Kalingan architecture: Jagannatha temple.
Ranchi, Jharkhand, India.
On a lonely little hilltop that rises abruptly in a still scenic countryside, stands this sixteenth-century temple that proved instrumental in establishing the worship of the deity Jagannath in present-day Ranchi, Jharkhand.
Commissioned by a Hindu zamindar and closely modelled after the world-famous Jagannath temple at Puri, located some 537 odd kilometres away in a region that was once known as Kalinga (Odisha), it is an authentic product of the ancient Kalingan school of temple architecture that flourished from the 7th century onwards and a pilgrim destination in its own right – possibly built by the hands of native Odishian architects and artisans well versed in skill and knowledge of their trade, and specifically employed for the task.
Yet what exactly led to its creation?
While some sources tend to suggest the temple was built to counter the growing influence of Christianity in the region, this is an unlikely case as the period in which the temple was built precedes the arrival of the first missionaries almost by a century (see Farbound.Net snippet: A pioneer of the Faith).
Jagannath temple, Ranchi: A Farbound.Net wallpaper.
What is more likely is the construction of the temple sprouted from the religious sentiments of a person whose forefathers perhaps once hailed from the neighbouring region of Kalinga (Odisha) itself and for whom Jagannath was a patron deity. Attesting to the fact is the history of Ranchi, Jharkhand which abounds with numerous references of kings and rich landowners known as zamindars of Odishian lineage, coexisting with the older local tribes.
Ani Nath Shahdeo, the Zamindar who commissioned the construction of the Kalingan structure.
In fact, and as is recorded, the temple was commissioned by Ani Nath Shahdeo, a zamindar who owned the zamindari of Barkhagargh in the 16th century. While it is not known when the construction began, a marble cenotaph inside the temple informs it was completed on the 25th of December, 1691 AD.
There are also many unauthenticated accounts or myths as they are commonly known as, that tell of how the temple came to be. Among them, one reveals that Nath Shahdeo was instructed in his sleep to build the temple by the deity himself when he was visiting Puri on a pilgrimage. A second, and at that a more plausible one, informs he was a great devotee of the deity.
Ani Nath Shahdeo’s zamindari of Barkhagargh was in the 16th century located in what later, and for a brief time, was the Lohardaga district. It had encompassed a large part of Chota Nagpur and had comprised several villages including Dornada, Ranchi and Hatia.
Jagannathpur, where the temple stands, was possibly his capital later in time, as according to some sources, the village of Satrangi, near Subarnarekha was formerly his headquarters. The Subarnarekha is a river which originates near the village of Nagri in the district of Ranchi and flows through West Bengal and Odisha.
The temple was built during the reign of the Gurkani emperor Aurangzeb and when the Mughals held sway over the reign of Bihar. The zamindars of Barkhagargh, the Nath Shahdeos, were possibly vassals who paid tribute.
The official website of the temple, further informs the temple was desecrated and vandalized on the orders of Aurangzeb in 1691, which may perhaps have been a retaliatory response to a rebellion staged by Barkhagargh – see Jagannatha Temple Offical Website.
The Kalingan structure in 1857
During the revolt of 1857, the sacrosanctity of the temple is believed to have spurred the Barkhagargh Zamindars to revolt against the East India Company.
Bishwa Nath Sahadeo, a descendant of Ani Sahadeo, was a zamindar who is stated to have harboured strong ill will towards both Christianity and the East India Company. In the August of 1857, this zamindar had declared hostilities on the pretext, that the Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church, erected in 1855, had violated the sanctity of the temple.
Historians, however, hold the view that the real reason behind his resentment towards the EIC’s administration was the fact that the company had made Ranchi the administrative headquarters and the adjoining village of Dornada, the military headquarters of the Ramgargh Sepoy Battalion of the Bengal Army without the approval of the Barkagargh zamindars – and thus undermined their authority in what was their territory.
Initially kept in check by zamindars loyal to the East India Company, Bishwa Nath Sahadeo was later apprehended, put on trial and executed near the Commissioner’s Compound in Ranchi. No reprisal of any nature is known to have been carried out against the temple during the British period.
Collapse, restoration and daily use of the Kalingan heritage.
On the 6th of August in 1990, a portion of the temple collapsed for reasons that are not clearly known although heavy rains and the Nepal-Bihar earthquake of 1934 have been cited – during which time the strong tremors may have weakened its architectural integrity.
Restoration work commissioned by the State Government facilitated the rebuilding of the structure in 1992. Since then it has been actively used by residents of the city and adjoining areas for daily obeisance and household ceremonies, barring side the months of June and July during which time takes place the legendary Jagannath Chariot procession, similar to the one at Puri.
A ritual in which the idol of the deity is placed on a massive wooden chariot and ferried out for a temporary spell of fresh air before being brought back. Organized shortly after the the holy structure was erected, the event was and continues to be a massive communal gathering drawing into its fold members of all communities including the tribals – as well as devotees from other neighbouring states.
Jagannath, a mysterious deity.
Majorly worshipped in India’s eastern states including Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and to some extent in Assam and Tripura, by both Buddhists and Hindus, Jagannath is one deity whose origin continues to be contested in academic circles.
Absent from the ancient Vedic texts which abound with references to several present-day gods and goddesses, his abrupt appearance out of nowhere has led scholars to even suggest his earliest idol to be a Buddhist relic. Furthermore, this deity is the only one in the Hindu pantheon whose image is represented by a block of wood.
The temple is open on all days for visitors interested in paying their respects to the deity or exploring a bit of historic Eastern architecture dating back to the 7th century.
