ETERNAL BEAUTY WANDERING ON ITS WAY
An unbroken history of the unusual people of this land, has continued since several centuries before
Christ. It has left its imprint in the shape of numerous monuments and every passing day, excavation
brings to light more and more of such sites from almost all parts of the state. They reveal the existence
of a flourishing civilization, striking by any standard. Few other cultures in all the senses of the term
are as rich and as varied. In the sphere of religion and philosophy, tribal and Aryan religions, Buddhism
and Jainism, Islam and Christianity all have existed in history and they continue side by side even
now as a testimony to the religious tolerance of the people of this land. In art and architecture,
centuries of history survive in the shape of temples and even today they survive in replicas which
provide livelihood to the descendants of the ancient practitioners of these arts.
Through centuries Orissa has retained its cultural identity within the mainstream of pan-
Indian culture. Its social customs and mores are expressed in the long list of festivals connected with
an agrarian calendar. Its gods are human and whether they reside in big temples like Jagannath or
Lingaraj or small village shrines, they come out to visit their votaries on festival days. Its unusually
large number of temples reflect the religious attitude of the people who even today never tire of
building tiny temples through spontaneous popular efforts in every new locality. Artisans are engaged
in making articles of decoration required for festival days in temples and households, which has not
only provided them their living but also opportunities for artistic expression. Whether the articles be
tie-and-dye textile or applique work, terracota, lacquer or brassware, filigree ornaments or patta painting
of gods, all these have made the daily life of Orissan people artistic and offer them avenues for trade
and commerce in other parts of the country and even abroad. The once-flourishing state of maritime
trade and commerce of this land bears testimony to this fact.
Varieties of entertainment in the shape of music, dance, drama and literature recorded in
palm-leaf manuscripts and in stone carvings in temples, reflects a high degree of excellence. Initially
there was folk art in songs, music, dance and drama but these were later refined into classical music,
dance, drama and literature and these too have survived the onslaughts of time and have been
resuscitated and promoted since our Independence. It is no exaggeration to say that no aspect of the
life of this people was untouched by its very exceptionally high degree of artistic sensibility.
A land of rich and diverse artistic achievements, Orissas art and culture are the products of
a long historical process in which the spiritual, philosophical and the humane dimensions have merged
to yield the finest effects of cultured and civilised life. The cultural heritage of Orissa is reflected in its
vibrant art forms. Culture imparts flavour and life to the social and religious activities of the people. It
flows as an under-current of inspiration below the surface of daily life and acts as a powerful link in the
chain of human fellowship and universal concord.
Orissa has a distinct tradition of painting, architecture, sculpture, handicrafts, music and
dance.
The Orissan school of painting has three streams which in their totality project its distinguishing
aspects. These are the tribal, the folk and the classical. There is a constant interchange of ideas and
motifs among the three streams, and these interchanges have helped to enrich the repertoire of
Orissan Art.
Christ. It has left its imprint in the shape of numerous monuments and every passing day, excavation
brings to light more and more of such sites from almost all parts of the state. They reveal the existence
of a flourishing civilization, striking by any standard. Few other cultures in all the senses of the term
are as rich and as varied. In the sphere of religion and philosophy, tribal and Aryan religions, Buddhism
and Jainism, Islam and Christianity all have existed in history and they continue side by side even
now as a testimony to the religious tolerance of the people of this land. In art and architecture,
centuries of history survive in the shape of temples and even today they survive in replicas which
provide livelihood to the descendants of the ancient practitioners of these arts.
Through centuries Orissa has retained its cultural identity within the mainstream of pan-
Indian culture. Its social customs and mores are expressed in the long list of festivals connected with
an agrarian calendar. Its gods are human and whether they reside in big temples like Jagannath or
Lingaraj or small village shrines, they come out to visit their votaries on festival days. Its unusually
large number of temples reflect the religious attitude of the people who even today never tire of
building tiny temples through spontaneous popular efforts in every new locality. Artisans are engaged
in making articles of decoration required for festival days in temples and households, which has not
only provided them their living but also opportunities for artistic expression. Whether the articles be
tie-and-dye textile or applique work, terracota, lacquer or brassware, filigree ornaments or patta painting
of gods, all these have made the daily life of Orissan people artistic and offer them avenues for trade
and commerce in other parts of the country and even abroad. The once-flourishing state of maritime
trade and commerce of this land bears testimony to this fact.
Varieties of entertainment in the shape of music, dance, drama and literature recorded in
palm-leaf manuscripts and in stone carvings in temples, reflects a high degree of excellence. Initially
there was folk art in songs, music, dance and drama but these were later refined into classical music,
dance, drama and literature and these too have survived the onslaughts of time and have been
resuscitated and promoted since our Independence. It is no exaggeration to say that no aspect of the
life of this people was untouched by its very exceptionally high degree of artistic sensibility.
A land of rich and diverse artistic achievements, Orissas art and culture are the products of
a long historical process in which the spiritual, philosophical and the humane dimensions have merged
to yield the finest effects of cultured and civilised life. The cultural heritage of Orissa is reflected in its
vibrant art forms. Culture imparts flavour and life to the social and religious activities of the people. It
flows as an under-current of inspiration below the surface of daily life and acts as a powerful link in the
chain of human fellowship and universal concord.
Orissa has a distinct tradition of painting, architecture, sculpture, handicrafts, music and
dance.
The Orissan school of painting has three streams which in their totality project its distinguishing
aspects. These are the tribal, the folk and the classical. There is a constant interchange of ideas and
motifs among the three streams, and these interchanges have helped to enrich the repertoire of
Orissan Art.
- JHOTI, CHITA, MURUJA
Margasira, women folk worship the goddess Lakshmi. It is the harvest season when grain is thrashed
and stored. During this auspicious occasion, the mud walls and floors are decorated with murals in
white rice paste or pithau. They are called jhoti or chita and are drawn not merely with the intention of
decorating the house, but to establish a relationship, between the mystical and the material, thus
being highly symbolical and meaningful. Folk painting in this tradition survives till today in all its
pristine freshness. Throughout the year, the village women perform several rituals for the fulfillment of
their desires. For each occasion a specific motif is drawn on the floor or on the wall. For instance, in
Lakshmipuja a stack of paddy or rice sheaves is drawn on the walls structured like a pyramid. During
Durga Puja, white dots superimposed with red are painted on the walls. This combination of red and
white signifies the worship of Shiva and Shakti. To draw a jhoti or chita, the fingers are dipped into the
rice paste and made to trace out intricate patterns on the floor or walls. Sometimes a kind of brush is
prepared from a twig to one end of which a small piece of cloth is attached. This is dipped into the
white rice paste to draw patterns on the wall. At times, the paste is sprinkled on the walls with delicate
swishes of the wrist, and a pattern resembling bunches of paddy emerges on the wall. The chitas are
also drawn on grain bins, on small pavilions for household deities, on the threshold of homes and on
earthen pots used during marriage and on other auspicious occasions.
Muruja is drawn on the floor with powders of different hues. White powder is obtained from the
grinding of stones, green powder is obtained from dry leaves, black from burnt coconut shells, yellow
from the petals of marigold flowers or turmeric, and red from red clay or bricks. Muruja is generally
drawn during rituals in the form of mandalas. In the holy month of Kartik (November) women observe
penance and draw muruja designs near the tulsi plant. Drawing of muruja designs needs a lot of skill
and practice. The powder is held between the tips of the thumb and the forefinger, and allowed to fall
delicately through them to form lines and patterns which are a delight to the eye testifying to the
innate skill of the practitioners who are generally women.
The rustic people of Orissa used to cover their bodies with tattoo marks. Tattooing is also
referred to as Kutei Chita and carried out by pricking the skin and applying black soot. A tattoo mark
on a woman is believed to symbolise chastity. Some believe that it is a shield against the torture of Yama, the God of Death, or a means whereby ones soul attains salvation.Rock Paintings
Painted rock shelters are situated in the densely wooded tracts of western Orissa. The rock
shelters at Ulapgarh and Vikram-Khol in Sambalpur district, Manikmada and Ushakothi in Sundargarh
district, Gudahandi and Yogimatha in Kalahandi district, offer the joy of discovering a primitive culture,
rare in the whole of Eastern India. There are natural rocks in these areas covered with prehistoric
paintings. The Ravana Chhata Rock in Sitabinjhee of Keonjhar district contains a painting of a very
high order. It depicts the procession scene of a King riding a caparisoned elephant. There are horseriders
and soldiers on the march holding shafts and banners, followed by a female attendant. This
painting carries reminiscence of Ajanta murals. The rock paintings in these natural caves are colouredwith the help of a twig of a palm tree, turned, into a brush by hammering its fibrous end. The paintings
differ form place to place. For example, in most rock shelters the paintings are mostly linear. But in
Manikamada, the paintings have a more pictorial quality and are of a greater variety and range in their
depiction of figures and nature. Here the paintings have received several coats of paint and are thick
in texture, while there are some others which have been very roughly sketched. In Yogimath the
paintings are clear and rendered in red-ochre lines. Usually the rear walls and ceilings are covered
with paintings. While the painting on the walls follow a sequential, horizontal pattern, those on the
ceilings have no definite scheme of composition. It is interesting to note that he paintings range from
small geometrical and floral patterns to big animal motifs like deer, cattle, stag and sambar. Where
human figures are present, they are shown as hunting, domesticating animals, fighting and dancing.
The pigments used by the rock painters are oxides of iron which give the colours red and
brown; white is derived from lime and green from copper compounds. These colours are mostly
available near the rock shelters. Obviously these paintings have been done by primitive men, the
ancestors of the tribals of Central India and Western Orissa. This rock tradition of pictorial painting is
carried unto the present day in the mural paintings of tribals. The paintings of the Saura tribals in
Koraput and Ganjam districts still retain the freshness and vigour of rock paintings.
Temple Paintings
The more important Orissan style of painting is to be found in the temples. They mostly
depict religious subjects. Allegorical, mythological and historical subjects also form part of the themes
of these paintings. These paintings are used for recording historical events, for narrating mythological
stories and to spread religious ideas. The paintings inside the Jagannath Temple, Puri, follow the
mural tradition. The two most important paintings are the Kanchivijaya painting in the Jagamohana of
the Jagannath Temple and the Buddha Vijaya painting in the Jagamohana of the Lakshmi Temple
inside the same temple complex. The pillared hall of the Jagannath Temple has mural paintings on the
walls and ceiling. The ten incarnations of Vishnu cited in Jayadevas Dashavatara form another
mural. The activities of Krishna are also depicted on these walls. The creation of the world where
Vishnu is shown lying on the snake Ananta in the Khirodasagara, and Brahma sitting on a lotus
emanating from Vishnus navel is also a famous painting and is to be seen in the premises of the
Jagannath Temple. Another popular painting is Vishnu in the form of a child, resting on a floating
banyan leaf and sucking his toe. Kanchi Vijaya is also a famous painting in the Jagannath Temple
and it shows Lord Jagannath and Balabhadra on horse back, stopping on their way to the battlefield,
to take curd from the milkmaid, Manika.
These are roughly the paintings belonging to the Puri tradition. Besides, there are two other
painting traditions of Orissa, the Ganjam or Dakshini School, and the Champamala school. The Puri
style is found in Puri and the adjacent areas like Pratappur, Balapur and Raghurajpur. The Champamala
school prevails in Sonepur and Sambalpur. The Dakshini tradition prevails in places like Ghumusar,
Khalikot, Dharkote, Khemundi, Parala, Icchapur, Trikkali and Manjusa. The physiognomy in Puri and
Ganjam schools is similar, whereas that in the Champamala school is different. It bears the
characteristics of Indonesian paintings.
The paintings on the temple walls of Vasudeva at Jayantagada and Viranchinarayana at
Buguda in Ganjam district belong to the eighteenth century. The paintings of Viranchinarayana Temple
are a landmark in the history of mural paintings. These are mostly depictions of stories from the
Ramayana; scenes from the Krishna Leela and Dashavatara are also to be found. But the most
important are the Ramayana motifs depicting Lakshmana and Jambavana, Ravana, Rama and Sita in
Chitrakuta, and Rama-Ravana Yuddha. In these paintings the dramatic element is more obvious and
the human figures are painted in a more elegant style. For example, Rama in the Chitrakuta painting
is shown as putting a vermilion-mark on the forehead of Sita and his delicate hand gestures are
artistically rendered. There is also a painting of the Puri Temple of Jagannath in the Viranchinarayana Temple.
The Jagannath Temple of Buguda contains Krishnalila paintings. There are only a few which
have come down to us and these can be compared with the Viranchinarayana Temple paintings. They
belong to the nineteenth century as is evident from their colour scheme.
The interior walls of the Jagannath Temple at Dharakote are also full of paintings. The gateway
of Vrindavana Chandra Temple and the palace shrine of Goddess Khambeswari also contain very
interesting paintings. The themes of the paintings are Ramayana, Dashavatara and Dashamahavidya.
The colour schemes show a marked preference for ultra-marine blue and bright chrome yellow; and
hence they appear to have been executed during the latter part of the nineteenth century or the earlier
part of the twentieth.
Most of the paintings in the temples and maths of Orissa can be placed in the nineteenth
century. There are the murals of Emar Math, Bada Odia Math at Puri and Raghunath Temple at
Odagaon. The paintings on the walls of Gangamata Math and Gundicha Mandir at Puri, Chaitanya
Math at Chikitagada, Srikalika Mandir at Jeypur, Lakshmi Nrushima Temple at Belaguntha, Hatakeswara
Shiva Temple at Baghamari, Radhakanta Math at Digapahandi, and Radha Krishna Math at
Parlakhemidi all belong to the twentieth century and assiduously carry on the mural tradition of the
past.
Besides these temple paintings, there are other old paintings preserved in museums. The
Ashutosh Museum in Calcutta University has a painting depicting an Orissan King receiving a Muslim
ambassador. This painting bears resemblance to the Buguda school in the way the figures are depicted.
There is another painting in this museum illustrating the Gitagovinda of Jayadava. The Gopins are
shown standing on the moonlit bank of the Yamuna, engaged in conversation. Its poetic effect is
heightened by the presence of trees, deer and peacocks. The lines arc fluid and graceful and the
animals and birds in the painting are more natural and forceful than in the mural paintings.
Seen as a whole, the composition of Orissan paintings is very simple. It follows a one-plane
composition, i.e. the figures are arranged on one plane like all old schools of painting in India. The
paintings are flat and bereft of the light and shade effects that create the illusion of the third dimension.
They are for the most part a very stylised form of art. Fidelity to nature is not the prime concern of old
Orissan paintings, it is the expression of the simple feelings and emotions of the artist that is caught
in them.
ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE
Orissa is full of archaeological treasures dating from the pre-historic times upto the end of the
Muslim rule in the middle of the sixteenth century. The excavations at Sisupalgarh and Jaugada
testify to the presence of a highly developed pre-historic civilisation in Orissa.
The caves of Khandagiri and Udayagiri represent Orissan cave architecture dating back to
the first century BC. The caves were cut out in the solid rock on the orders of King Kharavela for the
use of Jaina ascetics. There are altogether eighteen caves in Udayagiri and fifteen caves in Khandagiri.
The caves are decorated with sculptural motifs. The Ranigumpha cave in Udayagiri is a two-storeyed
structure and bears highly artistic sculpture. The caves consist of one or more cells and a few of them
are fronted by pillared verandahs. The sculptures of Khandagiri and Udayagiri form a landmark in the
history of Indian art. They present a vivid picture of the contemporary society and occupy an important
place in the rock-cut architecture of India.
Like Jainism, Buddhism also provided inspiration for the development of art and architecture.
It was Emperor Asoka who directed the entire state machinery for the dissemination of Buddhism. We
find two versions of his major rock edicts in Orissa, one at Dhauli and the other at Jaugada. The
archaeological excavations at Ratnagiri have brought to light the remains of a main stupa, two viharas
and eight temples containing Buddhist images. A large number of images of the Buddha and
Bodhisattvas of great artistic merit have been collected from the hills of Lalitgiri, Olashuni, Landa andParabhadi hills. A colossal image of Bodhisattva Padmapani has been found at Jajpur. It measures
158". Buddhist remains have also been discovered in Boudh, Khiching and Solampur. It is seen that
the Lalitgiri sculptures contain the living influence of Gupta art tradition.
The Temple Architecture
Architecture in Orissa found its supreme expression in the form of temples, some of which
are among the finest in the country. Of these, three are most famous: the Lingaraja temple at
Bhubaneswar (11th century), the Jagannath Temple at Puri (12th century), and the great Sun Temple
at Konark (13th century). These mark the culmination of a distinct style of architecture called the
Kalinga style, remarkable in its plan, elevation and details of decoration. In the simplest form, a
temple of this style consists of a structural duo, the main temple or shrine and the frontal porch. While
the main temple, called Vimana or Deul is the sanctum enshrining the deity, the porch or assembly
hall called Jagamohana is the place for the congregation of devotees. The former, constructed on a
square base, has a soaring curvilinear tower (sikhara) and is known as rekha deul. The latter built on
a rectangular base is a pidha temple, i.e. its roof consists of pidhas which are horizontal platforms
arranged successively in a receding formation so as to constitute a pyramidal superstructure. Although
the two temples are architecturally different, they are constructed in axial alignment and interconnected
so as to form an integral pattern.
This two-part structure in the earliest form of temple construction is noticeable in the
Parsurameswar temple of Bhubaneswar (7th century). A modest specimen of the Bharateswar-
Lakshmaneswar group of early temples, it has a squattish type of curvilinear sikhara and an oblong
pillared jagamohana. The sculptures on the temple walls are also notable for their simplicity and
beauty. The Kalinga style reached its perfection during the Ganga period when two more structures
were added to the front of the two-part temple in order to meet the needs of the elaborate rituals; these
are the natamandira (dancing hall) and the bhogamandapa (hall of offerings). The four halls of structure,
as at Lingaraja and Jagannatha, stand in one line with emphasis on the towering sikhara of the main
shrine. However, the devotees have to enter through the side doors of the jagamohana leaving the
natamandira and bhogamandapa behind.
Temple building activities in Orissa continued uninterrupted between the 7th and 16th centuries.
As different religious sects had their successive sway over the land during this period, they provided
the necessary fillip for modifications in the architectural designs and sculptural details. The Vaital
temple at Bhubaneswar and the Varahi temple at Chaurasi in the Prachi Valley with their semicylindrical
roofs are examples of a different order of temples described as Khakhara type in the shilpasastras.
The former with its tower resembling a topsy-turvied boat and the latter with its barrel-vaulted top are
dedicated to the goddesses Chamunda and Varahi respectively. The silhouetted interior of the sanctum
and the sculptural motifs in the niches of the temples bear the influence of Shakti cult.
There is yet another class of temples which are almost unique in their conception and execution
in the whole country; these are the circular shaped, hypaethral or roofless structures dedicated to the
sixty-four yoginis belonging to the Tantric order. Out of all the five shrines of yogini worship existing
in the whole country, two are situated in Orissa, the Chausathi Yogini Temples one at Hirapur near
Bhubaneswar and the other at Ranipur-Jharial in Titlagarh subdivision of Balangir district. At the
centre of these temples is pedestalled the image of Bhairava around which are located the Yoginis,
each in a niche. The artistic figures of the yoginis, their hair style varying totally in case of each at
Hirapur, are superb in execution.
However, the Kalinga style of architecture which was the most common order throughout
progressed well under the patronage of the Somavamsi Kings of Orissa during the 10th and 11th
centuries. The Mukteswar temple (10th century) of Bhubaneswar is considered a gem of Orissan
architecture and is accepted as one of the most beautiful temples of India. Elegantly decorated from
top to bottom, it stands within a gracefully laid out compound with an exquisite makara torana in frontThe rekha sikhara, light and rhythmic in treatment, is unrivalled in beauty. The jagamohana is a
harmonious pidha deul crowned with a kalasa at the top. The Rajarani temple (11th century) owing its
name to a type of stone known as rajarania is an architectural specimen of the later Somavamsi
period. Picturesquely set amidst a wide expanse of green fields, this temple in its execution combines
grace and elegance, beauty of form and sculptural embellishments. The deul, adorned with a cluster
of miniature temples is reminiscent of Khajuraho. The Brahmeswar temple (11th century) is a
characteristic continuation of the Orissan style. The great temple of Lingaraja (11th century) at
Bhubaneswar is the quintessence of Orissan architecture. With all the features of temple architecture
fully developed and perfectly executed, it is undoubtedly one of the most finished temples in India.
The elaborate temple complex consisting of the towering sikhara (45m. in height), jagamohana,
natamandira and bhogamandapa, all in perfact harmony along with the lesser shrines around has a
unique grandeur and majesty. There are a very large number of temples of different order in Bhubaneswar
which may be called a veritable museum of temples.
The temple of Jagannatha at Puri is the earliest Ganga monument of Orissa. The massive
edifice standing on a high platform connected with the ground level by a flight of 22 steps is the
product of accumulated experience of the past in temple architecture. The whole of the main temple
was covered by a thick coat of plaster which earned for it the name White Pagoda. The plaster has
since been removed by the Archaeological Survey of India to reveal the stone carvings.
The finest specimen of Ganga art and the greatest monument of Hindu architecture in India is
the famous Sun Temple of Konark which is conceived as a chariot driven by horses. The chariot had
twenty-four wheels and seven horses. The wheels of the chariot are masterpieces of art. The temple
is perfectly proportioned in spite of its stupendous size. It is one of the wonders of workmanship in the
world. In the words of Rabindranath Tagore, Here the language of man is defeated by the language of
stone.
Temple Sculptures
The temple sculptures are of two broad categories, namely the cult images and the decorative
motifs. The first category includes such images as Ganesha, Kartikeya and Durga on the external
walls of a Siva temple; Varaha, Trivikrama, Nrusimha and the ten avataras on the outer walls on a
Vishnu temple; the ten dikpalas, each in its specified corner, the digacharinis and vetalas in the
prescribed places, the eight or nine planets (astagrahas or navagrahas) in a panel on the front lintel
with gajalakshmi above the panel in case of all temples. There are also the gods and goddesses, and
depiction of religious episodes to create a religious atmosphere. Although the cult images in a temple
are the largest in number, they need not all be confined to the cult alone. Religious synthesis is
reflected through the images of Ardhanarisvara, and Hari-Hara (as at Gandharadi). The sculptors were
highly imaginative for instance, all forms of Bhairavas and Durga images of all conceivable types are
to be seen in the temples.
The decorative motifs consist of the male and female figures, erotic sculptures, semi-divine
beings as Gandharvas, Nagas, Yakshas, Kinnaras, griffins, enigmatic figures, scenes from military
and courtly life, secular pictures, fables and stories, scrolls and arabesques, chaitya arches and lotus
medallions, flora and fauna and decorative designs.
Some of the finest temple sculptures of Orissa are found at Muktesvara, Rajarani and Lingaraja
temples. The temple walls adorned with youthful figures, delicately modelled. Their chiselled smiles
defy the passage of time and the onslaughts of decay. A significant feature of temple art is the
presence of erotic sculpture on the outer walls to signify the fact that religion cannot be separated
from real life. It also means that life is full of illusions and that desires bind us to the wheel of life and
death. There are also figures of female musicians and dancers and their sculptural qualities are
superb. Massive elephants, horses and lions dominate the Konark temple premises.