Orissa Review * May - 2007

Jayadeva - A Devotee and a Poet

Dina Krishna Joshi

Every year on Akshay Trutiya, Oriyas celebrate Puri. He spent most of his life at Puri. Padmavati
the birthday of the great Sanskrit poet Jayadeva, was the temple dancer at the Puri Jagannath
the man who wrote 'Geetagovinda' in the twelfth temple, and Jayadeva married her and settled
century. Oriyas assert that the village Kenduvilva down there to serve the Lord and Padmavati
in Puri is the birthplace of the poet. On Akshay simultaneously. This tradition of Devadasi Dance
Trutiya day, which falls on the poet's birth day, a is being continued at Lord Jagannath Temple to
two-day procession is taken from Bhubaneswar this day.
to Kenduvilva, the poet's birthplace. Sri The Gitagovinda kavya is a lyrical poem,
Jayadeva, the celebrated Poet of Gita-Govinda, dramatizing the love sports of Krishna and Radha
was born in the village Kenduvilva Sasan or on the surface and conveying simultaneously the
Kenduli Sasan in Balipatna P.S. in Khurda deep ethos of devotion of the individual soul, its
district, a part of the earlier Puri district. He was pining for God realization and finally attaining the
most likely born in the first part of 12th Century consummation in service of God.This Bhava is
A.D. during the reign of Cholaganga Deva. similar in both god realization and eroticism and
Kenduli Sasan close to the river Prachi, which the cloak fits in well. Since. The Gitagovinda was
was then inhabited mostly by Brahmins. The composed specifically for dance performance
presiding Deity in the village is Ambika and there during the night worship of Lord Jagannatha, the
is a Nrsingha temple as well. Chandra Dutta, a composition is so deftly made as to be sung to
Maithili poet, wrote 'Bhaktimala'(14th century) the beats of a dancer's foot movements. The poem
where he mentioned Jayadeva's birthplace as became so popular that within a century or so, it
"Kenduvilva Sasana": 'Sasana', a Brahmin spread to all corners of the country from east to
settlement, is an important part of Orissa's history south, west and north and was adapted to dance,
and the village, apart from having a number of music, painting and temple worship. The
'kendu' and 'vilva' trees, is located in an area Gitagovinda consists of twelve chapters, further
where Madhaba-worship is prevalent. Yet divided into twenty-four songs. Each song
another book, 'Vaishnava Lillamrta' by consists of eight couplets, it is called Ashtapadi.
Madhaba Patnaik written in 1535, clearly The first song has four introductory verses,
mentions that the poet was born in Orissa near followed by eleven ashtapadi that describe the

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purpose of the ten avataras of Vishnu, and at the establishes that he had close lineage with the
end, prostrations are offered for unhindered dancing families of Kurmapataka, who had come
completion of the work. This is followed by to Orissa during the period of Chodaganga Deva.
another ashtapadi where the hero of the work is The two inscriptions at Madhukeswar temple and
hailed. In the third song the spring season is the one at Simhachal temple were discovered,
described with its multifarious features like read and interpreted by Dr. Satyanarayan
pleasant smelling and cool winds, and sweet Rajaguru, the famous historian and linguist of
sounds of the bees, and cuckoos, thinking of
Orissa. Read with the inscription at Lingaraj
Krishna, being led by her maiden friend to the
temple, it leads to the conclusion that Jayadeva
bowers where Krishna can be found. In this hope
Radha follows her friend. had been a member of the teaching faculty of the
school at Srikurmapatak. After his childhood
In the fourth song, the poet describes the education, he must have gone to Srikurmapataka
delightful dance of Krishna with all gopis in the and gained experience in composition of poetry
dark forest of Vrndavana. All the gopis surround
and music and in dancing. He perhaps came back
him, embracing him with joy and caress him
to Orissa along with the group, and performed all
passionately and he praises them hugging one,
kissing another passionately, glancing at another those in the Puri temple which were taught at
and smiling with other maiden in love. Jayadeva Srikurmapataka.
says that in reality, Krishna was bestowing bliss Jayadeva must have gone for higher
on everyone. education in Sanskrit literature and music to
In the eleventh song, the poet describes the Kurmapataka, and after his education, he must
vipralambha srngara. Krishna, the God of Love have become a tutor there. That is why the two
is waiting for Radha on the bank of river Yamuna. titles Kurmapataka Pravara and Sadhu Pradhan
The poet compares the embrace of Radha and have been mentioned with reference to him in the
Krishna with the lightning and the black cloud, Lingaraj Temple inscription. Read together, the
and with white crane and dark cloud. three inscriptions indicate the fact of close
In the twelfth song, the poet describes the association of Jayadeva to the family of Komi
pain and distress of Radha on the separation of Nayaka and to the institution at Kurmapataka.
impertinent Krishna. Seeing the condition of Prachi valley witnessed the rise and spread of
Radha sitting in her bower, unable to move, filled Jainism, Buddhism, Saivism, Saktism, Sun cult and
by passion, and setting her mind on Krishna all Vaisnavism. Kenduvilva and many other villages
the time, the sakhi goes to Krishna to tell the state nearby are full of religious monuments dedicated
of madness of Radha, who sees him everywhere, to these different cults. Numerous temples were
before her mind's eye, and she is alive just with
erected by Bhaumas, Somavanshis and the
the only memory of her lover. The sakhi requests
Gangas in the Prachi valley. Village Kenduli Sasan
him to go quickly to meet Radha, who is waiting
fully decked for the arrival of Krishna. has rich relics of brick and stone temples and
sculptures of Saiva, Vaisnava and Sakta cults as
The Life of Sri Jayadeva well as Buddhism belonging to the period between
The presence of Jayadeva and his 9th and 13th Century A.D. In Prachi Valley,
description as Kurmapataka Pravara whether the temple has a Sakta or Saiva deity,

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Gita--Govinda is recited on festive occasions, copper plate grant of Indravarman Codaganga,

symbolizing the influence of Vaisnavism over Madhava in the pillar inscriptions of Rellivalasa
Saktism and the immense popularity of the text at Srikakulam, and numerous Madhava sculptures
of Gita-Govinda. The copper plate grant of and temples in Prachi Valley are clear revelations
Nrsingha Deva, the 4th which was recovered from of the long continued tradition of Madhava
a tank near the Nrsingha temple of Kenduli village, worship in Orissa with wide distribution in Prachi
was originally issued from Varanasi Katak in A.D. Valley, the birth place of Jayadeva, who in the
1383. It refers to the establishment of course of his wanderings and as a devout
Narasinghpur Sasan donated to one Mahapatra worshipper of Madhava infused exuberantly in
Narahari Das Praharaj, who was the minister of his Gita-Govinda the lucid description of
Narasingha Deva. This Sasan is located very close Madhava, his Deity of love and admiration."
to Kenduvilva on Prachi valley. This grant also Sri Jayadeva introduced the cult of Radha
contains the names of Olatapura and Attahaspura and Krishna through his Gita-Govinda and due
Sasan adjacent to Kenduli, established by to the influence of Srimad Bhagavata and Gita-
Attahasdeva, the youngest son of Cholaganga Govinda, the composite figure of Krishna and
Deva. Vishnu as Gopinath became very popular in
Jayadeva's Introduction of Radha and Orissa. When Vaisnavism became the state
Madhava religion of Orissa the composite sculpture of
Krishna and Vishnu with upper two hands in the
To quote Dr. Harish Chandra Das, "While
pose of playing the flute, standing in the tribhanga
discussing about the historical background of
pose associated with Astagopi and cattle, which
Jayadeva it will perhaps not be out of place to
is the characteristic feature of Krishna, indicates
glance through how he introduced Radha and
the amalgamation of two cults. The long continued
Madhava and dasavatara cult in the most popular
tradition of Dasavatara had a deep imprint
manner breaking the stylized tradition. From this
language, which would be put to music
point of view, Gita-Govinda is virtually a historical
and dance. To quote Dr. Harish Chandra Das
text unfurling the historical truth through his poetic
again, "That the concept of ten incarnations of
narration. The cult of Madhava, which is
Visnu was widely prevalent in Orissa since
historically proved to be in existence in Orissa
seventh century A.D. is substantiated by literary
from seventh or eighth century A.D., gained great
and archaeological evidences. In this connection
momentum from the time of Jayadeva.
mention may be made of Varaha worship referred
The first epigraphical evidence of Madhava to in the copper plate of Dharmaraja of the
found in the copper plate grant of Madhavaraja Sailodbhava dynasty and other individual and
of the Sailodbhava dynasty, where the scribe has collective images particularly in coastal Orissa,
particularized the epithet of Chakrayudha which speak in short to the prevalence of
Madhava. The image of Nilamadhava installed dasavatara worship in Orissa before the advent
by the Bhanja monarch at Gandharadi (ninth of Jayadeva. Jayadeva in his composition
century A.D.) comes next in order of chronology. (dasakrtikrte) has shown the greatness of Lord
The image of Santosa Madhava recorded in the Visnu in his ten incarnations individually.

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It was Sri Jayadeva, who institutionalised despair. Gita-Govinda was composed before
the Devadasi system introduced from the time of 1150 A.D. and Gita-Govinda dance drama was
the Somavansi Kings. Devadasi or Maharis were enacted in the Puri temple during the rein of
women dedicated to the Deity in the temple for Cholaganga Deva and Kamarnavadeva. The
performance of dance and music. Jayadeva earliest reference to Jayadeva outside Orissa was
worshipped Madhava at Niali. He was an expert made by poet Chandabaradai, the Court poet of
in the Shastras and Puranas, music and dance. Prithviraj Chauhan who was defeated and killed
He was a saint poet who composed the Gita- in 1192 A.D. by Md. Ghori in the battle of Tirori.
Govinda in the temple of Jagannatha at Puri and The next earliest reference is found in an
his wife Padmavati danced to the tunes of Gita- inscription of Raja Sarangadev in the year 1201
Govinda before Lord Jagannath. A.D. Therefore, it is established that Gita-
Chaitanya and Panchasakha were going on Govinda, because of its regular performance in
Sankirtan trips to different parts of Orissa for a the Sri Jagannath temple of Puri, assumed
number of years. One such annual trip started popularity throughout India within a brief period
from the Ananta Vasudeva temple of of 30-40 years of its composition. It combined
Bhubaneswar and ended at Puri, touching the best in the rich traditions of philosophy,
Balakati-Kenduli-Niali, Madhav, Adaspur, literature, music and dance in Kalinga and Utkal.
Kakatpur and Konark. Madhav Patnaik has References:
described as to how Sri Chaitanya and
1. Ayengar, Dr. NSR : Gita Govindam Sacred
Panchasakha were dancing in Sankirtan and Profanities : A Study of Jayadeva's Gita Govinda.
singing Gita-Govinda at Kenduli village, which
2. Desai, Kiran : The Inheritance of loss :
was the birth place of Jayadeva. Penguin publisher
This book was discovered and compiled from 3. Misra, Pandit Nilamani : Alochana
three Palm leaf manuscripts collected in Orissa 4. Nayak, Kshetrabasi : Sri Jagannath padyabali :
from three places in the early 1980s. Gita- pustakbhandar, Berhampur,1980, p.21.
Govinda of Sri Jayadev, therefore, is accepted 5. Pani, Subas : Blue Hill , ISBN
as a historical text in addition to its great literary
6. Pathi, Panda & Rath : Jayadeva and Gita Govinda
and religious significance. Sri Jayadev initially in the Tradition of Orissa
highlighted and systematised the traditional cults
7. Panda, Bhagaban, : Shri Gita Govinda
but also introduced his own ideologies, poetic Mahakavyam
imagery and music. Both Cholaganga Deva and
8. Rajaguru, Satyanarayan : Mahakavi Jayadeva O
his son Kamarnav were disciples of Ramanuja Gita-Govinda .
and devotees of Sri Jagannath and his consort
Laxmi. Jayadeva was influenced by Ramanuja's
ideology of Jagannath and Laxmi. In Gita-
Govinda, Krishna tells Radha that formerly she
as Laxmi chose him as her consort on the seashore
on the occasion of Samudra Manthana. As a result Dina Krishna Joshi lives at Gayatrinagar, New Bus Stand,
of this incident, Siva swallowed poison out of Junagarh, Kalahandi-766014

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