BHUBANESWAR: Odisha is an excellent example of interdependence of various levels of Hindu religion. The influence of tribal culture was particularly strong when Hindu Kings patronised tribal deities as their tutelar deities. The best known example is Lord Jagannath, who was accorded the status of State deity and Ista Debata from a tribal deity, said Professor Emeritus of Kiel University Hermann Kulke.
Delivering a lecture on ‘Tribal deities at princely courts: The feudatory Rajas of central Odisha and their tutelary deities’ organised by National Archives and State Archives at State Museum here on Thursday, Kulke said despite the assimilation, deities retain their primary characteristics.
A German historian and Indologist, Prof Kulke used Jagannath cult to deliberate on the transition from tribal culture to Brahmanisation of the deities and focused on some Hindu temples which have been constructed at places where tribal deities were being worshipped since time immemorial.
Describing through pictorial presentation, he discussed how the deities like Charchika, Bhattarika, Pathalika, Badamba, Maninageswari and Tarini have gradually become deities of Hindus and temples were built though most of the tribal deities are still worshipped by tribal priests and not Brahmins.
Prof Kulke, who was a founding member of Orissa Research Project (ORP) of the South-Asia Institute and coordinator of the second ORP, has travelled extensively in the country and State. “The integration of cultures shows the acceptance of tribal deities in Odian context. Tribal deities and tribal influence on the Hindu cult co-exist,” he added.
Among others, Culture Secretary Manoranjan Panigrahy, Culture Director Bijay Kumar Nayak, Assistant Director of National Archives Lalatendu Dasmohapatra and Superintendent of State Archives Suchismita Mantry also spoke.