An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s19.t3.6

v1.c9.s19.t3.6

The Śailodbhavas were followed by the Bhaumas who attained a high stage of culture. The landmarks of the epoch are the emergence of Mahāyana Buddhism as the dominant form of religion and the first appearance of Śāktism in Orissa. Virajā or modern Jajpur in Dt Cuttack, the capital of the Bhaumas, soon became a renowned centre of Mahāyāna Buddhism and Śāktism. The Vaital Deul at Bhubaneswar, a singular temple of an exotic appearance, is assigned to this period and is the first Śākta shrine of Bhubaneswar. Through its eclectic representations are refracted the spectrum of cultures and moods of the times. Evidently there was co-existence of Śāktism, Śaivism and Mahāyana Buddhism notwithstanding a strong religious rivalry among them. The Bahirangeśvara temple on the top of the Dhauli hill and an inscription of Śāntikaradeva in a cave of the hill testify that the hill again became a centre of religious activities during the rule of the Bhaumas.