Varahi temple at Chourasi village has magnificent sculpture on its walls and the designs reflect a unique blend of Tantricism and Vaishnavism, writes SATYABRATA MISHRA
Curiosity and a strong willpower to explore the unexplored and know the unknown has always intrigued travellers and driven them over land and sea in search of new lands, cultures and people. This quest for life brought Huen Tsang, the Buddhist traveller or Meghasthenes, the Greek historian and author of the famous Indica, to explore India and document its riches.
Travel, for me, is always a refreshing experience where I forget the outer world, certainly for a certain period, and gather my inner strength to rejuvenate myself for the future. My destination was Varahi temple of Chourasi, approximately 10 km from Nimapada on the Nimapara-Kakatpur state highway this time after an extensive tour of the famous temples in the coastal belt of the state.
HOW TO REACH
From Bhubaneswar, the state capital, one can travel up to Nimapara (35km) by bus or a cab and then take left to travel another 8 km to reach Amareswar square on the state highway that leads to Kakatpur. A small village tar road through Chourasi village leads to the shrine. The temple is spread across an area of 2 acres, well-maintained by the archeological and tourism department with a nice green grass lawn surrounded by some flowering trees.
While researching for an article on the Kalingan style of temple architecture, I came to know about Varahi temple in Chourasi village of Puri district near Nimapara built on the principles of the Khakhara style of temple making.
Vaital temple in Bhubaneswar is the oldest example of the Khakhara style of temple architecture, assumed to be built during the 8th-9th centuries AD. Two more temples like Varahi temple of Chourasi and Gouri temple of Bhubaneswar were also built on the same module and are dedicated to the Shakti cult. The Khakara temples or the Khakhara Mundi temples are solely dedicated to Shakti upasana where the presiding deities are always goddesses instead of gods.
THE TEMPLE
Varahi temple is of a unique kind beating exemplary sculpture depicting marvelous Oriya craftsmanship in comparison with other temples of the same period. Structurally, it is different from all the other contemporary temples of Orissa built during the 10th and 11th centuries AD.
The carvings on the wall are noteworthy as the figurines outclass many of the other figurines found temple walls across the state. The enshrined chief idol of Varahi is exquisitely beautiful and is known to be one of the best found in India. The sculptures on the temple walls depict an amazing and thought-provoking combination of Tantricism and Vaisnavism.
Ganesha (Elephant God) and Surya (Sun God) are the two Parswa Devtas and the third place lies vacant. The temple was built in and around the 10th century where the Sun God was worshiped as a Parswa Devta much before the Konark Sun temple which was built in the 13th century and situated just a few km off Chourasi.
This temple was assumed to have been built in the first quarter of the 10th century AD during Somavamsi rule. The temple faces east and is built with sandstone. The area dimension (L x B x H) of the temple is 15.84 meters x 8.23 meters x 8.40 meters.
Architecturally, the temple is the most beautiful monument in the entire Prachi River valley. The valley is a congregation of many temples like Twelve Madhav (Vishnu) pithas or Dwadasa Madhava and Twelve Shaiva (Shiva) pithas known as Dwadasa Shambhu.
Though based on the Khakhara style of temple architecture there is a significant deviation in the design of the temple from that of Vaital temple and Gouri temple in Bhubaneswar. The ground plan resembles that of Vaital temple but this temple is of the Pancharatha style whereas the latter does not follow any Ratha style. The vase of the Vimana measures 18ft by 22ft and height is 27ft. The front entrance hall, typically known as Jagamohana, is rectangular in shape with a two-tier flat roof top resembling that of Parasurameswar temple in Bhubaneswar.
The majestic designs and carvings of the temple come in a remarkable variety. The finest carvings of the smallest figures like Sakhi, Nagakanya, Gajabidala, Chaitya and the border works are noteworthy. Apart from these figures on the walls, eight erotic reliefs appear to illustrate the practices of eight types of Kamakala (Asta Kama Kala prayoga) or the eight stages of copulation.
The noteworthy reliefs are found on a single board that surrounds the whole Jagamohana where scenes from Ramayana such as the killing of the illusory deer, the abduction of Sita, the murder of Jatayu, the uprooting of seven palm trees, the murder of Vali, the construction of the bridge over the sea are depicted with grace and precision.
THE DEITY
Varahi is believed to be the Shakti of Varaha which is an incarnation of Vishnu. As per Tantricism, she is one of the most worshiped goddess among the Saptamatrukas. Varahi in the Saptamatruka panel in the different temples of Orissa is the fifth in the row of Saptamatruka (the others being Brahmani, Maheswari, Kumari, Vaisnavi, Indrani and Chamunda).
The Tantric text Varahi Tantra mentions the five forms of the goddess – Bajra Varahi, Chanda Varahi, Maha Varahi (Bhairavi), Chakra Varahi and Matsya Varahi. The Varahi worshiped at Chourasi is of the form of Matshya Varahi. The black granite stone image of the deity spans about 5ft’ 9 inches in height and is 2 ft 9 inches wide.
The deity has two arms, seated in Lalitasana, the vehicle is a buffalo, seen to hold a bowl in one hand and a fish in the other hand resembling the description of Matshya Varahi.
Since it is a Tantra Pitha Her worship follows tantric rituals. During Dussehra festival the goddess is worshiped for 16 days with all the rituals of Durga puja.
If you are in Chourasi village then after a visit to the famous Varahi temple don’t miss the chance to visit the Lakshmi-Narayan temple and the Amareswar Siva temple. The Lakshmi- Narayan temple was rebuilt after it was completely damaged, so most of the carvings are lost. The presiding deities are Lord Vishnu and his wife commonly known as Lakshmi-Narayana made of black granite. A priest looks after the day-to-day rituals. Lord Nilamadhaba is also worshiped in an open field with no structure above at a short distance from the entrance of the village.
While I had marveled several times at the beauty of Konark Sun temple, another marvel of Kalingan temple architecture –Varahi temple of Chourasi – had escaped my notice. These places should be promoted vigorously to popularise them as tourist destinations. Often, in our frenzy to visit the high and mighty and famous we miss out on the finer delicacies and marvels closer home and their real essence remain unearthed. This is a pity!