Madala Panji is the temple chronicle of Lord Jagannath of Puri. This is so called because the palm-leaf records are tied in big round bundles resembling the Indian drum (Madala). It describes the historical events of Odisha related to Lord Jagannath or Jagannath Temple. Though the actual date of starting of Panjis is not known, but it is believed that it might be started from 12th century AD. The book is a classic and literary master piece of the Odia language first order. It can be compared with Rajvansham of Sri Lanka, Rajtarangini of Kashmir or Burunji of Assam. The earliest use of prose can be found in the Madala Panji or the Palm-leaf Chronicles of the Jagannatha temple at Puri, which date back to the 12th century.
Madala Panji has played an important role in shaping the history of Odisha by some historians. While writing Odia history, historians like Sir W.W.Hunter and Andrew Stirling considered the facts in Madala Panji as base. The Madala Panji was traditionally written on a year-to-year basis. On Vijaya-Dashami day, the Karanas (official history writers of Puri) involved in keeping the chronicle. This ritual is cited as a proof that the tradition of keeping this chronicle began with Odia king Anantavarman Chodaganga Dev himself. According to the tradition, Chodaganga created 24 families of Karanas to preserve the temple records. Of these, five were entrusted with the writing and preservation of the Madala Panji. They are:
Panjia Karan—preserves the Madala Panji
Tadau Karan—writes the Madala Panji
Deula Karan—enforces the Madala
Kotha Karan—the main compiler
Baithi Karan – assistant
Later due to the bulky size of Madala Panji, its content covering different dimensions related to temple management was divided into four parts :
There are also five different categories of Panjis. No one has seen them all.
Raja Khanja - Records important events of the Rajas. Read on Paush Purnima (Pushyabhishek). Kept by Tadau Karan.
Desh Khanja - Records gifts of land and money and occasions when the Jagannath temple was plundered. Kept by Kotha Karan.
Karmangi - Records daily rituals. Important events related to the rituals recorded. Announced daily at the Beherana.
Dina Panji - The daily almanac read by the temple astrologer at the time of the Avakash. These were prepared annually and finalized on Vishuva Sankranti.
It is said that the Madala panji was destroyed by the Muslim invaders including the so called Kalapahada, but it was rewritten in a fashion that mixed legend with history. The Madalapanji, the temple-chronicle of Jagannath temple of Puri, preserves a number of traditions relating to the Kesaris (Somavamsis), the Imperial Gangas, the Suryavamsi Gajapatis and the Bhois of Khurdha. Besides, all classes of records relating to Jagannath temple, it contains historical information, some of which, particularly of the Ganga-Gajapati-Bhoi times, throw light on the history. Its Sanskrit and Telugu versions are also available under the titles of "Katakarajavamsavali" and "Jagannatham.Kaifiyat".
Madala Panji has played an important role in shaping the history of Odisha by some historians. While writing Odia history, historians like Sir W.W.Hunter and Andrew Stirling considered the facts in Madala Panji as base. The Madala Panji was traditionally written on a year-to-year basis. On Vijaya-Dashami day, the Karanas (official history writers of Puri) involved in keeping the chronicle. This ritual is cited as a proof that the tradition of keeping this chronicle began with Odia king Anantavarman Chodaganga Dev himself. According to the tradition, Chodaganga created 24 families of Karanas to preserve the temple records. Of these, five were entrusted with the writing and preservation of the Madala Panji. They are:
Panjia Karan—preserves the Madala Panji
Tadau Karan—writes the Madala Panji
Deula Karan—enforces the Madala
Kotha Karan—the main compiler
Baithi Karan – assistant
Later due to the bulky size of Madala Panji, its content covering different dimensions related to temple management was divided into four parts :
- Bhandara Khanja Madala (maintained by Pattajoshi Mohapatra)
- Deula Madala / Karmangi Madala (maintained by Deula Karana)
- Deshapanji Madala (prepared by Deula Karana)
- Rajakhanja Madala (prepared and maintained by Tadhau Karana)
There are also five different categories of Panjis. No one has seen them all.
Raja Khanja - Records important events of the Rajas. Read on Paush Purnima (Pushyabhishek). Kept by Tadau Karan.
Desh Khanja - Records gifts of land and money and occasions when the Jagannath temple was plundered. Kept by Kotha Karan.
Karmangi - Records daily rituals. Important events related to the rituals recorded. Announced daily at the Beherana.
Dina Panji - The daily almanac read by the temple astrologer at the time of the Avakash. These were prepared annually and finalized on Vishuva Sankranti.
It is said that the Madala panji was destroyed by the Muslim invaders including the so called Kalapahada, but it was rewritten in a fashion that mixed legend with history. The Madalapanji, the temple-chronicle of Jagannath temple of Puri, preserves a number of traditions relating to the Kesaris (Somavamsis), the Imperial Gangas, the Suryavamsi Gajapatis and the Bhois of Khurdha. Besides, all classes of records relating to Jagannath temple, it contains historical information, some of which, particularly of the Ganga-Gajapati-Bhoi times, throw light on the history. Its Sanskrit and Telugu versions are also available under the titles of "Katakarajavamsavali" and "Jagannatham.Kaifiyat".
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