Sacred Centre Bhubaneswar Revisited

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Bhubaneswar is the capital of Odisha State from 1948 and now it has completed seventy-five years. As the capital of Greater Odisha from 1948 it has grown to be a famous urban centre in India. But the significance of Bhubneswar has to be considered from fix vast antiquities and in place in the cultural space in India. It was a celebrated religious site in India from the phase of the Nandas and Mauryas which can be known from the epigraphic records of the Maurya Ling Ashoka and Mahameghabahana Kharavela. The special Rock Edicts of Ashoka and the famous Hatigumpha inscription of the Jaina monarch Kharavela definitely indicate its considerable significance as a Buddhist and Jain centre in the early phase. Besides from the Gupta phase till the end of Suryavanshi Gajapati kingship Bhubaneswar was a centre where Kalinga school of art and architecture was in) a flourishing stage. Stupendous Salva structures like Mukteswar, Rajarani, Brahmeswar, Lingaraja, Megbewara and Ananta Vasudeva added to its architectural and sculptural glory and greatness. The famous Surabhagiri (which was later known At Dhauligiri) contained the rock edicts of Ashoka and as far as the version of Buddhist text Gandabyuha is considered it was a centre of medicinal herbs and plants and it looked very bright in the morning time for which in the 13 and 14 century A. D. it was called Swamadri in local texts like Ekamra Purana and Sarola Mahabharata. The term Swarnadri reminds us of the concept of El Dorado of the Portuguese which was well known in 16 century A. D. Bat Swarnadri (the golden Mountain) was well known in the 13 century A. D. Besides the centre for architectural and sculptural experiments on a grand scale for centuries it was a celebrated Saiva centre in India. The presiding deity Lingaraja is unique in India as we find only 12 Jyotirlingas in different religious centres in India, but Bhubaneswar was famous for Svayambhu Lingaraja which indicated kingly nature of Linga. Once upon a time as reported by William F. B. Laurie in his text entitled Orissa: The Garden of Superstition and Idolatry published in 1851 the centre of Lingaraja contained as many as 7000 temples. It was called the centre of Kruttivasa of Hemadri where as Kruttivasa's seat was in Himadri (Himalayas). Both Himadri and Hemadri need brilliant studies.

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