Bagapatia
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Maa Panchaburahi temple
As in 2023
Ashish Senapati, Sep 26, 2023: The Times of India
KENDRAPADA: Per 2022 data from India in Pixels, there are around 6.48 lakh temples in the country. Ma Panchubarahi temple, Bagapatia rehabilitation colony, Rajnagar block, Kendrapara, Odisha won't be on anyone's list of standout temples.
Consider this, though. The priests in this small place of worship tucked in an unremarkable bit of Odisha are married dalit women, and they get a weekly off.
The weekly holiday is not by rotation - Tuesdays are off-days for all the priests, and the temple shuts its doors.
The flame of worship, as it were, still burns, however. The priests leave a ghee-burning lamp that's supposed to remain lit for the 24 hours the temple is closed.Local devotees are mostly fisherfolk and their family members. Most know the priests take a weekly off day.
Panchubarahi is unusual in other ways. Men are not allowed in its sanctum sanctorum. And though it was founded five centuries back, it's been just five years since the temple moved to its current location.
So, why a weekly off for all priests and why Tuesdays? Sasmita Rout, a former sarpanch in the area, explains: "A weekly holiday is compulsory in offices, factories, and other establishments. This temple being a workplace for the priests, so they get a weekly holiday here," she said.
Tuesday was picked as the off-day for religious reasons. "Tuesday is dedicated to Durga, Kali, Ma Mangala and Ma Parvati. We fast on Tuesdays," says Banalata Dalei, one of the priests.
And the change in location? Running from Bay of Bengal. Ganyaranjan Panda, the panchayat samiti member of Satabhaya gram panchayat, says the temple in its original site, which was around 15 km from the coast, and hundreds of houses were set to perish to land erosion as the sea came inwards. Gods and people were relocated in 2018.
And why no male priests and the ban on men from the sanctum sanctorum? As local lore has it, centuries back a male priest, who had had too much to drink, defiled the goddess's stone idols. Devotees then decided the temple will only employ women priests.
Equally unusual, in a country ridden with caste prejudice, is the acceptance of dailt priestesses. "No one has ever raised any objection...we respect the priests," says Krushna Chandra Behera, a retired schoolteacher.
Local administrators have plans to promote this unique temple. "We will ensure better road connectivity and beautify the temple's surrounding area...and install a modern light and sound system," says Niranjan Behera, sub-collector, Kendrapada.
Ma Panchubarahi temple is certainly worth a visit. Just don't land there on a Tuesday.
