The Mausi Maa temple is located in the center of Puri’s Bada danda (Grand Road). It’s a modest shrine to the goddess Ardhashini.
According to Jagannath mythology, when Goddess Lakshmi Devi left Shri Mandira, Jagannath and Balabhadra became poor and had to go begging. Subhadra Devi was residing with Mausi Maa when Jagannath and Balabhadra were out (Maternal Aunt).
Ardhashosini is another name for Mausi Maa. Goddess Ardhashosini drank half of the seawater that flooded Puri and protected Shri Jagannath’s dwelling, according to the Skanda Purana’s Vaisnava Kanda. The Shree Kshetra is guarded by Goddess Ardhashosini and Kapalamochana Shiva.
The chariot of Shri Jagannath pauses at Mausi Maa temple during the Ratha yatra festival’s return voyage (Bahuda yatra), and the goddess is offered their favorite Poda Pitha, a type of baked cake consisting of lentils and rice.
Goddess Ugra Tara
The Goddess Ugratara is the tutelary deity of the former Kalinga kingdom’s Eastern Ganga dynasty kings. Her old temple is located in Mulajharigarh hamlet, Bhusandapur, Odisha, India, 65 kilometers from the state capital Bhubaneswar. Mother Tara’s icon is three-eyed and Chaturbhuja, with powerful weapons in her hands such as a sword, dagger, blue lotus, and a drinking cup. She is standing over a body on a funeral pyre, which is engulfed in flames. There are serpent anklets and a serpent on the crown, which undoubtedly originate from the 11th-century Tantrik treatise Sadhanamala Tantra. Later Gajapati dynasty monarchs regarded goddess Kali or Shyamakaali with less reverence, and her worship got less attention. However, many Vasishtha Gotra devotees worship her as Ishta Devi. In Hindu Tantrik theology, she is one of ten Mahavidya. She is known as Ugratara because of her fearsome appearance, yet as Ekajata/Neela-Saraswati, she is benevolent to her devotees. Bhushandapur, in the Khordha district, is a nearby railway station that is served by local passenger trains between Bhubaneswar and Balugaon. Chaitra parba, Raja Parba, and Sharadiya Durga Puja are the most important festivals in this region. She is worshipped in a tantric manner, with all Tantrik fivefold paraphernalia being offered to her.
Maa Barunei Temple
Maa Barunei and Karunei Temple is one of Odisha’s Shakti Peethas. The Hindu Goddess Maa Barunei, a manifestation of Shakti, is honored in this temple. The temple is located on Barunei Hill in the Indian state of Odisha’s Khordha district. This location is about 30 kilometers from Bhubaneswar, Odisha’s state capital. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple houses idols of the twin goddesses Barunei and Karuna. Swarna Ganga, a magnificent stream that comes from the hill, adds to the attractiveness of this location.
History :
Rama Chandra Dev, the son of Bhoi Dynasty Prime Minister Danai Vidyadhar, founded his capital at Khurda, near Barunei hill. Vala Vikram Singh of Kholapala gave him this location as a gift. Bagha Patra of Kokkal, Jhadu Parida of Ghoradia, and Sarani Patra of Mallipada were three of Rama Chandra Dev’s supporters in the creation of the Khurda Kingdom. After the sacrilege of Kalapathara, Rama Chandra Dev called his new capital Jagannathpur Katak, after Lord Jagannatha, the god who was first reinstated.
The Khurda Bhoi dynasty had two deities, Karunei and Barunei. The alternatives for the presiding goddesses are Jaya Durga and Kanak Durga, who are worshipped in the priest’s home. These two Durga images were carried to Barunei pitha for adoration during Dusshera.
Jaya Durga and Kanak Durga were also brought and installed in Puri after the Bhoi dynasty capital was moved there. Karunei and Barunei remained at the foot of the Barunei hill in their ancient shrine.
During Dusshera, Jagannath temple sarees and maha prasad are sent to Karunei and Barunei. Gajapati Purusottam Deva is supposed to have brought Ganesh, Sakhigopal, Karunei, and Barunei after defeating the king of Kanchi.
The Paika community worships Barunei and Karunei, who are regarded as Khetreswari of Khurda fort. The Muslim invaders are said to have conquered the Paikas by undermining the Sakti of Devi by sacrificing livestock. The Oriya book “Bata Avakasa,” by famed medieval poet Balaram Das, contains a description of twin goddesses.
Majhighariani Temple
Majhighariani Temple is an important Devi shrine in Odisha’s Rayagada municipality. It was built by King Vishwanath Dev Gajapati of the Nandapur – Jeypore kingdom’s Suryavansh dynasty. He is thought to have made Rayagada his capital, and with the goddess’s blessings and the construction of the temple, he went on to conquer a wide domain and expand his reign from Bengal to Telangana in the south. Many people travel from Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha to visit the shrine. The tale claims that Devi has been revered for millennia, despite the fact that the temple is relatively recent. The temple attracts a huge throng from the surrounding area every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. In October, Dussehra is celebrated, while Chaitra Parva is celebrated in March–April. Rayagada is the closest rail station. People who have unfulfilled wishes come here to worship and stay for several days.
History :
“In the fourteenth century, Suryavanshi monarch Viswanath Dev Gajapati chose Rayagada as his capital and transferred his headquarters from Nandapur,” according to the Odisha District Gazetteer. On the banks of the Nagavali, he built a fort, the remnants of which can still be seen. He erected the temple of Majhighariani deity within this fort. Viswanath Gajapati also built a chain of temples along the river Nagavali, as well as the temple of Majhi Ghariani in the midst of his palace, which was afterward raised at the same location. As a result, he is known as Majhi Ghariani, or the one who sits in the center of the room. The temple’s building (the one we see today) is just about forty years old.
Previously, the temple was housed within the Vishwanath fortification. The British, on the other hand, demolished the castle in order to construct a bridge across the river Nagavali using large stones that were scarce in the area.