Orissa Review # May - 2008

New Light on Saint Poet Sri Jayadev and Gitagovinda

Historical Perspective of Saint Poet Sri Jayadev The Ganga King ruled over Kalinga from the 6th Century to 11th Century A.D. At that time Kalinga was restricted by river Rusikulya in the north and Simhachal hills in the south. At the centre of Kalinga was the Mahendragiri range of hills. The Mathar Kings who ruled over Kalinga before

temple was constructed in the 10th century A.D. by Madhukamarnava Deva a Ganga king. His son Vajrahasta Deva did quite a lot of development works for the temple and laid down all the rites and rituals for worship of the deity. From copper plate issued by him it is known that he had brought a number of families adept in dance from Baidumba kingdom which was the home of the maternal uncle of Vajrahasta Deva. These families

the Gangas had Singhapur as their Capital. But after the fall of Mathar dynasty the Ganga kings established their Capital at Kalinga Nagar on the bank of river Vamsadhara. To-day it is located in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh known as Nagari Katak. Very close to this place is a place known as Mukhalingam in which the Madhukeswar Siva
41

gradually increased in number and the king settled them in a village called Srikurumapatak at the distance of 19km from Kalinga Nagar on the sea coast. There is a Vishnu temple there enshrining Srikuruma Avatar (Tortoise incarnation of Visnu). The Vaishnavites who came from southern India taught Sanskrit literature, philosophy and religious texts to the students in this place. There was also a school for music and dance at Srikurumapatak

Orissa Review # May - 2008

for the dancing girls and boys. The temple dancers were called Sani. The Ganga Kings ruled over Kalinga for about 400 years and then Chodaganga Deva was born to Maharaja Devendravarma Rajaraja Deva and queen Rajasundari who was the daughter of the Chola King of Kanchi named Maharaja Kulatunga Rajendra Chola the Second. Rajasundari had two sons namely, Cholaganga Deva and Pamardy. When Rajrajara Deva died prematurely in 1077 A.D., Cholaganga Deva was only 5 year old and Paramardy, the second son was only 3 year old. Kalinga was thus without a ruler. The neighbouring states wanted to occupy Kalinga. In order to save the kingdom and the two kids from the enemies Rajasundari the widowed queen desperately sought the help of her brother Virachoda who was ruling over the Bengi Kingdom. Virachoda accepted the request, came to Kalinga Nagar and organised the coronation of the child Cholaganga Deva. He got his own kid daughter Gundichodi, later on known as Kasturikamodini, married to Cholaganga Deva and proclaimed that Kalinga was not without a ruler. Virachoda was a brave and intelligent king himself. He engaged teachers of high caliber for the education of his daughter and the son-in-law. Cholaganga Deva, later led a huge army and started a series of campaign against the neighbouring enemy kingdoms. Situated to the east of Kalinga was Utkal which was ruled at that time by the Somavansi king Karnadeva. Cholaganga attacked Utkal. With this battle for the conquest of Utkal, the Somavansa got eliminated. Cholaganga then defeated Chalukya King of Bengi and also defeated Pala King of Bangal at Mandargada and Armyanagar, at present known as Arambag. He extended his Kingdom Kalinga from Godavari in
42

the south-west to Ganga in the north-east. In 1112 A.D. he shifted his capital from Kalinga Nagar to Varanasi Katak which is at present known as Bidanasi. From Deopara copper plate inscription it is known that Vijayasena prided himself as a friend of Cholaganga. Since it took some time to bring about peace and stability in the conquered territories of Utkal and Banga, Cholaganga alongwith his family stayed in Kalinga Nagar upto 1126 A.D. and then shifted to Varanasi Katak after restoration of peace and stability. In 1050 Sakabda (1128 A.D.) his first year of reign was declared to be counted as found from an inscription in Nrusingha temple near Mukti Mandap at Srimandir. Cholaganga assumed the title of Parama Maheswara, Parama Vaisnava and Parama Brahmanya. He was initially a Saiva and later on became Vaisnava. His Saiva Guru was a Sadhu in Madhukeswar temple and his Vaisnav Guru was from Vishnu temple of Kurumapatak. Cholaganga Deva organised the coronation of his eldest son Sri Kamarnava Deva at Sri Purusottama Temple of Puri and stayed in his palace at Puri for the rest of his life. This was in the year 1142 A.D. Cholaganga Deva started the construction of the present Jagannath Temple at Puri. At the coronation function temple dancers from Sri Kurumapatak were called to perform dance at the Lord Jagannath Temple. This sect was known as Sani sect. As found out from the temple inscriptions at Madhukeswar temple and Simanchal Temple, the Ganga Kings had encouraged this tradition of temple dancers in the kingdom of Kalinga, and then in the Kalinga empire. As recorded in an inscription in the Lingaraj Temple, Bhubaneswar, during the reign of Raghava Deva, the second son of Chodaganga

Orissa Review # May - 2008

Deva, all the land rights for a region called Baheda Khanda were purchased from Sadhu Pradhan Jayadeva of Kurmapataka and donated to Kirtivaswar (Lord Lingaraj) by Medam Devi, her father Komi Nayaka and her mother. The three of them had donated three Akhanda Dipas (arrangements for non-stop burning of oil-lamps) to the temple. They belonged to the Sani sect. A similar inscript ion appears on Madhukeswar temple at Mukhalingam where Komi Nayak, father of Medam Devi and his wife Nagama Devi (Title of Gudisani meaning Temple Dancer) arranged for offering an akhanda deepa in the temple in 1113 A.D. There is yet another inscription in the said Madhukeswar temple inwhich they had offered akhanda deepa in 1128 A.D. The system of providing Akhanda Dipa and donating rights of land to the deities appears to be common in the three events in 1113, 1128 and 1156 A.D. The presence of Jayadeva and his description as Kurmapataka Pravara establishes that he had close lineage with the dancing families of Kurmapataka who had come to Orissa during the period of Chodaganga Deva. had the Gudi Sanis (temple actors and dancers) been socially looked down upon, then their donations to temples could not have been accepted and immortalized in inscriptions. The two inscriptions at Madhukeswar temple and the one at Simhachal temple were discovered, read and interpreted by Dr. Satyanarayan Rajaguru, the Pitamaha Bhisma of historians and linguists of Orissa. Read with the inscription at Lingaraj temple, it leads to the conclusion that Jayadeva had been a member of the teaching facult y of the school at Srikurmapatak. He might have studied there as well. After his childhood education he must have gone to Srikurmapataka and gained experience in composition of poetry and music and in dancing.
43

He perhaps came back to Orissa alongwith the group and performed in the Puri temple. Sri Jayadeva, the celebrated Poet of Gitagovinda was born in the village Kenduvilva Sasan or Kenduli Sasan in Balipatna P.S. in Khurda district, a part of the earlier Puri district. He was most likely born in the first part of 12th Century A.D. during the reign of Cholaganga Deva. Kenduli Sasan close to the river Prachi then was inhabited mostly by Brahmins. The presiding deity in the village is Ambika and there is a Nrusingha temple as well. Jayadeva must have gone for higher education in Sanskrit literature and music to Kurmapataka and after education he must have become a tutor there. That is why the two titles Kurmapataka Pravara and Sadhu Pradhan have been mentioned against him in the Lingaraj Temple inscription. Read together the three inscriptions indicate to the fact of close association of Jayadeva to the family of Komi Nayaka and to the institution at Kurmapataka. Prachi valley witnessed the rise and spread of Jainism, Buddhism, Saivism, Saktism, Sun cult and Vaisnavism. Kenduvilva and many other villages nearby are full of religious monuments dedicated to different cults. Numerous temples were erected by Bhaumas, Somavanshis and the Gangas in the Prachi valley. Village Kenduli Sasan has rich relics of brick and stone temples and sculptures of Saiva, Vaisnav and Sakta cults as well as Buddhism belonging to the period between 9th and 13th Century A.D. In Prachi Valley whether the temple has a Sakta or Saiva deity, Gitagovinda is recited on festive occasions which symbolise the influence of Vaisnavism over Saktism and the immense popularityof the text of Gitagovinda. The copper plate grant of Nrusingha Deva the 4th which was recovered from a tank near the Nrusingha temple of Kenduli village, was

Orissa Review # May - 2008

originally issued from Varanasi Katak in A.D. 1383. It refers to establishment of Narasinghpur Sasan donated to one Mahapatra Narahari Das Praharaj who was the minister of Narasingha Deva. This Sasan is located very close to Kenduvilva on Prachi valley. This grant also contains the names of Olatapura and Attahaspura Sasan adjacent to Kenduli established by Attahasdeva, the youngest son of Cholaganga Deva. To quote Dr. Harish Chandra Das While discussing about the historical background of Jayadeva it will perhaps not be out of place to glance through how he introduced Radha and Mahava and dasavatara cult in the most popular manner breaking the stylized tradition. From this point of view Gitagovinda is virtually a historical text unfurling the historical truth through his poetic narration. The cult of Madhava which is historically proved to be in existence in Orissa from seventh or eighth century A.D. gained great momentum from the time of Jayadeva. The first epigraphical evidence of Madhava, we come across in the copper plate grant of Madhavaraja of the Sailodbhava dynasty, where the scribe has particularized the epithet of Chakrayudha Madhava. The image of Nilamadhava installed by the Bhanja monarch at Gandharadi (ninth century A.D.) comes next in order of chronology. The image of Santosa Madhava recorded to in the copper plate grant of Indravarman Codaganga, Madhava in the pillar inscriptions of Rellivalasa at Srikakulam, numerous Madhava sculptures and temples in Prachi valley are clear revelation of the longcontinued tradition of Madhava worship in Orissa with wide distribution in Prachi valley, the birth place of Jayadeva who in course of his wanderings and as a devout worshipper of Madhava infused exuberantly in his Gitagovinda the lucid
44

description of Madhava, his deity of love and admiration. Sri Jayadeva introduced the cult of Radha and Krishna through his Gitagovinda and due to the influence of Shrimad Bhagavata and Gitagovinda and the composite figure of Krishna and Vishnu as Gopinath became very popular in Orissa. When Vaisnavism became the state religion of Orissa the composite sculpture of Krishna and Vishnu with upper two hands in the pose of playing the flute, standing in Tribhanga associated with Astagopi and cattle which is the characteristic feature of Krishna, indicates the amalgamation of two cults at a time. The long continued tradition of Dasavatara had a deep imprint on Sri Jayadeva who popularised the 10 Avatars of Vishnu in lucid language, which would be put to music and dance. To quote Dr. Harish Chandra Das again That the concept of ten incarnations of Visnu was widely prevalent in Orissa since seventh century A.D. is substantiated by literary and archaeological evidences. In this connection mention may be made of Varaha worship referred to in the copper plate of Dharmaraja of the Sailodbhava dynasty and other individual and collective images particularly in coastal Orissa which speak in short the prevalence of dasavatara worship in Orissa before the advent of Jayadeva. Jayadeva in his composition (dasakrtikrte) has shown the greatness of Lord Visnu in his ten incarnations individually. It was Sri Jayadeva who institutionalised the Devadasi system introduced from the time of Somavansi Kings. Devadasis or Maharis were women dedicated to the deity in the temple for performance of dance and music. The importance of this dancing service became so great that a special structure called Natamandir was added to the Viman and Jagamohan

Orissa Review # May - 2008

Madhava Patnaik a Vaishnavite poet was a contemporary of Panchasakha and Sri Chaitanya. As is well known, Panchasakha refers to Balarama Das, Jagannatha Das, Achyuta Das, Ananta Das and Yashovanta Das, the saint poets of Orissa. Madhava Patnaik has described in detail the events in the later part of life of Shri Chaitanya in Puri. In this book is given a graphic description of the development of Vaishnavism in Orissa. The following are the facts from this book which clearly mentioned that (i) Chodaganga Deva actually renovated an old temple and started construction of the present Jagannatha temple, and he had conducted in the temple itself the Abhishek of crown prince Kamarnava Deva, (ii) On this occasion dancers were called from the South to perform dance and drama in the Puri temple. (iii) A small Natamandir was constructed and arrangements were made for presentation of regular dance and drama by Maharis (Temple dancers) in the honour of Lord Jagannatha in the temple during the time of Chodaganga Deva and his son. (iv) Chaitanya after he had arrived at Puri was advised by Pandits to go to Rajamahendri to meet Raya Ramananda who was Governor of this southern province of Orissa. There Chaitanya came t o know about Dvaitavada and Advaitavada from Raya Ramananda (v) Bipra Jayadeva was born in Kenduli Sasan on the bank of river Prachi. He worshipped Madhava at Niali. He was an expert in the Shastras and Puranas, music and dance. He was a saint poet who composed the Geeta Govinda in the temple of Jagannatha at Puri and his wife Padmavati danced to the tunes of Geeta Govinda before Jagannath. (vi) Chaitanya and Panchasakha were going on Sankirtan Trips to different parts of Orissa for a number of years. One such annual trip started from Ananta Vasudeva temple of Bhubaneswar
45

and ended at Puri touching Balakati-KenduliNiali, Madhav, Adaspur, Kakatpur and Konark. Madhav Patnaik has described as to how Srichaitanya and Panchasakha were dancing in Sankirtan singing Gitagobinda at Kenduli village which was the birth place of Jayadeva. This book was discovered and compiled from three Palm leaf manuscripts collected in Orissa from three places in the early 1980s. Gitagovinda of Sri Jayadev, therefore, is accepted as a historical text in addition to its great literary and religious significance. Sri Jayadev initially highlighted and systematised the traditional cults but also introduced his own ideologies, poetic imagery and music. Both Cholaganga Deva and his son Kamarnav were disciples of Ramanuja and devotees of Sri Jagannath and his consort Laxmi. Jayadeva was influenced by Ramanuja s ideology of Jagannath and Laxmi. In Gitagovinda Krishna tells Radha that formerly she as Laxmi chose Him as her consort on the sea shore on the occasion of Samudra Manthana. As a result of this incident Siva swallowed poison out of despair. Gitagovinda was composed before 1150 A.D. and Gitagovinda dance drama was enacted in Puri temple during the rein of Cholaganga Deva and Kamarnavadeva. The earliest reference to Jayadeva outside Orissa was made by poet Chandabaradai, the Court poet of Prithviraj Chauhan who was defeated and killed in 1192 A.D. by Md. Ghori in the battle of Tirori. The next earliest reference is found in an inscription of Raja Sarangadev in the year 1201 A.D. Therefore, it is established that Gitagovinda because of its regular performance in Sri Jagannath temple of Puri assumed popularity throughout India within a brief perid of 30-40 years of its composition. It combined the best in the rich traditions of philosophy, literature, music and dance in Kalinga and Utkal. The philosophy

Orissa Review # May - 2008

was developed later into Achintya Bheda Bheda Tatwa, so ably propounded by Raya Ramananda and accepted and immortalized by Sri Chaitanya, Pancha Sakha and the Shad Goswamis. References : 1. Gita Govindam Sacred Profanities : A Study of Jayadeva s Gita Govinda - Dr. NSR Ayengar. 2. Mahakavi Jayadeva O Gita Govinda Satyanarayan Rajaguru. 3. Shri Gita Govinda Mahakavyam Kaviraja Jayadeva - Dr. Bhagaban Panda. 4. Jayadeva and Gita Govinda in the Tradition of Orissa - Dr. Pathi, Dr. Panda & Dr. Rath. 5. Alochana - Pandit Nilamani Misra. The Gitagovinda in the History of Shri Jagannath Temple The Gitagovinda of Jayadeva, divinely adorned and devotionally oriented, acquires a unique place among the famous scriptures of the world. As a sublime and spontaneous display of devotional romantic poetry centring around love episodes of Radha and Krsna, it was the first of its kind to be included in the ritual service of Lord Jagannath as an essential component of worship. Besides its scholastic value, its sweet flow and the intensely musical verses have attracted the attention and spontaneous regard of millions of people through centuries. The singing of the Gitagovinda alongwith the accompaniment of music and lovely dance of the devadasi in the Srimandira was the most fascinating daily service of Lord Jagannath, which had attracted many devotees from all parts of India. In the absence of authentic historical evidence, it is difficult to say whether there already
46

existed specific arrangements for ceremonious worship of Lord Jagannath by the devadasis before the inauguration of the present temple or was introduced thereafter. The practice of temple dances was there in Orissa during the time of Somavamshi kings as well. It is ascertained from the Madala Panji (temple chronicle) that as introduced by the Ganga emperor Ananga Bhimadeva-II (1211 A.D. - 1228 A.D), the rituals and services of Lord Jagannath were performed by a number of functionaries (sevakas). Their duties, rights and responsibilities had been codified. The sevakas belonged to different castes and were all more or less equal in importance in relation to Lord Jagannath. They were inter-dependent and were mutually connected by a vast network of rituals and services. As the worship of the lord was conducted by 36 different communities, it was termed as Chhatisa niyoga. This niyoga or collective service comprised of three classes or divisions. These were : (i) (ii) (iii) Pratihari Niyoga Suara and Mahasuar Niyoga and Bhitarachhu Niyoga

It was the responsibility of t he representative of a niyoga to supervise the conduct of worship of Lord Jagannath. The Gajapati as the head of the niyoga had the right to inflict suitable punishment if any sevak neglected in his duties. For centuries, in spite of many national and political calamities, this mode of worship to the Lord has been continuing for generations. Orissa came under the Mughal rule which continued till 1751 A.D. i.e. till the beginning of Marhatta rule. During the Muslim rule, the temple of Lord Jagannath was subjected to many

Orissa Review # May - 2008

assaults. As a result, the Deities had to be carried many a times for safe to dense forests and often buried underground for protection from the Muslim intruders a number of times. Needless to say that during these days of external attacks, the usual ritualistic services were disturbed. But, the Deities were repeatedly restored. After the Marathas took over, no deviation from the specified mode of service to the Lord has ever come to notice. In 1751 A.D. the Marhattas occupied Orissa including Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath. They appointed officials to supervise the day to day conduct of worship of Lord Jagannath. In 1803 after Orissa came under the British rule, an English officer Mr. C.Grom prepared a report on the rituals of service to Lord Jagannath in Srimandira basing it on the practice then in vogue. This report speaks of 36 distinct units of service with 250 persons engaged in day to day conduct of worship to the Lord. In this list of elaborate rituals of service, mention has been made of recital of the Gitagovinda before the sanctum of Lord Jagannath accompanied by the dance of devadasi (unmarried young girls dedicated and married to the Lord). For this, many artistes adept in the art of music and dance had been appointed. They were treated as employees of the State and were granted all rights and privileges meant for royal officers. This practice has started from the time of Emperer Chodaganga Deva. The service of singing of the Gitagovinda to the accompaniment of the dance of the devadasi has been duly recognised as an indispensable phase of worship codified in the 'Record of Rights'. The Gitagovinda was sung every evening in the inner shrine called JayaVijaya Dvara (guarded on both sides by images of celestial guards Jaya and Vijaya).
47

After nocturnal offering of arati, Lord Jagannath, the Lord of Universe, puts on the most attractive Badasinghara Vesa gorgeously attained in costly apparel and decorated lavishly with flowers and garlands. Then, the Gitagovinda was sung with a devadasi dancing before the Lord. Thereafter the deities are covered with silken scarfs which are known as Gitagovinda khandua (the sevaka rendering this service is known as the Changuda Mekap). The devadasis are named maharis and their dance is called mahari- dance or rahasa. In course of time, the mahari dance has evolved into Odisi dance. According to the Madala Panji, the Ganga emperor Narasingha Deva II (1278 A.D. - 1307 A.D) better known in the history as the poet Narasingha Dev had for the first time introduced singing of the Gitagovinda in the service of Lord Jagannath. "E uttaru kavi Narasingha Deva raja hoile, Gitagovinda siloukale." (Madala Panji, Prachi Edition, page.36) But, at the same time, it has also been recorded in the Madala Panji that emperor Kamarnava Deva (1146 A.D. - 1156 A.D.) better known in historical accounts as Ekajata Deva, the eldest son of Chodaganga Deva, the founder of the Ganga empire, did not touch even a drop of water without hearing the Gitagovinda. It, therefore, goes without saying that the Gitagovinda had been composed much earlier than the reign of Narasingha Deva II and had already earned royal attention and patronage. Had it not been so, the recitation of the Gitagovinda before Kamarnava Deva would have been out of question. It is quite apparent that the Gitagovinda had already acquired a conspicuous place in the ritual service of Srimandira, but for some reason or other, this practice was

Orissa Review # May - 2008

discontinued and was revived again by Narasingha Deva II. After 'Sri Jagannath Temple Act' was passed by the Government of Orissa in 1956, the ritual services were brought into the zone of legal jurisdiction. According to the provision of the Act, there are 119 services instituted and they are recorded on hereditary basis in the 'Records of Rights'. Before the enforcement of 'Sri Jagannath Temple Act-1956' hereditary rights of seva (service) used to be recorded in the Chhamu Chitau. The hereditary rights of seva are : (1) Gajapati Maharaja, (2) Parichha or Rajaguru, (3) Chhatisa Niyoga Nayak Seva (4) Pattayosi Mahapatra Seva, (5) Bhitarachhu, (6) Talichha (7) Mudrahasta, (8) Deula Purohita, (9) Pujapanda, (10) Badapanda, (11) Pasupalaka or Puspalaka Seva, (12) Mudra, (13) Khuntia, (14) Bhandara Mekap Seva, (15) Palia Mekap Seva, (16) Akhanda Mekapa Seva, (17) Changada Mekapa Seva, (18) Khata Seja Mekapa Seva, (19) Pratihari Seva, (20) Daita Seva, (21) Pati Mahapatra Seva, (22) Patribadu Seva, (23) Garabadu Seva, (24) Suarabadu, (25) Khuri Nahaka, (26) Mukha Pakhala Sevaka, (27) Ghatuari, (28) Gochhikara Seva, (29) Suna Gosvami Seva, (30) Muduli Seva, (31) Alati Balita Seva, (32) Purana Panda, (33) Datta Mahapatra Seva, (34) Lugadhua and Panikunda Seva, (35) Ballabha Yogania Seva, (36) Bimana Badu Seva, (37) Anasara Suddhasuara and Suddhasuara, (38) Hadap Nayak (39) Bidia Yogania, (40) Khatuli Sevaka, (41) Asthana Pratihari, (42) Kothabhoga Yogania (43) Pradhani, (44) Paika, (45) Lenka Sevaka, (46) Suar Niyoga Nayak Seva, (47) Suara Niyoga and Mahasuara, (48) Jagia Mahasuara or Rosa Amina, (49) Badu Suara Seva, (50) Panti
48

Badu, (51) Amaluto dali Purakharadi, (52) Tolabadu (53) Rosapaika (54) Bahara Deuli Suara, (55) Bahara Deula Yogania, (56) Rosadho Pakhalia, (57) Handi Yogania and Tolabadu Seva, (58) Biribata Samartha Seva, (59) Kotha Bhoga Pania, (60) Panikipata, (61) Nikapa or Gandhana Nikapa Seva, (62) Biribuhia, (63) Daudibata, (64) Chunara Garuda Sevaka, (65) Sabata Niyoga, (66) Paniapata, (67) Mandani Seva, (68) Chaka Apsara Sevaka, (69) Mulia Suansia, (70) Binakara Seva, (71) Darpania or Bairakhia, (72) Kotha Suansia, (73) Mahabhoi, (74) Gitagovinda Sevaka, (75) Bhitaragaani Devadasi, (76) Samprada Niyoga, (77) Dayanamali, (78) Madeli, (79) Prasadabadu, (80) Badu Mahapatra (81) Tatua, (82) Patarabandha, (83) Chhatara Niyoga Seva, (84) Kahalia, (85) Sankhua, (86) Parvayatra Yogania, (87) Chitrakara, (88) Rupakara, (89) Bania Sevaka, (90) Tamara Bisoi, (91) Karatia, (92) Benta Bindha Paika, (93) Patara Bisoi, (94) Kalabethia, (95) Daraji Seva, (96) Kumbhara Bisoi, (97) Ratha Bhoi, (98) Malachula Seva, (99) Banua, (100) Chakra Dihudia, (101) Ojha Maharana Seva, (102) Ghant a Seva, (103) Ghantua, (104) Rathadakua, (105) Badhei Sevaka, (106) Baidya, (107) Amunia Chhatara, (108) Chhamu Dihudi, (109) Chapa Behera, (110) Chapa Dalai, (111) Mapasaita Karana or Mahaprasastha Seva, (112) Tadau Karana, Bhandara Karana, Changada Karana, (113) Deula Karana, (114) Bethi Karana, (115) Kotha Karana, (116) Charcha Karana, (117) Dayanapatri, (118) Chaula Bachha Karana, (119) Matha and Byaktigata Seva. Among the sevas and the sevakas mentioned above, the Gitagovinda seva (Sl. No. 74), Devadasi Seva (Sl. No.75) and Samprada

Orissa Review # May - 2008

Niyoga (Sl. No.76) can be taken note of for further discussions :1. The Gitagovinda Seva : The functionaries engaged in this service are known as the Sadhibandha Sevaka. They sing the Gitagovinda daily close to the inner shrine at the time of Chandanalagi (smearing the deities with sandal paste). 2.Devadasi Seva (Bhitara Gaani) : The devadasi used to sing the Gitagovinda and perform dance at different times of the day. Besides, she used to sing and dance at the time of Baladhupa (first morning offering of food to the deities) every morning in the month of Kartika. She used to attend the chandanayatra of the Lord which continued for 42 days, singing and dancing in the chapa (rowing boats) for 21 days. In addition to this, the devadasi used to sing and dance at Rukmini vivah (marriage of Rukmini Devi), at the temple of Laksmi, on the day of Niladri Vije while accompanying Laksmi to bheta mandapa. She also used to attend to 16 phases of worship of Bimala in the month of Asvina and also join the ritual procession. The devadasis were Sadhibandha sevikas, which indicates their superior rank of service to the Lord. According to the prevalent rules of the temple, they were forbidden either to marry or indulge in sexual activities. But they could adopt a daughter of a touchable caste, who could be enlisted as a Sadhibandha Sevika after she was trained adequately in music and dance. At the time of any inconvenience, such as the monthly periods the Samprada Niyoga is to manage the service assigned to the Devadasi. 3. Samprada Niyoga : The Samprada Niyoga is to sing and dance at the time of first morning offering of food and sandal paste daily. During the Chandana Yatra,
49

they dance on the chapa (rowing boats) and in Bahuda, Rukmini marriage. At jagmohan they used to sing and dance. Emperor Bhanu Deva II of Ganga dynasty (1306/1307 A.D.-1328 A.D.) ruled the country in the name of Purusottam Jagannatha and hence, he was termed in history as Purusottama Deva. According to the copper plate inscription of the Punjabi Matha in Puri, he was a devotee of Govinda and Sripati. He attempted to compose another Gitagovinda following the original one and introduce it in the daily worship of srimandira. He had to face strong opposition by the sevakas engaged in temple service. This was said to be the royal edition of the Gitagovinda. Some verses of this royal edition of the Gitagovinda found place in the copies of the original Gitagovinda which are called the interpolated verses of the Gitagovinda. Kaviraj Narayan Dasa, the famous Oriya commentator has not furnished in his Sarvangasundari Tika the explanatory notes on these interpolated verses. During the reign of Gajapati emperor Purusottam Deva (1467-1497 A.D.) of Surya dynasty, Kavichandra Ray Dibakar Misra had composed Abhinava Gitagovinda in the name of Purusottam Deva in imitation of the original Gitagovinda. The Gajapati included the Abhinava Gitagovinda in the daily ritual service of Lord Jagannath and withdrew the Gitagovinda of Jayadeva. The priests were opposed to it but they could not raise their voice in fear of the Gajapati. After Purusottam Deva, his son Prataprudra Deva (1497-1540 A.D.) ascended the throne. In the Vaisnava Lilamrta, Madhava Patnaik has described this episode in a very interesting manner, as described earlier. The commands of Gajapati emperor Prataprudra Deva embodied in the inscription are

Orissa Review # May - 2008

engraved on the temple wall in old Oriya script and style as follows : "Vira sri gajapati gaudesvara navakoti karnata kalavargesvara birabara sri Prataprudra maharajankara samsta 4 anka srahi kakada su 10 budhabare abadharita agyan pramane Bada thakuranka sri Gitagovinda thakuranka bhogabele e nata hoiba. Sanjhadhupa Sarilatharu e nata hoiba. Badathakura samparada Kapilesvara thakuranka bandha nachunimane puruna samparada telengi samparada emane savihen badathakuranka Gitagovindahun ana gita na sikhibe. Ana gita na gaibe ana gita hoi paramesvaranka chhamure na haba. E nata bitarake Vaisnava gaana charijana achhanti, emane Gitagovinda gitahi gaibe. Ehankatharu asiksita mane ekasvarare suni Gitagovinda gitahin sikhibe. Ana gita na sikhibe. Eha je pariksa ana gita nata karaile jani se Jagannathanka droha karai"(Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal -Vol. LXII, 1893, pp 96-97, quoted in Sri Jayadeva O Sri Gitagovinda, pp 89. The meaning of the above inscription is as follows : 1. At the time of every offering of Bhoga, and from evening worship till the Badasinghara at night, only the Gitagovinda is to be recited accompanied by dance before the Lords. 2. The followers of Lord Balabhadra, the permanent dancing girls engaged by king Kapilesvar Deva, the old followers shall not learn or sing anything other than the Gitagovinda, and at the time of dance before the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Jagannath, no song other than the Gitagovinda would be sung. 3. Besides these four units of singers and dancers, four Vaisnava singers specially appointed would only sing the Gitagovinda. They
50

shall train the illiterate devotees to sing the Gitagovinda only and no other scripture. 4. Any sevak who disobeys this and allows singing from any scripture other than the Gitagovinda or permit with any other song to accompany a dance shall be treated as a sinner against Lord Jagannath. This announcement dates back to the 10th day of the lunar fortnight of the month of Kakada in the 4th regnal year of Gajapati emperor Prataprudra Deva which was a Wednesday. According to astrological calculation this was the 10th day of the lunar fortnight of Asadha that is the 6th July, 1500 A.D. It was the day of celebration of Bahudayatra of Lord Jagannath. This stone inscription may be attributed to the following causes : 1. Some men of higher rank engaged in the daily service of the Gitagovinda or some learned pandits or revered saints might have attempted to substitute the Gitagovinda with their own writings. Such an attempt must have caused great provocation to the sevak community who might have revolted to safeguard the sacred tradition of the srimandira service. This might be the reason of issue of royal commands by the Gajapati emperor Prataprudra Deva during his reign. 2. It is also possible that the singing of the Gitagovinda of Jayadeva which had been in vogue for generations was discontinued for some reason or other in worship of Lord Jagannath and the inscription was meant for reintroducing the same. The fact that such reintroduction was made in 1500 AD makes it clear that it was not due to Sri Chaitanya's advent in Orissa. A set of historians presumed earlier that revival of Vaishnavism and popularity of Gita Govinda after Sri Chaitanya's

Orissa Review # May - 2008

visit compelled Shri Pratap Rudra Dev to issue the royal edict. There cannot be a worse distortion of history than the concept that Radha was introduced to Orissa by Sri Chaitanya. 3. The withdrawal of the Gitagovinda of Jayadeva for sometime and introduction of the Abhinava Gitagovinda had caused a lot of dissatisfaction in the temple. In order that such adventures should not be repeated, the stone inscription was issued. 4. There is a fascinating legend prevalent in Orissa regarding this incident. It is said that the palm leaf scripture of the Gitagovinda by Jayadeva and the Abhinava Gitagovinda by the king were placed in the sanctum of Lord Jagannatha and the door of the shrine was bolted. The next morning on reopening the door, it was found that the Gitagovinda of Jayadeva was on the throne whereas the Abhinava Gitagovinda had fallen off. The pride of the king was thus curbed and while singing the glory of the Gitagovinda of Jayadeva, he reintroduced it in the daily service of the Lord. This legend finds place in the book Vaisnava Lilamrta by Madhava Patnaik. The above discourses bear ample testimony to the fact that in the history of Srimandira no deviation whatsoever from the established traditional rituals has been recorded. The sevak community did not meekly submit to nor did blindly accept out of fear any arbitration of the Gajapati emperor if that was not in conformity with the age-old convention of Srimandira The poet Madhava Patnaik, in the Vaisnava Lilamrta, has given some personal indications at the beginning of his work from which it is learnt that he had completed the book in 1535-36 A.D. i.e. during the 48th regnal year of Gajapati emperor Prataprudra Deva. From this scripture
51

it is known that he had the privilege of associating himself with Srichaitanya. It was in Puri that in 1533 A.D. Srichaitanya breathed his last. During long 18 years of his stay in Puri, Madhava Patnaik had become a favourite of Srichaitanya Deva. The Vaisnava Lilamrta contains nine chapters only. In these chapters he has mentioned the names of many holymen, saints and kings not only of his own time but also of an earlier period. Among them appear saints like Sridhar Svami, Madhavendra Puri, Isvar Puri, Raghavendra Puri, Kabir, Guru Nanak and kings like Chodaganga Deva (1078-1147 A.D.), Kamarnava Deva (1147-1168 A.D.), Bhima Deva (1211-1238 A.D.), Bhanu Deva (1352-1378 A.D.), Kapilendra Deva (1435-1467 A.D.), Purosottam Deva (1467-1497 A.D.) and Prataprudra Deva (1497-1535 A.D.). It is learnt from the scripture the Prapannamrta (Chapters 35 and 36) written by Anantacharya that Chodaganga Deva had introduced nama sankirtana (singing of God's name) in Srimandira. Ramanuja had transformed him from 'Parama Mahesvara' (great devotee of Siva) to 'Parama Vaisnava' (great devotee of Visnu) as depicted in Korny copper plate of Chodaganga (vide JAHRS-vol-IV, p-113). After Chodaganga, his eldest son Kamarnava Deva ascended the throne as recorded by the poet Madhava Patnaik in his scripture. It is learnt from the Madala Panji that Kamarnava Deva did not take a morsel of food or a drop of water without listening first to the sacred verses of the Gitagovinda (Madala Panji, Prachi Edition,1940, p-36). The Vaisnava Lilamrta of the poet Madhava Patnaik records that the devadasi dance was already in vogue in Srimandira which was

Orissa Review # May - 2008

further developed in the reign of Kamarnava Deva. The Devadasi dance has been mentioned as Rahasa dance. "Nachuni mahari jogaila, Nata hoila hari lila. Maharimane nrtya kale, Rahasa nrtya e boile." (Vaisnava Lilamrta, Ch.-II) The tradition of Rahasa dance and nama sankirtana had its beginning since the reign of Chodaganga Deva. It is said that Chodaganga Deva celebrated the coronation of his son Kamarnava Deva on the day of inauguration of the inner chamber of Srimandira. Ananga Bhimadeva, described as Bhimadeva in the book started the Gitagovinda seva. "Gitagovinda nata sabha, Mandire pratyaha hoila. Raja se seva bhiaila, Kenduli sadhi jogaila. Sri Gitagovinda rasa e Srijagannathara priya e. Boli kalaka e bhiana Bhagate hele tosamana. Gitagovinda nata puna Nata mandira kala bhiana. Rahasa nrtyara nimitta Gitagovinda kale nrtya. Bhimadevara e kirati Kale se gala kirti thapi." (Vaisnava Lilamrta, Ch.-II) Meaning:- Gitagovinda dance and music as a Seva got performed daily in the temple. The king introduced this Seva and provided Kenduli saree to the Lord. This Seva was very dear to Lord Jagannath. A dance hall (Nata Mandir) was constructed by the king for the performance of Gitagovinda music and dance. Gitagovinda dance was introduced as Rahas Nrtya. Introduction of
52

this Seva and construction of Nata Mandir made Bhima Deva, a name to remember for ages. It has been mentioned in the Vaisnava Lilamrta that before the coronation of Bhima Deva, Jayadeva had passed away at Puri. Bhima Deva of the Vaisnava Lilamrta may be either emperor Aniyanka Bhima Deva (1190-1198 A.D.) or Ananga Bhima Deva of Ganga dynasty, who ruled from 1211-1238 A.D. The possibility of his being the earlier Anyanka Bhimadeva (1190-1198 A.D.) is more because Chand Bardai of the durbar of Prithviraj Chowhan of Delhi had mentioned about Jayadeva and Gitagovinda in his book Prthviraj Rasa much before 1192 A.D., the year of death of Prithiviraj and fall of the last Hindu king of Delhi. According to the Vaisnava Lilamrta, Bhima Deva, at the request of the Sevakas, had built the Natamandira for recital of the Gitagovinda. Of course it was about three centuries after the introduction of the Gitagovinda in the temple worship that the poet Madhava Patnaik composed the Vaisnava Lilamrta. If it is taken that Jayadeva was living at that time, he must have received royal recognition and patronage. In the words of Madhava Patnaik : "Vipra se Jayadeve nama Ksetrabaraku agamana. Kenduli sasana ta grama Prachi nadire tate puna. Niali Madhava samipe Bhagati kala nana rupe. Sastra purane vichaksna Kavitva marge tara mana. Gita se rachivi boila Ksetravaraku mana dela. Sri Jagannathara samipe Suddha satvika mati bhave." (Vaisnava Lilamrta, Ch. - II)

Orissa Review # May - 2008

Meaning:- Jayadeva, a Brahmin by caste, came to Puri (Sriksetra). He belonged to Kenduli Sasana on the bank of the river Prachi. He worshipped Madhava at Niali. He was a very talented person in the scripture and took to writing poetry. He wrote the Gitagovinda at Sriksetra in the temple of Lord Jagannath. While writing about the life of Jayadeva, he has mentioned about the composition of the Gitagovinda in Srimandira in fornt of Lord Jagannath. Madhav Patnaik has gone on to further describe as follows:Padmavati was adept in Rahasa dance and was dancing to the sweet and immortal verses of the Gitagovinda. The melodious recital of the verses of the Gitagovinda through the voice of Jayadeva accompanied by the elegant dance of Padmavati fascinated the hearts and soul of the devotees. As a result of this, singing of the Gitagovinda and display of this dance were codified by the then king in the daily ritual services of Srimandira. It is a custom to cover the body of the Lord at the time of the Badasinghara with a scarf containing the verses of the Gitagovinda woven into it. These scarfs or sarees were brought especially from the weavers of Kenduli on the Prachi river. Now these sarees are made in a village Nuapatna in Tigiria Block of Cuttack district. This seva has been continuing since then in the services of Lord Jagannath. After calling of the identified neem tree for navakalevara of three deities, the logs are usually brought to the temple of Jagannath by covering them with the Gitagovinda khandua through huge man-drawn carts. The clothes prepared by the weavers of Kenduli called Kenduli saree was very famous at that t ime according to the scripture Kanchanalata of the 17th century A.D.
53

"Sahaje dvija nandini tejodhama kanaka kanti Kala Kenduli sadhi bhidi pindhichhi motidanti"

The poet Bhupati Pandit of 17th century A.D. had composed the scripture Prema Panchamrta dedicated to Lord Krsna. It has been calculated that this scripture was completed by 29th January, 1694 wherein there has been a mention of the dance of Devadasis accompanied by singing of the Gitagovinda. "Sri Jayadeva kavikrta Gayani gaile basanta. Bina mrdanga tala nade Nachuni nachanti anande. E rupe sanamana kari Ta pachhe karana pachari."
(Prema Panchamrta, Ch III, Prachi Edition, p. 94)

Seikh Subhodaya and Jayadeva The Gita Govinda by Sri Jayadeva was regularly sung and danced in the temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri as part of the Lord s nocturnal liturgy. The Seva has started from the days of Jayadeva during the period of Kamarnava Deva, son of Ganga emperor Chodaganga Deva. Suryavansi Gajapati Pratap Rudra Deva promulgated an order through a temple inscription, dt. 8.7.1500 which ordained that the singing of Gita Govinda would henceforward be a compulsory daily ritual in the temple for which the king even appointed singers and dancers for the purpose as mentioned by historian Kedarnath Mohapatra. As mentioned by Sri Nilamadhav Panigrahi, an eminent musicologist, the Gita Govinda surpasses all other preceding works of the great master poets by dint of its lyricality, both from the view points of inspiration and expression, if not by its poetic greatness. But by its three dimensional appeal of music, poetry and mystic

Orissa Review # May - 2008

spiritual content it has earned unsurpassed popularity tantamount to adoration as mentioned by Kedarnath Mahapatra, an eminent historian. Its popularity has led to controversies in the last century regarding the birth place of poet Jayadeva. As clearly said by Devi Prasad Das "The Gita Govinda which has created a worldwide sensation in the field of the art and literature of the country is believed to be the product of Jayadeva and Padmavati in Jagannath temple of Puri where its recital is an important ritual since several centuries." The controversy regarding the nativity of Jayadeva, according to Late Pandit Nilamani Mishra is hardly one hundred year old. After Orissa had lost its identity towards the beginning of the 19th century, its social and cultural life was vitiated by a number of economic and political factors. Therefore, its cultural materials were wrongly used by the scholars from outside. These types of cheap controversies gained ground as a result of such uses. A story in Seikh Subhodaya is cited as evidence of Jayadeva belonging to the Court of Laxman Sena. Seikh Subhodaya is actually a recent work but it is said to be a work of the 2nd half of 16th century AD. It was edited by Dr. Sukumar Sen and published by Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1963. It is narrated in this book that Budhan Misra, the court singer of Kapilendra Deva Gajapati of Orissa went to the court of Laxmana Sena of Benga1 and he had challenged Jayadeva. This does not hold historically because Kapilendra Deva and Laxman Sen are not contemporaneous to each other. While Laxmana Sen ruled from 1170 to 1250 AD, Kapilendra Deva belonged to the 15th Century AD. This book narrates fanciful stories about Umapati Dhara. Govardhana Acharya, Dhoyi and
54

Jayadeva, all of whom are mentioned in the Gita Govinda. The story on Jayadeva is as follows A certain Brahmin called Budhan Mishra appeared in the assembly hall of Raja Laxmana Sen and claimed that he had attained great heights in composition of music, for which he had been honoured by Gajapati Kapilendra Deva of Utkal. He had obtained a "Writ of Victory" from Gajapati of Utkala. He then started singing in Patta Manjari Raga and all the leaves of a nearby Aswastha tree fell down. All the courtiers started praising Budhan Mishra. The King decided to honour him with a Writ of Victory. It may be mentioned here that Patta Manjari is not known to be an established Raga. It is difficult also to believe that King Laxmana Sen was holding his open assembly (durbar) under a Aswastha Tree on the shore of river Ganga. Just at that time Padmavati, wife of Jayadeva was coming back from her bath in river Ganga. Hearing sounds of joy in the royal court, she entered the hall and announced that "Unless anyone defeats her in music in a competition, no one should be awarded a Writ of Victory. Seikh, a Muslim saint was present in the king's court. He asked Padmavati to sing a song and create some miracle. Padmavati started singing a melodious song in Gandharva Raga. All boats floating in the river came back on their own to the shore. All courtiers were amazed. Budhan Mishra was reluctant to enter into a contest with a woman. Seikh ordered that Padmavati's husband Jayadeva be called to the royal court. Jayadeva came to the Court. Seikh told Budhan Mishra to sing so that new leaves came out in the Aswastha tree. Budhan Mishra expressed his inability to sing like that. Poet Jayadeva then started singing in Basanta Raga and immediately new leaves started

Orissa Review # May - 2008

sprouting in the Aswastha tree which had lost all leaves earlier. As ordered by the Seikh no Writ of Victory was given to Budhan Mishra. He was only given some small gifts and asked to leave the court. Since the name of Kapilendra Deva was mentioned in this story, the book obviously has been written during or after the 16th century, describing events during the rule of Laxmana Sen in the 12th century A.D. Famous historian Dr. Rakhal Das Banerjee has written about this book as follows, "The book does not contain a single passage which may be taken as historically accurate." According to Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee "Although it is a forgery, its date certainly is not later than the 16th century and is sufficiently old for it to retain its importance as a valuable work on early Bengali history and culture." This has been quoted by Dr. Prasanta Kumar Dasgupta in his book 'Jayadeva and his Contemporaries' at pages 99 to 100. Dr. Sukumar Sen has written that though this book does not contain any historical event, in some of the myths one can notice some historical evidence. According to Dr. Bhagaban Panda, this book as its very title indicates, was written to celebrate the auspicious coming of a Muslim Pir (saint) to a country which first knew Islam, where he was highly honoured. All prominence was given to the Seikh and, Laxmana Sen and his ministers have been described as thieves, corrupt and lusty. Shri Jayadeva and Padmavati were great devotees of Sri Krushna and had no lust for wealth. It can never be imagined that they appear in a humiliating manner and sang in the Court of Laxmana Sen competing with one Budhan Mishra and receiving presents of a pair of golden earrings
55

and a pair of bracelets. The book which was written to sing the glory of a Muslim saint and had credited all the traditional glories of Laxmana Sen to the Muslim saint cannot be cited as an evidence to establish the connection of Jayadeva with the Court of Laxmana Sen. It is really strange as to how scholars of Bengal have accepted all the insults heaped on Laxmana Sen, his queen, Umapati Dhar and Kaviraj Dhoyi by the Seikh. Dhoyi has been described in this book as an illiterate man coming to possess divine gift of high poetry. The King had been described as being jealous of Umapati Dhar and competing with him for the company of prostitutes. The queen of Laxmana Sen is narrated to have assaulted Madhavi, the daughter-in-law of a merchant at the bathing ghat and that she snatched away the bangles from her wrist. The two earrings worn by the husband of Madhavi were forcibly taken away by the servants of the queen as per her order. On hearing the story of complaint from Madhavi and her husband, the Seikh brought the king and his wife to a trial in his court. The queen was found herself wearing the snatched bracelets of Madhavi, and her son was found wearing the earrings of Madhavi's husband. Laxmana Sen, it is described in the book, had to bear all the insults with his face down cast. What compelled Laxmana Sena before his defeat in the hands of Muhammad Bakhiyar to be so subservient to the Seikh is not known. Had Laxmana Sen ruled as a vassal king under an Islam Nawab, he would perhaps become subservient to a Muslim Pir. But history records that Laxmana Sen escaped after defeat and came with a few followers to Puri and sought refuge under the Ganga emperor Raja Raja Deva. Such is the book "Seikh Subhodaya" whose stories are paraded to provide "historical" evidence of saint poet Jayadeva's association with

Orissa Review # May - 2008

the Court of Laxmana Sen and his birthplace in Bengal. References :

The discovered verse is quoted below Govardhanasca Sarano Jayadeva Umapatih. Kavirajasca Ratnani Samitau Laksmanasyaca. Shri Harekrishna Mukhopadhyaya in his book Birbhum Vivarana has mentioned that Shri Rupa and Sri Sanatana had seen this sloka inscribed in the assembly hall of Laxmana Sena at Shridhama Navadwipa. Laxmana Sena s rule in a part of Bengal had come to an end in the year 1205 A.D. when Mohammad-i-Bhaktiyar had occupied his capital and he had fled to Puri, taken refuge in Orissa, where a powerful Hindu Gajapati King of the Ganga dynasty was ruling at that time. The report of this discovery by the two Goswamis comes to us after four more centuries. According to Prof. Dr. Banamali Ratha, this verse lacked authenticity of any kind and it has been accepted by the scholars as a spurious one or a hearsay. According to Prof. Thomas E Donaldson there is no contemporary epigraphic or literary evidence to prove that Nadiya was ever the capital of Laxmana Sena or his forefather and successors. The grants of land and villages by the Sena Kings were always issued from Vikramapura or in the case of the later ones from Dharyagrama and Phalgugrama. No Sanskrit work written during the Sena period mentions Nadiya as the capital of Laxmana Sena. In Pavanadutam, Dhoyi has called the capital of Sena Kings as Vijayapura. Only Tabaquet-i-Nasiri written in 1260 A.D., fifty five years after the collapse of the Sena rule in Nadiya, mentions Nadiya as the seat of Sena s Government. This book Tabaquat is not a historical creation as it has given Laxmana Sena a rule of eighty years and narrates fanciful stories about his birth and about the destruction of Nadiya.
56

The Five Jewels of Laxmana Sena Jayadeva was one of the greatest poets of India and an unrivalled master of erotic religious lyrical poetry. The poet himself abstained from mentioning anything about his birth place except that he was born at a place called Kenduvilwa. As Dr. N.S.R. Ayengar has said The ancient Indian Poets never recorded anything about their age, place of birth and time. This, one feels, was partly because of their modesty and partly because they perhaps never thought it worthwhile, since they never had such narrow, parochial attitude of life. Perhaps they considered themselves as sons of India writing in the best of Indian languages-Sanskrit. We are proud of them as they are to the exclusion of their provincial identities. But distortions of history need critical scrutiny. One of the hypothesis on which the whole superstructure of the arguments in favour of the birth place of poet Jayadeva s being in Bengal is that a stone or wooden slab bearing the names of Govardhana, Sarana, Jayadeva, Umapati and Dhoyi was said to have been fixed on the wall of Laxmana Sena s assembly hall. This was discovered by two Vaishnava saints Rupa and Sanatana in the first part of sixteenth century.

Orissa Review # May - 2008

Mohammad-i-Bhaktiyar destroyed thoroughly the city of Nadiya (or whichever was the capital of Laxmana Sena) and left it in total ruins. There was no trace of the palace standing. The verse was supposedly discovered in one of the gates some three hundred years later by the two Goswamis, Rupa and Sanatana. According to Kendarnath Mohapatra a noted historian, The story of the connection of the five poets with Sidhama Navadwipa originated and perhaps was circulated in the post-Chaitanya period when Nadiya came to prominence due to the birth of the great reformer Sri Chaitanya in that holy place. There is little evidence, literary or archaeological that the Gita Govinda was popular in Bengal in the period prior to the advent of Sri Chaitanya. In fact Sri Chaitanya first discovered the jewel of Gita Govinda when he visited Puri in 1509 A.D and came to realise the religious significance of the work from Raya Ramananda, Gajapati s administrator of Rajamohendri on the banks of the Godavari when he went on pilgrimage to the south. According to Dr. Bhagaban Panda the verse is written in very poor Sanskrit and is a spurious one like the famous traditional verse cited describing the nine jewels of the court of Vikramaditya, also called Chandragupta-II. The entrance of the Assembly Hall of Laxmana Sena could not have existed till the time of Rupa and Sanatan Goswami. Dense vegetation must have covered the ruins of this palace during these three hundred years. The two great Goswamis nowhere in their numerous works have mentioned anything about this so called discovery of the inscription. Their biographies never mention this discovery. Neither the contemporaries of Sri Chaitanya who came from Nadiya nor Sri Chaitanya himself ever mentioned anything about Laxmana Sena once ruling over Navadwipa or
57

about any historical ruins of his palace. No Vaishnava literature written after Sri Chaitanya has ever mentioned about this grand discovery by the two Goswamis. This verse was most probably composed by some Pandit of poor competence in Sanskrit in the first part of 20th century on the basis of the verse Vacha Pallavayati which itself was a Prakhipta (Interpolated) sloka of Gita Govinda, mentioned the four poets Dhoyi, Umapati, Dhara, Sarana and Govardhana Acharya. To quote Dr. Bhagaban Panda, the names of these two learned Goswamis were cleverly associated with the discovery of this so called verse in Nabadwipa in order to give an air of antiquity and gain the confidence of the people. So the story of seeing this inscription on the entrance of Laxman Sena s assembly hall at Nadiya is simply imaginary and as such unacceptable. Nowhere in the history of India or anywhere else in the world the names of court poets are inscribed on stone or wooden slabs fixed at the entrance of a durbar (assembly hall). Pandit Ramakanta Tripathy in the year 1935 edited and published in Calcutta the famous book of Govardhan Acharya called Arya Saptasati . In the introduction to this book Sri Tripathy has written that this sloka Laxmanasya Pancharatna was found quoted in the book Raja Tarangini written by the famous Kashmiri Poet Kallahana. Kallahana had written Raja Tarangini in 1148 A.D. Laxmana Sena ruled a part of Bengal from 1170 to 1205 A.D. How could Kallahana know either about the five poets or about Laxmana Sena in 1148 ? This question has been asked by learned scholar M. Winternitz. Therefore Pandit Tripathy has told a white lie

Orissa Review # May - 2008

when he said that this sloka was quoted in Raja Tarangini by Kalhahana. Thus it is established that Pandit Ramakanta Tripathy like Harekrishna Mukhopadhya was creating false evidence in support of the theory that Jayadeva belonged to the Court of Laxmana Sena of Bengal. References :
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Gita Govindam Sacred Profanities : A Study of Jayadeva s Gita Govinda. Dr. N.S.R. Ayengar. Mahakavi Jayadeva O Gita Govinda - Dr. Satyanarayan Rajguru. Shri Gita Govinda Mahakavyam Kaviraja Jayadeva - Dr. Bhagaban Panda. Jayadeva and Gita Govinda in the Tradition of Orissa - Dr. Pathi, Dr. Panda & Dr. Rath. Alochana - Pandit Nilamani Misra.

The third stanza starting with the following words however, is intriguing. Vacah pallavayatyumpathidharah Sandarbha Suddhim Giram; According to Dr. Satyanarayan Rajguru and Dr. N.S.R. Ayengar it is an obvious interpolation and, therefore, contentious. It serves very little purpose in the poem. To quote Dr. Ayengar "In its tune, texture, content and diction, it does not fit into the architectonic of the poem. It creates a jarring note which is very uncharacteristic of Jayadeva. After the invocation and the proposal in the second stanza, the third one seems utterly out of context." As translated by Prof. Barbara Stoler Miller, the stanza reads as follows "Umapathidhara is prodigal with speech, Saran is renowned for his subtle flowing sounds. But only Jayadeva divines the pure design of words. Dhoyi is famed as a kind of poets for his musical ear. But no one rivals poet Govardhana for poems of erotic mood and sacred truth." Both Dr. Rajguru and Dr. Ayengar are of the opinion that this stanza could never have been there where it is now for it rends the total texture of the poem. It is a later interpolation into the poem by some commentator, perhaps with some ulterior motive. First of all it is not harmoniously fused into the body of Jayadeva's poem and secondly it does not exhibit the felicity of the diction which is so characteristic of Jayadeva's style. The thought contents are also quite out of context. In this stanza are mentioned the names of four poets, Umapatidhara, Sarana, Acharya Govardhana and Dhoyi. The stanza has five different things to say about each of the five poets. Umapatidhara is known for his free flowing speech. Sarana is known for his subtle sounds. Dhoyi, the king of poets is known for his music. Jayadeva is known for his felicity of diction and
58

The Interpolated Stanza of Gitagovinda In the second stanza of Sri Gitagovinda Jayadeva invokes the Goddess of Speech, Saraswati to come to his aid in writing the poem which will depict the love frolic of Radha and Krishna. Jayadeva also introduces his wife Padmavati who danced to the tunes of his composition in the temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri. Padmavati incidentally was a celebrated dancer in her own right as can be seen in the stone inscriptions in two temples of South India. The book was written in the Lord Jagannath Temple of Puri. The fourth stanza, according to Dr. N.S.R. Ayengar, lends insight into what kind of readers Jayadeva was writing for only those whose hearts are sweetened and enriched remembering Hari and those who are curious about the art of divine luxurious enjoyment, should read Jayadeva who is writing the poem, couched in sweet, tender and lilting lyrical language.

Orissa Review # May - 2008

Acharya Govardhana remains the unrivalled master of erotic art. Two different meanings have been read into the stanza. One view which was held by Late Kedarnath Mahapatra was that Jayadeva had only established his superiority over four other contemporary poets and not the superiority or Govardhana Acharya over the rest four. He has based this interpretation on the book Sarvanga Sundari Tika by Narayana Das. The other and more widely acceptable meaning is that the stanza was written to clearly establish the superiority of Govardhana Acharya over the rest of the poets including Jayadeva himself. It appears highly improbable that Jayadeva in his own words would denigrate his own status. Whichever meaning one accepts, nothing has been said in it on the association of either Jayadeva or any one of these poets to have belonged to the court of Laxmana Sen. Dr. Satyanarayan Rajguru has developed and established a hypothesis that this stanza was composed by Udayana, younger brother of Govardhana and he perhaps interpolated it into Gita Govinda in his Bhava Bivatria Tika. This was perhaps done deliberately so that Arya Sapta Sati compiled by Govardhana Acharya with assistance from Balabhadra and Udayana, his two brothers, got a better introduction and circulation. Sovoneswara temple in Niali and Megheswar temple contain two stone inscriptions where compositions of Udayana appear and have been preserved till today. The three brothers belonged to Niali in Cuttack district. Rana Kumbha in his Rasika Priya Tika has clearly declared this stanza to be an interpolation. Arya Saptasati contained only a very few stanzas of Shringara Rasa. It is highly unlikely
59

that Govardhana could be the model in this regard for Jayadeva to emulate. Jayadeva had before him the great models of Kalidasa, Bhatrihari, Sriharsha and Bhababhuti. Jayadeva could have paid tributes to these luminaries rather than to Govardhana Acharya describing him as the best exponent of Sringara Rasa. Though Acharya Govardhana was a later contemporary of Jayadeva, he composed Arya Saptasati much after the writing of Gita Govinda. What poetry did Umapatidharah and Saran write is not known to posterity. Obviously this Umapathidhara is not the poet Umapati of 13th century of Orissa who was an Army General and a poet in one of the Ganga king's court. Umapatidhara perhaps served in the courts of two or three Sena kings Vijaya Sena, Vallala Sena and Laxman Sena. Even if this is true, what he wrote is not known as is the case with Sarana. Dhoyi had written the Pavanaduta Kavya which is an imitation of Meghaduta by Kalidasa. Dr. Rajguru has placed the period of composition to the time of Vijaya Sena (1072-1119) because Dhoyi had urged the wind messenger to touch Kalinga Nagari on his way as it was the capital of Kalinga. Emperor Cholaganga Deva had shifted his capital from Kalinganagar to Varanasi Kataka on Mahanadi in 1112 A.D. Dhoyi who wrote before 1112 A.D. was not alive up to the reign of Laksmana Sena. Jayadeva was the contemporary of Vallala Sena, father of Laksmana Sena (1119-1169). The time of composition of Gita Govinda is in between 1146 to 1150, as calculated by Dr. Rajguru. Thus there is no question of all these poets working as court poets of Laksmana Sena. Scholars who are bent on proving that Jayadeva belonged to Bengal depend squarely on this 3rd stanza. They take it for granted that

Orissa Review # May - 2008

Dhoyi, Sarana, Umapatidhara and Govardhana Acharya were court poets of Laksmana Sena and jump to the conclusion that Jayadeva also was there as he mentioned them in the 3rd stanza in Gita Govinda. First of all the premises is wrong and conclusion based on that obviously is wrong. None of these five poets in their works has ever mentioned the name of Laksmana Sena. Those scholars who maintain that the words "Senakulatilaka Bhupatireko Raja Pradosacha" in sloka number 39 of Arya Saptasati by Govardhana Acharya refers to Laksmana Sena are sadly mistaken. Arya Saptasati is mostly a Sanskrit translation of 'Satta Sai' composed by Mahakavi Hala in Prakrit in 3rd century A.D. In the 'Satta Sai' also the words Senakulatilaka Bhupati appear. Obviously 17th descendant of Satavahana dynasty Sri Halo belonging to 3rd century A.D. could not have referred to Laksmana Sena of 12th Century Bengal. He had referred to Maharaja Pravara Sena II belonging to Vakataka dynasty which ruled over Deccan. R.G. Bhadarkar in his book 'Early History of Deccan' has determined the period of Hala in 3rd century A.D. A commentator of Arya Saptasati belonging to Maharastra has clearly mentioned that this Senakulatilaka referred to a king named Pravara Sena as "Tilaka Bhupati Setu Kara Prabara Sena Name Raja - Purnamasi

Pradosheka Prabhut." This commentary is published in "Choukhamba Sanskrit Series." The words Senakulatilaka therefore do not stand for Laxmana Sena at all. There is no indication in the writings of Govardhana Acharya about any Sena ruler other than these words. So it is not true that Govardhana Acharya belonged to the court of Laksmana Sena. Had that been so, Sridhara Das who actually belonged to the court of Laksmana Sena would have quoted from the book by Govardhana in his own works. Research by Dr. Satyanarayan Rajguru has demolished the entire edifice built around this interpolated 3rd stanza in Gita Govinda to establish Jayadeva as a court poet of Laksmana Sena and therefore belonging to Bengal. It has also established that Govardhana Acharya belonged to Niali in Cuttack district in Orissa and was never a court poet of Laksmana Sena. References :
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Gita Govindam Sacred Profanities : a study of Jayadeva's Gita Govinda. - Dr. NSR Ayengar. Mahakavi Jayadeva O Gita Govinda - Dr. Satyanarayan Rajguru. Shri Gita Govinda Mahakavyam Kaviraja Jayadeva - Dr. Bhagaban Panda. Jayadeva and Gita Govinda in the Tradition of Orissa - Dr. Pathi, Dr. Panda & Dr. Rath. Alochana - Pandit Nilamani Misra.

The widely acclaimed lyrical composition of Gita Govinda of Sri Jayadev, the 12th Century A.D. saint poet, has been a powerful influence on several genres of creative and performing arts in various parts of India. It is perhaps the most lyrical Sanskrit composition of the medieval era. A book titled, The Gitagovinda of Sri Jayadev is authored by Sri Ajit Kumar Tripathy and Shri P.C. Tripathy. Shri Ajit Kumar Tripathy is a senior bureaucrat, columnist and author of several books in Oriya. This book highlights the living traditions of Gita Govinda in present day Orissa, besides giving a host of historical and cultural references on the life and times of the saint poet in and around the Temple City of Puri and his claimed native place nearby. This book is published by the Publication Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India. 60