64 YOGINI TEMPLE HIRAPUR

In the Hindu tradition, mother is first guru (teacher) and in the Yoga tradition, proper respect of Yoginis is a necessary part of the path to liberation. A Yoginiis the sacred feminine force made incarnate: the goddesses of mythology(Lakshmi, Parvati, Durga, Kali) as well as the ordinary human woman whois enlightened, both having exuberant passion, spiritual powers and deepinsight, capable of giving birth to saints, peacemakers, and Yogis.

  

Yogini (Sanskrit: योगिनी, yoginī, IPA: [ˈjoɡiniː]) is the complete form source word of the masculine yogi- and neutral/plural "yogin." Far from being merely a gender tag to all things yogi, "Yogini" represents both a female master practitioner of Yoga, and a formal term of respect for a category of modern female spiritual
teachers (in both hinduism and buddhism) in eastern countries such as India, Nepal, and Tibet.

The Devi Mahatmyam or Devi Mahatmya : devīmāhātmyam, देवीमाहात्म्यम्), or "Glory of the Goddess") is a Hindu text describing the victory of the goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. As part of the Markandeya Purana, it is one of the Puranas or secondary Hindu scriptures, and was composed in Sanskrit around c. 400-500 CE, with authorship attributed to the sage (Rishi) Markandeya. Devi Mahatmyam is also known as the Durgā Saptashatī (ढुर्गासप्तशती) or simply Saptashatī, Caṇḍī (चण्डी) or Caṇḍī Pāṭha (चण्डीपाठः) - where pāṭha – "reading" – refers to the act of ritual reading. The text contains 700 (saptashata - "seven hundred") verses, arranged into 13 chapters. The Devi-Mahatmya which, in a majestic poetry in Sanskrit, describes to us the Epic of the march of the human soul to its destination, the realisation of this freedom, is the dramatic aspect of the great worship of the Divine Mother during these nine days of Navaratri or Dassehra as you call it. The march of the soul is dramatic. It is not a lagging or a crawling but a beautiful, sonorous, musical advent, you may call it. This is the beauty of the Devi-Mahatmya. All Epics have this particular character of grandeur, uplifting the emotions, and chastening the intellect of the devotee who goes through them.

The Devi-Mahatmya is a part of the Markandeya Purana, containing thirteen chapters which are grouped into three sections, known as the Prathama Charitra, Madhyama Charitra and the Uttama Charitra.


In the Godess wroship or Shakti Tantra, the lineages of Hinduism that focus on the Goddess as the primordial and penultimate deity. I have briefly tried to explain about the history of Goddess worship in northern South Asia, the Hindu Shakta Goddess in her many manifestations, including Maa Kali, Durga, and her 64 Yoginis .

During the Hindu goddess Durga’s battles with the forces of inhumanity (asuras), eight yoginis are described emanating from the body of Durga, and they assisted her in the battle. In later texts, the number of Yoginis
increased to sixty-four. All these Yoginis represented forces of vegetation and fertility, illness and death, Yoga and magic. All Yoginis are worshipped collectively and together, each one is enshrined in an individual position in a circular temple open to the sky (Sri Yantra).

The temple near the village of Hirapur is the smallest of the Indian yogini/dakini temples, measuring less than 30 feet across. It is a circular enclosure of sandstone blocks on a foundation of laterites that is between
8 and 9 feet high on the exterior.

This is the only one of the "yogini" temples that has female figures on its outer walls, and their distinctive qualities lead one to conclude that this was, at least at one time, a tantric shrine. There are nine exterior niches, each home to a dakini sculpted in sandstone poised above large severed human heads. Each holds either her characteristic curved knife or spear in one hand, and her skull cup in the other.

There is a projecting entranceway, a feature not found in the other dakini temples.  It is guarded by a pair of very fearsome Shiva Bhairava in wrathful, skeletal Doorkeeper form. Each one wears a skull garland and snake anklets. One holds a severed human head. On the pedestal are two other skeletal figures holding skull cups, each with a dog or jackal.

The short, narrow entrance is on the east and it requires the worshipper to crouch Over (like a child) to enter the sacred space which has no upper limit at all. The interior wall is about 2 meters high and contains 64 niches each with a plaque over it that identifies the female figure within. Today, only sixty figures
remain.

The 64 female deities -- the Chausati (sixty-four) are variously called yoginis, dakinis, shaktis or bhairavis, are as mentioned in the Skanda Purana. Carved from a fine, black chlorite, each rupa (form) is small -- roughly a foot and a half high. Each one represents a voluptuous woman wearing a kilt or skirt held
around her hips by an ornate girdle. Besides the belt, she wears the other seven symbolic ornaments: bracelets, armlets, anklets, earrings, necklace, garland and headdress. Their hairstyles include the most common one which is a cluster or bun worn to one side, or else a coronet of tight curls. Some are warriors or huntresses with bows and arrows, others balance on a pair of wheels, or play a drum. Most have two arms but a few have four.

The vahana or mount of the dakini includes animals such as the fish, parrot, turtle, frog, snake, scorpion, rat, while some appear with a decapitated male head, an archer, or other representation at their feet. Several of the dakinis have animal faces -- of a horse, ass, hare, elephant and lion.

History

It is generally accepted that the Hirapur temple was constructed sometime during the reigns of Bhauma and Somavamsi (mid-8th to mid-10th century,) since the figures resemble the style of those in the Mukteshwar temple in Bhubaneswar dating to the 9th century. That period is known as Orissa's Golden Age as a consequence of the dynasty's patronage and eclecticism in the arts, and tolerance in religious matters.

In order… entering and moving clockwise… the name of the yogini and the
“vahana” or mounts
1. Sri Maya/ Bahurupa/ Chandika – stands on a corpse lying straight
2. Sri Tara - stands on a corpse
3. Sri Narmada – stands on an elephant
4. Sri Yamuna – stands on a tortoise
5. Sri Shanti/ Kanti/ Laxmi/ Manada – stands on a full blown lotus
6. Sri Vriddhi/ Kriya/ Varuni – Lines of waves on the pedestal
7. Sri Gauri/ Ksemankari – stands on an alligator
8. Sri Aindri/ Indrani- stands on an elephant
9. Sri Varahi – boar faced, stands on a buffalo
10. Sri Ranavira/ Padmavati – stands on a snake
11. Sri Ostraarudha/ Vanarmukhi – monkey faced, stands on a camel
12. Sri Vaishnavi – Grauda is her mount
13. Sri Kalaratri/ Panchavarahi – stands on a boar
14. Sri Vadyaroopa – stands on a drum
15. Sri Charchika – stands on a demon
16. Sri Marjari/ Betali – stands on a fish
17. Sri Chinnamastaka – stands on a severed human head
18. Sri Vrisabhanana/ Bindhya Basini – stands on mountains
19. Sri Jalakamini – stands on a frog
20. Sri Ghatavara – stands on a lion, lifting an elephant over her head
21. Sri Vikarali/ Kakarali – stands on a dog
22. Sri Saraswati – stands on a serpent
23. Sri Birupa – the pedestal she stands on has lines of waves
24. Sri Kauveri – stands on 7 ratna kalasas on full blown lotus
25. Sri Varahi/ Bhalluka – there is a padma lata on her pedestal
26. Sri Narasimhi/ Simhamukhi – Lion faced, stands on a pedestal with 5 flowers and leaves
27. Sri Biraja – stands on a lotus bud with leaves
28. Sri Vikatanana – protuding lips and curling matted hair, the pedestal with mount is broken
29. Sri Mohalaxmi – stands on a full bloom open lotus
30. Sri Kaumari – stands on a peacock
31. Sri Mahamaya – She is worshiped as the presiding deity of the temple.
32. Sri Usa/ Rati – stands on a pedestal with an archer with a bow in his hands (Kandrap or cupid)
33. Sri Karkari – stands on a crab
34. Sri Sarpashya/ Chittala – Snake faced, the mount is broken
35. Sri Yasha – the mount is a pedestal with 4 legs
36. Sri Aghora/ Vaivasvati – stands on a horned goat like animal
37. Sri Bhadrakali/ Rudrakali – stands on a crow
38. Sri Matangi/ Shitala/ Vainayaki/ Ganeshani/ Gajanana – stands on a donkey
39. Sri Bhindhyabalini – stands on a rat
40. Sri Abhya/ Veera Kumari – stands on a scorpion
41. Sri Maheshwari – stands on a bull
42. Sri Kamakshi/ Ambika – stands on a mongoose
43. Sri Kamayani – stands on a cock
44. Sri Ghatabari – stands on a lion
45. Sri Stutee – stands on a haladi kathua
46. Sri Kali – stands on a recumbent male figure
47. Sri Uma – stands on pedestal of lotus flowers
48. Sri Narayani - stands on a pedestal with a conical pot with a lid
49. Sri Samudri – stands on a pedestal with a conch shell
50. Sri Brahmani – 3 faces, stands on a book
51. Sri Jwalamukhi – stands on a platform with 8 legs
52. Sri Agneyi – stands on a ram with flames of fire in the background
53. Sri Aditi – stands on a parrot
54. Sri Chandrakanti – stands on a cot with 4 legs
55. Sri Vayubega – stahds on a female yak
56. Sri Chamunda – stands on a musk deer, with a lion over her head
57. Sri Murati – stands on a deer
58. Sri Ganga – stands on a ‘makara’
59. Sri Dhumavati / Tarini – stands on a goose with a winnower in her hand
60. Sri Gandhari – stands on a donkey
61. Sri Surva Mangala - the niche is empty but it is believed to be Surva Mangala
62. Sri Ajita – stands on a stag
63. Sri Surya Putri – stands on a galloping horse
64. Sri Vayu Veena – stands on a black buck

Each of the yoginis have a distinctly different hair style. The temple has many guardians and other icons sculpted explained later in coming pages !!!!!!!!

"Shiva and His Consorts-The Yoginis of Hirapur" mentions that the narrow entrance to the peeth is not dissimilar to the passage of the yoni, constricted at the opening, but widening into an open circle (a womb) that embraces urdhvalinga Shiva Bhairava at the centre. A perusal of some of the texts written by experts
leaves one surprised by the total absence of any such observation of the structure in terms of yoni-linga union, even though the shape quite naturally suggests this.

LOCATION : VILLAGE HIRAPUR , NEAR KHORDA , 20 KMS FROM BHUBANESHWAR.