Chitra Ramaswamy sets out to check out the legend behind the Rajiv Lochan temple, Chattisgarh.
A jaunty ride through mud roads, about 50 km from
Raipur, the capital of Chattisgarh brings us to the temple town of
Rajim, which is considered as one of the most ancient towns of the
state. It is situated on the confluence of the rivers Mahanadi, Pairi
and Sondhul, thus earning it the sobriquet of the Prayag of
Chhattisgarh.
Mahanadi is considered to be as
sacrosanct as the Ganges hence taking a dip in it and performing
ceremonies on its banks are considered holy.
In
ancient times, the pilgrimage to Puri Jagannath Temple in Odisha, was
not considered complete until devotees paid their obeisance to Lord
Rajiv Lochan, the principal deity at Rajim.
Rajim,
which is believed to stand on a lotus-shaped surface was referred to as
Kamalkshetra and Padampur in ancient times. It was also called
Panchkashi because of the presence of five Siva Lingams – Fingeshwar,
Kopeshwar, Kuleshwar, Pateshwar and Patneshwar. However, the origins of
its present name ‘Rajim’, is shrouded in mystery.
Legend
has it that the town was named after Rajim Telin, a woman who sold oil.
It is believed that Lord Vishnu who was immensely pleased with her
devotion, promised to name the town after her.
Though
the town boasts a plethora of temples dedicated to various deities, it
is this eighth century brick temple of Rajiv Lochan, dedicated to
Vishnu, that attracts many devotees and tourists and more so during
Sivaratri and the Rajim Mahotsav.
The monument
belongs to the panchayatana style of temple construction and has four
subsidiary shrines at the four corners of its compound or courtyard
which roughly measures 147 ft by 102 ft. While the main and central
shrine is dedicated to Rajiv Lochan, meaning the blue lotus-eyed, the
four smaller subsidiary shrines honour Narasimha, Badrinath, Vamana and
Varaha.
The temple is built in close annexed style
with elements of Dravidian architecture, as evidenced by its dome.
Minarets, latticework, plain pillars and those sculpted with the
pantheon of Hindu gods adorn various segments of the temple.
A
high point of the temple architecture that makes it stand out amongst
several others in the region, is the blend of materials used in its
construction that have allowed it to withstand the vagaries of weather.
The bricks have been piled, cemented with a mixture of limestone, urad
dal and the entrails of the bel fruit, making it sturdy.
The
ornate doorway of the sanctum sanctorum — dedicated to Lord Rajiv
Lochan — is striking. Its lintel majestically holds Anantasayana or Lord
Vishnu in a reclining posture. A sculpted figure of Trivikrama is
particularly impressive and appears to be casually interspersed in one
of the courtyard walls. The unusual feature of the figurine depicts
Adisesha in the act of paying obeisance to the standing figure of
Vishnu. Trivikrama, with His right leg lifted high, is shown crushing
the ugly face of Brahmanda.
It is believed that the
shrine was established by the divine architect, Lord Vishwakarma, who
sculpted the four-armed Lord Vishnu with Consort Lakshmi on the right
side and Yoga Maya on the left. Further, between a pair of arms he
carved the episodic Gajendra Moksha with the elephant holding aloft the
lotus flower, offering it to the Lord.
According to a
legend, Lord Vishnu in the sanctum sanctorum was actually called Lochan
and was once whisked away by Goddess Rajiv. The people of the village
were so distraught at the disappearance of their favourite Lord and
protector that they beseeched the Goddess to return the Lord’s idol.
Appeased at the humble entreaties, Goddess Rajiv acquiesced on condition
that her name would henceforth be associated with the Lord; hence the
name Rajiv Lochan.
Yet others credit the
construction of the temple to Jagat Pal, a mythical king who is supposed
to have erected the entire structure in a single day! As a tribute to
the king, his idol, resembling a sitting Buddha, is housed in one of the
sanctums of the temple.
A more plausible story is
associated with king Ratnakar and his ardent devotion to Lord Vishnu.
Pleased by the king’s dedication, Lord Vishnu in the form of Rajiv
Lochan, appeared before him and granted him a boon: that King Ratnakar
would continue to see the Lord in this form forever, and after him, his
descendants would continue to serve the Lord in the temple premises.
This is perhaps the reason why even to this day, the puja and archana at
the temple are offered by the Kshatriya community, the descendants of
Raja Ratnakar, ably assisted by purohits.
Myths and
legends apart, a rarity associated with the temple is the bare-foot idol
of Vishnu crafted from black granite. Ritualistically, the deity is
always draped in unstitched cloth that is never knotted at the ends but
left folded.
The pagri or turban adorning the Lord’s
crown is woven by generations of a single family and the Lord is
bedecked thrice everyday in three different forms: as a child in the
morning, as a youth in the afternoon and as an old man in the evening.
Every year on Maha Sivaratri, the Rajiv Lochan Kumbhmela is celebrated for thirteen days.
Festivities
begin at Triveni Sangam on magh purnima and culminate on the day of
Sivaratri. Besides thousands of devotees who throng the temple, sadhus
congregate at the venue to participate in religious activities and give
discourses.
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