The concept of ‘Matru Shakti’ or the Mother Goddess is very old in India. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Dwarika to Kamakshya, the Mother Goddess reigns supreme. It is not exactly known as to when the incident of Sati jumping into flames and her body being cut to pieces by Lord Vishnu occurred, as it is not recorded in history, but it can be said almost for certain that the concept of ‘Matru Shakti’ did exist even prior to it. From excavations in the Indus valley, it has been found that the worship of the Mother Goddess was in vogue during the Indus Valley civilisation, which preceded the Vedic civilisation in India. But this is only from recorded history. The concept is much earlier. When primitive man got civilised and started having a sense of things around, he thought of a natural mother who has given birth to him and protects him in times of natural calamities. So when he shifted to the village and later to the town, he carried the Mother Goddess with him. Her presence at regular distances in the jungles as ‘Banadurga’ and at the end of every village even in the form of stones makes it obvious that the concept of the Mother Goddess might be older than even the concept of Siva or ‘Purusha Shakti’. The word ‘Maa’ has come to him naturally first. She has not only given birth to him but she is also affectionate and ‘Sarvamsaha’, who could give him patronage and protection. Since then, the concept has remained popular and unchanged. Be it Vashnodevi or Kamakshya, the Mother Goddess has evolved and come a long way from the concept of ‘Banadurga’ and ‘Gramadevi.’
Western Odisha and Odisha are part and parcel of India, and they cannot lag behind in the matter. ‘Banadurga’ and even other goddesses in the jungles and ‘Gramadevi’ are still popular in Odisha. The ‘Gramadevi’ is the presiding deity of the village, and on each and every traditional festive occasion she gets the first ‘Bhog’ and worship. She is the custodian of the village and protects her offspring in times of crisis. It is seen that when the village grows larger and becomes a town or city, the ‘Gramadevi’ maintains her status quo and becomes the presiding deity of the town or city.
In the context of having a discussion on the Mother Goddess, let us talk about three prominent goddesses of Odisha who have evolved over the years and earned enormous popularity amongst their devotees.
- Maa Manikeshwari – A visit to the temple or Peetha of Maa Manikeshwari in the town of Bhawanipatna automatically reminds one of Maa Samaleshwari of Sambalpur and Maa Sureshwari of Sonepur. Though there are several other Manikeshwari temples in other parts of the state of Odisha, including the one in Paralakhemundi, the Devi as installed in the town of Bhawanipatna is supposed to be the main and original deity. There are various theories regarding her origin. She is believed to have evolved out of the ‘Sthambeshwari’ cult prevalent in the area. Secondly, she has often been considered as the consort of Lord Jagannath. She is also referred to as the Manikya Devi of Phulbani area, having made her way to Kalahandi. Historians often take her back to Thuamul Rampur as her ‘Adipitha.’ But what can hardly be denied is the fact that she has been in the Kalahandi area since the 10th century AD and has been duly revered and patronised by the kings of Kalahandi. Even today, she is worshipped adjacent to the royal palace with the rituals as followed by the kings for generations. In festivals also, including the famous ‘Chhattar Yatra’ solemnised every year, the royal family plays a crucial role. It may be mentioned here that in many places, royal patronage has consolidated and popularised many a deity. Samaleshwari of Sambalpur and Sureshwari of Sonepur are cases in point. At one time, Lankeshwari of Junagarh was the most popular goddess in the Kalahandi area. But after the capital was shifted to Bhawanipatna, Maa Manikeshwari became its presiding deity.
Maa Manikeshwari is the goddess of wealth. Though the cult has spread to even far-off places like Sundargarh in the area, she is held in high esteem in Kalahandi, the place of her origin. Though it has also been debatable, historians do agree that Kalahandi was then the centre with prominent places like Boudh and Phulbani around.
- Maa Tarini – Just forty-five kilometres from the town of Keonjhar sits Maa Tarini in the jungles of Ghatagaon. She is not to be confused with Maa Tara Tarini in the district of Ganjam. She is a benign goddess fully dedicated to the welfare of her devotees. Myth has it that she agreed to come with the king of Keonjhar from Puri on the condition that he would never look back throughout the way. But in the jungles of Ghatagaon, when the sound of her ornaments did not come due to mud, the king in anxiety looked back whether she was coming behind and she turned to stone. Apart from the myth, Maa Tarini being a local goddess having been worshipped by the tribals of the area since the hoary past cannot be ruled out. In most cases, in other parts of the state, a ‘Grama Devati’ or ‘Banadurga’ turning out to be popular with royal patronage has often been seen. Maa Sureshwari of Sonepur being worshipped in ‘Banadurga Mantra’ is a case in point. In the course of time also, almost all the primitive goddesses have been accepted in the Hindu mainstream.
Maa Tarini, being worshipped by the local tribals and held in high esteem by one and all, bears testimony to this aspect of Hinduism engrossing whosoever comes its way. In western Odisha, though in almost all Siva temples there are Mali or Thanapati priests, it is in no way a stumbling block for people of other castes or communities to practise Saivism. This is the speciality of Hinduism, which takes in its stride one and all.
Maa Tarini is benevolent and loves coconuts from her devotees who flock to her sacred shrine from all over Odisha and neighbouring states. Chaitra Yatra, Patua Yatra and Ashadhi Parva are the main festivals associated with her. She is merciful and benevolent and is the opposite of Maa Kali. She fulfils the wishes of her devotees and sits in the jungles of Ghatagaon, always showering blessings on her offspring.
- Maa Metakani – On Sonepur-Sambalpur highway, twenty-eight kilometres from Sonepur and eight kilometres from Ulunda, stands the Shakti Peetha of Maa Metakani. On the highway, a small temple has been built, though the original Peetha is situated one kilometre away from it.
There is a myth associated with the origin of Maa Metakani over here. In a nearby village, a girl was born. Her name was Hemlata. She lost her mother very early. When her poor father moved in the jungles carrying her, the king of Sonepur took pity on their conditions and adopted her. When Hemlata grew up, the king married her off. But at the time of bidding farewell, he was grief-stricken and prayed to his presiding deity, Devi Sureshwari, for her well-being. While she was on the way to her in-laws’ house, in one place of the jungle, the goddess entered her body. When she started behaving abnormally, a ‘gunia’ named Meta from a nearby village was called to treat her. When he started doing so, Devi appeared and warned him, saying she had entered Hemlata’s body to protect her on the king’s request. Then both Meta and Hemlata disappeared. Since Devi took shelter in the ‘Kani’ or tail of Hemlata’s saree, the name Metakani has come to the fore since then.
The present temple has been built by a devotee when his wish was fulfilled by the Devi. It is believed that Devi fulfils the wishes of all her devotees. There is a pond adjacent to the temple, and the area is very picturesque. The road to the original Peetha from the highway is motorable, which is sixty kilometres approximately from the city of Sambalpur.
Apart from the myth which is highly prevalent in the area, Devi Metakani seems to have originated from the concept of ‘Banadurga’, gradually winning the honour of the area as the presiding deity. She has also got royal patronage from the kings of Sonepur and, in the course of time, has turned out to be a major goddess in the Sonepur-Sambalpur region with devotees visiting the Peetha from far and wide.
The concept of ‘Matru Shakti’ or Mother Goddess seems to have evolved with human civilisation since its primitive stage. Man has seen in her a guardian and saviour both in the jungles and later in villages and towns. It is said by the local people that tigers were creating panic in the area where the Peetha of Maa Metakani stands. This makes it clear that people look up to her for protection against wild animals. Though in the course of time many stories, myths and legends get associated with the Devi, the fact that they are mostly local and worshipped by the local people either as ‘Banadurga’ or ‘Gramadevi’ can hardly be ruled out. The kings have also played a major role in consolidating and popularising the Devis while building up their kingdoms. As per requirement, they have also shifted the Devis from place to place and accepted them as their presiding deities. Maa Manikeshwari, Maa Tarini and Maa Metakani have gone through their usual quota of myths and royal patronage. But today they stand above all this and have reached proportions of popularity, thereby commanding the faith and devotion of not only local people but also people in larger areas and even outside the state of Odisha.
(The views expressed are the writer’s own)
Mr. Prafulla Kumar Majhi,
Retired Asst. Director, A. I. R, is an eminent Scholar and freelance writer in English & Odia. His areas of interests are sociocultural, economic, literary, historical and analytical studies and writings.
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