A study of art heritage of Anjan village

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A study of art heritage of Anjan village

Friday, 16 November 2018 | Dr. Bachchan Kumar

Under the study programmes of Jharkhand, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts- Ranchi Regional Centre (RRC), had launched a  major research programme entitled

“Documentation of the Art Heritage of Anjan Village”, Gumla District of Jharkhand state. Under this programme, a team of scholars under the leadership of Dr. Bachchan Kumar, then Regional Director, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts- Ranchi Regional Centre,  visited Anjan village.

  Anjan is one of the largest villages of Gumla district. The village is located 13kms away from the district headquarters. The total geographical area of this village is 1902 hectares. The village has 608 total households. 

According to Census 2011, the village has a total population of 3,844 peoples. The Dewaki Temple, Sadani Waterfall, Beng Hill, Basudeokona, Samsera Dham and Mahadev Kona are some of the places of interest located in the vicinity of Anjan Village. The village has large number of ponds. A total of 14 tanks have been seen in the village while a large numbers are filled up and turned into cultivable lands.

 The name of the village Anjan is derived from the word ‘Anjani’, the name of the mother of Lord Hanuman.

Devi Anjani was the daughter of a Sage Gautami. According to mythology, the village is believed to be the birth place of Lord Hanuman. The site is popular for its Anjani cave, a cave that is located on the top of the hill.

This cave has a temple that enshrines an idol of Devi Anjani with Hanuman in her lap. Many objects of archaeological importance have been found from this site are placed at Patna Museum.

Majority of people of this village are Oraon tribe who are known as the devotee of lord Hanuman.

They say themselves belonging to the lineage of Lord Hanuman. The word Oraon is a dialectical variation of O Ram.  In treatayuga, seeing lord Rama, the Oraon people started dancing and jumping saying, O Ram, O Ram. Thus, they were named as the Oraon. The Oraon people lead their very simple life by eating roots, herbs and fruits of the forest. The male Oraon, till date, wears their lower dress in the form of langoti whose ends hanging like a tail (Shri Parsuramji Mishra, Kalyan : Hanuman Ang, 42, Geeta Press, Gorakhpur, p. 428).

About the birth of lord Hanuman, in the Hanuman Chalisa, GoswamiTulsidas mentions lord Hanuman as Sankarsuwan Kesri Nandan. This corroborates the story mentioned in the Shiva Purana.

 Once lord Shiva met lord Vishnu and said that I have seen your different forms  but never seen your Mohini face.  Kindly show me your Mohini form. On the request, lord Vishnu turned into his Mohini form.

According to Agni Purana, seeing the beauty of Mohini, Shiva enchanted on her and followed Mohini. Consequently, some of his seeds (sperms) fallen on the ground that transformed into Lingas, the symbolic form of Shiva. His semen also generated lord Hanumana. Later, lord Hanumana helped Vishnu Avatar Rama in his battle with Ravana as mentioned in the Ramayana.

 The Shiva Purana mentions that by the mere glimpse of Mohini, Shiva spurts out his seeds. The seeds had such heat that the earth was unable to sustain.

All the plants and animals started turning into ashes. Thus, the seers collected them on the leaf bowl (Patra drone).  Inspired by Shiva, they shifted seeds through the ear in the ovum of Anjana, daughter of Gautami.

 She was the only person who could bear such powerful energy (Acharya Pandit Sheodutt  Mishra Shastri, Hanuman Rahasya, 183, Geeta Press, Gorakhpur, p. 18).

 The same incident has been described in another form of story. On enchanted with Mohini, Shiva’s seeds discharged. Seeing the powers of the seeds, both Shiva and Vishnu collected them in a Patra drone. Later, they turned themselves in the form of saints and taking the seeds, they reached in Aranya Pradesh where they saw a lady doing penance, named as Anjani. After completing penance, both asked the lady, O devotee lady! Have you taken Diksha? Without it, your worship to God will not be fruitful and completed. She replied no, I have not taken Diksha. 

Where I will find Guru for Diksha? It is better you become my Guru and give me Diksha. Lady Anjani requested them.  Later, Vishnu become her Guru and gave her Diksha.

During the ritual of Diksha, lord Shiva shifted his seeds through ear into the ovum of Anjani. Consequently, Lady Anjani became pregnant and gave birth of lord Hanuman. Therefore, lord Hanuman is also called as Sankarsuva. (Acharya Pandit Sheodutt Mishra Shastri, Hanuman, op.cit. p. 18).

This story is also mentioned in the Thai and Malaysian versions of the Ramayana.  Though Hanuman strings from Shiva’s seed, he is also considered as a combined son of Vishnu and Shiva.

There is also a legend related to Devi Anjani. This legend was narrated to me by the priest of the new temple of the village located at the foot of the hill. Devi Anjani was a powerful lady who had divine forces. On coming back after winning the battle of Lanka by killing Ravana, Lord Rama, Lakshmana, Sita and Hanuman were on the way to Ayodhya. While crossing Aranya Pradesh, Hanuman wished to meet her mother. Rama and others also followed them. On reaching, Devi Anjani’s house, Hanuman met his mother and told the whole story of killing Ravana by Rama.

She told Hanuman for that mere work you have troubled lord Rama to go to Lanka and kill Ravana. You had immense power as I have fed you my milk. You see the power of my milk. She poured her milk on the rock. The rock broke into pieces. Then Rama told her that it was my work. Ravana had to be killed by me only. I know Hanumana has immense power.  He could kill demon king Ravana alone. But it was my duty to kill Ravana and bring back Sita.

Mahuwa (Madhucalongifolia) trees which were built in one night. It is believed that Ma Anjan used to take bath every day in a tank and offered flowers and fruits of Mahuwa to Shiva. Thus, she used to take bath and worshipped god Shiva at one pond once in a year.

ART HERITAGE OF THE NEIGHBOUR VILLAGE OF ANJAN

Before Anjan village, there is an old intact temple which we has been documented. It is a Panchamukhi Shiva temple located in the village Chhota Khatanga on Anjan Road, 12 kilometers away from the district headquarters Gumla. The temple is on the bank of Khatawa River. According to Shankar Paswan, this temple is around 300 years old. It is a twin temple.

The smaller temple has only an image of Nandi made of marble. It has three gates. Inside the temple there is another gate that has a door which leads to the sanctum sanctorium of the main (large) temple.  The eastern gate has stairs. All the gates are artistically carved. The top of the gate has circular view. The top of the temple is dome shaped.   The inner gate has a door that leads to the sanctum sanctorum of the larger temple.

The sanctum sanctorum of the large temple has five faced marble Shiva linga. There is another head which is told that it is head of Kartike, the son lord Shiva. Besides, the temple has the statue of Shiva family.

From the art point view, this temple has an attractive feature.

The ceiling of the twin temples has beautiful artistic paintings.  The walls of the temple are whitewashed. But there were no traces paintings.

The paintings of the smaller temple are nicely painted representing tribal paintings. It is coloured painting. The paintings are profusely painted by figures of birds such as peacock and other birds.

There is a scene of a man who is shooting an arrow from the bow. There is figure of a man sitting in padmasana raising both his hands. He seems to be a priest of the temple. On his right side there is a peacock keeping some unidentified thing on the beak.

The ceiling of the big temple shows the figures of some persons. A person wearing headgear (hat) playing Veena.  Another person is showing his fingers. A person seems fighting with a tiger is also painted. There is a beautiful flower on the large stem arranged with leaves. No doubt, it is painting of an efficient tribal painter.  The tribal make beautiful paintings near to nature representing, birds, flowers, animals and hunting scenes.

 ART HERITAGE OF ANJAN VILLAGE:

The Village Anjan seems to be an old village. Ongoing around the village, I have found a number of Shiva lings scattered on the side of the river Chakna. The outlet of yoni water facing to the river. Of course, these Shiva linga tends to believe that the villagers were devotee of lord Shiva.

 During my visit to the village, the playing children were saying (in their language) “ye mana Mahadeo ke khojthai” (these people are searching Shiva). It seems that the children of the village call Shiva linga as god Shiva. The people of the village are devotee of Shiva.

I have come across a linga which villagers call Andherea Shiva lings. It is saying that by closing eyes, no one can touch this linga except only those person who is a virtuous, sinless and has purified soul. In front of me, no one could directly touch linga by closing their eyes.

Moreover, a member of my research team tried it. He could not directly touch the linga except from the margin.

The village Anjan has rich art and cultural heritage which IGNCA has proposed to undertake this project under its major research program.

(The author is former Regional Director of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts-Ranchi Regional Centre. The views expressed in the article are his own)

 

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