Orissa Matters

Fast in glorious fourth day, Government in abominable lack of concern

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

RTI activists of Orissa, who have been playing fabulous role in making people conscious about how badly the State is running, were not the only participants in the FAST ONTO DEATH which Sri Gajanan Mishra has been carrying out for the fourth consecutive day demanding use of Oriya as medium of governance in Orissa, but also politicians of eminence belonging to almost all parties except the ruling BJD have expressed their solidarity with the Bhasa Sangram Samiti and pledged their support to the cause to make it so resounding that the State Government would hate itself for the abominable lack of concern it has shown to the mother tongue of the people and to the precious life of Sri Mishra.

The language lovers in increasing numbers are joining hunger strike everyday in solidarity with Sri Mishra, who, by his will force and on the strength of dedication for the people of Orissa, has maintained his physical stamina so far, despite continuous fasting for four days. Chhabi Mahali, Bharadwaja Mishra, Durga Das, Tuni Swain, Prativa Das, Priti Nayak, Trinath Maharana were in solidarity fast.

Here bellow is the Samiti’s Press release that depicts the day.

Historic Fast for Administration in Oriya Completes the 3rd day with Students Joining the Campaign

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

It seems more and more language lovers are eager to observe fasting in solidarity with the Bhasa Sangram Samiti that is spearheading the movement well defined by Sri Gajanan Mishra’s fast onto death for ensuring entitlement of the people of Orissa to have their administration in their mother tongue Oriya.

Students from Colleges and Universities made the third day of the language movement more resounding by expressing their solidarity with Sri Gajanan Mishra on fast onto death at the venue of the hunger strike on Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Bhubaneswar.

On the third day, Sri Krushna Chandra Jagaddev, President of Pujyapuja Sansad has joined Sri Mishra in fast onto death when Dr. Bijay Prusti, Dr. Kulamani Nayak, former Government Chief Whip Sri Ajay Jena, Aparna Nayak, Khageswar Bal, Pabitra Mohan Samal, Priyanath Acharya have observed solidarity fasting.

Today’s participants, with Sankar Parida in chair, were addressed by eminent men of letters such as Dr. Devi Prasanna Pattanayak, Bibhuti Pattanayak, Pradyumna Satpathy, Prof. Natabar Satpathy, Prof. Dr. Ramesh Behera, Dr. Subrat Prusti, Leader of Orissa secondary School teachers Prakash Mohanty, eminent Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik, CPI leader Narayan Reddy, former Minister Panchanan Kanungo, Gandhian Padma Charan Nayak, Sharat Chandra Bhadra, Arya kumar Jnanendra, Kshirod Prasad Singhdeo, Nishan Editor Lenin, social activist Sudarsan Das, Columnist Tusarkant, Amitav Khilar, Manoj Jena, Sujata Sahani, Manasmita Nayak, Shantanu Kumar Suna, Dr. Chittaranjan Behera were amongst a galaxy of speakers who supported the movement and called upon the government of Orissa to immediately freedom of administration from non-Oriya language. They reminded the Government of its unavoidable responsibility to act according to Orissa Official Language Act, 1954.

Wake up Naveen, Stop Preening, Save Gajanan Mishra and friends on Fast

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

The historic fast unto death in demanding use of Oriya as official language as per the original Official Language Act 1954 has reached the third day. Poet Gajanan Mishra is a senior citizen, who, as per his declaration, is on fast-unto-death since July 1. Poet Sanjib Parida of Dhenkanal and poetess Madhumita Samal of Bhubaneswar have joined him since the first day of the fast and ORISSA MATTERS chief Subhas Chandra Pattanayak has observed solidarity fast on the second day, i.e. July 2.

Oriya Bhasa Sangram Samiti is organizing the language movement.

When this writer had added the component of relay fast yesterday, on the third day, Sri Krushna Chandra Jagaddev, President of Pujya Puja Samsad, has joined Gajanan babu in Fast unto death when Dr. Bijay Prusti, Dr. Kulamani Nayak,Khageswar Bal, Aparna Nayak, Priyanath Acharya, Santos Panda and former government Chief Whip Ajaya Jena have begun their solidarity fast. The list of Oriya poets and authors and Oriya nationalists who are eager to join the fast for the mother tongue is flowing in from all parts of Orissa.

By the second day, the venue has been respectfully visited by famous Linguist Dr. Devi Prasanna Pattanayak, poet Ramakant Rath, poet Jagannath Prasad Das, poet Amiya Pandab, poet Umakant Raut, Dr. Shubhashree Lenka, Secretary of Orissa Sahitya Academy Ashwini Kumar Mishra, Advisor of the Oriya wing of Central Sahitya Academy Gourhari Das, Member of Central Sahitya Academy Bonoj Tripathy, Working President of Sachivalay Lekhak Sangha Rasanand Sahu, Its Secretary Kamal Kumar Mohanty, Bhuban Mohan Mohanty, eminent social activist Rituparna Mohanty, political heavyweight Niranjan Patnaik, Ama Odisha Chief Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, CPI (M) leaders Janarddan Pati, Ali Kishore Patnaik, Santosh Das, AAP convener Dhanadakant Mishra, Samajvadi Party State President Rabi Behera, former MLA and All India People’s Forum State Convener Radhakant Sethi, Kalinga Sena Chief Hemanta Rath, Dr. Karttikeswar Patra, Ajay Jena, Arya Kumar Jnanendra, freedom fighter Bhavani Charan Pattanaik, Gandhian Padma Charan Nayak, former minister Panchanan Kanungo, former central Minister Braja Kishore Tripathy, BJD MP Baishnav Charan Parida, Abhay Samantray, Prof. Biswaranjan, Prof. Natabar Satpathy, Prof. Pabak Kanungo, Yantrana Parikshit, Kabita Parida, Social activist Devendra Kumar Das, Eminent Journalist Barendra Krushna Dhal,eminent columnist Tusarkanta Satpathy, Pradosh Patnaik, Prasanta Patnaik, Kedar Mishra and many others, who have also pronounced their all out support to the cause espoused by Sri Gajanan Mishra.

When on the first day, Sambad Editor Soumyaranjan Patnaik, Subartta Editor Pradyumna Satpathy, ORISSA MATTERS chief Subhas Chandra Pattanayak, Prof. Biswaranjan, Rabi Behera and others pointed out what unfathomable harm has been done to Orissa by the State Government’s distance from the language of the people, and called upon Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take immediate tuition in Oriya language to speak in Oriya and to understand Oriya so that he can evaluate his own administration by interacting with the people of Orissa, while stressing on compulsory use of Oriya in all spheres of administration, on the second day, Sri Barendra Krushna Dhal, Janarddan Pati, Santosh Das, Ali Kishore Patnaik, Dhanadakant Misgra, Radhakant Sethy, echoed the same feeling of the people of Orissa.

All the speakers on both the days supported the Samiti agenda for transaction of all official works in Oriya language including writing of all litigation related matters including police reports, reports of doctors asked by police or court to examine an accused or victim of crimes, all communication from Tahsils on people’s landed properties, from Blocks on welfare programs, from MPs and MLAs on their local area development funds. The Samiti’s other demands include appointment of Oriya language teachers immediately in every educational institutes, creation of official websites in Oriya, development of easily usable Oriya software for every net user to help people know of their government, making Oriya the only medium of tests for employment in Orissa, reservation of at least 75% posts in all IT companies and industries for candidates from Orissa and action against the non-Oriya officer who in a shrewd and unauthorized way has asked colleges and universities to make English the mandatory medium of education.

Your father had sabotaged our language, dear CM

Dear Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Constitution of India has stipulated under Article 345 that English language shall continue to be used for those official purposes within the State for which it was being used immediately before the commencement of this Constitution until the Legislature of the State frames its own Official Language Act.

Immediately after independence,the very first Assembly in session, as Orissa was celebrating the First Utkal Divas after independence, had debated on a motion moved by eminent freedom fighter Pandit Laxminarayan Mishra that wanted the Legislative Assembly to direct the government to enact without delay the Official Language Act to make Oriya the mandatory medium of administration.

And, after the new Assembly was elected in the new Republic, “The Official Language Act” was created and enforced in 1954, wherein it was stipulated that Oriya is “to be used for all or any of the official purposes of the State of Orissa”.

Your father, Mr. Naveen Patnaik, sabotaged this Act by amending it in 1963 to the effect that English would be used “in addition to Oriya” as official language in matters of the Assembly.

Administration being answerable to Assembly, the amendment helped the non-Oriya mandarins and Oriya officers eager to gain benefits by ingratiating with your father, to replace Oriya with English, the mischief from which, people of Orissa have not yet been able to extricate themselves.

Your regime has ruined our language, dear CM

In your regime, the situations has become so unmanageable for the children of the soil, when its natural resources are being grabbed by non-Oriyas, and everywhere the officials and politicians basking under your powers have emerged as scourges beyond control.Our language has been pushed into atrophy by remaining unused in administration. Please understand the predicaments of the people.

What the Constitution says

It seems, you do not understand the Law and therefore you are making mockery of the word ‘Law’ by always saying, “law shall take its own course”. Look at Article 210 (2) that says, if any State fails to enact its Official Language Act, after 15 years of promulgation of the Constitution, English shall be automatically discarded from use in offices. Read the provision. It is written in so simple language that a kid can understand it. I hope, you shall understand. It says, “(2) unless the Legislature of the State by law otherwise provides, this article shall, after the expiration of a period of fifteen years from the commencement of this Constitution, have effect as if the words “or in English” were omitted therefrom”

You are running the State in illegal manner, Mr.CM

Please understand that, had the Orissa Assembly not even enacted the Act of 1954, on expiration of 15 years from January 26, 1950, English would have been quashed as a language to be used in administration. So, by ruling the State in English, you have been running Orissa in an absolutely illegal manner.

Amend yourself. Stop preening and straight come to the place where the best ones of the beloved children of this soil, have been observing fast to atone the sin of making you the CM to the total detriment of their beloved language; discard your ego of elitism and for the first time in your life, if you so want, interact with the people that are ready to sacrifice their lives for their mother tongue. Salute them for their patriotism, their nationalism, their love for their brethren disadvantaged by your non-Oriya rule. AND DECLARE ORIYA AS THE LANGUAGE OF MANAGEMENT OF ORISSA IN EVERY SPHERE. DON’T DELAY. RISE. RISE TO SAVE THE PRECIOUS LIFE OF POET GAJANAN MISHRA AND HIS CO-HUNGER-STRIKERS.

Mark these pictures, because, if you have any difficulty in understanding their language or voices, the pictures would silently depict of the pain of their hearts, in as simply way as you can understand.

These are the people whom you have put in slow-starvation by devising the method of one-rupeean rice, They do not know English. When your police entangles them in false cases, that do not know what the police papers say. When they get any communication from Tahsil or Block offices, they fail to understand what is written, They fail to read the English notifications, if any, on MP or MLA local area development funds, they fail to tell their grievances to officialdom that runns in English, If they get a summon from a court, they fail to understand the same. They are forced to engage lawyers who file and fight their cases in English and when the judgements after wastage of a lot of times emanate, that being in English, they fail to understand what the court says and again run into the trap of lawyers without knowing what else to do. They want all the legal matters be noted in their mother tongue Oriya, so that, they can know at least what has become their fate.

Therefore, dear Chief Minister, amidst many other reasons, they had come to the venue of the fast in hundreds of numbers. Most of them had come under the able leadership of Mr. Hemanta Kumar Rath, President of Kalinga Sena, Mark the picture below-

Mark what they have displayed. Above their organizational name, they have very proudly written an iconic statement of Asoka the wicked, that reads, “Kalingah Sahasikkah”, which means, the children of Kalinga (Orissa) are by birth valorous. Dear Chief Minister, British, after grabbing Orissa through cheating and treachery, had divided Orissa and merged the divided parts in neighboring provinces to reduce our forefathers to minority in rival terrains. When Orissa raised the first sword against the British rule in India, in words of British historian G, Tounbee, it had “burst with so sudden fury ” as to threaten “expulsion” of the British(G. Toynbee, A sketch of the history of Orissa, O.H.R.J. Vol. 1&2), the senior British magistrate in charge of law and order Mr. W. Forrester had reported to Commissioner Robert Ker on 9. 9. 1818, that it would be better for the British to come to a compromise with the militia leaders of Orissa, particularly Buxi Jagabandhu, because, “the nature of the country and the DISPOSITION of the inhabitants will always present a formidable obstacle to the suppression of these disturbances either by military or police”. The Kalinga Sena by displaying Asoka’s confession “Kalingah Sahasikah” (People of Orissa are valorous by birth), is making us reminded of our national “disposition” which the British was so very afraid of. Understand that this “disposition” is yet in tact and well reflected in the fast onto death Sri Gajanan Mishra and his supporters have resorted to.

I will post here some pictures of the fasting area so that you can know that the poor people forced to slow-starvation by your administration run by non-Oriyas in English language are not the only ones that have expressed solidarity with Gajanan babu, but highly educated Oriyas whom you can never vie with in knowledge and education, are also with the fasting friends. They include Dr. Devi Prasanna Pattanayak, one of the few well-known linguists, Bhavani Patnaik, one of your father’s closest friends, and Adhyapak Biswaranjan, one of the State’s top orators, and scores of top intellectuals of Orissa. You may see in these pictures, Barendra Krushna Dhal, Prasanta Patnaik, Gourahari Das, Kedar Mishra – men of letters and journalists of eminence. You may see here Sri Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, who, through Ama Odisha and Sambad Sahitya Ghar has given birth to a new era of literature activism. You will see here many political heavyweights expressing their solidarity. You may see here selfless social activists like Padma Charan Nayak, Tusarkant Satpathy. You may see Sankar Parida and his tireless team of friends who have given Gajanan Babu’s endeavor the shape of a movement. And, the movement has become so speaking that even your party MP Baishnav Parida has come to the venue of fasting and stripped you layer by layer for your inability to understand why Oriya should be the only official language in Orissa. Look at the pictures:

a href=”https://orissamatters.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/outsourced-picture-of-the-fasting-hall.jpg”> outsourced picture of the fasting hall

These pictures are just a few samples of Orissa standing one with Sri Gajanan Mishra to make Oriya the official language of Orissa, which, despite the law of 1954, your father and you have not allowed to be.

Never forget that the lives of Gajanan Mishra and his friends in fast are more precious than your regime.

Save his and his friends by accepting their demands.

If you don’t bother about people of Orissa, wake up Mr.Naveen Patnaik in your own interest. This time you are facing a totally different class of foes and they are Orissa’s language lovers. Wake up from the ring of non-Oriyas, act like an Oriya with love for the mother tongue, do not endanger Orissa any further and, it may be so, if you wake up to this call, you may no more require to depend on sophomoric sycophants and anti-Oriya non-Oriyas to stay in power.

RPF must have to return the Cassette; prompt punishment to Inspector must be a must

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

RPF authorities have suspended their Bhubaneswar Inspector Sanjay Kumar Swain, who deserves to be prosecuted for hooliganism and attempt to murder, besides dismissal.

After the suspension order was issued on the spot last evening, people have allowed trains to move with effect from 9 PM. But, now, the department must move to dismiss him with retrospective effect.

Puri-Durg Express train, which was to reach Bhubaneswar at 6.40 PM on June 28, reached on 29th at 10 AM almost 16 hours behind the schedule. As is railway’s wont, the passengers were fed with announcement of short duration delay throughout the entire period, as a result of which, leaving the platform for refreshment was not even possible for them. It had ignited acrid protests and being informed of this, media had reached the Station to cover the matter.

When Kanak TV crew was recording police misbehavior to railway passengers that were expressing their natural discontentment over the harassment they were subjected to, Inspector Swain was found leading a rowdy pack of railway police in intimidating and attacking the victims of railway irresponsibility.

He was even misbehaving with the lady protesters and was found pulling their cloths, oblivious of where his unruly hands were touching their bodies. All on a sudden he marked that his ugly manners were captured in Kanak TV camera.

He rushed to the cameraman like a mad dog, thrashed the cameraman and snatched away the cassette from the camera, causing severe damage to it in front of him and the reporter. As they protested, he asked his accompanying pack of RPF Jawans to drag them to their PS. In addition to the two, the RPF dragged 10 passengers to the police station, where the two TV journalists were mercilessly beaten up.

Bhubaneswar scribes and general public rushed to the railway station seeking their immediate release. As Swain refused to respond, public resentment metamorphosed into track blockade, forcing cancellation of trains such as Chhatrapur-Bhubaneswar, Dibrugad-Chenai, Bhubaneswar-Palasa, Bhubaneswar-Jagdalpur etc.

Rowdiest conduct of Swain continued to aggravate the situation and the major Station drowned in total chaos. RPF authorities had to put the hooligan Inspector under suspension with immediate effect.

Chief of Eastern Media Ltd that owns Kanak TV, Sri Soumy Ranjan Patnaik has demanded for return of the video cassette taken away by Swain.

To us, not only the cassette must have to be returned, but also the damaged camera must have to be replaced with a new camera of its original make.

But, should the matter end here?

We advise the administration to review if a hooligan like Swain should continue in suspended animation even.

We strongly suggest, he should be subjected to prompt investigation to find out what other punishment should be given to him over and above dismissal from service.

His offenses are witnessed by the authorities before putting him under suspension. No other mode of prosecution is necessary. The only necessity is punishing him with dismissal as his hooliganism calls for his ejection from police service. What other punishment he deserves should be determined by way of further action, so that other goons in uniform should learn how to stay orderly.

Who are the Daitas and why are they being denigrated this Navakalevar?

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Of all our tribes, there was a sect that was worshiping Buddha, the saver of Tribal democracy, as Sauri Narayan (Surya Narayan), because he was revered as Surya for being the giver of light (knowledge) to everybody, besides being a man of the Sun Clan (Aditya Gotra).

That, Buddha was being worshiped in Orissa as the Sun, is proved by the very fact that, in the Sun Temple at Konarka, Buddha was the deity.

Konark was the temple that was built by Langula Narasingh when almost entire India, Bengal in particular, was engulfed by Muslim invaders. It was constructed as an instance of Oriya pride after defeating the invading Muslims.

A greater disaster had not till then befallen the Muslims in any part of Hindustan, confesses Muslim historian Minhaj-i-Siraj who had also joined the war that was, to him, a ‘holy war’. A great number of Muslim warriors had attained martyrdom, he has written (The History of Bengal, Muslim period, 1973, Dr. K. R. Quanungo,pp.48-52).

To Prof. K. C. Panigrahi, the Konarka temple was designed to exhibit his (Narasingha Dev’s) power, prestige, opulence, devotion and perhaps to commemorate his victory also” (History of Orissa, Kitab Mahal, 1981, pp.413-14).

In speaking of Konarka, the world famous Art Critic E. B. Havell has said, “Here Indian sculptors have shown that they can express with as much fire and passion as the greatest European art the pride of victory and the glory of triumphant warfare, for not even the Homeric grandeur of the Elgin marbles surpasses the magnificent movement and modelling of this Indian Achilles, and the superbly monumental war-horse in its massive strength and vigor is not unworthy of comparison with Verocchio’s famous masterpieces at Venice!” (Ernest Binfield Havell, Indian Sculpture and Painting , Elibron Classics reprint. Paperback, Based on 1908 edition by John Murray, London. p. 147).

This splendid temple of Surya Narayan was dedicated to the cult of coition espoused by Buddhist Sahajayana as its founder Langula Narasingh was a votary of the Buddhist tenets of Langudi Monastery (Subhas Chandra Pattanayak, Sri Jaya Devanks baisi Pahacha, pp.28-30).

Therefore, when Hindu chauvinists destroyed Konarka temple, the then king emperor of Orissa transported the Sun statue along with a statue of Jagannatha, which was being worshiped there as the visible form of Buddha, into the SriMandira complex, along with the Aruna Stambha (pivot of rising sun) for inclusion in the Jagannatha system.

When the Aruna Stambha has been installed before the Singhadwara (The main entrance to SriMandira), the Sun statue is installed in a separate temple inside the Kurma Bedha, known as Dharma Raja temple, and also, Surya Narayan temple. We know, Buddha and Surya are known as Dharma.

Priests, who belong to Brahmin caste only are keeping it under close watch. They do not allow anybody enter into the temple. When I wanted to see what is there in the temple, I had to give the priest an amount of journalistic money to procure his cooperation.

I saw the small image of Jagannatha there and to my astonishment, I saw the Sun God (Surya Narayan) being also worshiped, because some flowers were seen on his podium.

To my shock, I found the Sun God was behind a barricade of iron rods. I wanted to know why he was thus arrested. The priest, who was eager to eject me out of the temple, but a bit cooperative for the money I had given, told me that, that image was of Surya Narayan brought from Konarka temple by Purusottama Dev’s son Narasingha Dev. As the general public is not permitted to see him, since then he is kept behind the bars.

I was not surprised, because Purusottam Dev was a great patron of Brahminism and during his reign the Konarka might have been destroyed.

But I was thrilled beyond description to see the image of the Sun to whom the Konarka temple was dedicated. Out of reverence for the epitome of Oriya pride – the God of Konarka – I wanted to perform a Pradakshina (move around the pedestal of the God in devotion); but the priest disallowed me, informing that, that was never permissible.

My curiosity grew and, as a journalist, I though it prudent to locate the reason of keeping the Sun God behind iron bars, with prohibition on public entry, by entering into the barricaded area at any cost.

I gave the priest a hundred rupees note to buy his clandestine service while cajoling him to help me perform the Pradakshina.

He swallowed his reluctance, cautiously opened the barrier door and gave me a lamp to use in my round journey and went to guard the entrance advising me to come out quickly.

As I entered into the secluded inner chamber, to my astonishment I found, Gurudev Buddha was beautifully carved in a sitting position in the backside of the Sun image.

I had no camera with me to take a picture of the Buddha-Surya image, but the secret was bare before me.

People should wake up and force the administration to withdraw the barrier created inside the Dharma Raja temple and allow everybody to see how Buddha was being worshiped as Surya Narayan.

As to tribes, utterance of the word ‘Surya’ was a bit difficult, they were calling Buddha as Sauri Narayan and that was so popular that the word ‘Sauri” has been accepted as a synonym of Surya.

Being worshipers of Sauri Narayan, they were known as Saura or Sa’ara in colloquial term which later became Sabara.

I am inclined to give a firsthand accounts on them.

In Tigiria, there are three Sabara villages surrounding my own village ‘Nizgarh’. One of them, standing on the boarder of my agricultural land, is known as ‘Nuagarh Sa’ara Sahi’ and the second one situated near Gopinathpur Shasan is known as ‘Kadalibadi Sa’ara Sahi’ and the third one, near Baliput, is known as ‘Kendupalli Sa’ara Sahi’. The inhabitants are called Sa’ara or Sabara. They are all Sun worshipers.

In my childhood days, they were singing glory to the Sun to the tune of ‘Ghumura’ on Sundays in general and on Pousa Purnami (Full moon day of Pausa) in particular. In the month of Pausa, when harvested paddy crops were being sun-dried for storage in ‘Kothi’, non-Brahmin women, particularly of land-owning families, were offering special ‘Puja’ to Surya Narayan on every Sunday, called ‘Pausa Ravibar’ and the Sa’aras were being invited to play ‘Ghumura’ to please the Sun God. The ceremony was called ‘Pusa Ravibar Osa’ or ‘Pausa Ravibar Brata’.

Epic writers have tried to vitiate this Osa / Brata with legends. In “Brata Sahitya” at pp. 102-04, while narrating the Pousa Ravibar Brata with the same legends, Sri Aurobindo Pattanaik has given a slight hint to what is a real facet of this festival. He has written, “Keteka Lokagita Madhya Eha Sahita Prachalita / Ehi Gitagudikare Ashlilata Lakshya Karajae /” which means, in Pousa Ravivar Osa, the folk artists (our Sabaras) sing vulgar songs. And, we know, vulgar yet ceremonial songs are sung in context of agricultural activities. “It is an essential agricultural rite”, notes D. N. Majumdar in ‘The Affairs of a Tribe’. I have shown in this work how the vulgar ‘Dahuka Boli’ in Jagannatha’s Ratha Yatra belongs to fertility cult. On this premise, specifically putting reliance on Sri Pattanaik’s narration above, it is clear that the Sabaras of Orissa, on basis of the songs they sing, belong to Bouddha Kamavajrayana by creed. And, in Buddhist Orissa, in agricultural households, where Buddha is worshiped as Badabadua, the Sabaras, who are popularly known as Sauras or Sa’aras, are traditional worshipers of Sauri Narayan and hence, at the end of sun worship on the Sundays of Pousa, on Pousha Purnima, they were, in my childhood days, being honored as priests.

After independence, slowly as Garjat culture got lost in the labyrinth of non-agricultural pursuits, and sanctity of harvest declined, the Sa’aras of Tigiria have lost their class distinction and their heritage has been ruined. In an environment that never suits them, they have gone into the trap of liquor and I doubt, if any of them in present generation can recall their distinguished past. I gather, now only on the full moon day of Pausa, they stay content by just a ceremonial beat of Ghumura that they designate as “Anukula”.

My only purpose behind this description is to show that Sa’aras are original worshipers of Buddha as Sauri Narayan and their sect name Saura / Sa’ara / Sabara has been derived from their class devotion to Sauri Narayan.

They are Buddhists in whom the Brahmins have all along seen their strongest rivals. This rivalry is more defined in context of SriJagannatha. When Sauri Narayan or Dharma Raja or Buddha became Jagannatha, and, due to royal mischief, particularly at the time of Purusottam Dev, Jagannatha became also a Hindu deity by superimposition of Hindu rituals over Sabari Tantra in which only Jagannatha was being worshiped till then, attempts were made to hide the Sabara dominance in the Jagannatha system and the Savaras were projected as Daitas, which they, in that situation, had accepted, because their master was also known as Dayamaya.

They agreed to be known as Dayaita in acknowledgement of their inseparability from Dayamaya Buddha, exactly as, in typical parlance of Oriyas, the people of warrior class inseparable from their weapon ‘Khanda’ (the sword) are called Khandaiata.

This Dayaita has become Daita in short. Therefore, when they locate the Daru and make a camp there to cut the identified tree for the Daru to be used in Navakalevar, the said camp is called Sabara Palli and the entire Navakalevar gets executed under Sabari Tantra known to Tantrikas as Bouddha Tantra.

In view of the points analyzed above, Sri Jagannatha belongs to the Daitas, because it is they that had made Buddha the Sauri Narayana, which subsequently has become SriJagannatha, when Indrabhuti synchronized the tribal Jagantaa-Tha with Surya Narayan and created Jagannatha out of this synchronization, giving the omnipresent Buddha a form for physical worship. Because of the synchronization, Jagannatha is yet made of wood and his color is deep dark as the brightest sun appears to the naked eyes. Because of them, SriMandira is yet a citadel of applied Buddhism, of caste-less environment, of Sabari Tantra as medium of SriJagannatha’s core propitiation.

Sankaracharya and his cohort caste-supremacists, Gajapati Divyasingh Dev, and chief temple administrator Suresh Mohapatra et all do not want Sabari Tantra to stay in vogue, as otherwise SriMandira shall stay a place of applied Buddhism. Therefore, they have been using tricks to discredit the Daitas in the guise of mismanagement of Brahma transfer and by creating mass confusion, to hijack SriMandira for the Sankaracharya.

Thinking Oriyas must rise against this mischief, if their uniqueness is to be preserved.