gagana

 

The Sri Bhagavat Ramanujacharya Darshana Kainkarya Trust organised a two-day seminar on ‘Sri Ramanuja and the contemporary world.’ Professor Godavarisha Mishra spoke on Ramanuja’s influence on the Puri temple. He said it was Ramanuja who suggested King Choda Ganga Deva to build a big temple for the deity of Puri-Jagannath, who had been in worship there for several years.

Gangesvara Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva (reigned 17 February 1078 – 1150) was an Eastern Ganga monarch who reigned between 1078 and 1150. He was a great patron of arts and architecture who built many temples, one of them being the magnificent Jagannath Temple  in Puri. He was the ruler of the Kalinga region from river Ganga to Godavari, and later the early medieval Odisha region with the incorporation of the constituent regions with the decline of the Somavamshis.

He was the son of Rajaraja Deva I alias Devendravarman and Kalinga Mahadevi Rajasundari and grandson of Trikalingadhipati Anantavarman Vajrahasta Deva V. Anantavarman's mother Rajasundari was the daughter of emperor Virarajendra Chola and granddaughter of Chola king Rajendra Chola I. However, historian S.N. Sen states that Anantavarman was the maternal grandson of Kulottunga I.

The Jagannath Temple at Puri was rebuilt in the 11th century atop its ruins by Anantavarman Chodaganga. He was known as the first Gajapati/Kunjaradhiparti as per Ronaki Stone inscription. Emperor Chodaganga was originally a Shaivite from Srimukhalingam. But he embraced Sri Vaishnavism under the influence of Ramanuja when the latter visited the Sri Jagannath Puri temple.

In his Sindurapura grant (1118 A.D) Anantavarma styles himself Paramavaishnava. He re-established Kurmanathaswamy temple, Srikurmam after Ramanuja's visit to Kalinga. Despite being related to Anantavarman, Kulothunga Chola I did not stop from burning Anantavarman's empire. Tamil historians propose that it was probably because the king failed to pay his rent for two consecutive years. He was ousted by Kulothunga's general Karunakara Thondaiman and this victory is detailed in the Tamil classic Kalingattupparani. However, this could be a far fetch from the actual truth considering that such poems often exaggerate the Kings they are praising and often overlook the defeats the Kings have faced. Monarchs from this region of the subcontinent regularly assumed the title Chodaganga Deva throughout the ancient and medieval periods to allude to their Chola and Eastern Ganga heritage.

From various inscriptions it is known that King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva established the present temple some time near the end of the eleventh century. A copper plate inscription made by King Rajaraja III found on the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple near the north entrance states that Jagannath temple was built by Gangesvara, i.e., Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva.

Later, King Ananga Bhima Deva II (1170–1198) did much to continue the work of Chodaganga Deva, building the walls around the temple and many of the other shrines on the temple grounds. He is thus often considered one of the builders of the temple. He also did much to establish the regulations around the service to the Deity.

A scion of this dynasty made extensive donations to the Koneswaram temple, Trincomalee on Puthandu, 1223 CE in the name of King Chodaganga Deva. Shortly afterwards, the Konark temple was constructed in Odisha. A brother of the king titled Ulagaikonda Permadi is known to us from several inscriptions.