Chapter 34 - Jagannath and Kingship

THE Rajas of Puri popularly known as Gajapatis of Orissa are considered as divine as Lord Jagannath. They are generally regarded as the founders and patrons of the Jagannath cult. Their intimate relationship with the paramount deity has long been recognised. It is said that "The Maharaja of Puri is the most respectable person among the Hindus of India. Though there are many wealthy Rajas none of them is held by the Hindus with equal veneration." The Rajas of Puri could attain such a venerated position for their intimate ritualistic association with the paramount deity through ages. Despite a long history of incursions by hostile forces the association between Lord Jagannath and the Raja has remained unbroken though there was rise and decline of the latter's position in different periods of Orissan History. The people of Orissa are still used to address the Raja as Chalanti Vishnu (moving-Vishnu in contrast to the Jagannath-Vishnu, who stays permanently in the temple). Similarities exist between the palaces of the Rajas of Puri and the temple of Lord Jagannath. The Lion's gate is present in both the temple and the palace. The minor deities which are found in the temple are also present in the palace. The Raja of Puri is the foremost Sevaka of the gods. He performs important services on ritual occasions. He cleans the Cars of the deities during the famous Car Festival. He has similar ritual duties during the summer festival and in the winter festival. The Raja enjoys certain ritualistic privileges. When he enters the temple all classes of functionaries perform their respective duties in his honour. The tributary chiefs of feudatory states of Orissa perform their respective duties which they are entitled according to tradition and custom. One of the significant ritual performances which is observed by the Raja every morning in the palace shows a close association between

the Raja and Lord Jagannath. The ritual is called Devarchana (worship of God). The booth stick of Lord Jagannath, a little water used by the Lord during his morning bath and the coconuts which are offered to the Lord on the previous night are carried to the Raja by special Sevakas of the temple for his morning ablutions and it is performed in the same manner as in the case of the deity. In sanctity and sacredness the palace of the king stands parallel to the temple of Lord Jagannath. The high esteem in which the Rajas of Puri were and are held is a direct result of their relationship with the temple of Jagannath. The recorded history of their relationship with the temple of Jagannath goes back to the date of its construction (12 th century A. D.) though through traditional sources their relationship can be traced back to still earlier period. The temple was built by Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva in about 1112 A. D. The worship of Jagannath became very popular and the cult rose to prominence after the construction of the present monumental temple. The builder of the temple, king Chodanganga Deva perhaps raised this temple in order to unite various religious cults of Orissa and to popularise the Jagannath cult which had strong Shakta, Shaiva, Tantric and even tribal influences. 3 Jagannath became the state deity of Ganga empire during the rule of Anangabhima Deva (1211-1238). In order to protect his empire from the Muslim forces he systematically re-organised his empire and built a new capital at Cuttack and named it as Abhinava Kataka. In this capital he erected a huge temple of Jagannath and dedicated his empire to the new State deity. This action of dedicating the empire to Lord Jagannath had certainly a strong impact on the entire Hindu world. In a series of inscriptions dating from his later years Anangabhima described himself as the "Son of Purushottama" acting as the deity's Viceroy (Rauta) under his advice (adesha) and authority (Samrajya).4 Since he was acting as the deity's Viceroy (rauta) any service rendered to the Raja became a service to Jagannath, the Overlord (Samrajya) of Orissa. Some of his successors therefore followed his example and called themselves rautas under the Samrajya of Jagannaths. The Rajas of this dynasty legitimised their action with the "will of Jagannath." The politico-ideological aspect of Jagannath cult reached its culmination under the Rajas of the Suryavamsa (1435-1540) who

Jagannath and Kingship 417 told their subordinates that any resistance against them would be a treacherous attack (droha) on Jagannath.". It is thus evident that the kings of the Ganga and Surya dynasties had utilised Jagannath for their political as well as religious purposes. Under the Ganga- and Suryavamsi Rajas the Jagannath cult grew into a symbol of Hindu Kingship and royal authority in Orissa. Therefore only those rulers who were in possession of Puri and its Jagannath temple were recognised as the legitimate Gajapatis and rulers of Orissa. On the death of Mukunda Deva, the last Hindu Raja of Orissa in 1568 A.D. the country was thrown into a great disorder. The Afgan general Kalapahad seemed to have destroyed the central power and demolished the wooden images of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra. In the following years Ramachandra Deva from South Orissa succeeded in building up a small kingdom in about 1572 A. D. with its capital at Khurda. It may be mentioned here that from the reign of Anangabhima Deva, Cuttack was the Capital of Orissa and administration was conducted from the fort of Barabati by the Hindu Rajas who were intimately connected with the cult of Jagannath. But the centre of activities was shifted to Khurda after the establishment of the small kingdom there by Raja Ramachandra Deva. Ramachandra Deva's position was strengthened when he was recognised as the paramount chief of Orissa by Raja Mansingh, Akbar'sfamous general in 1592. He appointed him in Puri as the Superintendent of the Jagannath Temple. He was thus installed as the legitimate successor of the Gajapatis of Orissa. Dr. N. K. Sahoo speaks of Ramachandra as the Phantom Gajapati of Orissa. In the mean time Ramachandra Deva had taken considerable part in the Jagannath cult. He had already established his political power by installing the Jagannath Trinity in the Puri temples. According to the Madala Panji, during the grand ceremony in the Jagannath Temple at Puri Sannyasins and Brahmacharins in the Jagannath temple accepted Mahaprasad (sacred food) from the Raja and then all the Sannyasins, Brahmacharins and Brahmanas called Maharaja Ramachandra the second or new Indradyumna and gave him the turban. 9 This was really a great success for Ramachandra Deva. After this he systematically re-organised the administration of the Jagannath temple and could strengthen the political situation. Thus prior to his imperial recognition as the legitimate Gajapati of Orissa by Raja Mansingh, he had already received the traditional legitimation through the Jagannath cult. 27

We have stated earlier that the Jagannath cult had grown into a symbol of Hindu kingship and royal authority during the reigns of the Ganga- and Suryavamsi kings. The cult at that time was confined to their political jurisdiction. When the cult spread to the other regions outside their political jurisdiction it was due to the fact that the feudatory chiefs also wanted to utilise this symbol as a symbolic declaration of their independence. It is true that the position, power and authority of the kings of the Ganga and Surya dynasties had increased to a great extent for their intimate connection with the Jagannath cult but there was gradual decline of the position and authority of the Rajas of the subsequent period even though they had also associated themselves with the Jagannath temple. Though Ramachandra Deva tried his best to establish himself as the Gajapati of Orissa by popularising the Jagannath cult, for further strengthening his position, he and his successors could not gain the same position as the kings of the Ganga and the Surya dynasty had. One of the reasons for this gradual decline of the position of the Rajas was due to the Mughal Policy towards the religious institutions. During Mughal rule there were frequent raids and their policy changed rapidly after Akbar's death. The Rajas of Khurda tried to assure the support of the feudatory Rajas (samanta Rajas) by issuing official sanads conferring new titles upon them and giving them special rights of worship in the Jagannath temple. We find a list of Sanads granted by the Khurda Rajas to the feudatory Rajas of Orissa in the Telgu Manuscripts entitled Jagannathasthala Vrttantam.10 In spite of all these efforts there was gradual decline of the status of the Rajas of Khurda after the downfall of the last independent Hindu dynasty. Let us take the example of Raja Ramachandra Deva-II. When he was dethroned and converted to Islam by the Deputy Nawab Taqie Khan one Padmanabha Deva of Patia was made the Raja of Khurda in about 1736. Though Virakesari Deva, son of Ramachandra Deva-II could regain the Khurda kingdom with the help of Samanta rajas his position was greatly affected for the fact that his father had become a Muslim. For this damaging inheritance all his efforts to regain his position proved to be of no help. Thus there was considerable decline in the status of the Khurda Rajas and they had little or no influence as "the sacred" Gajapatis of Orissa. In 1751 the Marathas occupied Orissa. During their administration there was the final blow to the Khurda Rajas' position. He was deprived of more than half of his estate, was separated from his

Jagannath and Kingship 419 feudatory rajas in the hinterland of Orissa and was driven out of the Superintendence of the Jagannath temple.11 The Marathas directly took over the administration of the temple, because they were suspicious of the position held by the Rajas of Khurda. The important role of the Khurda Raja in the administration of the Jagannath temple and his close relationship with the feudatory Rajas made the Gajapati appear as the sacred ruler of Orissa. That was why perhaps the Marathas took over the administration of Jagannath temple and separated him from influences over all the fourteen Garajat States. The Marathas after a few decades could identify themselves with the Gajapati of Orissa. After the British conquest of Orissa in 1803, the ambassador of the Maratha Raja of Berar tried hard in his negotiations with the East India Company to regain at least Puri. Jagannath was his (the Raja of Berar) own Pagoda; he was desirous of retaining it (and)...... ..his honour was involved in this point. 12 The British authorities seemed to have a clear picture of what it meant to the Maratha Raja to lose Jagannath. The Governor-General pointed out that the loss of Jagannath must deeply affect the considerations of the Raja of Berar in the eyes of all native powers. 13 The East India Company during the early years of their administration gave much importance to the temple of Jagannath and to the religious sentiment of the local people. The central British Policy regarding the Jagannath temple and its priests was the principle of confirming "the confidence of the Brahmin and officers of the temple of Jagannath in the liberality and protection of the British Government."14 The British therefore granted all the rights which were granted to the priests at Puri by the previous Governments, and even agreed to continue the yearly payment of an excess amount of Rs. 60,000/- for the maintenance of the temple, a financial aid which was introduced by the Marathas. For some years they also took over the direct supervision of the Jagannath temple administration. In view of strong criticism from the Home Government and the Christian Missionaries the East India Company gradually did away with the direct interference with the religious matter-"Without however openly giving up the responsibility and commitments which it had assumed for political reason during the conquest of Orissa."15 As the British officers were not allowed to enter inside the temple as non-Hindus it was realised by the British Government that it could not arbitrate fully in the temple management. All these factors led the British to hand over the administration of the temple to the Raja of Khurda. The Rajas of Khurda who had been ousted from the said office of the First Sevaka of Jagannath by the Marathas were

reinstalled as the Superintendent of the temple by the British by Regulation IV of 1809 and finally confirmed by the Act of 1840. They at the same time abolished the pilgrim tax. Though the Raja of Khurda was made the Superintendent of the Jagannath temple by the East India Company the Raja did not regain his Khurda territory. According to Dr. H. Kulke, from being virtually "a king without a kingdom the Raja of Puri succeeded in the following decades in compensating for the loss of his political power by building a religious State". 16 Through the Acts and Regulations of 1809 and 1840 the Rajas of Puri had received a kind of British Legitimation for their authority over the Jagannath temple. The main source of their claim as Gajapatis of Orissa was their ritual role in the Jagannath temple. Madala Panji, calls Jagannath the (real) king of Orissa.17 In the Purusottama Mahatmya of Vishnurahasyam, Jagannath has been described as the Universal King. 18 It has been mentioned in their record of rights that when Jagannath appears in royal dress (Raja-vesa) the Gajapati king performs his royal ritual.19 So by being the Maharajas of Jagannath's sacred empire they claimed their legitimation as Gajapatis of Orissa. The Gajapati king being the first servant of the deities clears the Cars of the gods during the famous Car Festival at Puri. The Raja is regarded by the Hindus as the Chalanti Vishnu. It may be noted that the Rajas of Puri could regain and strengthen their positions as the Gajapatis of Orissa in 19 th century to some extent. The British administrators had often tried to restrict the power of the royal Superintendent but the Rajas of Puri were able to withstand this pressure by means of their sacred role as Gajapatis. In February, 1877 Divyasingha Deva, the hereditary Superintendent of the Jagannath temple was convicted of a murder of a Sadhu and sentenced to transportation for life to the Andaman Island. The British Government proposed to take all the administration of the temple and proposed an Act (Draft Act XV of 1882) and granted a certificate to Rani Suryamani Patamahadei allowing her to administer the temple in the name of her minor grand-son for about 20 years. The Government also conferred the title of Raja on the minor son of the convicted Raja.20 In 1887 the Government of India lost another case, the famous Puri temple case when it again tried to bring the temple under the supervision of a Government-controlled board. This victory was celebrated not only by the local newspapers but also by the editor for

Jagannath and Kingship 421 the Statesman. 22 This victory was a victory over the British administration. Thus nineteenth century witnessed a process of gradual rise in the position of the Rajas of Puri in their religious kingdom. The twentieth century witnessed a process of decline in the position of the Rajas of Puri in their religious kingdom.23 Due to growing ritual deterioration and the reduction of the social distance the later Rajas were considered no longer godly. Gradual economic impoverishment has been one of the important factors for disintegration of sanctity of palace ritual. The growing control of the secular political powers has also deprived the Rajas of political, economic and moral support. The State Government took over the administration of the Puri temple through the new Shri Jagannath Temple Act, 1954 (Orissa Act XI of 1953). It is clearly stated that all former laws and regulations regarding the temple superintendence of "the Raja of Khurda or the Raja of Puri shall cease to have any effect." A Shri Jagannath Temple Managing Committee was constituted by the Government of Orissa. The chief executive officer of this Committee is an administrator. The Acts define the rights of the Raja in a very restricted way. The Raja of Puri means the person on whom rests for the time being the obligation of discharging the duties of a sevaka in respect of the Gajapati Maharaj Seva (service) as recorded in the Record of Rights. The Act also abolished the "worldly" rights of the Raja of Puri and his temple superintendence. Thus the tremendous influence the Rajas had in the temple and in rural area has been reduced to a great extent in the 20 th century. But still there is a strong feeling among a section of the Hindus that his role of performing the Gajapati Maha raja Seva is indispensable, and he is the fallen but revered descendant and representative of their ancient native sovereigns. REFERENCES 1. Jagannath temple correspondence (hereafther JTC) Part-VI-p. 1384 No. 3 of July, 8, 1882, Mahadeo Panda and 450 others to Commissioner of Orissa, Cuttack. 2. K. N. Mohapatra "Antiquity of Jagannath Puri as place of pilgrimage" Orissa Historical Research Journal (Hereafter O.H.R.J.) III No. 1 (1954), pp. 296-306. 3. Madala Panji-Ed. A. B. Mohanty (Bhubaneswar), Utkal University, 2 nd Ed. 1969, p. 27. 4. T. V. Mahalingam. "Two Eastern Ganga Inscriptions at Kanchipuram" Epigraphia Indica. XXXI (1955) pp. 96-97.

D. C. Sircar, "Ganga Bhanudeva II and Purushottam-Jagannath" Journal of the Kalinga Historical Research Society, Vol. I, No. 3 (1946) pp. 251-253. 6. Madala Panji, pp. 27. 7. P. Mukherjee, The History of Medieval Vaisnavism in Orissa, pp. 41-47. 8. N. K. Sahoo, "Orissa from the earliest time to the present day" A History of Orissa, Ed. N. K. Sahoo (Calcutta, Susil Gupta, 1956) II, 391. 9. Madala Panji, p. 63 "duti Indradyumna" Cakada Pothi, p. 7. 10. MS. No. 2612 in the collection of the Government Oriental Manuscript Library, Madras. A copy of the Manuscript is now available in the Orissa State Museum. 11. P. Acharya, Studies in Orissan History, Archaeology and Archives (Mayurbhanj, 1969), p. 247. 12. B. C. Ray, Orissa under the Marathas, p. 126. 13. Selection from the Wellesley Despatches, p. 410. 14. 1 November, 1803, Parliamentary papers, 1845/664, p. 78. 15. B. C. Ray, Foundation of British Orissa, (Cuttack, New Student Store, 1960), p. 50. 16. Dr. H. Kulke, Reprints No. 170, Heidelberg University, p. 72. 17. Madala Panji, p. 26. 18. Descriptive catalogue of Sans. Mans. Vol. III, ed. by Shri K. N. Mohapatra (O.S.M.), p. 32. 19. Record of rights-III from D. Published in the Orissa Gazette (Extraordinary) Cuttack, 14, October, 1955-p. 12. 20. Sanad of Lord Ripon, Simla, 29 March, 1884, J.I.C. VI, p. 1422. 21. This case is known under the name of Madhusudan Das the Lawyer of the Puri Raj family. 22. Statesman, 2 April, 1887. 23. N. Pattnaik, "The Recent Kings of Puri; a study of secularization". Journal of the Indian Anthropological Society, Vol. Nos. 1/2 (1970), pp. 87-114.