ely. We do not however hear
that they persecuted Buddhism and there are reasons for thinking that
Jagannatha is a form of the Buddha[283] and that the temple at Puri
was originally a Buddhist site. It is said that it contains a gigantic
statue of the Buddha before which a wall has been built and also that
the image of Jagannatha, which is little more than a log of wood, is
really a case enclosing a Buddhist relic. King Prataparudra ({~DAGGER~} 1529)
persecuted Buddhism, which implies that at this late date its
adherents were sufficiently numerous to attract attention. Either at
the beginning of his reign or before it there flourished a group of
six poets of whom the principal were Acyutananda Dasa and Caitanya
Dasa.[284] Their works are nominally devoted to the celebration of
Krishna's praises and form the chief vernacular scripture of the
Vaishnavas in Orissa but in them Krishna, or the highest form of
the deity by whatever name he is called, is constantly identified with
Sunya or the Void, that favourite term of Mahayanist philosophy.
Passages from them are also quoted stating that in the Kali age the
followers of the Buddha must disguise themselves; that there are 3000
crypto-Buddhists hidden in various parts of Orissa, that Hari has been
incarnate in many Buddhas and that the Buddha will appear again on
earth. The phrase "I take refuge in the Buddha, in Mata Adisakti (=
Dharma) and in the Sangha" is also quoted from these works and
Caitanya Dasa describes five Vishnus, who are apparently identical
with the five Dhyani Buddhas.[285]

Taranatha states that the last king of Orissa, Mukunda Deva, who was
overthrown by the Mohammedans in 1568, was a Buddhist and founded some
temples and monasteries. In the seventeenth century, there flourished
a Buddhist poet named Mahadevadasa,[286] and the Tibetan pilgrim
Buddhagupta visited among other sites the old capital of Mayurabhanja
and saw a stupa there. It is claimed that the tribe known as Bathuris
or Bauris have always been crypto-Buddhists and have preserved their
ancient customs. They are however no credit to their religion, for one
of their principal ceremonies is hook-swinging.[287]

The doctrine of the Bathuris is called Mahima Dharma and experienced
an interesting revival in 1875.[288] A blind man named Bhima Bhoi had
a vision of the Buddha who restored his sight and bade him preach the
law. He attracted some thousands of adherents and led a band to Puri
proclaiming