In the Tantric schools of Buddhism, a mystical land by the name of Oddiyana or Uddiyana is mentioned. Believed to be the 'land of dakinis' & the homeland of Vajrayana, it is also known as Oda, Odra, Odivisā. Considering everything, it can be safely said that Oddiyana is Odisha.
The King Indrabhuti, himself a Mahasiddha, according to Buddhist accounts, was the King of Sambhala in Oddiyana - Sambala-pura (Sambalpur) in Odisha. Unsurprisingly, king Indrabhuti begins his celebrated treatise 'Gyanasiddhi' with a prayer to Jagannatha.
Around the 7th c, there emerged a group of mystic Buddhist saints who came to be known as the 'Mahasiddhas' 'great masters'. Many of them were from Odisha and have written in Odia. The tales of their lives are very engrossing - so I thought I'd narrate a few in a thread.
There were eighty four Mahasiddhas and I will touch upon the hagiographies of the ones from Odisha, based on Tibetan sources and Odia legends. Some familiar names for Odia readers, that will come up at some point in this thread are Hadipa, Kanhupa, Sabaripa and Luipa.
Xuanzang referred to Odisha as 'Udyāna'. The middle indic form of Udyāna according to scholars is 'Oddiyāna'. Udyāna of course refers to garden in Skt. Buddhist texts describe Oddiyana as a green, fertile land inhabited by peaceful people, with great respect for learning.
The hallowed country of Oddiyana is central to the Buddhist Tantric schools. Almost every great Tantric Buddhism master from India is associated with Oddiyana. Several Buddhist texts mention Oddiyana as the place of composition. Odisha was the heart of Vajrayana in ancient India.
Dakinis (ଡାଙ୍କିଣୀ-ଡାଙ୍କୁଣୀ-ଡାହାଣୀ) or Yoginis (ଯୋଗଣୀ) are believed to be benevolent and kind in Buddhist thought. They guide sādhakas towards attaining their goal. Oddiyana was believed to be full of potent dakinis. There are two rare yogini temples in Odisha.

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More from @pattaprateek

7 May 19
Today is Akhyaya Trutiya, the day on which Jagannatha's Chandana Jatra starts. Puri has been terribly ravaged by cyclone. Despite all, the sebayatas will do everything possible. This dedication and resilience is why the Temple has survived hundreds of attacks and calamities.
There will be insufficient bhoga, almost none of the decorations, the route might not be clear— but nīti will not be disturbed. The bimānas will be carried to Narendra, the chāpa will be done. If there's one thing I know: Puri never falls back from its duty towards Jagannatha.
As much as everyone loves to scold the pandās, do take a moment to acknowledge this dedication and effort too. There are many many sebayatas— one bunch are unruly. Many work for hours together without remuneration too, out of sheer dedication to keep the grand institution moving.
Read 4 tweets
27 May 18
Now that exams are over, I finally have a chance to make a Pattachitra after a long long time. This is Ananta Basudeba, four-handed human representation of Balabhadra worshipped during Anasara.
The pen outlining is done. Now for tracing it onto another sheet.
Fun Fact : This is one of the rare examples where a Pattachitra shows a figure straight-front. Otherwise, Pattachitras prefer a profile view. This however, is a painting meant for worship and hence needs to be 'complete', which is why Balabhadra is drawn from the frontal angle.
Read 13 tweets

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