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| The Hindu Phenomenon |
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A UNIQUE PHENOMENON |
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| Finally,
Orissa has had a large tribal population; even today tribals account
for almost 25 per cent of the total population. The uninterrupted
tribal-Hindu continuum finds its lasting manifestation in the
Jagannath cult of Puri. "The archaic iconography of the
cult images on the one hand and their highest Hindu iconology on the
other as well as the existence of former tribals (daitas) and Vedic
Brahmins amongst its priests are by no means an antithesis, but a
splendid regional synthesis of the local and the all-India
tradition." [See Anncharlott Eschmann et al. (eds.), The
Cult of Jagannath and the Regional Tradition of Orissa.]8
Interestingly, the very tribes, whose cults have been incorporated,
still live as tribal and semi-tribal communities in the region, and
Hinduization can be observed in the making.9
To cite another example. The main image of the Khambhesvari temple in Asja (Ganjam) consists of a stone pole - poles and stones normally substitute for images for tribals - which has been anthropomorphized by the addition of a disk as a head. The nose and the mouth are slightly carved; the eyes, the protruding tongue, and the nose ornament, are made of gold. "The image of Khambhesvari confers both: the impression of a real Hindu image - whose body and limbs are mostly not to be seen because of the dresses and ornaments - and the impression of the pole, whose form is still evident in spite of the dress. It is thus a very happy combination..."10
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