Purusottampur: Thousands of devotees from far-off places in the state and neighboring states visited the Tara Tarini temple with their babies as the month-long Chaitra Mela started Tuesday.
The temple, located on the banks of the Rushikulya, is one of the famous Shakti shrines in the state. It is about 161 km from Bhubaneswar.
Tonsuring (mundan) the heads of babies and offering their hair is a tradition in Ganjam district and its adjoining districts. Every Tuesday during the mela, thousands of people come to the 17th century temple by climbing a flight of 999 steps to tonsure their babies and offer hair to the goddess ‘Tara Tarini’. This Tuesday, 1132 devotees went through the ritual.
The temple remains open for darshan from 6 am to 11 pm during the four Tuesdays of Chaitra (March-April). There is also a ropeway to carry visitors to the top of the hill.
The devotees alleged that the tent houses made on the hill are not sufficient to accommodate devotees. They said liquor near the temple is sold. They urged the district administration to take action on the matter.
The district administration Tuesday earned Rs 49, 680 from prasad, Rs 56, 600 from tonsure ritual, Rs 1,08,815 from bus service and Rs 19,100 from special darshan,
Sources said during the mela, Pahada (resting time) of the deities is confined to night only and a special khichidi is prepared for the devotees. The Tara-Tarini Development Board also arranges special buses and barbers for the ‘Mundan’ ceremony as children have their heads tonsured on four Tuesdays. It is done to protect them from evil forces and ensure their well-being.
The hair collected from the 17th century shrine atop Dahihandi hills, is processed and exported to the US, UK, France, Germany and Hong Kong. These are used either for making wigs or extensions. The short strands serve as raw material for cosmetic products. A company from Andhra Pradesh collects the hair and pays a good amount of money to the temple trust.
According to Puranas, Tara Tarini temple owes its origin to Daksha Prajapati’s Jagna in Satya Yuga. This temple along with other famous Shakti Peethas originated from the limbs of the divine corpse of Devi Sati. Sacred texts like Shiva Purana, Kalika Purana and Devi Bhagabat attest to this fact.
Scholars believe that Tara Tarini was also worshipped as the principal deity of the mighty Kalinga empire. Its annexation by Ashoka turned the region of Ganjam into an active Buddhist site as evident from the rock edicts at Jaugada, 4 km from the shrine. Tara, an important deity of the Mahayana pantheon, is suggestive of Buddhist influence and the image of Buddha in a meditation form inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple lends credence to this claim that this was an ancient centre of the Buddhist Shakti cult.
About 417 police personnel camped on the temple premises to oversee traffic management and law and order.
PNN
