State

Capital: Bhubaneswar

There was one and just one reason why I wanted to visit Odisha… But I shall come to that soon.

When I had first heard of Odisha it was in its form as Kalinga in my history books. I remember our history teacher speaking enthusiastically about the awe-inspiring grandeur and might of the ancient Kalinga empire. The one who ruled over Kalinga was called “Kalingadhipati” or the Lord of Kalinga. It was a coveted title as we see in history of the various rulers who wanted control over Kalinga, the most famous one being King Ashoka of Magadh. Not many may agree with me but I have scarcely read of any other greater ruler on Earth other than King Ashoka. Under him almost the entirety of the Indian subcontinent turned Buddhist, or to say it in modern parlance, Buddhism became the national religion. He is also credited with the spread of Buddhism through Asia which is a massive feat. And all this happened in the forty years of peace during his reign following the great Kalinga war. It was probably the deadliest war ever fought in its time with casualties amounting to around 250,000 lives.

The kingdom of Kalinga extended roughly through present day Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, which meant that the Kalingans controlled trade routes through the Bay of Bengal and were a prosperous people. The people in Kalinga were skilled artisans; this was reiterated by another skilled ‘pattachitra’ artist whom we happened to interact with in the Chausath Yogini Temple premises. He said that the other ancient name for Odisha was Utkala (Uttar: North, Kal: Kalinga; Incidentally ‘Utkal’ is the name for Odisha mentioned in our National Anthem) which was a name synonymous with artistically skilled people.

So coming back to the Kalinga war, here was a people who were extremely skilled with their hands, had trade with other kingdoms since they controlled vast portions of the eastern coastline, and turned prosperous; as a result they would have had so much to lose if they had to come under the Mauryan rule. Their prosperity also meant that they would have had an immensely skilful army and thus the losses in the war were that much more deadly. It was this war that made King Ashoka to be remembered as he is now, as the King who changed from violence to non violence with never marching into another battle or war ever again. I know that it’s a romanticised version of King Ashoka but nevertheless a story that sets him apart from all other kings that have since existed.

In Dhauli hill a peace pagoda was built that looks more like a memorial to mark the spot where the Kalinga war was fought. All around the periphery of the stupa are rock cuts that depict different aspects of Buddha’s life.

There are other Buddhist sites that probably date back to the Mauryan age which include Ratnagiri. Lalitagiri, Udyagiri and Langudi hills. When we went to Ratnagiri, the Archaeology Survey of India (ASI) was excavating some of the ruins. It was the first time I’ve ever seen excavations happening live. As I walked around the portions that had to be unearthed, I noticed the tops of the statues and carved rock peeping from just beneath the surface of the ground. I was standing upon those once revered structures. These were grounds on which monks and Kings and devotees walked on, now covered in millennia of sediments.

When I decided to visit Odisha I was keen that it had to be a trip dedicated to ancient historical sites. I am a keen lover of history and I had once harboured a dream to take up archaeology. Though that was not to be my chosen field, my love for it only grew stronger with time.

Now let me tell you my actual reason for coming to Odisha…

Konark

The temple dedicated to ‘Arka’ or the Sun God is probably one of ancient India’s finest architectural feats. It is not just a beautiful structure like the Taj Mahal is, but it has so many complexities that makes it an engineering masterpiece, not just for its time but for all of time and history. There are westerners who have compared it to great European art as seen in Venice. I have been to Venice and nothing there compares even remotely to the grandeur and majesty of Konark.

I stood in awe in front of the temple for several minutes as the experience slowly absorbed into my consciousness. All I could repeat under my breath was ‘wow, wow, wow!’ because even now words fail me and nothing I say can even begin to sketch the beauty and experience of Konark. Please go there once to feel the blood rush through you and the nerves under your skin tingle in front of the structure. In its days of glory it must have been an even greater sight to behold. People may not agree but even the pyramids did not evoke as much emotion in me as the temple at Konark did, because while there are many pyramids, there’s only one Konark.

For those who may be shocked, the artworks on the walls are erotic in nature. It would shock even the people who watch porn regularly because God and sex are seen as separate fields in the modern secular world. But when you go there do make a conscious effort to step back into time, to an age where being spiritual and being carnal was both appropriate and necessary to live a good life.

The temple structure in itself is unfortunately falling apart. Measures are being taken to hold it up but I wonder how long it will take before it finally succumbs to the vagaries of time and nature. The sea along the east coast with its periodic cyclones is also particularly unforgiving.

I would like to end my trip to Odisha with Konark but I cannot without mentioning the other grand temple there which is the Puri Jaggannath temple. There are many mysteries surrounding it, which are mysteries only to the dull minded future generations who were dumbed down by colonial thinking… namely us. But for our ancestors they were engineering skills that were understood and expected from the Kings and rulers who commissioned such works to glorify the Gods they worshipped. Their excellent architecture and engineering was commonplace to them like how our die-cast steel skyscrapers are commonplace to us.

I looked up at the spire of the majestic temple and yes though birds fly around it, not one rested on top of the spire. And yes, nowhere did I notice the shadow of the temple. For me though the strangest feeling of all was when I went in for the darshan. The moment I came close to the idols of Lord Jaggannath, Subhadra and Balabhadra, I could feel a lightness in my chest and in my belly. It felt euphoric inside my body. That was a unique feeling that lasted for a while till I left the temple premises. Whether it was an effect of Loadstone or not is something that I cannot ascertain but it was truly uplifting.

The unique images of the idols have many versions associated with it. One version talks of a cultural appropriation of tribal gods into mainstream Hinduism. Odisha incidentally has a large tribal population and each tribe has their own unique gods and goddesses and indigenous medicines and agricultural practices, among other things. I would highly recommend a visit to the tribal museum in Bhubaneswar, which will give a tiny peak into the daily lives and customs of the tribes. It was such an enriching experience that I hope the governments in our country will ensure that all tribal spaces are preserved. In the name of development and emancipation these spaces should not be encroached upon. We as a people will stand to lose so much of indigenous knowledge that is rooted in these forests and rivers that these tribes live in and protect. Most of it is truly Indian and truly cultural. As we, the now millennial generation slowly and seemingly innocuously step into a global and secular world we may become the new civilization that would look lowly upon these old tribal wisdom and instead conspire to build a capitalistic space with a thought of ‘civilizing’ these people. I hope that does not happen and that all their beliefs and learning continue to inspire us. In the midst of all their understanding, I with all my education am truly humbled.

The tribes teach us that Gods and Goddesses and their messengers are much closer to us than we can imagine. We humans are capable of being divine, as the legend of the Kalijai temple in an island in Chilika Lake describes. The divine is both in us and in the nature that surround us. The preservation of our divinity depends a lot in the preservation of our wildlife and our forests and all of nature around. I hope we don’t forget all this in our quest for our greed and comfort.

I have rambled more about everything else in Odisha other than its food. Since my blog is called ‘Dining Chair travels’ I cannot skip any conversations about food. I was advised to try out the prawns and crabs, which I ate at every given opportunity. The prawns are prepared with their shells which was something that I did not expect. The freshness and flavours were on point everywhere. I tried their vegetarian and non vegetarian options, eating till I almost exploded with room still there for desserts.

We happened to visit Pahala on the Bhubaneswar Cuttack highway and there, right on the road were shops upon shops of people selling sweets. Piping hot rasgullas, cakes of chhena podas and my new favourite: chhena gaja! Google will tell you to eat Chhena gaja from Pahala itself because trust me the flavour in Pahala is superior to what I tried elsewhere. I kick myself for not buying enough of chhena gaja from there. Anyone who I may know who may go there, remember me, a poor desperate soul, who craves to bite into the juicy depths of the gaja, and please get me boxes and boxes and boxes…

I have friends from Odisha and now I am certainly glad that I do. There is so much that I need from there! I can imagine how the ancient traders of goods from Utkala must have felt. I feel the same way. All this till I visit there again, which I shall. Till then…