5. The Bhaumakaras & Somavamsis
Bhaumakaras
• Origin - Bhumij Tribe of N Orissa / Chhota Nagpur?
• Ksemankaradeva – c.736
• Sivakaradeva I – c.756 or 786
• Subhakaradeva I – c. 790
•
•
• Subhakaradeva IV - c. 881-884 (Paramamaheswara)
• Sivakaradeva III
• Tribhuvana Mahadevi II - c.894 (queen of
Subhakaradeva IV)
• Santikaradeva III
• Subhakaradeva V
• Gauri (queen of S.deva V)
• Dandi Mahadevi - c.916 / 923 (daughter of S.deva V)
• Vakula Mahadevi (queen of S.deva V)
• Dharma Mahadevi (queen of Santikaradeva III)
Later Somavasmis
• Balarjuna, Mahasivagupta
• Janmejaya I, Mahabhavagupta – c. 882-922
• Yayati I, Mahasivagupta – c. 922-955
• Bhimaratha, Mahabhavagupta II – c. 955-980
• Dharmaratha, Mahasivagupta II – c.980 -1005
• Nahusa, Mahabhavagupta III – c. 1005-21
• Yayati II, Candihara Mahasivagupta III – c. 1025-40
• Uddyotakesari, Mahabhavaguota IV – c. 1040-56
• Janmejaya II, Mahasivagupta IV – cv. 1065-85
• Puranjeya, Mahabhavagupta V – c. 1085-1100
• Karnadeva, Mahasivagupta V – c. 1100-10
Buddhist
Ran out
of male
heirs?
Early Somavamsis – 8th C
• Origin – Mahakosala – NW Orissa, Eastern
MP
• Capital in Sripura (Sirpur, Chattisgarh)
• Driven out by Kalachuris
• New Capital at Vinitapura (Binka, Orissa)
• Consolidated power in Orissa
• Attacked by Cholas,
Paramaras, Kalachuris
• Re-established control
over Kalinga, Utkala,
Kosala
• Mother Kolavati built
Brahmeswara
• Confined to coastal Puri,
Cuttack , Balasore
• Anantavarman
Chodaganga took over in
1114
6.
7. Religious Context
• All Somavamsis were devotees of Siva
• Eclectic Saivism
• Pasupatas Cult?
• Many Lakulisa images in temples
• Mattamayura Cult?
• A line of Sivacharyas
• Strong tradition of yoga, asceticism
• Vyomasiva – an Acharya in the line
• Tantric Saivism?
• Large scale, routine brahmin migrations into Orissa
• Legend: Yayati Kesari (Y-I) brought 10000 brahmins from Kanyakubja (Kanauj)
to conduct aswamedha at Yaytipura (Jajpur)
8. Mukteswara Temple
• Built around 970
• Based on style
• Probably started during the time of Yayati I
• Material: Fine grained sansdstone; locally called “lal rajaraniya”
• Reddish tinge; small particles of mica
44. Gavakshas: Adam Hardy
Early Gavakshas • Gavaksha = “Cow Eye” / “Ray
Eye”
• Often called “chaitya arch”
pattern
• Origins: Wooden Architecture;
reliefs in toranas, railings of
stupas etc
• All Nagara temples use
gavakshas heavily
74. Salabhanjika
The sculpture of a woman, displaying stylized feminine features, standing near a tree and grasping a branch. In
Sanskrit, śālabhañjikā means 'breaking a branch of a sala tree’.
80. Shardula
• Shardula in Samaranganasutradara
• Vyala in Mayamata and other South Indian texts
• Virala or Vidala in Odisha
• Simha Virala
• Nara Virala
• Gaja Virala
• Variation: Saraba
• Carries a rider. Sometimes another warrior with a drawn sword (of
knowledge) or shield (of vairagya) is holding its tail.
• Has taken the pearls (of light) from the elephant (storehouse of darkness)
or a demon. Holds the pearls in his mouth and sends them forth as his
own.
• A representation of Vak (the word). Of Metre. Of Prakriti. (Stella Kramrisch)