Continued From: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Konark Temple: A Soul’s Symbolic Journey Part 1
The religion in Odisha
during medieval times was closely associated with the worship of Lord
Jagannatha, to such an extent that the worship of Lord Jagannatha formed the
backbone of religious worship in Odisha.
All other religious philosophies, such as Saktism, Saivism,
Buddhism, and Jainism, that flourished during medieval times, absorbed the
practices of Jagannath worship and vice versa.
Vaishnavism is the foundation of medieval Odisha. We know
that Swami Ramanujacharya visited Puri, which is known as Purushottam Kshetram
in the ancient Vedic scriptures. Purushottam Kshetram is an important kshetram
for Vaishnavas.
According to historical
sources, the Konark Temple was constructed by King Gajapati Narasingha Deva I of
the Imperial Ganga Dynasty. This king ruled from (c. 1238–1264). The Imperial
Ganga Dynasty was first established by King Anaṅgabhīma in the year c. 1230. There are two King Anakabhīmas
listed under the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. King Anakabhīma II, who ruled from c.
1190–1198 and King Anakabhīma III of the Imperial Ganga Dynasty, who ruled from
c. 1211–1238. The time period from c.1190 to c. 1245 coincides with that of the
Poet Jayadeva, who composed the famous Gita Govindam for Lord Jagannatha. According
to Wikipedia, The Poet Sri Jayadeva lived from c.1190 to c. 1245. The king of
that period decreed that Gita Govindam should be sung daily in the Jagannath
Temple.
One of the earlier Eastern
Ganga kings, King Anantavarman Chodagangadeva, was possibly a follower of Swami
Ramanujacharya, and the king assumed the titles of Paramavaishnava and
Paramamahesvara.
King Anaṅgabhīma of the
Imperial Ganga Dynasty dedicated his kingdom to Lord Jagannatha at Puri. He is
said to have acknowledged the divinity of Puri both as the sole state deity of Odisha and as his divine overlord. Anaṅgabhīma and his
successors declared that they were carrying out the divine order (adesha) of
Lord Jagannatha. They called themselves the Son of Lord Jagannatha or the vassal
of Lord Jagannatha.
King Gajapati Narasimha Deva
I was described as Purushottama-Putra in the Ganga copper plate grants. It can
be safely assumed that, as Purushottama-Putra, the King conceived Lord Vishnu
as the Sun-God at Konark, thus making a connection to Lord Surya Narayana.
There is a stone carving of the king worshipping Lord Jagannatha at Konark.
Oriya literature also
confirms the connection of Lord Surya Narayana with Konark. The 15th-century
poet Sri Sarala Dasa mentioned in his Mahabarata that Lord Surya Narayana
killed the Asura named Arka at Agni-Kona of Jambudwipa. As the Asura was killed
at Agni-Kona, the place became Konarka Kshetra. Sri Sarala Dasa composed the
Mahabarata from the perspective of a bagawatha (devotee). This composition
brings out Lord Krishna as the Supreme Controller.
The ancient Sun Temple at Konarka was constructed in the
13th century for the worship of Lord Surya-Narayana.
In ancient times, Kings built temples on a grand scale. The
temples were meant to be the pictorial representation of religious literature. From
this perspective, the Konark Temple was conceived as a pictorial representation
of the Upanishads.
Sculpture of King Narasimha Deva worshipping Lord
Jagannatha at Konark
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