PURUSOTTAM | Lord Jagannath -The Untold Story -1490 | The King Purusottama Dev | HG Maha Vishnu Dasa

PURUSOTTAM | Lord Jagannath -The Untold Story -1490 | The King Purusottama Dev | HG Maha Vishnu Dasa Purusottamadeva was a one-of-a-kind personality among Odisha’s Suryavamsi Gajapati kings. His success, in all of its manifestations, was multi-faceted, unique, and effective. As Kapilendradeva had noted, his assumption of power in 1467 A.D. The instances of the clashes between Purushottama Deva and Saluva Narasimha Deva form the backdrop of the famous Odia literary work ‘Kanchi Kaaveri Upakhyana’, penned by Purushottama Das in the 1500s. Historical references, literary works and legends mention that Purushottama Deva’s first offensive against Kanchi ruler Saluva Narasimha Deva resulted in a massive loss to the Kalinga Army. Thousands of soldiers died and Purushottama Deva himself barely made it back alive. The ‘Kanchi Kaaveri Upakhyana’ says that Purushottama Deva, wounded and defeated, came back to Odisha and fell on the feet of his Lord, Lord Jagannatha of Sri Mandir, requesting him to save him and help him. As per an article in History of Odisha, while many historians agree to the turn of events, some parts of the story are contested. Saluva Narasimha Deva was indeed a ruler of Vijayanagara and had fought with Purushottama Deva. Kapilendra Deva, Purushottama Deva’s father, had conquered Bidar, the territory of Bahamani Sultan and was called as ‘Kalabargeswara’. Historian KC Panigrahi had stated that Chandragiri was the seat of Saluva Narasimha Deva and it may have been known as ‘Kanchi’ in popular references, after the Pallava capital Kanchipuram. The Gajapati emperor becomes a ‘sweeper’ for one day, in the service of Lord Jagannath It has been a centuries-old tradition of the Rathayatra that the ruler of Kalinga becomes a ‘sweeper’ for one day. The Gajapati of the Suryavamsa gets up to the Ratha and sweeps the Lord’s chariot with a golden broom, a ritual known as ‘Chhera Panhara’. As the ‘Kanchi Kaveri Upakhyana’ tells, Purushottama Deva had heard that Padmavati, the daughter of Saluva Narasimha Deva, is unparalleled in beauty and grace. He wanted to marry Padmavati so he sent a proposal. Saluva Narasimha Deva had sent emissaries to Kalinga who witnessed the ‘Chhera Pahanra’ ritual, finding it odd that the all-powerful Gajapati was performing the duties of a sweeper. Saluva Narasimha Deva considered it an affront and declared that his daughter will never marry a mere sweeper. Purushottama Deva was enraged. This was an insult not just to him, but to the ritual and the culture of Lord Jagannath too. After his second conquest of Kanchi, where he emerged the victor and captured Saluva Narasimha Deva, Purushottama Deva had princess Padmavati brought to Kalinga, declaring that he will indeed get her married to a sweeper. On the road, Jagannath and Balabhadra grew thirsty and chanced upon a milkmaid Manika, who gave them butter-milk/yogurt to quench their thirst. Instead of paying her dues, Balabhadra gave her a ring telling her to claim her dues from King Purushottam. Later, Purushottam Deva himself passed by with his army. At Adipur near Chilika lake, the milkmaid Manika halted the King pleading for the unpaid cost of yogurt consumed by His armie’s two leading soldiers riding on black and white horses. She produced the gold ring as evidence. King Purusottam Deva identified the ring as that of Jagannath. Considering this a sign of divine support for his campaign, the king enthusiastically led the expedition. In the war between the armies of Kalinga (inspired by the Divine support of Jagannath) and Kanchi, Purushottam Deva led his army to victory . King Purusottam brought back the Princess Padmavati of Kanchi to Puri. To avenge his humiliation, he ordered his minister to get the princess married to a sweeper. The minister waited for the annual Rath Yatra when the King ceremonially sweeps Jagannath’s chariot. He offered the princess in marriage to King Purusottam, calling the King a Royal sweeper of God. The King then married the Princess. This story is mentioned in the Madala panji chronicle of the Jagannath Temple of Puri, in relation to Gajapati Purushottama. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT & DONATE : 9121 585 375 ( GOOGLE PAY / PHONEPAY ) . . . #lordjagannath #puri #jivjaagomedia