The Purusottama-Jagannatha Temple of Puri: A Study on It's History, Culture, Art and Conservation

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Dr. Nanda Kishor Swain, born in the village Korkors, District Jajpur, Odisha, obtained his Μ.Α. (2000 with University Gold Medal for securing First Position in First Class), M. Phil. (2001 with First Position) and Ph.D (2009) in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology from Utkal University. Bhubaneswar, Odisha and P. G. Diploma in Archaeology (2003) from Institute of Archaeology, ASI, New Delhi. He started his service career as an Assistant Archaeologist in Archaeological Survey of India, Bhubaneswar Circle in the year 2005 and subsequently directly selected by UPSC and elevated to the post of Deputy Superintending Archaeologist in the year 2015 and served at Excavation Branch-VI, Bengaluru and ASI Head Quarters, New Delhi. Presently he is heading the Archaeological Survey of India, Guwahati Circle and Aizawl Circle (Additional Charge) as Superintending Archaeologist. His area of specilisation is Art, Archi-tecture, Field Archaeology, Epigraphy and Antiquarian Law. He has associated with more than a dozen major archaeological excavations in the country like Harappan sites of Dholavira and Junikuran (both in District Kachchha, Gujarat), Megalithic site of Kodumanal (District Erode, Tamilnadu), early historic sites of Sravasti (District Sravasti, UP), Ahichchhatra (District Bareilly, UP), Sisupalgarh (District Khordha, Odisha), Hansi (District Hisar, Haryana), Keeladi (District Sivaganga, Tamilnadu), Gottiprolu (District Nellore, Andhra Pradesh), etc. He has undertaken problem oriented explorations in the Middle Brahmani valley and discovered more than 100 prehistoric sites. He has contributed a number of research papers in the field of art and archaeology. He has edited Asoksri (Prof. A. N. Parida Felicitation Volume), 2 Vols., 2021. He is currently conducting research on the Ahom monuments of Assam.

The great Purusottama-Jagannatha temple of Puri stands on the shore of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Odishä. Built in the 12 century AD by Anantavarman Codaganga Deva (1077-1147AD) of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, it represents a typical Odishän temple at its best. This is the largest and tallest surviving temple of Odisha. In evolution of the Odishän temple style, this temple is a near duplicate of the Lingarāja temple of Bhubaneswar and provided the model for the subsequent Sun temple at Koņärk, where the Odishän style of temple architecture attained its finality and fulfilment. The present monograph is a comprehensive scientific treatise critically examining and evaluating the Purusottama-Jagannatha temple of Puri in all aspects such as its history, architecture, sculpture, icono-graphy, rituals, festivals, organisation of services, conservation measures, etc. It tries to depict, in all details, the art and architecture of the temple in a broader Indian framework, as well as in the context of regional developments. An unbiased interpretation of the original sources like the inscriptions, Purānas and other literary works, the Mädalāpāñji (the chronicle of Puruşottama-Jagannatha temple), etc, have been strictly adhered to in order to trace the origin, antiquity, history, rituals, festivals etc. of the temple. The monograph supplemented by 15 nos. of appendices, 50 nos. of figures and 22 nos. of plates will remain a standard work of reference and prove a veritable mine of information for scholars and general public interested in the Indian art and culture in general and that of Purusottama-Jagannatha temple in particular.

Purī (Lat. 19° 47' 55" N and Long. 85° 49' 5" E.) (Fig. 1), the holy city of Vişnu as Purusottama-is situated on she in religious sanctity and cultural greatness. The name of the town of Puri is a part of the fuller name Puruşottama-Puri or Jagannatha-Purī, ie. the city of god Purusottama-Jagannatha. It is sometimes also called Purusottama which is likewise a part of the fuller name Purusottama-Puri or Purusottama Kşetra. Named after Puruşottama-Jagannatha, the city is also known as Nīlācala, Nīlagiri, Śrī Kşetra, Puruşottama Kşetra, Puruşottama, Jagannātha Kşetra, Śańkha Kşetra, Yamanika Kşetra, Martya Baikuntha, etc. With the construction of spectacular temples at Purī by Yayāti 11 (1022-1040 AD) of Soma dynasty and Codaganga Deva (1077-1147 AD) of the Ganga dynasty, the sanctity of Purusottama spread far and wide and the shrine gradually became famous as a great religious centre of the Hindus. Purī became one of the greatest centres of Vaşnavism and formed one of the four sacred pithas of India, the others being Badrinath in the north, Rämeśvaram in the south and Dväraka in the west. Being the eternal seat of Purusottama-Jagannatha, Purī is considered as the embodiment of all tirthas like Gopa, Mathurā, Vrindavan, Dvārakā, Kaśī, etc. Today the sacred city of Puri and the temple of Jagannatha occupy a special position in the religious and cultural life of India in general and that of Odisha in particular. In the minds of the millions of people of India, Odisha is the land of Purusottama-Jagannatha. The Purī town is bounded on the south by the Bay of Bengal; on the west by mauzā Sipasarubālli (No.1); on the north by mauzā Gopināthapur; and on the east by mauzā Bālukhaņda. The area represented by de sandy shore, which stande mest of the Government buildings, skin in ometal recasts conder the come Khaemahal Balakhada, and is popularly known as Bälukhanda (the sandy permin) The blue ses gives the town a picturesque appearance. The sandy shore, of which it forms a part. strunchies from the Chilika lake in the south, to the mouth of the Pract river on the north, a distance of over 67 kilometres. It is broken by a number of ridges some of which enclose lagooms of salt water, One of them about 809,174 hectares (2000 acres) near Puri formed a large lake called Sora Pata, but this area has now hech converted into habitable lands. To the north of Purt town there is another patch of water-logged land popularly known as Sumanga Pata or Samagara Pata. In course of time this area has also been turned into arable land. Part is connected both by roads and railway. By radway and road it is 63 km and 59 km respectively from Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha. There is also a helipod at Talabaniä in Puri. By far the most important of the roads from Purt is the Jagannatha road which goes almost due north to Satyavadi Pipli, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Puri is also connected with Kosärk by the marine road along the sea const The total population of Puri town is 2.01 lakhs according to 2011 census. Apart from this permanent population, floating population of Puri always remain about 1 lakh daily and increases enormously during the festivals, especially on the occasion of the ratha-vitra. The area of the municipality is 16.84 sq. km. The south-west monsoon is the principal source of rainfall in the town. Average annual rainfall of the town is 1449.1 mm. The climate of the town is subtropical with hot and dry summer and pleasant winter. The summer season extends from March to middle of June followed by rainy season from June to September. The winter season extends from November till the end of February. Relative humidity is generally high throughout the year and it varies from 62-85%. The mean monthly potential evapo-transpiration values vary from 57 mm. in January to 254 mm. in May. The mean annual wind velocity at Puri (IMD) station, is recorded as 14.8 km/hr. During summer and south-west monsoon months wind velocity increases. The minimum temperature of the town is approximately 16.45 degree Celsius and the maximum is 33.9 degree Celsius. The Asetra, according to the Puranas, extends over five krosas or about sixteen kilometres from the temple of Lokanatha on the west to that of Vilveśvara on the east and from the sea on the south to Mățiánadi, a small stream on the north. But as two krosas out of the five have been, it is said, engulfed by the sea, the remainder very closely represents the present extent. This sacred tract is said to resemble in shape a conch-shell, sankha, which is one of the four ayudhas of Visnu. Therefore, Puri is known as Sankha Kşetra. The deity of Puri is mentioned as Purusottama in earlier references of inscriptions and literary sources. The term 'Jagannatha", which the followers of different religions applied to their supreme divinity, in course of time, was specially applied to the god Purusottama, and today he is widely known as Jagannatha. The Kapiläs inscription of Narasimha 1 (1238-1264 AD) refers Purusottama as the "Lord of the fourteen worlds' (caturdas bhuvanādhipati).