Rama - Chandi Temple at Ramachandi

Rama - Chandi Temple at Ramachandi

The temple of Rama-Chandi is one of the important Sakta shrines of Orissa. It is situated near the sea-shore, at a distance of 8 kms to the south of the Sun Temple of Konark.1 This temple is exactly located on the right side of the Marine Drive Road, which lies between Puri and Konark. It is considered by local people that Goddess Ramachandi is the presiding deity of

the whole of Arkakshetra. From the architectural point of view, the temple of Ramachandi is not important but from the religious point of view, it is one of the famous Sakta pithas of Puri. The temple of Ramachandi is a small deula and it

consists of two structures such as vimana and jagamohana. There is an open flat roof mandapa, recently built in front of the jagamohana. This temple is built in sand stones, laterite and bricks.   It faces to north.

  

Architectural Features of the Temple

(A) Vimana

The vimana of the Ramachandi temple is a pancharatha pidha deula and its height is about 30 feet from the surface of the temple complex.2 The structure of the vimana is erected on the

platform of 1 foot high. It has four parts such as pistha, bada, gandi and mastaka. The pista of the vimana is decorated with three horizontal mouldings, which are joined by vertical bonds

The bada of the vimana is panchanga type i.e. having five fold divisions such as pabhaga, talajangha, bandhana, upper jangha and baranda. All the components parts of the bada are

completely undecorated. The central niches of the three sides of the bada of vimana are housed with parsvadevata images of a headless Buddha, a four-armed Devi and Biranchi-Narayana. A disfigured image of Lord Buddha is the parsvadevata of the western side. The image has no head as well as hands. This headless deity has been installed on the double petalled lotus edestal. He is carved in padmasana posture. Two sides knees of deity are completely broken. According to temple priests, this image was originally Buddha but in latter period, it broken

by Kalapahada. A Devi image is the parsvadevata of the  outhern or backside. The four-armed Devi image has been installed on the plain pedestal. This image is carved in   dmasana posture. She displays lotus in right upper hand, rosary in right lower hand whereas the left lower hand lies on the thigh and the attribute in left upper hand is not being clearly visible. The eight-handed image of Biranchi-Narayana is the parsvadevata of the eastern side. He has been installed on the decorated pedestal. The image has three heads (one female, one Varaha and another a male head). It stands in alidha pose on a chariot drawn by seven spirited pigs. Out of the eight arms, five are completely broken and other three hands display bow, club and mudgal. R.P. Mohapatra has referred to that it is an image of Marichi of the Buddhist Pantheon.  Small Varahi images are carved on the both side top corners of the slab of deity. The backside head of Devi is decorated with semi-circular shaped arch. All the   parsvadevatas of the main deula are made of black chlorite.

The pyramidal superstructure is surmounted on the bada of vimana and it consists of three flat shaped pidhas. Each pidha is

decorated with tankus in all sides. Jhapa simhas are projected on the western, eastern and northern or front sides of the gandi. Dopichha lions are fixed on the top of kanika pagas of the gandi. Deula Charini figures are insterted in the four cardinal directions of the beki above rahas. They are combinely acting as the supporting elements to the amalaka sila of the mastaka.

The mastaka of the vimana consists of beki, ghanta (bell shaped member) above which there is another beki, amalaka sila,   apuri, kalasa, ayudha, (chakra) and dhvaja. The sanctum  reserves ten-armed Goddess Rama Chandi as the presiding deity of the temple. She is worshipped in the form of Dasabhuja Durga. Her right five arms displays khadga, gada, chakra, trident and lotus flower whereas the left five hands hold panapatra,  arasu, pasa, bow and dambaru respectively. The image is made of black chlorite and it is 30 inches in height.4 Here Goddess wears a silver mukuta on her head. Lion, the conventional mount of Devi is carved on the pedestal. She is piercing Mahimsasura,

the demon by her trident. The image of Goddess Ramachandi

is installed on the simhasana of 2 feet high. The deity is certainly more ancient than the Sun temple at Konark.5 Goddess Ramachandi, the presiding deity of the Konark region is   rshipped here with great reverence.

(B) Jagamohana

The jagamohana or mukhasala of the temple has a

vaulted roof or semi-cylindrical roof and it is about 12 feet in

height. The outer walls of the jagamohana are completely plain. Both the structures of vimana and jagamohana are heavily   astered with lime mortar. There is a lion installed on the octagonal pillar of 2½ feet high and it is noticed in the floor of the jagamohana. The niches of the northern wall contain two images of Varaha and Trivikrama. Both these images are  ashioned in as usual attributes in hands. The backside head

of these two deities are decorated by trefoil arch. They are installed on the double petalled lotus pedestal. Both sides top corners of the slab are carved with flying apsara figures. Inner walls of the mukhasala or jagamohana are depicted with  aintings of Dasamahavidya figures such as Devi Lakshmi,  airabhi, Bagala, Dhumabati, Chhinnamasta, Matangi,

Bhubanesvari, Sodasi, Tara and Kali. They are depicted in traditional Patta style painting of Orissa. It is executed by the local artists of Puri. The doorway of the jagamohana is devoid

of decorative ornamentations. Two lions are installed on the  oth sides of mukhasala and they are acting as the dvarapalas of the temple.

(C) Natamandapa

Recently, a new open flat roof structure is built in front of the jagamohana hall. It is considered as the natamandapa of the temple. Lion, the conventional mount of presiding deity,

installed on the floor of the natamandapa hall. In the north west corner of the temple complex is occupied by a Siva temple  amed Ramesvara. A rescued Sivalinga is being worshipped in the sanctum. This small Saiva shrine faces to east. The temple complex of Goddess Ramachandi is enclosed by a boundary wall and it measures approximately 80 feet in length and 40 feet in width respectively.6 This boundary wall is built in bricks.

Date of the Temple

According to local tradition, in the 16^th     century A.D. Goddess Ramachandi was being worshipped in a small shrine in the Sun Temple Complex of Konark. After destroyed it by Kalapahada, this Goddess was shifted to the present site. Then a temple was constructed herefor the worship of Goddess. Dr. B.K. Ratha has

said that the present temple of GoddessRamachandi was onstructed in the eighteenthcentury A.D.7 The architectural eatures of themain temple indicate that it was constructed not

earlier than 300 years. The available of extantdamaged culptures, which noticed in the templepremises, prove that there was an old huge templeconstructed there before the erection of thepresent temple.8 The jagamohana of the templeis built in the twentieth century.It is known from the above discussion that

the architectural feature of the temple is not soimportant but from the cultural point of view, thetemple is considered as an important Sakta shrine of the Arkakshetra. The site of Ramachandi temple is also a picnic spot.