Jayanta Mahapatra`s poem “Dawn at Puri” Analysis

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Jayanta Mahapatra’s poem Dawn at Puri describes the landscape of the holy city of Puri in Orissa, India, and showcases the poet’s deep connection to Indian culture and ethos. Puri is not just a setting but a character in the poem, representing a place of tradition and religious practices. However, Mahapatra’s depiction of events and incidents suggests his disapproval of certain aspects of these practices, such as the loss of individuality and the trap of religion. The poem evokes themes of death, disease, degeneracy, and loss of identity. The poem concludes with a reference to Puri as a gateway to heaven, where many Hindus believe they can achieve redemption through death. The speaker fulfills his mother’s last wish to be cremated in Puri, but the poem ends on an unsure note, much like the uncertain fate of the dead.

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Jayanta Mahapatra`s verse form “Dawn at Puri” narrates by depicting the Oriyan landscape.

particularly the holy metropolis of Puri. Mahapatra is profoundly rooted in Indian civilization and ethos with which he is emotionally attached as a poet. Though the linguistic communication of look is English his esthesia is ‘Oriya’ . In order to appreciate the prescribed verse form it is of import to understand his sensitive attitude to the native socio cultural patterns.

Here in the verse form under treatment.Puri is the living supporter for him. Puri is non merely a scene but besides a supporter because he presents a in writing description of Puri as a cardinal as a topographic point for the four ‘ dhams ‘or ‘sacred cities’ but besides for the ‘math’ or the monastery set up by Shankaracharya. Lord Jagganath is the chief divinity in Puri who is in the signifier of Lord Vishnu.

The manner Mahapatra delineates the events and incidents in the verse form shows us that he disapproves of what is traveling on under the screen of tradition and patterns.You will detect how life lies like “a mass of crouched faces without names” and you besides can see how people are trapped by religion as expressed in the look “caught in a net “ . The shells on the sand are “ruined” the word. “leprous” is implicative of degeneracy and frailty.

The poem evokes loss of individuality. namelessness. decease. disease and degeneracy.

As I have mentioned above. most of the Hindus wished to be cremated in the land of Lord Vishnu. The speaker’s female parent besides had such a last want. the wish to be cremated in Puri.

This is fulfilled by the attempt of her boy in the blinding funeral pyre which is seen as “sullen” and “solitary” . The verse form winds up on an unsure note like the cadaver of his dead female parent. character. Here Puri is personified.

At Puri. we find a stretch of beach called Swargadwara or ‘Gateway to heaven’ where the dead are cremated. Many pious Hindus and widows feel that it is possible to achieve redemption by deceasing at Puri. Mahapatra provinces: “Her last wish to be cremated here/ writhing unsteadily like light/ on the switching littorals.

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