As the narratives of Gopana Leela began to open up, the IPCA decided to explore the possibility of presenting all the stories on one platform through visual art. A group of about 20 artists worked with five mentors to understand the mystique of Lord Jagannatha and study the various stories of exile. Based on this, the group was allocated different episodes to portray on canvas.A year back Paramita Panda and Panchami Manoo Ukil had a vision. The Founder Trustee and Managing Committee Chairperson, respectively, of the Ila Panda Centre for Arts (IPCA) wanted to bring the many stories of Lord Jagannatha’s exile to the public. Last week, the result of their endeavours— the visual arts exhibition Mahagopanare Mahabahu: The Secret Sojourns of Lord Jagannatha—was mounted at the Living Traditions Centre, Bikaner House, Delhi. “It is our aim to create awareness on the little-known facet of Gopana Leela—the secret play of the Lord, or the time when the Lord was worshipped in secret—that is so intrinsic to the history of Lord Jagannatha tradition and consciousness,” says Panda.
The exhibition with 53 artworks, focuses on the years between 670 and 1733 AD, when the Jagannatha temple was repeatedly attacked by invaders who came to plunder the huge wealth, and desecrate the idols. Therefore, the king, royal officials, pontiffs of the mathas, and temple servitors would repeatedly move the idols through water and forest routes and worship them in secret, before transporting them back to the temple after the invaders had left. “In all, the wooden idols of Shree Chaturdha Murti (Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Sudarshan) were moved 18 times and kept in 16 different places. In the last few years a lot of research has been done on it, and experts have identified the particular places. The state is now planning a spiritual tourism circuit covering these spots,” says Uki
