Majhighariani Temple

Majhighariani Temple is an important shrine for Devi in the Rayagada township of Odisha.[1] It was built by King Vishwanath Dev Gajapati of the Suryavansh dynasty of Nandapur - Jeypore kingdom. It is believed that he made Rayagada his capital and after the construction of the temple and blessings of the goddess he went on to conquer a vast dominion and expanded his kingdom from parts of Bengal to Telangana in south.[2]

Maa Majhighariani Temple
ମା ମଝୀଘରିଆଣୀ ମନ୍ଦିର
Maa Majhighariani Temple
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DeityMaa Majhi Ghariani
FestivalsDurga Puja and Chaitra Puja
Location
LocationRayagada
StateOdisha
CountryIndia
Location in Odisha
Geographic coordinates19°9′36.121″N 83°24′28.044″E
Architecture
TypeKalinga Architecture
CreatorVishwanath Dev Gajapati
Specifications
Temple(s)7
Elevation219 m (719 ft)
Website
https://rayagada.nic.in/tourist-place/maa-majhighariani-temple/

Many people come to the shrine from Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh along with people from Odisha. The legend says Devi is worshipped from centuries whereas the temple is a new one. Every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday the temple draws a large crowd from nearby area. Dussehra in October and Chaitra parva is most famous in March–April. The nearest railhead is Rayagada. People who have unfulfilled wishes come here and stay for many days for worship.

History

According to the Odisha Gazetteer, “in the fourteenth century the Suryavanshi king Viswanath Dev Gajapati chose Rayagada as his capital and shifted his headquarters to that new town from Nandapur. He built an enormous fort at devotion of the entire Rayagada the ruins of which are still seen. Viswanath Gajapati also constructed rows of temples along the river Nagavali and the ruined temple called Majhi Ghariani is also attributed to the Goddess right in the middle of his palace and the temple was raised later at that very spot. Hence, the name Majhi Ghariani, or the one seated in the central room. The construction of the temple (The structure as we see today) is of very recent origin of around forty years.

In the past days, the temple was located inside the fortress of Vishwanath. However, the British demolished the fortress in order to make a bridge over river Nagavali using big stones which were scarce in the region.

References

  • KBS Singh (1939). Nandapur A Forsaken Kingdom. Utkal Sahitya Press. ISBN 978-81-86772-17-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  1. Rao, M.S. (September 2009). "Goddess Majhi Ghariani of Rayagada" (PDF). Orissa Review: 13–15. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  2. KBS Singh 1939, p. 17.
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