Kendrapada: While in most of the Shakti Pithas Dussehra was performed with religious fervor, the famous Panchubarahi shrine in Kendrapara district remained closed on Dussehra day as it fell on Tuesday this year. As per the centuries-old tradition, the sanctum sanctorum of Panchubarahi shrine remains closed every Tuesday. Keeping the tradition alive, the Panchubarahi shrine remained closed yesterday though it was Dussehra.
As per the legend, Maa Panchubarahi (the five sisters) observe ‘Mangala brata’ every Tuesday to save the people of Satabhaya from the sea. As Maa Panchubarahi is on fast, the temple of Panchubarahi remains closed Tuesday. “Our predecessors used to skip the rites and rituals of the presiding deity Maa Panchubarahi Tuesday. Respecting the age-old tradition, we close the sanctum sanctorum every Tuesday even if a major Hindu festival falls on that day,” says Banalata Dalei, one of the priests. At Panchubarahi shrine, the Asthami puja, Tarini puja, Sandhi puja, Navami puja, and Maha Dashami puja are held on Durga Asthami day but not on three different days, said Sangram Keshari Sahani, the president of Maa Panchubarahi Puja Committee. Another unique feature of the shrine is that women from Sabar community perform the rituals of the deities and males are debarred from entering the sanctum sanctorum.
A temple priest said as per the legend, a priest turned stone after the deities cursed him as he made a sin while performing the bathing rituals of the deities. The deities later directed the king in his dream to engage women from Sabar community to do the rituals. From that day onwards, women from tribal communities have been performing the daily rites of the Goddess. The centuries-old Panchubarahi temple, built during the dynasty of Bhaumakar, was shifted to Bagapatia Rehabilitation colony from Satabhaya in 2018 following the threat of sea erosion.
