After a bumpy landing I was greeted by 32 teeth and a placard, instantly I knew I shall have him as my taxi driver for the next few days.. & I did in spite of his non-stop chattering.
My first visit to Odisha I headed straight to pay my respect to Dina Nath Pathey ex principle of College of Art Bhuvaneshvar. Thereon I rushed to Puri where I was to camp for the next few days.
I usually head out to a destination with minimal information and just follow the soul of the place, the mystery that unfolds is what thrills me, and not being a great fan of statistics or names it’s the essence, the aroma the Darshan, which I look for.
While driving to Puri from Bhuvaneshwar the first thing to catch my attention was the smartly hatted traffic police women, slowly the urban landscape gives way to lush green cultivated fields with patches of water bodies, inbetween covered with emerald green weeds and pink wild flowers “yeh Kasturi hai” says my driver. Just as I had absorbed in the green, I was blasted by colorful decoratives hanging on both sides of the road, We were driving through an exhibition of brilliant colorful applique craft works, purses, hanging lamp shades, bedspreads, umbrellas etc etc. this was Pipli. “In 1054 Maharaja Birakshore of Puri had appointed tailors of Darji caste as the sevaks to provide regular supply of such articles for daily seva, as pilgrims on way to Jagannath Temple could stop and buy banners etc for offerings to the Temple Gods and also carry with them souvenirs”, said a shopkeeper.
JAGANNATH TEMPLE
Puri welcomes one with the normal Chaos as any small town would, but the aura is filled with devotion. I quickly settled my bags in the Hotel located on CT road and as suggested by my 32 teeth driver, I headed to Jagannath Temple. No camera, no bags, no mobile etc etc and I whispered within, “oh God cant I just take a few pictures”,
Well yes I was quietly helped to the terrace of an adjacent Temple and got the bit I had asked for.
The Panda Guide painstakingly & patiently took me to nearly each corner of the Temple and flooded me with mind blowing information. Many times I just sat, soaking in the vibrations of the Temple, the stories, the devotion, the majestic magnitude. 50000 Pandits and staff, 150000 people can be fed each day, 240 choolas ( cooking platforms ) cooking 56 different dishes each day on six to nine handis ( mud pots) staked on top of each other. A handi once used is destroyed. Each Seva is divided among different caste and is pasted on through generations. The cooking Pandits, the door closing Pandits, the Pujaris etc etc Its all a fascinatingly complex, yet simplified organization. Its about devotion. The beautifully carved wooden Rath for the great Rath Yatra is constructed without any iron or nails, fascinatingly each year a new one is made and the old destroyed. It was 6;30pm, the preparations for changing the flags on top of the 214 feet high main Temple had started and this is done each day irrespective of the weather. Without any facility of a stairway etc a family of Pandits since generations is dedicated for this job, thousands of people gathered around, waited patiently to witness this daring sight of devotion and amidst the chants of praise for the Lord and sound of hulu huli, he leaped up in a trance like state and reached the top with the stealth of a leopard. This needs to be felt and experienced, the energy behind this custom is unexplainable. My guide quickly whisked me away, the doors of the main sanctum were to open in a few minutes. Our feet were greeted with remnants of the 56 dishes which had been offered to the Lord before being served to the devotees, my feet were gliding on the slippery floor, my mind played havoc, where was the hygiene etc etc, my body stiffened and slipped further, pushed through along with the hundreds, we were on our feet because of each other, I realized and whispered “LET GO AND FLOW” I became one with the slippery floor, the devotees, the sanctum, the idol, I floated now, mind cleared off urban conditioning, and then I could ‘SEE’.
BUDDHIST TRAIL
Next day 6:30am I left for the Buddhist heritage sites Ratnagiri, Udayagiri and Lalitagiri, they are around 10 km apart from each other, and via Cuttak (NH 5 and NH 200) around 155 km and a 3hrs drive from Puri. The last 20km once we exit NH 200 is very scenic, a drive through beautiful small villages and winding narrow hilly roads, one can feel a mysterious Aura all through this area. Ratnagiri, embedded in the interiors welcomed me with its solitude. I was the only visitor and that was perfect. A climb of100 odd steps bordered with lush green grass brought me to around 60 feet above the road, from here I was greeted with a soothing view of lush green paddy fields in the distance below. A few more meters and a battery of Votive Stupas welcomed me, though a little breathless I nearly ran up the next 100 meters, Waah!!! there was silence, a Hugh Stupa welcomed me, it felt heavy, grounded and still, I climbed to the top of it, and wow! Could see hundreds of Votive Stupas surrounding it, many arranged in circles with a large Votive in the centre, a top the Stupa I helplessly sank into a meditative posture, eyes shut with ease, the air came alive with chants, was I traveling in time? There was gentle movement around me, so real, “Sahibji”, 32 teeth (my driver) “ek ghanta ho gaya hai chalain” standing above me was another man with him, he asked if I had seen the place well and if not he an excavation laborer would show me around. I jumped to life, did I? Or was that life, that I was experiencing before? I wondered. While walking with my new guide still in a state of trance, I looked down and to my shock I was standing next to the the bump on the top of Buddha’s head, ( Ushnisha ) still buried under, a part of the temple still to be excavated was beneath us, he quickly whisked me away towards the rooms where the monks had lived, the newly excavated temple and and finally to the brick monastery, never have I seen a more beautifully carved Door Jamb a combination of light green granite and sandstone, and wonderfully carved stone sculptures lay all around.
This Buddhist centre was established at the time of the Gupta Kings ( 1st half of 6th century AD ). Initially a Mahayana centre it became a great centre of Tantric Buddhism or Vajrayana during the 8th- 9th century and was significant for the emergence of Kalachakra Tantra.
Next to the site is a Museum which houses some fascinating ancient relics and sculptures.
It had been two hrs and my constantly grinning driver reminded me to speed up a bit, on the way to Udaigiri, I coudnt help but stop at a village, an old man with glistening dark skin, knees going way beyond his head, sat by the road side weaving a basket, in a few minutes I was surrounded by grinning women and children, “he is the grand dad of our village 80+ and fully active” they invited me to have chai and I followed. Each hut in the village was fantastically painted with white rice powder and some natural colors, the per-capita income here is barely Rs1000 per month, the joy on their faces again made me wonder.
UDAYAGIRI
Located in the basin of a U-shaped hill is one of the largest Buddhist complex in Orrisa. The ancient name of this sprawling complex was Madhavapura Mahavihara and it flourished between the 7th – 12th century AD.
A guide wearing a cowboy hat appeared from no where and said “ very few come here and one needs 2/3 days to explore this area” I quickly said to him, “expose me to the mystery, I have 2 hrs”. Mystery shrouds this complex too, one can find rare plants, plenty of snakes and feel the vibes of mystic Tantric practices. On one side stands a hugh Stupa and a 10 minute walk away are the tombs of monks with a rare nude sculpture of Tara. The eerie silence of the complex starts to sink in instantly. Next to the tombs is a a Kali Mata Temple where childless people from all over come to make their wishes, ahead of this is the two storied brick Monastery and from here goes a secret 1 km tunnel which was once used as an escape route, the tunnel divides further and carries on towards two different hill tops. The guide seeing my interest quickly shouted out “ 4 men have lost their lives in these tunnels, they are narrow and house the most poisonous of snakes”, my inquisitive mind was put at rest. Near the entrance of the complex is a fantastically constructed ‘Step well’ which is still in use and next to that is a hut of a living Tantric who is supposed to be capable of blessing the childless. Three hours had past and we moved on to Lalitagiri in deep silence yet images still dancing within me.
LALITAGIRI
Again this is a sprawling complex and one of the oldest Buddhist centres. As one walks past the entrance, the wonderfully constructed brick Chaitya hall reveals itself. A visit to the sculpture shed of ASI must not be missed and as u walk back, a long flight of steps lead to a large Stupa perched on a hill top, golden caskets containing sacred bone relics believed to have been of Tathagata, were discovered here. This Stupa is said to emit “brilliant light” and be sure to have a birds eye view of the beautiful landscape below.
We had forgotten about lunch it was 4;30pm we headed back to Puri, I pushed my seat back reclined, the grandeur of what I had witnessed and experienced, played sweet chaos with a spiritual silence deep inside me.
Deepak Tondon
