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Tree-worship, in India, had been common sincethe earliest time. Among the scale of Mahenjodarois one depicting a stylized Pipli tree with two headsor Unicorns emerging from its stem. In ancientIndia tree-worship was a regular feature in bothHinduism andBuddhism, the factis well borne outby notable placeslike Besnagar,B h a r h u t ,B o d h a g a y a ,Ellora, Sanchi,Bhaja, Mathura,A m a r a b a t i ,Nagarjunakondaetc. Gradually,people began tofeel that the treeswere sensitive andanimate. This awareness further modified peoples’attitude towards trees. In Odisha there is a traditionof the Banyan tree being married to the Pipli tree.

In Odisha, however, Peepal is consideredto be the symbol of male and Banyan, the female.The point, therefore, is that in ancient India allPipli, Neem and the Banyan trees were esteemedand worshipped. The image of Jagannath at Puriis made of Neem tree. Again the Apauruseya tree

Tree Worship Tradition in India and Origin ofJagannath Cult

Dr. Janmejay Choudhury

which was found floating on the sea was a Banyantree and the Kalpa Vata, mentioned in thePurushottama Mahatyma, and worshipped in thetemple compound at Puri, is also a Banyan tree.Moreover, the tree Urdha Mula Adhah Sakha,’

which ismentioned inBhagavat Gita, isa Pipli tree.1 Thistree was famouseven in the timeof the Vedas.2

Atharva Vedastates us thatPipli is the abodeof the Gods andis grown in thethird loka ie.,‘swargaloka’.3

Lord Krishnaalso breathed his last under Pipli tree.4 The tree,’Kalpa Vrksa’ was famous and the religioussymbol of the Jainas. The Buddha got enlightmentunder the Pipli tree, which was henceforth calledBoddhi tree. Lastly he died under the grove ofSala trees. On account of such associations withthe Buddha, these trees are regarded as sacredby the Buddhists. This Buddhists’ practice ofsanctifying trees might have influenced the later

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Hindu society as well. Buddhism adopted the cultof tree-worship which was already prevalent inthe country. The trees which are associated withthe birth of the Buddha are Sal, Asoka and Plaksa.In course of time Nyogrodha, Udumbara andPipli were considered as the embodiment of theGod Visnu.5 From Purushottama Mahatyma ofSkanda Purana we come to know that thereexisted, during the Universal deluge, the sacredKshetra and the great ‘Nyogradha’ tree with fourbrances.6 It seems likely that in course of time,the conception of Nilamadhava or Purushottama-Jagannath having four arms led devotees to lookupon the tree itself as the embodiment of Vishnuor Purushottama. Skanda Purana stated thatbefore the installation of the present images ofJagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarsana,there was already one Nilamadhava with fourarms, like those of Vishnu.

Iconography has representedNilamadhava as a Vishnuite deity with four arms.The images of Nilamadhava was buried under thesand. With the passage of time, Jagannath becamefamous by the name of Darudevata. But it shouldnot mean that all Daru Devatas are LordJagannath.7 Idol-worship in India was a laterinnovation. Earlier the stone or symbol worship,known as Pratika Puja, was customary. Theimage-worship was introduced to convince themass of the people, who found symbol-worshipdifficult to comprehend. In this respect worshipof the phallic symbol is definitely prior to theworship of other images. PurushottamaMahatyma of Skanda Purana states how the fourimages of Daru Brahma-Jagannath came to lightfrom the Apauruseya trees that floated on othersea. Side by side there is the mention of theNyagrodha tree-worship. Therefore, we mayassume that Jagannath cult may have found itsorigin in tree-worship.

The Savaras inhabiting the deep forestsusually worship tree. They cut the unnecessarybranches and worship only the stem with twobranches, which represent the hands of the tree-deity. On the top of it, they paint a human head.The image of Lord Jagannath resembles the stemof a tree and his hands stretche of tree. His faceis painted, not carved. Therefore, it can well bepresumed that originally he may have been thedeity of the Savara and later accepted by theHindus, i.e. Vaisnavas etc. Skanda Purana relatesto the Hindu king, Indradyumna, who remodelledthe idol and installed it in the temple at Puri. Insupport of this, Pandit Nilakanth Das, said “itappears that this replacement of the images forthe ancient Nilamadhava was not all onceuniversally accepted even in Orissa. The SavaraNarayan, it has been said, was a pillar with a headmade of Neem wood. Now-a-days the Savarasworship the Trinity, namely –Tana Penu, herhusband Jakeri Penu, her brother Murvi Penu.Penu in the language of the Savara means God.All the same, ancient name of Jagannatha ascurrently in vogue in the Savara villages of Orissais Jaganaelo- made of wood. The name of deityin the Savara languages is Sanam and the imagesare known as ‘Kitangas’. Of all the KitungasJaganaelo is the greatest, and Savaras call himthe Lord of Universe. The configuration must havebeen unanimously acceptable to the people: asDaru to the Savaras, Yupa to Vedic Brahminism,Stupa to Buddhists and Jains, Lingam to theSaivites, Stambhaja (pillar-born) Nrsimha toVishnuvites, Girija (hill-born) Nrsimha to Saktaand Ekapada Bhairava to Tantrics.

Jagannath is the self-manifestation Lordof the masses. The legends about His origin froma log of wood come ashore floating and carvedby none but Himself as carpenter, or Hisappearance as pacified Nrsimha over the

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sacrificial fire to king Indradyumna are admittedlymyths. They point to the truth that He wasgracious enough to manifest to Indradyumna(literally meaning ‘light of soul’, a classic namefor His advent. He is the lord of Grace, the latestconcept in religion. His form is that of Crypto-limbed Nrsimha: thereomorphic flat topped head,a pair of sharing circular eyes with red border inlieu of eyelids suggestive of the Sun and the Moon/eternal vigilance and open hands suggestive ofembrace, the gigantic shape calls to mind Purusaof Purusa-Sukta. There is, therefore, little doubtthat the vast majority identity Jagannath withVishnu. In the Puranic age Vishnu becameimportant among the gods, though during theVedic period, he was not considered verypowerful.8 By the time of Satapatha Brahmana,Vishnu was again considered as the most powerfulgod and an embodiment of the sacrifice. PadmaPurana says, “ if only Jagannath is worshipped,all the gods are worshipped at the same time.9

Vishnu is visualized as ‘Anakara’ i.e.,‘the formless one. The first image in the evolutionof image- worship represented the worship of theformless, or Nirakara worship. Next the man, tobe more sure about the existence of God,worshipped the Pratika or a formless stone, etc.And finally, to convince the ignorant and topopularize religion among them, image- worshipwas introduced and grew deep.

The cult of Jagannath is an integratedwhole. It has absorbed the Narayan cult ofBhagabata religion, Madhava cult of Orissa, theatheist cult of Buddhism and Gopinath cult ofVaisnavism in course of time. Jagannath standsfor the highest common factor of all religion.Though enshrined in his temple, He is Universalself within the heart of everyone guiding to rightaction. He is the dispenser of a spiritual orderbased on faith, universal brotherhood and love.May that order triumphs.

References :

1. Bhagabat Gita- 15 Canto-s.1

2. Rig Veda- 1/164/22

3. Das, N.K. Gita Prabesh, P. 177 (Mentioned inAtharva Veda)

4. Bhagabat,11/30/42

5. Vishnusahasranama

6. Skanda Purana (Purushottama Mahatyma)

7. Padhi, Beni Madhab. Daru Devata (O), 1964,Cuttack, p.1

8. Purana Vimarsa, P.462

9. Padma Purana, Sasthamuttara Khanda, Ch.70, sl.1

Dr. Janmejay Choudhury, Lecturer in History,Shree Jagannath College, Kaipadar, Khurda.