Madala Panji
Encyclopedia
Madala Panji is a chronicle of the Jagannath
in Puri
, Orissa state
, India
. It describes the historical events of Orissa related to Lord Jagannath or Jagannath Temple. Though the actual date of starting of Panjis is not known, but it is believed that it might be started from 12th or 14th Century AD. the book is a classic and literary master piece of the first order, parallel to which very few vernacular of India possess. It can be compared with Rajvansham of Srilanka, Rajtarangini of Kashmir
or Burunji of Assam
. The earliest use of prose can be found in the Madala Panji or the Palm-leaf Chronicles of the Jagannatha temple at Puri, which date back to the 12th century.
, Dr.Nilakantha Dash and Dr. Krushna Chandra Panigrahi
who hold that the Panji dates from the reign of Ramachandra Deva I who re-established the worship of Lord Jagannath after Kala Pahar said to have destroyed it.The arguments are complex, but it is likely that much of the early record was indeed lost in the period that followed Kala Pahar and was rewritten in a fashion that mixed legend with history.
Besides the Madala, there were other Karans who wrote regional chronicles, known as Chakadas. "All the Kadatas and Chakadas taken together will be about a cartload."
A thorough study of the Madala Panji using all the different source materials has apparently not yet been done.
Jagannath Temple (Puri)
The Jagannath Temple in Puri is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath and located in the coastal town of Puri in the state of Orissa, India. The name Jagannath is a combination of the Sanskrit words Jagat and Nath...
in Puri
Puri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...
, Orissa state
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It describes the historical events of Orissa related to Lord Jagannath or Jagannath Temple. Though the actual date of starting of Panjis is not known, but it is believed that it might be started from 12th or 14th Century AD. the book is a classic and literary master piece of the first order, parallel to which very few vernacular of India possess. It can be compared with Rajvansham of Srilanka, Rajtarangini of Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
or Burunji of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
. The earliest use of prose can be found in the Madala Panji or the Palm-leaf Chronicles of the Jagannatha temple at Puri, which date back to the 12th century.
Madla Panji’s role in Oriya History
While writing Oriya history, historians like Sir W.W.Hunter and Andrew Stirling considered the facts related in Madala Panji as base. The Madala Panji was traditionally written on a year to year basis. On Vijaya-Dashami day, the Karanas (official history writers of Puri, a caste of Orissa, involved in keeping the chronicle. This ritual is cited as a proof that the tradition of keeping this chronicle began with Oriya king Chodaganga Dev (1078–1150 ) himself. There are some , like Dr. Harekrushna MahatabHarekrushna Mahatab
Harekrushna Mahatab was a leader of the Indian National Congress, a notable figure in the Indian independence movement and the Chief Minister of Orissa from 1946 to 1950 and again from 1956 to 1961. He was popularly known by the sobriquet Utkal Keshari.-Early life:Harekrushna Mahtab was born at...
, Dr.Nilakantha Dash and Dr. Krushna Chandra Panigrahi
Krushna Chandra Panigrahi
Krushna Chandra Panigrahi was born in 1909 in a village known as Khiching in the district of Mayurbhanj in Orissa state of India.He grew up in a poor family and lost his parents at an early age....
who hold that the Panji dates from the reign of Ramachandra Deva I who re-established the worship of Lord Jagannath after Kala Pahar said to have destroyed it.The arguments are complex, but it is likely that much of the early record was indeed lost in the period that followed Kala Pahar and was rewritten in a fashion that mixed legend with history.
Writers of Panji
The reference to "some Panjis" above should be explained. According to the tradition, Chodaganga created 24 families of Karanas to preserve the temple records. Of these, five were entrusted with the writing and preservation of the Madala Panji. They are:- Panjia Karan—preserves the Madala Panji
- Tadau Karan—writes the Madala Panji
- Deula Karan—enforces the Madala
- Kotha Karan—the main compiler
- Baithi Karan – assistant
Classification
In subsequent stage, due to the bulky size of of Madala Panji, its content covering different dimensions related to temple management, it was divided into 4 parts:- Bhandara Khanja Madala (Maintained by Pattajoshi Mohapatra)
- Deula Madala / Karmangi Madala (Maintained by Deula Karana)
- Deshapanji Madala (Prepared by Deula Karana)
- Rajakhanja Madala - (Prepared and maintained by Tadhau Karana),
Types of Panjis
There are also five different categories of Panjis. No one has seen them all.- Raja Khanja—important events of the Rajas. Read on Paush Purnima (Pushyabhishek). Kept by Tadau Karan.
- Desh Khanja—Records gifts of land and money and occasions when the Jagannath temple was plundered. Kept by Kotha Karan.
- Karmangi. Daily rituals. Important events related to the rituals recorded. Announced daily at the Beherana.
- Dina Panji—The daily almanac read by the temple astrologer at the time of the Avakash. These were prepared annually and finalized on Vishuva Sankranti.
Besides the Madala, there were other Karans who wrote regional chronicles, known as Chakadas. "All the Kadatas and Chakadas taken together will be about a cartload."
Madala Panji in recent years
Madala Panji was originally recorded in the Telugu Language & preserved in the Manuscript Library in Madras, which speaks about the story regarding image of Nila Madhaba or Lord Jagannath of Udra desa, as Orissa was known in middle ages. It seems to have written during 14th century when the king Bhanuder-II had newly installed the images after destruction made by Kalapahad ( authenticity needs citation ).The Puranic or mythological characters like Narada, Brahma etc. are mentioned in the story, for which it cannot be taken as a reliable history of the origin of Jagannath Culture. The name of king ‘Indradyumna’, who was supposed to be a worshipper of Vishnu, is not found in Madala Panji. Therefore, it can be taken as pauranic (mythological)rather than historical document.A thorough study of the Madala Panji using all the different source materials has apparently not yet been done.