevi are the examples of that act while Baud plate of Solanabhanja, refers to construction of Lakes and embankments.

Kings are often found establishing comparisons with brahmanical deities in their eulogies in early medieval Orissa. This mythological and religious association sometimes cutting across the sectarian boundaries compare him with deities of two or more sects. Such instances are revealed in Bamhani plates of Bharatabala, inscriptions of Panduvamsi king Tivara and Maha-Sivagupta, the Sailodhbhava inscriptions of Buguda plates of Madhavavarman and Banpur plates of Madhyamaraja and plates of the Imperial Gangas.

Generally the rulers of this period claimed association with either Saivism or Vaisnavism. Exceptionally, the Bhaumakara king Udayavaraha of the Bonai plates and Nandodbhava king Dhruvananda are the examples of Buddhist worshippers and Dharmaraja of Sumandala plates, is revealed with the epithets of the sun god.

Apart from these major sectarian associations we also find some instances of local autochthonous deities like Stambhesvari, found in the Tustikara’s plates of Terasingha, some of the grants of the early Bhanjas of Khinjali Mandala and those of Sulkis. The Sulkis were more emphatic in their expression by worshipping this deity Stambhesvari or Khambhesvari,, as their kula-Devata or tutelary God-ship. It clearly shows the process of incorporation of local autochthonous deities of Stambhesvari^[1] , literally the god of the pillar or post, prevalent in contemporary Orissa. Interestingly the Baudh plates of king Ranabhanja, is silent of mentioning Stambhesvari, in his 54^th and 58^th year, whence the ruler was elevated to the status of Maharaja from Ranaka. With this local association of the early Bhanjas of Khinjali Mandala and those of Sulkis, they were equally described as worshippers of Siva.

During the 3^rd to the 6^th -7^th century A.D. the inscriptions are often found with the title of Parama-Daivata (a great devotee of gods or gods), without mentioning any sectarian relevance. It is generally associated with the ruling king or with his ancestors found in the inscriptions of Visakhavarman, inscriptions of Pitrbhaktas, and those of Matharas, Mudgalas and Vigrahas. The Soro plates of Somadatta and the Kanas plates of Bhanudatta, the epithet Parama-Daivata is applied with the overlord of these reigning kings. Another similar but more emphatic epithet found is Parama-Daivata-Adhidaivata (a great devotee of the gods and the supreme gods), variously associated with the ruling kings his father or his overlord.

Among the major sectarian associations we found from the 5^th century onwards Parama-Mahesvara or Parama-Vaisnava, which generally practised by the majority of the rulers thereafter. Earlier Parama-Bhagavata was replaced by the Parama-Vaisnava. We find Sri-Vaisnava, in the Antirigam plates of Jayabhanja from Kolada. With these sectarian epithets the royal prasastis often found invocations to the both Visnu and Vairava.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The epigraphic references related to Stambhesvari are mostly found from the highlands of Orissa (the Kalahandi, Baudh, Sonpur, Kendujhar and Dhenkanal areas).