Emar Mutt, a medieval monastery which had a key role in the preservation of Jagannath scholasticism, is gone. Similar has been the fate of other monasteries which were razed to the ground in a demolition drive by civic authorities in Puri
PURI: The iconic structure of Emar Mutt and other mutts surrounding the Sri Jagannath Temple are gone. Many devotees were devastated by the way in which they were demolished.
Thick stone and brick walls of the centuries old monasteries were crushed by bulldozers. The mutts had been protecting the gates of the Jagannath Temple for the last eight centuries.
Researchers and historians of Odisha said that Emar Mutt was decorated with Kaligan features like Naga Naagi, Puspa, Nara and Lata. The Lalatbimba there was a Grahalaxmi image on lotus and doorjambs had a large number of carved icons and Nayika images.
The ‘Asthadhatu’ images and ‘Shalagrams’ kept in sequential order inside the sanctum sanctorum of the mutt are also gone. The ancient wooden chests used to store the habiliments and ornaments of the deities are things of the past.
Things like the large cooking vessels made of copper and brass and the mutt’s artefacts are also threatened by the demolition. One wonders what happened to them, how many could be saved and how many were allowed to go under the debris.
The fate of Puri’s mutts is difficult to predict. After the wanton destruction, their future remains unclear. The structure was built sometime in 1790-1800 during the Maratha occupation of Puri. It was built on the foundation of an earlier building, which had been destroyed by marauding iconoclasts.
The present mutt had all the features of Kalingan architecture. There were no external decorative features except the carved doorjambs which depicted the four sakhas of naga-nagi, puspa, naras and lata. How many of these valuable pieces were saved is not known.
The walls had faded murals, which had been painted over many times. The perfectly arched entrances were decorated with animal, bird and vegetative motifs. Wooden palkis, also known as vimanas were kept in the corners, their curved bamboo poles struck high near the roof. These and other furniture were made of dark rosewood which had survived centuries.
The mutts of Puri had a key role in the preservation of Jagannath culture and scholasticism. The sadhus of the mutts used to engage themselves in painting, sculpture, music, dance, chants and rituals. They kept the treasures of Hindu art and had libraries of palm leaf manuscripts and books. These mutts were the symbols of the Guru-Shishya Parmapara, and one must visit Puri to understand the respect commoners had for them.
A renowned researcher said, “In an inventory taken in 1966, the Raghunandan Library was found to have 44,000 books and 3,000 palm leaf manuscripts. Scholars from across the country, especially Sanskrit researchers, used to come to Puri to use this library. What was recovered by the state archives before the demolition of the library was just 4,500 books and around 200 palm leaf manuscripts, all in an advanced state of decay. Many of these valuable books were termite and bookworm riddled and beyond repair. A valuable heritage is lost forever.”
The future of Puri’s mutts seems bleak. The administration thinks that their age old traditions are too stubborn and inappropriate for modern times, and therefore it’s justified to wipe them out. The fact of the matter is that the saints were not given a fair hearing by officials.
Chaitali Shome, OP