Kosal Discussion and Development Forum

Patali Srikshetra of Subarnapur district

November 7, 2010 at 9:54 am sanjibkarmee Leave a comment

Following is an old report from express buzz:

BALANGIR: For the third year in succession, the car festival could not be held at Patali Srikshetra at Kotsamalei village in Subarnapur district. The reason: The three idols that were sent from Puri in 2007 are yet to be consecrated.

After Patali Srikshetra was discovered near Trikuta hill in Subarnapur, a high level team of officials of Puri temple administration visited the place and chalked out plans to link Puri to the place.

The then chief administrator of Puri temple Suresh Mahapatra during his visit to the place promised to link Patali Srikshetra with Puri temple.

The car festival was supposed to be held here akin to Puri’s. Accordingly, three idols were sent from Puri to Kotsamalei in 2007. But, for reasons best known to the district administration, officials and Patali Srikshetra Action Committee (PSAC), the car festival couldn’t be organised and the idols were kept packed in a room. Earlier, the villagers were celebrating the festival in their own way with limited means.

The exsecretary of PSAC Biranchi Mahapatra alleged that the idols could not installed because of undue interference of the ruling party members. “The ruling party members are playing politics over this. Their leader here is craving for recognition. Unless he becomes the centre of attraction during installation rituals, he won’t let anything happen”, alleged Mahapatra.

Subarnapur Collector Bhawani Shankar Panda said that there was no clear instruction from the government nor was there any intimation from Puri temple administration regarding consecration of idols at Patali Srikshetra.

“I am looking into details as to why the festival couldn’t be organised for three years. I will submit a report regarding this to the temple administration in consultation with members of PSAC,” he said.

Following information is taken from Subarnapur district web site:

Patali Srikhetra is one of the significant historical sites as well as holy shrines associated with Saktism, Buddhism and Vaishnavism. It has already been declared as tourist centre by Department of Culture, Orissa. It is located at the foot of Trikut Hill at Kotsamlai in the Birmaharajpur Subdivision of Subarnapur District. The approximate distance of the site from the district head quarters is 23 KM. The spectacular topography of the region speaks volumes of its proud-past. No wonder, it assigns the seal of affirmation to the literacy, epigraphic, numismatic and traditional accounts relating to the “Secret- abode” of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra in the impenetrable caves of the Trikut for a period of 144 years. As per the narration of Madalapanji, Sovanadeva, the King of Orissa fled from the city with the images of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra during the Raktavahu invasion and reached his western frontier in Sonepur and buried the images at a place called Sonepur-Gopali, and that after a lapse of 144 years, Yayati Keshari of Somavamsi dynasty got the images dugout, made new images, built new temple at Puri and enshrined them there. On this score, it is naturally a matter of immense pride for the people of Subarnapur district that the Temple  Administration, Jagannath Temple, Puri extended official recognisation to the “Patali Shrikhetra “ on February 20, 2007 under the captainship of Sri Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, IAS, the Chief Temple Administrator and R.D.C, Central division. Further, they proposed for the setting up of positive and cordial link between Srikhetra and Patali Srikhetra in letter and spirit. Subsequently Archeological Survey of India team led by   Dr. Dimiri and State Archeology led by Dr B.K. Ratha in the company of State Architect Mr Beura paid a visit and testified the linkage of Patali Srikhetra with Srikhetra and also found archeological properties of  pre-historic importance.

A comprehensive, eco-friendly and integrating plan is being formulated for all round development of the place.

Apart from the facts relating to Vaishnavism, the said site also bears indispensable imprints of Vajrayanism and Sahajajana Buddhism which flourished in this tract under the guidance of the Philosopher–King  Indrabhuti of Sambalaka i.e sambalpur and Lakhmikara of Subarnapur. It was king Indrabhuti, who inaugurated the tradition of worshiping Lord Jagannath as the infallible incarnation of Buddha. This theory includes the historians to believe that the Jagannath Culture originated from Vajrayanism. In addition, there is still a novel version well circulated in and around Kotsomalai that the oldest Shrines of the Goddess Stambheswari and that of Jagannath Trinity located in the heart of the village indicate the Siva-Sakti co-relation. In fact, these shrines need immediate protection for the sake of preserving the unique legacy.

Last but not the least, the monastery of the great Saint and poet Baba Chandramani Das located at Baghapali at the opposite end of the Trikut Hill and nearby Kotsamlai spontaneously steals the glances of the onlookers and communicates a message of intellectual and spiritual fraternity.

Thus the site is squarely enriched with the lofty legacies of ancient Orissan History, Culture and hence deserves to be frontlined in the OTDC network. Govt. of Orissa , Torism Department may construct a Tourist Banglow at the foot hills besides plying of a regular OTDC bus from Patali Srikhetra  to Srikhetra (Puri). 

Entry filed under: Region watch, Sonepur-Binka-Charada-Khaliapali-Kotsamlai-Birmaharajpur, Subarnapur, Tourism Zones.