Unique Dasara at Puri
SARAT CHANDRA
|
The foil work and `solapith' work, for which Puri is known for, add to the beauty of the sculpture.
|
DIVINE IMAGE The Janhi-mundia Gosani.
Dasara in Puri is different. The difference is most marked in the images of Durga that come up for the festival at certain places around the spiralling Puri temple complex. These dozen images, named Gosani and not Durga are different from the rest of the images in many ways (in Puri itself not less than 50 clay images of the Goddess come up during this period, but those around the temple complex are different and these are modelled after centuries old tradition).
Why exactly these images are called Gosani is not known. However,every Gosani has a name — Janhi-mundia Gosani, Sunya Gosani, Barabati Gosani, Kantakadhi Gosani, Gelabai Gosani and so on.
Goddess Durga in these streets around the Jagannath temple also has names that are equally strange in meaning. For example, Kanta Kadhi Gosani means Goddess who takes out pircks.
Every Gosani is arrestingly beautiful. The foil work and `solapith' work, for which Puri is known for, add to the beauty of the sculpture. Features of a Gosani sculpture are also distinct — the Goddess has a round face, large eyes with bow-like eye-brows, full-bloomed lips, a nose not quite sharp but matches the other facial features. She is big-limbed like that of a warrior. There is ferocity in her face (while killing Mahisasura with her trishul) It appears as though the entire thing is an easy sport for the 10-handed Goddess. Mahisasura is generally depicted with a buffalo head.
The ornaments of the Goddess are typically Oriyan. The Gosani images are closer to the female images in the Konark temple. They appear imposing (the Barabati Gosani, for example is more than 30 feet high.)
Some Gosani images have connection with the Puri temple. For example the saree of Kakudikhai Gosani comes from the Jagannath temple. This makes it evident that the tradition of Gosani worship during Dasara is centuries old.
The Gosani festival (Gosani Jatra) is held during the last three days of Dasara. But the day following the Aswina sukla dasami all the images are brought before the main entrance of the Jagannath temple and kept there long hours before immersion.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
