the cult of saktism in orissa

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Orissa Review September - 2009

The ancient scriptures of Buddhist textsHevajratantra and Sadhanamala of Vajrayanspeak of four centres of Saktism : Uddiyan,Kamrup, Purnagiri and Jalandhar where Vimala,Kamakshya, Purneswari andJwalamukhi are worshippedrespectively. 'Udra', thecentre of Saktism describedin Kalika Purana is no otherthan 'Uddiyan' of Buddhisttext Sadhanamala. Thepresiding deity of the centreis Katyayani. The author ofthe Buddhist iconographysuggests that Uddiyan is thesame as 'Odra or Udra' andthe presiding deity of Uddiyanis Katyayani. So is theopinion of Dr. R.L. Mitra,who says, 'Orissa comesfrom the word 'Odra' ... Orissa was well-knownto the Indian Aryans from a very early period..."The epics like Mahabharata, BrahmandaPurana and Manu Samhita reveal Orissa as acentre of Saktism.

It is learnt from Buddhist texts that theoriginal base of Saktism is Orissa and it spreadall over India and beyond, in course of time. Thishas been brought to limelight by Mr. Malley and

Mansfield, the authors of Orissa Gazetteers,1929 : "It is noticeable that Tapussa and Bhallika,the first-day disciples of Buddha are said to havebeen merchants from Utkala who were travelling

to Madhya desha with fivehundred cartmen when theymet Buddha at Buddha Gaya."The Buddhist prophetsSaraba Buddha, Luipa andKukuripada had propagatedKapala Tantra, SaputaTilaka and MahamayaTantra respectively.Kambalapada and PadmaBajra propagated Bajra tantrafrom Uddiyan pitha, Orissa.

By the 7th century A.D.,Orissa or Uddiyan or Udrarose to prominence as one ofthe greatest centres of

Saktism. In 747 A.D., Padma Sambhab ofUddiyan had been to Tibet to teach tantricism andblack magic. In the middle of the eighth century,Indrabhuti, the then king of Sambala (Sambalpur)brought about drastic reform to Tantrayan in givinga new shape entitled 'Bajrayana'. Lakshminkara,the sister of Indrabhati and queen of Lankatransformed Bajrayana to Sahajayana during laterdays. During the later part of the eleventh century,

The Cult of Saktism in Orissa

Er. Raghunath Patra

http://www.pdfcomplete.com/1002/2001/upgrade.htm


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the celebrated tantric women Nitei Dhobani andPitei Sauruni were there in Sapta Matrika pithaof Puri at Markandeswar Sahi. They wereworshippers of Sapta Matrika and veneratingLord Jagannath and Goddess Vimala as Vairabaand Vairabi respectively.

Some important scriptures available inTibet reveal that Indrabhuti was the king ofUddiyan and in the preliminary prayer of 'JnanaSidhi', he had the vision of Lord Jagannath asBuddhist lord. Padma Sambhab, the adopted sonof Indrabhuti, with the help of his wife Mandaraba,had achieved accomplishment in Sahaja-Yoga.Some of the antique scriptures of Nepal suggestthat few centuries later, Lord Buddha incarnatedhimself as Padma Sambhab in Uddiyan. In thesecond century, Ptolemy, the geographer, statedthat Sambal is situated in the basin of the riverManad. Sambal is no other than the presentSambalpur and Manad, the river Mahanadi. Onthe basis of the old copper-plates andarchaeological remains, it is argued that Lankawas no other than the present Sonepur of Orissa.

It may easily be shown that Uddiyan orOrissa is the mother - centre of Saktism whereBhairaba is Lord Jagannath and Bhairabi, Vimala.There is sufficient mention in support of this inKalika Purana and Devi Bhagavata. Vimalais one of the names of goddess Durga in DeviBhagavat and Biswa Saratantra.

During marriage - ritual of Rukmini withLord Krishna in Jagannath temple, GoddessRukmini goes to the temple of Vimala for worshipto get Lord Krishna as her husband. There Vimalais prayed as Katyayani by Rukmini.

Hence Uddiyan or Orissa is the mothercentre of Saktism and Vimala (Katyayani) is thedeity of Uddiyan pitha, encircled by Mothergoddesses, namely, Viraja at Jajpur, Sarala atJhankad, Mangala at Kakatpur, Bhagavati at

Banpur, Harachandi at Puri, Ramachandi atKonark, Charchika at Banki, Bag Devi at Kulad,Stambeswari at Aska and Sonepur, Hingula atTalcher, Narayani at Khalikote, Tara Tareni inGanjam, Bhattarika at Badamba, Barunei atKhurda, Chandi at Cuttack, Sapta Matrika atPuri, Jajpur, Belakhandi, Titilagarh, Khiching,Dharmasala, Kundeswar and Seragarh and 64 -Yoginis at Hirapur and Ranipur - Jhariyal andSamaleswari at Sambalpur and many others.

There is a nice legend in connection withthe inception ofSakta - pithas all over the countryand beyond. Dakshyaprajapati, the father ofgoddess Sati, did not invite his son-in-law LordSiva to his sacrificial rites. Sati went to the functionuninvited against the will of Lord Siva.Dakshyaprajapati passed filthy comments onLord Siva in presence of all divinities. Sati couldnot tolerate censure of her husband and threwherself to the sacred fires and committed suicide.Lord Shankar, with pangs of separation, movedher and there, carrying the dead body of hisbeloved wife on his shoulder. For the welfare ofthe world, Lord Visnu directed his missile(Sudarshan Chakra) to cut the dead body of Satiinto pieces without the knowledge of Shankar.Innumerable Sakta-pithas were erected fromevery fragment of the body of Sati which fell tothe ground. It is said that the dead body was cutinto pieces. According to Devi Bhagvat, 108centres of Saktism were erected out of 108fragments. From the navel-chord was the Viraja- pitha of Jajpur and from the tongue of goddessSati, Vimala - pitha at Puri, as mentioned inUddisa tantra.

THE SHRINES

Vimala :

The temple of Vimala is situated in theSouth-West corner of the court-yard of LordJagannath temple at Puri. Mother goddess is in a


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standing posture with four arms, holding garlandof beads, noose, pitcher of nectar and in Japa-mudra. She is worshipped in Bhubaneswarimantra except on 7th, 8th and 9th bright days ofthe month of Aswina when non-vegetarian foodis offered to Her.

Vimala is described as SupremeVaishnavi goddess who takes Kaibalya orMahaprasad of Lord Jagannath as her only foodunlike other goddesses in Jagannath temple. Shegoes to bed only after Lord Jgannath retires.Vimala is most closely associated with the ritualsof Lord Jagannath compared to other goddessesin the temple. When goddess Lakshmi has herseparate arrangement for cooking other thanMahaprasad, Vimala takes Mahaprasadthroughout the year except on 7th, 8th and 9thbright days of the month of Aswina. During thesedays of Durga Puja, she is offered two goats aday on each of the three days (total six goats) assacrifice to Her due to the influence of 'Bamacharworship' of Saktism which seems to be a laterintroduction. The sacrifice of goats to Mothergoddess is done late in the night after LordJagannath goes to bed which clearly shows thatthe priests of Lord Jagannath do not co-operatewith Bamachar worship of Vimala and suchworship is being performed by a few Bamacharworshippers in Vimala temple. The rituals of LordJagannath are based on Sudhachar only. Thedomed roof of Vimala with its inner surface revealthe figures of Vaishnavism. Though Vimala, thefirst and foremost deity of Uddiyan (Orissa) hasbeen described as Bhairabi and Lord Jagannathas Bhairaba, the Vaishnavites treat her as wife ofLord Balabhadra.

Out of sixteen days of Durga Puja in themonth of Aswin, Goddess Vimala does not wearany specific attire on first and last four days.During the rest eleven days, she is adorned as

Bhubaneswari, Bana Durga, Rajarajeswari,Ugratara, Matangini, Bagala, Narayani,Simhabahini, Jaya Durga, Shuli Durga andHarachandi respectively.

From the 8th dark day to the new moon-day of Aswin (eight days), Durga -Madhab(Durga and Madhab or Jagannath fastenedtogether on a wooden platform) are seated on acot in the Jagamohan of Vimala temple and fromfirst bright day to ninth bright day take up on ajourney to Narayani temple of Dolamandap Sahion a chariot which is known as Sakta gundichaor Car Festival of Durga Madhab.

Viraja :

Viraja - tirtha on the sacred bank of riverBaitarani found its celeberation duringMahabharat days and commemorates ten HorseSacrifices (Dasaswamedha Yajna), conducted byLord Brahma in Puranic age and Yayati Keshari-I, the king of 10th century A.D. It has got its earlyname and fame as a Sakti-pitha in the Puranaslike Visnu Purana, Brahma Purana, KapilaSamhita, Kubjika tantra, Jnanaranaba tantraand Brihannila tantra etc. It is said that thegoddess emerged from the sacrificial fires of theAswamedha Yajna.

Viraja mostly remains clothed. She firmlyholds the tail of buffalo-demon by her left handand pierces it with a spear by the right. Image ofgoddess with two hands dates back to 4th or 5thcentury A.D. It is one of the fifty-one distinguishedSakti-shrines of India, erected from the sacrednavel - chord of goddess Sati. The nine day -festival of Durga Puja is celebrated with greatfanfare and on the fifth day of the function, thecar festival of Viraja is celebrated by thousandsof devotees from all around which is known as'Sakta-Gundicha'. Some are of opinion thatViraja is no other than Prajna - Paramita ofBuddhism.



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The goddess Viraja is clustered aroundwith three Varahas, five Nrusimhas, sevenMatrikas, eight Bhairabs, nine Durgas, twelveMadhavas, twelve Ganeshas and one hundred andeight Rudras. Though the deity relates to 4thcentury A.D., the present sanctum is of 200 yearsold only. The place Jajpur and its suburbs are fullof icons of Buddhism and Jainism such asBodhisattvas, Dhyani Buddhas and JainaTirthankars. Udayagiri, Ratnagiri, Lalitagiri andAlatigiri are four ancient Sakta centres in thesuburbs, with Buddhist deities Tara, Heruka,Kurukula and Aparajita.

Sarala

Goddess Sarala of Jhankad, a village inJagatsinghpur district is being worshipped bypeople of Orissa as Goddess of Learning andwielder of powers as Minerva in Greek myth.According to a legend, Lord Parashuram, theincarnation of Lord Visnu gained all wisdom andpowers to conquer the whole world twenty onetimes, by lying in prostration to goddess Sarala,and so the place is also known as ParashuramPitha.

Goddess Sarala with her eight armsfought with the demon of beastly power, ignoranceand leziness, Mahishasura, holding the gapingmouth of the demon with one hand and with theother seven, she brandishes weapons and a gong-bell. The lion, the Bahana or Vehicle of thegoddess, attacked demon from right when shepressed the creature on the back with her mightyfoot. Goddess Sarala has got some resemblancewith image of Durga in Baital temple dating backto 8th century A.D. Sarala blessed Adikabi SaralaDas the epic poet of Odia Mahabharat. Shebestowed grace on the illiterate Sarala Das toproduce Odia Mahabharata a perennial sourceof illumination for scholars and the lovers of artand culture.

The original sanctum that stands in ruinshas given place to the present shrine which is oftwo hundred years old only. The festivals duringDasahara, Raja Sankranti and Pana Sankranti areof special significance which draw millions ofpeople from all around.Mangala

The banks of sacred river Prachi wereonce the sites for accomplishment of tantricism.It stretched from Kakatpur of Puri district toPhulnakhara of Cuttack district, clustered aroundby gods and goddesses of antiquities, rangingfrom 2nd century A.D. to 11th century A.D.

Goddess Mangala dates back to 9thcentury A.D. and the temple in which she isenshrined relates to 15th century A.D. The DivineMother seated on Lalitasan on a double lotuspedestal with her four arms, holding a full moonsymbolising Dharma Chakra by her upper righthand, a bunch of lotus lends by left upper, a Japamala (garland of beads) by lower right and Japamudra in the left lower, looks graceful with herjewellery crown carved with super artisticrefinement. The holy Mother has her specialrecognition among the devotees of Orissa becauseof her association with Lord Jagannath duringNabakalebar (the renovation ceremony of thebody) of Lord Jagannath. It is believed thatDaitas, the Savara Sevakas of Lord Jagannath,pray for her direction when they set out on ajourney to locate holy log (Daru) for the icon ofthe Lord.

According to some scholars, MotherMangala was originally Buddhist goddess Tarabrought from Srilanka during the days of maritimerelationship between Kalinga (Orissa) andSrilanka and was absorbed into Hindu pantheonlater.

The name of the place Kakatpur has itsorigin from the name Kakati, the tutelary goddess


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of the place. Some scholars believe that Mangalais no other than Kakatei. In the nearby village'Chourasi' goddess Varahi is worshipped. She hasthe face of a boar, pot bellied, holding a fish inone hand and a cup in the others, and the imagerelates to 9th century A.D. Two armed goddessMahisa Mardini of Someswara temple atKakatpur seems to be contemporary of Viraja atJajpur. Besides, four armed goddess of Motia,six armed goddess of Astaranga, eight armedgoddess of Amanakuda, ten armed goddess ofLataharan, eight armed Chamunda of Angeswaratemple and ten armed Chamunda of MangalaTemple at Kakatpur draw attention of scholars,archaeologists and historians.

Bhagavati :

The temple of Bhagavati is located on theriver bank of Salia at Banpur of Puri district. It isabout 300 years old. Goddess Bhagavati wastutelory deity of the demon - king Banasura, asthe legend goes. Bhagavati was originallyworshhipped under a tree with the offerings ofgoat, buffalo and human beings. The presentsanctum was constructed by one Sri JagannathHarichandan, a king of Rathor dynasty whoseroyal court was adorned by the Oriya poet,Lokanath Bidyadhar, author of Chitrakala,Sarbanga Sundari, Padmavati Parinaya andNiladri Mahotsab etc. The king had allottedsome landed property for the rituals of Bhagavatialong with Chhatisa Niyog - Sevakas.

The temple is built in three parts. The frontchamber is Jagamohan and the second chamberis Natamandir where the moving deity "VijePratima' remains in the form of a log of timberknown as 'Kathi Thakurani'. In the third chamber'Biman', dwells Bhagavati with eight arms. Thereare associate gods and goddess namely Ganeshin the South, Durga in the East and Bhubaneswari

in the North. In the courtyard of the temple, thereare goddesses like Palakasuni, Virajai etc.

Goddess Bhagavati originally was ofterrible nature, and as such a metal belt was keptembedded around the month. The moving formof Bhagavati 'Kathi Thakurani' joins in all therituals except in Dasahara when Kanak Durgajoins.

'Bali Jena' is one of the Sevakas ofBhagavati who enacts the role of human sacrificefalling senseless to the ground for some hourswhen his wife acts as widow. This signifies that inthe older days, there prevailed the custom ofhuman sacrifice to the goddess 'Bhagavati'. A goodnumber of festivals are observed round the yearnamely Chandan Yatra, Savitri Amabasya, SitalaSasti, Chitalagi Amabasya and Durga Puja etc.Harachandi :

The temple of Harachandi is situated ona sand dune near the mouth of the lake Chilikajoining with the Bay of Bengal. the Divine coupleChandra Sekhar and Harachandi are worshippedhere. The deity is carved on a black granite withskilled art and refinement. To the opinion of somescholars, Goddess Harachandi seems to becontemporary of Mangala of Kakatpur andSarala of Jhankad.

The temple of Harachandi wasconstructed by one Sri Rama Chandra Dev, the-then Gajapati king of Orissa, on the advice of atantric Sadhak named Tratak Kapalika whoattended full accomplishment by long prostrationto goddess Harachandi. Now, during Durga Pujaa betel - nut is offered to the goddess incommemoration of the memory of the Gajapatiand Mahaprasad of Lord Jagannath is broughtdaily from Jagannath temple, Puri for offering tothe Divine Mother. During Durga Puja a goat isoffered by Gajapati for sacrifice to the goddessHarachandi.



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Ramachandi :The temple of Ramachandi is located on

a sand dune near the mouths of the riversKushabhadra and Dhanua, four miles away onthe sea-side from Konark, in an isolated place.Previously the temple was not negotiable by anyroad with only sands and shrubs around but nowa pucca road leads to the temple from Konarkand Puri. The place is famous for picnic for thenatural beauties around and cool breeze of thesea.

The boat shaped roof of the entrance hallof the temple is the only shelter for the peoplecoming over, for picnic or prostration to goddessMother, in rain and Sun. Mahisha Mardini DurgaRamachandi sits in the temple facing North. SriKrupasindhu Mishra, the historian has describedin his book 'Konark' that originally Ramachandiwas worshipped in South - West corner of thecourt-yard of Konark temple and later shifted tothe present shrine. This has been admitted byPandit Nilakantha Das although Adikabi SaralaDas and Balaram Das differ in their opinion.Banaparva of Sarala Mahabharat andAranyak Parba of Jagamohan Ramayan speakof Lord Ramachandra's prostration to goddessRamachandi before invasion of Lanka.

The deity outside the Western wall is ofarcheological importance. Two and half feet high,three faced and eight armed goddess stands on achariot driven by seven horses. In four arms shecarries goad, noose, bow and arrow and otherfour arms are broken. The skilled art of Konarktemple is reflected in this deity flanked by Ganeshand Barahas.

Charchika :The temple of goddess Charchika is

situated on a mountain at Banki town of Cuttackdistrict, by the side of the river Mahanadi andassociated with Lord Parashuram who had long

meditation before goddess Charchika to get ridof the sin of matricide. So the place is known asParashuram pitha. A river named Renuka (thename of the mother of Parashuram) was flowingby the side of the mountain in the long past. Oneof the kings of Dhala dynasty had constructedthis temple. Though the main temple isarchitecturally of no attraction, its front woodenpavilion preserves Orissan antique art andarchitecture in wooden carving. The thicketsencircling the temple have been replaced by asmall town.

The presiding deity fixed to the back wallof sanctum - sanctorum has withered and a replicais kept in the central niche of the outer Southernwall of the main shrine which may be well identifiedwith a Chamunda standing on a dead body, fullyundressed, with a garland of skull around herneck. Goddess Charchika with her eight handsdisplays sword, trident, snake, goad, garland ofbeads, boon, damaru (small double faced drum)and severed head etc. Goddess Charchika doesnot come under goddess of Vaishnavism. She isChamunda, for which non-vegetarian food isoffered daily. From iconographic and artistic pointof view, she may be placed to Bhaumakara periodof Orissa.

There are Pancha Mahadev and SriMangala inside the temple of Charchika. PanaYatra, Jhamu Yatra, Durga Puja, KumarPurnima, Basanti Puja and Dola Yatra are theimportant festivals where thousands of peopleswarm about. On eighth bright night of DurgaPuja, a buffalo is offered to goddess Mangala.On Kumar Purnima, Charchika is dressed up inKumari attire.

Brahmin Sevakas were engaged in theworship of Goddess by the kings and landedproperty allotted to them to meet the expenses ofthe rituals, round the year.


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Bag Devi

Bag Devi or Byaghra Devi is the tutelarydeity of Bhanja dynasty of Southern Orissa,worshipped in Kulad fort of Ghumusar in Ganjamdistrict. Originally she was propitiated in one ofthe caves of Bag Devi - mountain, spreading tothe western side of the fort, on every Tuesday,untill she got enshrined in a temple constructedby late Dhananjaya Bhanja, grand-father of thegreat poet Upendra Bhanja.

Eight armed goddess Bag Devi with bowand arrow sits on a tiger, pressing down a deadbody. Ruins of the palace are visible at a distancefrom the temple. Goddess Bag Devi is worshippedin both the temples on the top and bottom of thehill. The temple on the mountain is known as 'YogaPitha' and at the bottom 'Bhoga Pitha' of goddessBag Devi. On every Sankranti, Tuesdays of themonth Chaitra and Durga Puja, the sanctum iscrowded by people from all around. DuringDurga Puja goats are sacrificed to the Goddess.The tutelary deity of the royal family of Ghumusarbecame deity of the common people.

Stambeswari

Goddess Stambeswari (popularly knownas Khambeswari) is the tutelary deity of Sonepurand Aska. Stambeswari of Sonepur is made oftimber - post with a face of vermillion pressedwith metallic eyes, nose and mouth to indicatethe face of the Divine Mother. Both tribal andnot-tribal people worship Stambeswari althoughoriginally she is associated with the Adivasis. TheSevakas are known as 'Dumals'.

Goddess Mother is worshipped in theform of two black wooden posts fixed to theground, one Khamashiri and the other Paramishiri;the former being worshipped by Dumals and laterby Brahmins. The black colour of the goddessforbids Dumals to wear black cloth or black

ornament. The women wear sari with red borderand red glass bangles instead of black and do notput mark of vermillion on their foreheads. Dumalasworship Khambeswari during the month of Aswin.

An ancient copper-plate of 5th - 6thcentury A.D., reveals the name of Khambeswariworshipped during the regime of MaharajaTustikara Dev. In the copper plates relating toSulki King 'Kulastambeswari', Goddess Motherhas been described as 'Bhattarika'.

Stambeswari of Aska, one of the eighttribal goddesses named 'Khidising', waspropitiated by the kings of Sului dynasty. WoodenStambeswari of Non-Aryan (Kandha) origin waslater replaced by stone Stambeswari by Aryans.Common people believe that the woodenStambeswari was transformed to stoneStambeswari by the grace of the Divine Mother.But during Durga Puja when the doors of stoneStambeswari get closed, goats are sacrificed to awooden deity of two feet height kept in front ofstone Stambeswari. The wooden deity is perhapsno other than goddess Stambeswari originallypropitiated by tribal people.

The face of stone Stambeswari of Askais made of vermillion fixed with matallic eyes,nose and mouth. Some of the scholars bringanalogy between Stambeswari of Aska andSubhadra of Jagannath temple. To them,Subhadra was originally like Stambeswari buttransformed to present form during the regime ofRamachandra Dev in 16th century A.D. Whengoddess Subhadra is worshipped withBhubaneswari Mantra, Stambeswari isworshipped with Bana Durga Mantra. Both thegoddesses have been accepted as Vaishnavis.

Hingula

The temple of goddess Hingula is situatedin a village named Gopal Prasad, near the rivulet



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'Joda', 25 kms. away from the old palace ofTalcher. At the entrance of the village, a pavilionhas been erected on which goddess Hingula isworshipped. The pavilion is almost open in abuilding of 60 feet long and 25 feet wide. It wasconstructed during the regime of Raja KishoreChandra Birabar Harichandan and prior to thatgoddess was propitiated on an earthen pavilion.The king had allotted some landed property forthe rituals of the goddess. The Sevakas are knownas Dehuris who claim themselves to bedescendant of Nala dynasty.

The mouth of goddess Hingula is imaginedto be fire and her complexion fire-red. Of all thefestivals, Chaitra festival is of great significancewhich continues for about nine days from 14thbright day of the month of Chaitra. From firstThursday of the month, Dehuri lies in prostrationto the goddess Hingula taking Habishyanna untilhe dreams of the location of Goddess. Generallygoddess Hingula is seen in the shape of fire ateastern or western direction of the pavilion whereshe is kept preserved by Sandal wood and gheeand later by coal from all around to keep the divinefire burning upto nine days of the function. Afterthe ninth day, the fire is exstinguished with Panaand Panchamrita.

The renovation of goddess Hingula isdone after the death of every king of Talcher. Alog is cut out at night from a tree indicated to Dehuriin dreams and after the Jibanyasa given by aBrahmin, it is kept on the pavilion. The Sevakasjoin in a dinner with new clothing arranged by theking.

Narayani

The temple of Narayani is at the borderof Puri and Ganjam district near Khalikote, a littledistance away from the National Highwaynegotiated with a pucca road, on the plateau ofthe Vallery mountain range from which flows a

fountain, the water of which is collected in acistern for the worship of the deity and the waterthat flows to the second cistern is used for thepurpose of bath by the pilgrims.

The temple is of no architecturalimportance. Some of the scholars opine that itwas originally a Buddhist pitha and latertransformed to a centre of Saktism. During 17thcentury A.D., the king of Khalikote, SriBalunkeswar Mardaraj, had allotted landedproperty for the rituals of goddess Mother. TheSevakas of the ten-armed goddess Narayani areknown as Devatas. During spring and autumnthe natural beauty of the place attracts many forthe picnic. On Mesha Sankranti, RajaSankranti, Durga Puja and Chaitra festival,thousands of devotees gather there. Goats aresacrificed to the Mother during festivals.

Tara Tarini

The temple of Tara Tarini is situated on amountain near the bank of the river Rushikulya,35 kms away from Berhampur town of Ganjamdistrict. The deities are of 10" height, made ofstone, one Tara by name and the other Tarini.Some believe that the heart of divine mother Satifell at this place. Goddess Tara, the mostprominent among Dasha Mahavidya is beingworshipped here, they say. During festivals goatsare offered to goddess.

The temple is negotiatable with 999 stepsflanked by big trees to give shade to the pilgrimsand on the other side runs a jeepable road to thetemple. Festivals are conducted during everyTuesday of the month of Chaitra, Durga Puja,Dola Yatra, all Sankrantis with thousands ofpeople assembled from all around. A small rest-shed is there with provision of water and electricity.The beauty of nature from the top of the hill is ofadded charm for the visitors.


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Sapta Matrika

The centres for worship of SaptaMatrikas spread over Puri, Bhubaneswar, Jajpur,Belakhandi, Titilagarh, Khiching, Dharmasala,Kundeswar and Seragarh etc. At Puri, inMarkandeswar Sahi, Sapta Matrikas such asBrahmi, Maheswari, Koumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi,Indrani and Chamunda are propitiated as SaptaBhagini (seven sisters). The Matrikas are flankedby the images of Birabhadra and Ganesh on eitherside both at Puri and Jajpur although the placingof Matrikas at Dashaswamedha ghat of Jajpurdiffer in order from that at Puri and includesMaheswari, Kaumari, Sivaduti, Vaishnavi, Indrani,Varahi and Chamunda.

Sapta Matrika described in Amarakoshaare Brahmi, Vaishnavi, Aindri, Roudri, Varahi,Kouberi, Kaumari, being the Saktis of godsBrahma, Vishnu, Indra, Rudra, Varaha, Kuberaand Kumara (Kartikeya). But nowhere in OrissaKauberi is available among seven divine mothersand Kauberi is substituted by Chamunda.

Sixty Four Yoginis

Sixty four Yogini temple of Hirapurcontains eighty (80) images carved out of chloritestone, kept in niches out of which only 63 Yoginis(one Yogini is missing) are available, of whichMahamaya, the presiding deity is of ten armswhereas other 19 deities are of 4 arms and 43deities are of two arms only. Bhairabis are in sittingposture whereas Yoginis are in standing pose.Most probably the temple was constructed byHira Mahadevi, the queen of Bhaumekara kingSantikara Deva during ninth century A.D. andthe village Hirapur has been named after her.

The temple at Hirapur is of circular shapehaving outer circumference of 90 feet and insidediameter of 25 feet. There is a rectangularmandap (9'.6" x 8'.0") at the centre having images

of Bhairaba and few Yoginis. The outer surfacecontains nine images of Katyayani.

The sixty four Yogini temple at Ranipur-Jharial is of circular shape with inner diameter of47 feet, having 64 niches for 64 Yoginis. But atpresent, there are only 47 images present indancing form. At the centre is found a rectangularmandap with images of eight armed Bhairaba andGanesh.

Samaleswari

Samaleswari popularly known as Samaleiwas originally worshipped by tribals. During 16thcentury A.D. she was propitiated by Chowhans,the rulers of the land as their tutelary deity. Thetemple of Samaleswari was erected by SriBalaram Dev, the first Chowhan ruler ofSambalpur. Many temples have already beenerected in Her honour at Sambalpur, Barapali andSonepur. Sambalpur has derived her name fromgoddess Samaleswari or Samalei.

The image of Samalei does not resemblewith any of the goddesses in Hindu iconography.It is a monolith, the middle of which is littleelevated with two depressions on both sides anda grove underneath representing the mouth. Goldplates designed to the shape of eyes are pressedabove the depressions to represent eyes of themother. She looks scarbit throughout the year withvermillion except on new moon day of the monthof Aswina, when she looks white with Sandal.Dasahara is the most important festival of goddessSamaleswari. Beside, Samaleswari, theChowhans worshipped Pataneswari whoresembles with the image of Kali, enshrined in atemple at Sambalpur near Samaleswari temple.

Bhattarika

The temple of Bhattarika located on theright bank of the river Mahanadi, near villageSasanga of Badamba of Cuttack district amidst



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scenes of nature, is associated with LordParashuram, the incarnate of Lord Vishnu whogot boon from goddess Mother by his deepmeditation and destroyed all the kings (bhatta) ofthe world establishing peoples' government. Thegoddess derived her name 'Bhattarika', thedestroyer of kings there often. The other name ofgoddess is 'Brihadamba' (Brihat + Amba), thegreat Mother from which the place derived itsname 'Badamba'.

The original temple which is in ruins, wasconstructed during the regime of King HattaKishore and Malla Kishore in the 13th centuryA.D. The present temple was erected 300 yearsback by king Phakir Mangaraj Mohapatra withits entrance hall by Padmanav Mangaraj andMohan Dasarathi Mangaraj.

The Central niches of the side wallspreserve 'Parsvadevatas' like Ganesh, Kartikeyaand Mahishamardini and Jaga Mohan, images ofSurya, Kubera and Ganesh etc. The presidingdeity Bhattarika is seated on a full bloomed lotuspedestals cross legged, with a full blown lotus inher left hand and Barada Mudra in the right. Theantiquities of the deity may be well compared withtwo armed Viraja of Jajpur. Bhattarika is honouredas 'Tripura Sundari' of Dashamahavidya andaddressed in prayer as "Maa RajarajeswariMahamaya Tripura Sundari Siddhi Bhattarika" andin short 'Tripura' in her rituals although hericonographic features correspond with the imageof Tara of Buddhist pantheon. Non-vegetarianfood is offered to the Goddess with greencoconut-water in a bowl of bell-metal which isequivalent to wine as per Dakshina Bamachar oftantricism. Pana Sankranti, Akshaya Trutiya,Devi Snanotsab and Durga Puja are the festivalsobserved during every year, out of which DurgaPuja is of great importance to all pilgrims comingin thousands from adjoining area. DuringMahastami-Puja a buffalo is sacrificed to the

Mother Bhattarika and goats in Mahanavamiworship.

Katak Chandi

Goddess Katak Chandi was originallyworshipped in fort Barabati of Cuttack town andwas shifted to the present place due to attack ofKalapahad in 1569 A.D., where she wasworshipped by an old woman-devotee 'MainaDei' in a small temple. The present temple hasbeen constructed by the generous people likeRayasaheb Giridhari Prasad Moda and manyothers.

In course of time Parswadevatas such asLord Siva, Nabagraha, Ganesh, Mahalakshmi,Mahasaraswati, Hanuman and Lakshmi Narayanhave been consecrated in Katak Chandi temple,Katak Chandi, the goddess of the royal familyhas become the goddess of the people likeShyamakali at Puri or Bag Devi at Kulad. DurgaPuja is the best of all the festivals when goddessMother, appears in different attires and forms suchas Jagadhatri, Katyayani, Siddhidatri, Shailaputri,Bhubaneswari, Shodashi, Ugratara, TripuraBhairabi, Matangi, Kamala, Narayani, BagalaMukhi, Maha Saraswati, Maha Lakshmi andMahishamardini. Besides, during Dipavalifestivals, goddess Chandi is adorned as Kali, inKartika Purnima as Annapurna, on the thursdayof the month of Margashir as Lakshmi and inSripanchami of the month of Magha asMahasaraswati. During the month of Chaitra,vernal festival of Divine Mother is observed fornine days. Goats were offered to the goddess onMahastami of Durga Puja and vernal festival butthe system has been abolished recently due tothe protests of some intellectuals.

Barunei

The temple of Barunei is located one anda half miles away from Khurda town on a hillock,


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150 feet from the ground level. There are two blackstone images, Arunei and Barunei by nameworshipped as presiding deities in the temple. TheVije Pratima (the moving deity) 'Kanak Durga' isworshipped during four days of Durga puja, i.e.from 7th bright day of Aswin to 10th bright dayand rest of the days in the year. She remainsworshipped in the residence of the priest. Duringthe regime of Gajapati Maharaja of Orissa atKhurda Garh, Kanak Durga and Jaya Durga ofroyal palace got together on Dasahara in theparticular place every year and dispersed after thefunction was over; Kanak Durga to the residenceof the priest and Jaya Durga to the palace. NowJaya Durga is worshipped in the palace of GajapatiMaharaja at Puri. At the foot of the mountain, thereare Parswadevatas such as Mahadev, Mahavir andDudhakhai Thakurani etc.

Daily, Khiri and Enduri pitha are offeredto the goddess Arunei and Barunei. Some writerssay that the Gajapati Maharaja of Orissa broughtimages of Uchista Ganesh (Bhanda Ganesh orKamada Ganesh) and Arunei - Barunei fromKanchi and enshrined the Divine Mothers atKhurda and took Bhanda Ganesh to JagannathTemple. Because of Her origin of worship in SouthIndia, Enduri Pitha (Idli) is offered to thegoddess daily. Raja Sankranti is best of all thefestivals when devotees in thousands from allaround assemble. On Mahastami of the month ofAswin, goats are offered to the goddess.

Ugratara

The temple of Ugratara is located atBhusandpur of Puri district, only two kms awayfrom lake Chilika. The perennial flow of a fountainthere provides transparent water to the devotees.The image of Goddess corresponds with HinduTara but not a Buddhist pantheon. The deity isonly 1'.6" high, with her left leg on the chest ofLord Siva and right on his thigh. She is adorned

with garland of skulls around her neck and snakesaround her arms. The place is full of scenery andlooks like the temple of Kedar Gouri atBhubaneswar. The place is considered to be thebest for the 'Tantra-Sadhakas'. Raja Sankrantiand Durga Puja are the important festivals of theyear thronged by thousands of people from allaround.

Maninaga

Maninaga is the tutelary deity of Raj-Ranpur and its suburbs. The original rulers of thisGarajat were said to be the descendants of theSabar-king Biswabasu, and subsequently Bagediscame into power. A piece of stone was originallyworshipped on the mountain as Goddess. Theofferings made to the goddess was eaten awayby a cobra set with gem, as the legend goes. Themountain and the goddess derived their names assuch.

Bagedis were very powerful due to thegrace of Maninaga and could bring the suburbareas under their control. The neighbouring kingswere tempted to steal away the deity from themountain. Goddess Maninaga disappeared in thenether regions leaving a hole on the top of themountain which was subsequently covered withgolden plate and worshipped. A temple of 25 feetheight having no architectural refinement, waserected on the mount to save the people fromrain and Sun. It is said, in the month of Magha, aman was offered to the goddess as sacrifice whichwas discontinued after independence. A tribalSevak named 'Jani' was engaged for the purposeof worship. Because of the difficulties to climbthe mountain infested by wild animals, a templewas constructed later, by the then king at the footof the mountain where the goddess is worshippedboth by Jani and Brahmin priests. People goingto the shrine on the top of the mountain worshipthe goddess irrespective of their caste or creed.



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The morning food of Maninaga is arranged byJani out of the landed property allotted to his fore-fathers by the king and night offerings by generousdevotees. The shrine and its suburbs are now agood resort for picnic.

Kalijai

Surrounded by blue waters of the lakeChilika, the temple of Kalijai stands on a hillock,a little away from Balugaon of Puri district. It wasconstructed by one of the kings of Banpur afterthe kingdom shifted to Parikud in a critical periodduring British regime. The shrine is associated witha story written by Pandit Godabarish, thecelebrated poet of the state. Jai, a newly marriedgirl of village Banpur, was on the way to her father-in-law's house at Parikud, in a boat in the lakeChilika along with her guardians. Unfortunatelythe boat was capsized in a storm and Jai foundmissing amidst all others. The laugh and cry of agirl was often heard from the hill top and few dayslater, a shrine was erected in commemoration ofJai on the hillock where she was worshipped asgoddess Jai or Kali Jai. But some of the criticsopine that the story of Kali Jai has been written inimitation of Wordsworth's poems on Lucy. MakarSankranti is the best of all the festivals at Kali Jai;goats and fowls are sacrificed to the goddesswithout being killed. The natural scenery of theChilika lake attracts many during autumn andwinter for picnic.Bhadrakali

Bhadrakali of Bhadrak, formerlypropitiated as Panna Devi dates back to 3rd centuryA.D. The old temple where this goddess originallyenshrined is now in ruins. A stone of 6'-0" long,1'-0" width and 1'-0" height of the old structure,kept preserved in State Museum of Bhubaneswarreveals the antiquities of the sanctum both ininscription and architecture. The present shrine waserected later on the bank of the river Salandi.

This four armed, black stone deity, daintilycarved with ornamental refinement displays swordin the top right hand and a skull in the top left andwith the bottom right a holy child on the lap. Jayaand Vijaya are the Parswadevatas in the temple.

Towards the north of Bhadrak town, inthe village Bhuyan Mahal, Bhadrakali was originallyworshipped, according to the legends. During theinvasion of Kala Pahad, the deity was taken awayfrom the temple and concealed in the river bed ofSalandi. A few days later, one Anga Prusty, adevotee of the goddess constructed the presenttemple. One Sri Balabhadra Nath, a yogi, wasworshipper of this goddess. Later his son-in-lawand daughter Abhaya dedicated their lives to thenoble services of the goddess. Bhadrakali was somuch pleased that she left the unfathomed bed ofthe river Salandi and followed the son-in-law ofBhadranath to the place of present structure.Kanta Devi

Kanta Devi is the tutelary deity of Bonai,Pallahada and Deogarh area, worshipped by bothAdivasi and Non-Adivasi people during DurgaPuja every year with pomp and gaity. She remainshidden in a cave of Khandadhara mountain rangenear the village Sanjal of the Adivasi Bhuyans.She looks like a Siva Linga, made of copper, ironand gold weighing 500 grams approx. Every year,during Dasahara festival, Bhuyan priest or Dehuriinvites goddess Kanta Devi from the cave, offeringfowl as sacrifice, generally on Newmoon,Pratipada and Dwitiya of the month of Aswina.She moves in a procession from house to house,village to village, being worshipped in thecourtyards with the sacrifice of fowl and goat.Kanta Devi is worshipped with wine and blood.In some of the families, she is kept immersed inthe wine. She is worshipped for a period of six toseven days till she reaches the village Kantajodion Mahastami, adjacent to the royal palace ofBonaigarh. She is thereafter, received by the royal


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family through the priest of the palace (but notDehuri) and taken to royal palace where she takesrest for a day in the arsenal of the palace. OnVijaya Dasami, she returns in a different routebeing worshipped by the villagers in their housestill she comes back to her cave on KumarPurnima. Dehuri keeps the goddess inside thecave, covered with a piece of stone.Gouri

Gouri of Ekamra pitha, Bhubaneswar, hasbeen described in Swarnadri Mahodaya andKapila Samhita of fifteen century A.D. She isconsidered to be supreme goddess of eightChandikas of Bhubaneswar pitha such as Kapali,Gouri, Uttarayani, Ambika, Dwarabasini, Bindhyabasini, Dakshina Chandi and Ramayani. Gouri ofBhubaneswar has got resemblance with TripuraGouri of Agni Purana. She stands on a full blownlotus with her four arms displaying noose in theright-top, garland of leads in the bottom-right,goad in the left top and Barada Mudra in leftbottom. The female partners, Jaya and Vijaya,stand on both the sides. To the left and right sideof the legs, stand deer and lion respectively. Gouriis the goddess of Vaishnavites. Durga Puja is thebest of all the festivals, the expenditure which isborne by the committee of Lingaraj temple. LordLingaraj is celebrated as the Supreme God andGouri the Supreme Goddess.

The art and architecture of Gouri templedates back to 9th century A.D. The temple wasconstructed by Subhakara Dev of Bhoumadynasty and his queen Tribhuban Mahadevi. Thecopper plates found at Boud and Dhenkanalreveal that Tribhuban Mahadevi renamed herselfas Siddha Gouri and took over the reign ofadministration after her husband. So is the casewith Mohini temple which was constructed by thequeen Mohini Devi.

Bhubaneswar though a centre of Saivism,is considered to be one of the leading pithas of

Saktism in Orissa since 7th century A.D. givingbirth to Baitala, Gopalini, Gouri, Mohini andSavitri shrines. The Sapta Matrika ofParshurameswar temple is oldest of all. Theshrines of Mohini, Kapali, Bhubaneswari andSavitri of eighth century A.D. , Gouri temple ofninth century A.D. and Parvati temple of 12thcentury A.D. depict antiquities of Saktism inOrissa.Influence of Saktism :

The worship of plants, trees and log bythe remote tribal race gave birth to the conceptof Saktism. Navaratra worship which involvesNavapatrika (nine plants) presided by ninegoddesses called Nava Durga, clearly depicts itsrelationship with vegetation and fertility. DeviBhagavat and Kalika Purana speak ofmountain-resorts of Mother goddesses such asSiva in Himalayas, Mangala in Vindhyas andNanda in Malaya. Hence the goddess ofvegetation propitiated by the tribal race in woodsand hills crept into Hindu Pantheon in course oftime as Stambeswari, Samaleswari and even theprime deities of Jagannath temple, along with theirfestivals of vegetation and fertility such as JanhiOsha, Bata Osha, Phuluri Osha, Budhei Sudheiand Khudurukuni etc.

The worship of Durga with Madhab,Parvati with Shankar, Subhadra with Jagannathand Balabhadra shows the intermingling ofSaktism, Vaishnavism and Saivism. Vimala, theprime deity of Uddiyan was accepted as wife ofBalabhadra by the Vaishnavites. This gave birthto KAULAS, who go far beyond the bonds ofdifferent cults and divinities with the realisation ofone undivided supreme.

Brundaban Dham,Lokanath Road, Puri-752001.


the cult of saktism in orissa

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