BHUBANESWAR: To the lay man, Durga Puja festivity is all about the grand celebrations arranged in special pandals across Navratri. The bona fide worship of Goddess Durga, however, encompasses numerous rituals and traditional practices at ‘Shakti Peethas’ across the state.
‘Peetha Puja’ is quite different than ‘Mrunmayee Puja’ (worshipping Goddess Durga in pandals). There are nine such peethas across Odisha where special rituals are performed for ten to sixteen days (Shodasa Upachara/Shohala dinatmaka). The practice begins seven days earlier to Mahalaya and concludes on Vijaya Dashami.
Vimala Temple
Servitor Talucha Lokanath Singhari said,’Around 39 priests worship Goddess Vimala at this temple. These priests are selected by the King of Puri and are felicitated with ‘Pata Bastra’. Maa Kakudikhai is the earthly representative of Maa Bimala. More than 40 Goats are sacrificed at Maa Kakudikhai on Maha Ashtami. ‘The Goddess is also appeased with Mahaprasad, fruits, milk and cottage chesse. She is adorned with new clothes everyday along with gold jewellery. She is also worshipped as the Maya Shakti of Lord Jagannath, Kriya Shakti of Balabhadra and Iccha shakti of Subhadra.
Taratarini Temple
It is believed that the breasts of Maa Sati fell here after her journey to the afterlife. Hence, she is worshipped as ‘Tara Tarini’ near Rushikulya River near the Kumari Hills. During Navratri, the Goddess is worshipped in nine different forms namely Sailputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kusumanda, Skandhamata, Katayini, Kalratri, Mahagouri and Siddhiratri. Special sacrifices in the form of cucumber and pumpkin are done here. Young girls are also invited for ‘Kanya Pujan.’
Birija Kshetra
Devi Durga is worshipped as Viraja at Viraja Kshetra, Jajpur in Odisha. The idol has two hands, one spearing the chest of Mahishasura and the other pulling his tail. One of her feet while on the chest of the demon, the other one was on her pet Lion. According to Skandha Purana, this region is believed to have one crore Shiva Lingams and cleanses all the pilgrims. Devi sits on a Shakti Chakra which is sacred and it’s worshipped with secret rituals on all the nine days.
Katak Chandi Temple
The reigning deity of the ancient city of Cuttack in Odisha is Goddess Katak Chandi. During the Durga Puja festivals, a sixteen-day ritual is performed in the temple. The deity has four hands. In two of those, she holds a Noose and Ankusha and in the other two, she offers Abhaya and Varada. She is worshipped daily as Bhubaneswari Mahavidya (the Queen of the Universe) by the Brahmin servitors since time immoral.
Samaleswari Temple
On the banks of River Mahanadi, at Sambalpur, one of the western cities of Odisha, Maa Samaleswari is worshipped as Jagatjanani, Adi Shakti, Mahalaxmi and Mahasaraswati, from ancient times. The idol worshipped here is amazing. It inspires sublime sentiments of awe, fear reverence and devotion. The idol of Mother Samalai consists of a large granite rock, with an inverted trunk like projection at the bottom. Cuts on the granite symbolising her face, nose and eyes, are adorned with gold ornaments.
Bhattarika Temple
The temple of Maa Bhattarika is located on the river bank of Mahanadi, in a small village called Sasanga. As per the scriptures, Parshurama being defeated by Sahasrajuna, prayed here to Mother Durga, who appeared and blessed him with divine powers to defeat Sahsrajuna. Since then, this Shakti Peetha has been developed as a dham and many devotees assemble here for prayers and relief from their miseries.
Maa Tarini Temple
Maa Tarini is accepted as the presiding deity for all Shakti and Tantrik peethas of Odisha. Shakti Puja had an initial beginning from tribal practices. She used to be worshipped by the tribal community and the practice is maintained till date. Members of the Dehuri community are the only ones eligible to worhip the Goddess. The idol is depicted as a red face with two large eyes and a mark on the middle which serves as an indication for a nose or tilak. In a sense she resembles the face of Maa Kali, the presiding deity of Kolkata.
Maa Mangala Temple
Another Devi peetha is Kaktpur Mangala in Puri district, near river Prachi. The Goddess is worshipped as Singha Bahini on Saptami and Mahisasur Mardini on Ashtami. A ‘Kusumanda’ sacrifice is offered to the Goddess to appease her. Maa Mangala was residing in the River Prachi and manifested herself through a boatman and the temple was built for her worship. Though the temple is around 600 years old, Maa mangala has a very ancient history related to Lord Jagannath’s ‘Nava Kalevar’.
Maa Sureswari Temple
Maa Sureswari temple is located at the left bank of Tel River towards the south-west of the confluence of Mahanadi and Tel River, in the temple town of Sonepur, in the western part of Odisha. The presiding deity is Maa Sureswari. The temple is well-known as one of the oldest Shakti shrine.
Chaitali Shome, OP
