Taratarini Temple, Ganjam – History
Tara Tarini Shrine is situated
close to Sampa, ancient capital of Kalingan Empire. Tara Tarini was worshiped
as the principal deity of the mighty Kalinga Empire. The shrine lost its
relevance after the defeat of Kalingan Empire by Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. The
name Tara (Buddhism), an important deity of Mahayana Buddhist Pantheon, is
suggestive of Buddhist influence. An image of Buddha in meditation, present
inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple lends credence to the claim of this
site as an ancient centre of the Buddhist Shakta cult.
According to the texts of
Mahayana Buddhists, in the initial days, the Buddhists didn’t believe in the
worship of Goddesses or in Pratimapuja (Idol Worship). After the fall of
Kalingan Empire, Mahayana Buddhists accepted the worship of Goddess Tara. It is
believed that the Buddhists have learned the Tara Puja concept from this
shrine. The Buddha Tantrik texts, texts of Vajrajani sect and Hindu Tantrik
texts also attest these facts. It is believed that the Buddhists worshiped
Taratarini, the principal seat of Tantrik sect in Hinduism at that time.
Later, Tara was included in
Buddhism as the Tantrik deity or spouse of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. The
maritime history of Kalinga suggests the worship of Tara by the Sadhavas,
merchants and seamen before launching their sea voyage from the great sea ports
like Dantapura (Gopalpur), Pallur near Chilika
Lake, Kalingapatna and river Rushikulya. All these major sea ports
were very near the Tara Tarini hill shrine. It is known from the available
sources that till 17th century, this place was out of the sight of
the common man. The original structure was demolished in 2005 and the new
temple replaced the old one.
No comments:
Post a Comment