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Honouring a warrior tribe

By Prafulla Das

BHUBANESWAR DEC. 6. The Paikas, the brave fighters of the Kalinga empire, are rising in Orissa. Though the enemy has long been vanquished, the warrior tribe that famously rose against the British, the Mughals and the Marathas, is trying to resurrect itself. As many as 110 Paika troupes participated in a three-day Martial Tradition Festival of Orissa, 2003 here recently. It was inaugurated by the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, Dibyasingha Deb. The Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, was present.

Dressed in their traditional attire and armed with the weapons their ancestors memorably used to fight the British Army and other attacking forces, the Paikas exhibited their long-forgotten feats.

Ceremonial torchlight processions that came from the Paika strongholds in the Barunei hills of Khurda, Barabati fort in Cuttack and places such as Bhadrak, Balasore, Sambalpur, Dhenkanal, Koraput and Puri added lustre to the event.

Speakers at the inaugural dwelled on the martial traditions. ``The mighty English army was taken aback by the war cries of the Paikas,'' said Mr. Patnaik. ``The Paikas were never afraid to die fighting for their motherland,'' said the Gajapati.

The Paika rebellion of Khurda, near Bhubaneswar, spawned several anti-colonial movements. Its resurgence in the first half of 19th century and resistance to British misrule are a part of the State's history. When the British started tinkering with the revenue system in 1803, the farming community rose in rebellion. At that critical juncture, Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar, the military chief of the King of Khurda, revolted on April 2, 1817. As Bidyadhar led his motley army of Paikas, the British were forced to retreat. The rebellion came to be known as Paika Bidroh (Paika rebellion).

State Revenue Minister, Biswabhushan Harichandan, called upon historians to research further into the State's martial traditions. He wanted them to find out more about past rulers and the unsung Paika heroes. The festival was organised by the Advanced Centre for Indological Studies in collaboration with the State Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

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