1. Construction Period of the Temple of Lord Jagannatha

LORD JAGANNATHA TEMPLE Purusottama ksetra popularly known as Puri is well known throughout the world for the celebrated temple of Lord Jagannatha, which stands on a prominent place near the sea shore (the Bay of Bengal). The exact geographical location of the temple of Lord Jagannatha is Latitude 19° 18m 17° North and Longitude 85° 51™ 39s East, about 59 kms to the south-east of Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Orissa.³ The most stupendous architectural undertaking during the Ganga period was the construction of the Jagannatha temple at Puri. It is really an earliest monument, which is one of the greatest contribution of the Ganga monarchs towards the art and architecture of Orissan temples. This temple is the best specimen of the Kalinga Syle of temple architecture in Orissa (Pl.No-1). The temple of Lord Jagannatha is not only the largest but also the tallest surviving. temple at present. From the cultural point of view, this temple is also the most important Vaisnava shrine of Eastern India. 1. Construction Period of the Temple of Lord Jagannatha The celebrated temple of Lord Jagannatha possesses a pivotal position in the cultural history of Orissa. On the basis of traditions recorded in the Madalapanji (the palm leaf Oriya chronicle of Lord Jagannatha temple), the construction of the temple (Jagannatha) is attributed to Anangabhima Deva of the Ganga dynasty. A Sanskrit verse says that the temple was erected by Anangabhima Deva, the grandson of Ananta Varmana Codaganga Deva in the Saka year 1119 i.e. corresponding to 1197 AD.² But the epigraphical records ascribe the building of the present temple to Ananta Varman Codaganga Deva (1077-1147 AD). The earliest reference to the construction of present temple of Lord Purusottama is found mentioned in the Dasagoba copper plate charter of Rajaraja III issued in the Saka year 1120 i.e. corresponding to 1198 AD.³ It makes us believe that Gangesvara i.e. Ananta Varman Codaganga Deva initiated the construction work of the present constructed temple and the relevant verses are also recorded in the Nagari Copper Plate charter of Ananga Bhima Deva-III dated 1230 AD, the Asankhali Copper Plate inscription of Narasimha Deva III dated 1333 AD and the Kenduli Copper Plate of Narasimha Dev-IV respectively.

The text relating to the construction of the temple states, "Who could erect a suitable temple for such a god as Lord Purusottama whose feet are this earth; the navel is entire space whose two ears are all directions, whose pair of eyes are the Sun and Moon and lastly, the skull is the sky (above), this temple had been neglected by previous kings but its construction work was initiated by Gangesvara.* On the basis of the Kendupatna Copper Plate of Narasimha Deva-II dated 1296 AD, M.M. Chakravarti has identified Gangesvara with Ananta Varmana Codaganga Deva, the founder of the Ganga dynasty in Utkala territory of ancient Orissa. 5 Most of the scholars also unanimously accept that the title Gangesvara is Ananta Varman Codaganga Deva. It was very difficult to finish the entire temple construction by a single ruler. So the construction work as it was huge task, was possibly continued by his successors and lastly Ananga Bhima Deva-II(1190-1198AD) completed it. The Dasagoba Copper Plate inscription distinctly states that the temple was caused to be completed and not resorted by Anangabhima Deva in the Saka year 1119 i.e. corresponding to 1197 AD.6 According to Katakarajavamsavali king Anangabhima Deva-II possibly constructed the incomplete portions of the new temple of Lord Purusottama in Sakavda 1119 (i.e. corresponding to 1197AD). Most of the earlier scholars have also accepted it as the approximate date regarding the completion of the present temple of Lord Jagannatha. 8 One hundred years after the initiation of the construction work of the present great temple, Anangabhima Deva-III (1211-1238 AD), the Ganga ruler consecrated the newly constructed great temple of Lord Purusottama (Jagannatha) at Puri.' It is clearly known from the dynastic records that the temple of Lord Purusottama was initiated by Ananta Varman Codaganga Deva and completed by Anangabhima Deva II in 1197 A.D. It is possible that the construction work of the present temple started after Codaganga Deva shifted his capital from Kalinga Nagara to Cuttack, which centrally located. R. Subba Rao has inferred that Codaganga Deva transferred his capital to Cuttack in 1135 AD.10 S.N. Rajguru has also pointed out that the Bada deula and jagamohana of Jagannatha temple were probably begun by Codaganga Deva sometimes after the prolonged war with the Kalacuris and his suppression of the border rebellion in about 1135 AD. By the year 1135 AD, Codaganga Deva had almost finished the work of his empire building. After the 11 84

1 final annexation of the Utkala territory in 1135 AD with his own kingdom (Kalinga), being influenced by Ramanuja, the eminent Vaisnava Alvar of South, Codaganga Deva started the construction work of the present temple in 1136AD, which was neglected by earlier kings. Arjun Josi has also mentioned that it was because of the spiritual inspiration of Ramanuja, Ananta Varman Codaganga Deva constructed the magnificent temple of Lord Jagannatha and Maha Laksmi temple on the sea shore. 12 The total span of time period for the construction work of the main deula of Jagannatha temple thus lingering for about 61 years (i.e. from 1136 AD to 1197 AD).13 Most probably the construction work of the present temple of Lord Jagannatha was being carried on slowly.