During the Somavamsis’s reign

[Full title: Political and Religious History of Orissa (14): During the Somavamsis’s]

The Somavamsis rulers came to power in the third quarter of tenth century CE (Sahu, Mishra & Sahu 1991:129). They ruled almost all over the area ruled by the Bhaumakara. The Somavamsis were mostly followers of Saivism and Vaishnavism and this period saw the consistency of the Kalinga temple architecture. Though they were followers of Brahmanical Hinduism but at the same time they showed religious tolerance towards other sects. Among the Somavamsi rulers, Balurjana Mahasivagupta, the last great ruler of the early branch of this dynasty was a great patron of Buddhism (Basak 1935-36:120-21, Dikshit 1955-56: 197-98) though a Saivite in religion he showed great respect to Buddhism and made very liberal land grants to Buddhists monks and monasteries. The Sirpur stone inscription praises the “lotus” feet of the Saugata (Buddha) and records the construction of a monastery by a Bhikshu named Ananda Prabha during the reign of Balarjuna as well as the establishment of a attara (feeding house) for the monks residing in the monastery and for the upkeep of that a white rice field was given together with the supplementary crops grown in it. He had also donated a vihara to Buddhist nuns. He is said to have constructed many Buddhist monasteries at Sripur and revival of Mahayana Buddhism was the most outstanding feature of his reign.

Banpur has yielded large number of Buddhist bronze images, and a copper plate of the Somavamsi ruler Indraratha’s has also been discovered. Indraratha had made a land grant to a female Buddhist deity called Khadiravani Bhattaraka of Kangodamandala, Mitra has identified this goddess with a Buddhist Tara image (1978:4). Moreover, their patronage to Buddhism is also known from the gift of the village by Karnadeva to Karourasri hailing from Solampur mahavihara of Utkaladesa, which has been identified with a village of the same name near Jajpur on the bank of the river Baitarani. It was an important Buddhist centre since the time of the Bhaumakaras and therefore it is presumed that the lady, to whom the village was granted, was a Buddhist. Thus, it is apparent that the Somavamsis followed a policy of reconciliation towards Buddhism. During this period it was the Vajrayana form of Buddhism that gained popularity and flourished throughout the kingdom.

It is known from the Achutrajpur (Banpur) copper-plate charter of Indraratha (first quarter of the eleventh century CE) that the king granted a village to bear the cost towards the rituals and offerings to goddess Khadiravani Bhattarika (Tara), this proves that by the first half of the tenth century CE the worship of female goddess came to prominence (Mitra 1980:214). Towards the end of the tenth century CE Kalachakrayana an offshoot of Vajrayana, was introduced in Orissa. From Tibetan Buddhist sources it appears that in Orissa, particularly the institution of Ratnagiri, played a significant role in the propagation of the Kalachakra-tantra.

The Ratnagiri copper plate Grant dated to the end of eleventh and beginning of the twelfth century CE records the grant of a village in favour of Rani Karpurasri who hailed from Solampura Mahavihara. She was a lay devotee and spent her last years at Ratnagiri Mahavihara. So, it is presumed that the grant was for her to meet her day-to-day requirements or on her insistence to the monastery for its upkeep