A Visit To The Ancient Jagannath Temple At Behta, Kanpur
वनौपान्तनदीशैलनिर्झरौपान्तभूमिषु ।
रमन्ते देवता नित्यं पुरेषुउद्यानवत्सु च ।।
“Gods dwell in the vicinity of forests, rivers, mountains and in towns with pleasure gardens”
– Brihat Samhita
It was a summer day, in the scorching heat of May, that I took a path off the beaten track to explore a region, in the heart of Uttar Pradesh, blessed with a fertile expanse, myriad streams and groves, enterprising folk, and an undeniable charm that coaxes you to shed your aloofness and soak up its endearing warmth. My destination of choice for the day was the village of Behta in the Ghatampur Tehsil, a nook nestled amidst the agricultural richness of the Kanpur district, a few miles off the river Rind.
The quaint little village of Behta, which lies at an hour’s distance from Kanpur city, is a location worthy of note, both from an archaeological and historical standpoint, being the site of a living and a very ancient temple with remarkable architecture and intriguing history. There’s no scholarly unanimity on the period of construction of this temple. While there’s a view which traces its origins to the Kushan or the Gupta period, there’s another which assigns it to the reign of Harshavardhan, with some of the opinions that it may have been constructed much later during the period of the Pratiharas or even the Gahadvalas. While we await an in-depth and an authoritative account of this historic site let’s find out more about what this temple holds within its enchanting folds.
The dappled light filtering through the peepal’s canopy was helped by a soft breeze in drawing evolving patterns on the path to the shrine as we climbed the series of steps leading to the courtyard of the temple beyond which lay the main temple.
In a niche on the southeastern corner of the temple just adjacent to the main door is enshrined a deity depicted wearing a yagnopavit with a halo around his head. Although a time worn pratima with many of its features not clearly visible, its partly intact iconography answers to the description of Bhagwan Vishnu who is accompanied by Sheshanag.
The entrance to the temple is framed by an intricately carved doorframe embellished with what appear to be three distinct patterns. In the many stages of the development of the Nagara shaili of temple architecture, the doorframe was one of the prominent features to have evolved from what previously consisted of a single dwara sakha into one with myriad mouldings and offsets. Depending upon the number of offsets or trimmings that were added to the doorframe it came to be known as tri-sakha (doorframe with three sakhas or offsets), chatusakha (four sakhas or trimmings of a door jamb) panchasakha, saptasakha & navasakha dwara. Each sakha was decorated with different types of mouldings. The first trimming of the doorframe known as the pratisakha was usually relieved with patravalli. Other mouldings which adorned the doorframe were rupasakha ( decorations involving carving of figures on the panel), rupastambh (in this figures were situated between two pilasters), simhasakha or vyalasakha (in this moulding animals were pictured on friezes), khalvasakha or bahyasakha or prsthasakha in which padmalata or lotus and foliage were carved.
The exterior of the temple is quite distinct from what greets you when you step inside – an exquisitely carved marvel in what appears to be black stone and sandstone. The principal deity of the temple is worshipped in the form of Bhagwan Jagannath while a smaller murti of Balarama can be seen occupying the space to His left. The panel behind the deity depicts various avataras of Bhagwan Vishnu.
Such temple art in this part of the country is a beautiful rarity and a sombre reminder of its medieval history when northern India was subjected to waves of invasions that brought with it an iconoclastic fury which denuded the landscape of its ancient heritage and splendour. You’d do well to carry a small torch to see the art concealed in the darkness which envelopes the interior of the temple.
This shrine is famous in the region for its peculiar feature of predicting rainfall. Understandably so, as the populace is dependent on a good monsoon for its survival and prosperity. It’s believed that the kind of water droplets or the nature of moisture on the stone slabs forming part of the roof of the garbha griha is an indication of the quality of monsoons the area would experience that season. Hence every year before the commencement of rains the villagers make it a point to visit this temple for their annual weather update.
British records assign great antiquity to the temple. However, the last restoration as we find from other sources was carried out during the 11th century CE. Considering what the British archaeological records suggest it appears that at the time of the restoration of this temple material from several other ruined temple sites of the district was brought to Behta for reuse in reconstructing this shrine. Records show how while working on restoring the temple at Bhitargaon, the British archaeological department had inquiries made in the district in the hope of finding if there was a temple of recent origin nearby where remains of the Bhitargaon temple could have been reused. One of the temples identified as fitting the subject of inquiry was the temple at Behta. On a closer inspection however it was revealed that this temple was of a very ancient origin.
“One sometimes finds that modern built temples are partly constructed of ancient building material or contain sculptures or inscriptions taken from some ancient ruins temple in the district and with this object in view I had inquiries made and found that there was a modern temple of some importance at the village of Behta about two miles from Bhitargaon. On inspecting it I found that although uninteresting enough exteriorly the interior of the sanctum showed that a very ancient brick and stone temple once stood here the old stonework being beautifully and richly carved.“
– The Archaeological Survey of India’s Annual Report for 1908–1909.
The archaeological surveyor, however, did find certain “large well executed sculptures, together with broken portions of carved door-frames, architraves and pillars lying about the temple compound or had been used in repairing the temple or compound entrance.”
In a similar manner perhaps as I did more than a hundred years later.
After a survey of the temple at Behta it was held by the British archaeological department that perhaps not all the remains in the temple compound belonged to the original ancient shrine which once stood at the place, but rather some of it belonged to two distinct ancient shrines of the district which were in ruins and whose material was brought here for repairing this temple. Since it had already been established by then that a stone doorframe supported the mass of brickwork on the entrance to the temple at Bhitargaon the surveyor gathered that some of the remains lying around at Behta belonged to that ancient brick temple.
“It is obvious that all these sculptures and portions of ancient building material could not have belonged to the original temple that once stood here and that some of it must have been removed from some other ruined shrine in the neighbourhood and brought to Behta at the time when the temple was so exteriorly repaired. The nearest and as far as I am aware the only ruined temple near Behta is that of Bhitargaon which is only two miles away and I feel sure that some of the ancient material represents portions of the missing stone door jambs and lintels of that edifice. The sculptures alone prove that the ancient remains collected here belonged to two distinct temples for I found lying on the ground in the compound the broken remains of a large well carved representation of Siva and his consort Parvati seated on the bull Nandi and in one of the cells built on either side of the temple doorway I found a particularly well. carved representation of Vishnu (Padmanabha) reclining upon the folds of the serpent Sesha illustrating the birth of Brahma. It is a fine piece of work carved out of a solid block of sandstone. It is not used as an object of worship but is lying on the ground neglected. There is a similar cell opposite containing two well carved images one representing Lakshmana. and the other Ganesa”
– The Archaeological Survey of India’s Annual Report for 1908–1909.
As is evident from the records, and from the condition we find them in today, these murtis have remained housed in these cells since the time the British first surveyed the site.
Coming out of the garbha griha after performing the rituals, we decided to take a look at the architecture of the shrine. The temple is built in the shape of an elaborate Ratha or chariot modelled on the Padmakosha design as seen in the blooming lotus whose petal’d folds adorn a surface crying out for maintenance and care. The twin shirsha of the temple showcase traditional mouldings which give way to a Chakra and dhvaja on the top.
The facade of the shrine also closely resembles the front look of what was once a Vishnu temple at Besnagar, the site of the Heliodorus pillar, whose foundations were unearthed during an archaeological exploration in the sixties. A reconstruction, based on the excavation findings, revealed that it had been built on an elliptical plan. The shrine at Besnagar dedicated to the worship of Vāsudeva was constructed sometime in the third or fourth century BCE.
On the outer portion of the temple close to the entrance you can spot carvings depicting peacocks. This is a venerated bird in the Hindu religion, being the mount of Bhagwan Kartikeya, and has also been profusely mentioned in our sacred and classical literature, both prose and verse. In Vikramorvashi, Kalidasa while giving an exquisite description of the garden says “the peacock and the swan strut and hover over the fountain to catch the water sprays, where the domesticated caged parrot shouts for water, and the bees crowd on the karnikara tree” while in the Raghuvansha, Kalidasa poetises thus “the asoka, karnikara and the mango blossomed, the parrot echoed the sounds around, the cuckoo cooed, the peacock danced, and the yuthika and the madhavi perfumed the air”.
The peacock has been extensively depicted in Indian art as well. Buddhist and Jain traditions connect the peacock with the Mauryas who used it as their emblem ..“the Asoka pillar at Nandangarh has been found to bear..the figure of a peacock..while the same figure is repeated in several sculptures on the Great Stupa at Sanchi, which are associated with Asoka on the basis of the stories of his life”. Peacock also makes an appearance in “a fragmentary railing pillar of the Sunga period (2nd century B.C.)” where “a beautiful peacock is depicted in a forest along with a deer”
This charming bird is also seen in a number of depictions from the Kushan period. In a sculpture from Mathura from the 2nd century CE, Sri Devi, the Goddess of abundance, is shown “standing on a full vase from which issue forth lotuses, is adorned with an armlet shaped like a dancing peacock..on the back two peacocks are shown sitting face to face with full plumages”. In another example from the Kushan period, dated to the 3rd century CE, from Lala Bhagat, Kanpur, “a very graceful and charming figure of a dancing peacock is chiselled with remarkable skill” on a pillar depicting Bhagwan Surya.
The peacock motif was also widely used on ancient Indian coins. In one of the coins Bhagwan Kartikeya is depicted riding a peacock while in another coin made of gold, from the reign of Kumaragupta, a lady is depicted feeding grapes to a peacock. The motif was often used in themes from the popular legends of the time.
On the southern facade of the temple beside the peacock, one can also spot the motif of a Chakra carved on the upper portion of the blooming lotus petal. Chakra is also seen fixed on the top of the temple over the garbha griha. Despite prolonged exposure to the vagaries of both weather and time, it shows no signs of rust.
Chakra as a cultural and philosophical symbol has held a revered position in the Hindu iconographic and religious traditions, since ancient times. Worship of the wheel is an important religious event marking the commencement of marriage rituals in a Hindu household. The ritual of Chakra pooja helps in conveying the significance of the institution of marriage in keeping the wheel of the Creator revolving forever.
“The conception of the Chakra was perfected in the Vedas as the symbol of creation (called Brahma Chakra), and of time (called Kala Chakra). It was later on known as Samsāra Chakra which the Buddhists styled as Bhava Chakra and Dharma Chakra called Tryadhva. For the Vedic thinkers, Chakra is the symbol of movement (Gati) in accordance with a rhythm (Chhandas). The basic quality of the wheel is its dual character as seen in the ascent and descent, as the rhythmic unfoldment of time in the form of the rotation of night and day (ahorātra), the bright and dark halves of the month (shuklapaksha and krishnapaksha) two semesters..(uttarayan and dakshinayana) and lastly the ever present process of contraction and expansion (samanchana prasarana), of a forward and backward movement (eti cha preti cha). Both space and time are the outcomes of movement and both are symbolised as chakra. In temporal aspect past, present and future form a chakra, and in the spatial, the earth, sky and heaven. Both of these are symbolised in nature as Sun and therefore Surya is conceived of as the Great Wheel (Maha Chakra or Brihant Chakra). The Chakra in the Rigveda is described as sanemi and sanābhi or trinābhi”.
सनेमि चक्रमजरं वि वावृत उत्तानायां दश युक्ता वहन्ति ।
सूर्यस्य चक्षू रजसैत्यावृतं तस्मिन्नार्पिता भुवनानि विश्वा ॥
“The wheel revolves, unwasting, with its felly: ten draw it, yoked to the far-stretching car-pole. The Sun’s eye moves encompassed by the region: on him dependent rest all living creatures”
– ऋग्वेद. (Rigveda)
“From the point of view of meaning (arth) the Chakradhvaja with its elaborate symbolism is pregnant almost with epic contents and represents in a full and effective manner the soul of India as reflected in Vedic, Jaina, Buddhist traditions over many centuries in the silent and joyous consciousness of the people.”
– V. S. Agarwal
From the pillars at Sanchi to the coins of the ancient kingdoms to its magnificent and definitive rendering at the Konark Sun temple, the Chakra as a motif and a sacred symbol has been a recurrent theme in the religious art of India.
The temple complex houses a shrine dedicated to Bhagwan Shiva. The shiva linga in the centre is the one which has been newly installed while the other two appear timeworn and have come down from an ancient time.
This is the 90 ft deep ancient well whose waters were once drawn for use in the various temple rituals. It now stands dry and neglected, its depths echoing a history when its sparkling waters had mirrored life and satiety.
Historical sites, such as these, are not just places of tourist interest. They hold a sacred value for a large section of the society – evocative, as they are, of myriad emotions, inspired by reverence, devotion, adoration and historical reflection. In their worn state, they paint, through poignant strokes, a haunting picture of neglect and administrative apathy, which, if not addressed soon, may endanger their very existence. Hence, it’d be a timely intervention to not just bring about a restoration of the beautiful relics of our rich and enviable heritage, but also initiate a much needed revival of the worship of the deities which have been lying locked in the dark and dusty corners, unseen and un-worshipped since centuries.
During the bright half (शुक्ल पक्ष) of the Hindu month of Ashada (आषाढ़ मास) on dwitiya tithi (द्वितीया तिथि) this place comes alive with the sounds and the rhythm of the annual festival of Rath Yatra when the procession of Bhagwan Jagannath is taken out with great fervour and ritual piety in the village. It is an occasion when the people of the hamlet and surrounding areas come together in an outpouring of love and devotion for their guardian deity Bhagwan Jagannath.
As I prepared to leave the temple silhouetted against the evening summer sky, my eyes went up to the Chakra, awashed in the warm glow of the sun, resonant with timeless wisdom.
अन्नाद्भवन्ति भूतानि पर्जन्यादन्नसम्भव: |
यज्ञाद्भवति पर्जन्यो यज्ञ: कर्मसमुद्भव: ||
कर्म ब्रह्मोद्भवं विद्धि ब्रह्माक्षरसमुद्भवम् |
तस्मात्सर्वगतं ब्रह्म नित्यं यज्ञे प्रतिष्ठितम् ||
एवं प्रवर्तितं चक्रं नानुवर्तयतीह य: |
अघायुरिन्द्रियारामो मोघं पार्थ स जीवति ||
“From food creatures come into being, from rain is the birth of food, from sacrifice comes into being the rain, sacrifice is born of work, work known to be born of Brahman, Brahman is born of the immutable; therefore is the all pervading Brahman established in the sacrifice. He who follows not here the Chakra (wheel) thus set in movement, evil is his being, sensual is his delight, in vain, O Partha, that man lives.”
– Shri Krishna in the Bhagwad Gita emphasising the importance of the Chakra
Bibliography:
Annual Reports Archaeological Survey Of India 1908–9
Ancient and Medieval history by Upinder Singh
Chandragupta Maurya And His Times by Radha Kumud Mookerji
India As Seen By Kalidasa by Bhagavat Sharan Upadhyaya
Peacock in Indian Art, Thought and Literature by Krishna Lal
The Hindu Temple by Stella Kramrisch
Studies in Hindu Temple Architecture by Pramod Chandra
Wheel Flag Of India Chakra Dhvaja V. S. Agarwal
The Message Of The Gita by Sri Aurobindo
The Heliodorus Pillar – A Fresh Appraisal by M.D. Khare
