Samaleswari Temple is a Hindu temple in Sambalpur, Odisha, India, dedicated to the goddess known as 'Samaleswari', also known among the natives as samalei maa, meaning Mother Samaleswari. Shree Shree Samaleswari, the presiding deity of Sambalpur, is a strong religious force in western part of Odisha and Chhattisgarh state of India. On the bank of the river Mahanadi, the mother goddess Samaleswari is worshipped from ancient times as Jagatjanani, Adishakti, Mahalaxmi and Mahasaraswati, and is the mother of the universe. After Lord Jagannath, she is the only Goddess in Odisha who is the presiding deity of such a large region including the complete Western Odisha, parts of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The region in which the temple is situated has a rich cultural heritage. Sambalpur region is popularly known as Hirakhanda from ancient times. Ptolemy has described the place as Sambalaka, according to French traveller Jean-Baptiste Tavernier and English historian Edward Gibbon, diamonds were exported to Rome from Sambalpur.
The temple is of Sandhara order (these types of the temples have a square sanctum enclosed by a gallery of pillars meant for pradakshina). Thus, the Sandhara temples have a Pradakshinapatha is built of a kind of stone as durable as granite, cemented with lime mortar, the whole building is plastered, but in the course of time the surface has become mouldy. The temple consists of two separate structures. The square sanctum enshrining the deity is four step below the 10-foot-wide (3.0m) covered circumambulation, which is supported by 12 stone pillars. Eleven parswa devis (side Goddesses), are embedded on the outer wall of the sanctum, so that the devotees can worship those deities during parikrama through the vaulted circumambulation. The idol of Shree Shree Samalei Devi consists of a large block of granite rock with an inverted, trunk-like projection at the bottom. This also symbolises a yoni, and is an interesting kings-yoni worship. A shallow cut on her "Baraha" like face symbolises her mouth. Traditional Sambalpuri nose ornament of pure gold hangs down from her imaginary nose. Beaten gold leaves fixed on two disproportionate golden eye-like depressions on the face act as substitute for her eyes in an attempt to define the face of the mother deity on a mass of self shaped rock, the devi's idol inspires sublime sentiments of awe, fear, reverence, devotion, love and affection towards all-pervasive motherhood.
She is worshipped with great care and devotion by the natives in her temple, famously known as the Samaleswari temple. Among the varieties of festivals observed before the goddess throughout the year, three festivals are observed prominently. The first two are Navaratri pujas during the months of March and April and during the months of September and October (Chaitra Navaratri and Ashwin Navaratri respectively). The goddess is dressed differently on each day representing each of the Navadurgas, this is called Beeja. Among these two navaratra pujas (nine days continuous worship of the goddess), the second one is observed with great splendour and devotion. On the 1st day of the Navaratri, the goddess is dressed in white attire, called Dhabalamukhi. The third festival which is said to be the chief festival of the whole western Odisha region is Nuakhai. In this festival, the farmers offer the first produce from their lands to the goddess before using it for their personal use.
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Jagatdhatri or Jagaddhatri is an aspect of the Hindu goddess Durga, worshipped in the Indian state of West Bengal and other states like Odisha and Jharkhand. Jagaddhatri Puja is particularly famous in Chandannagar town of Hooghly district and Krishnanagar of Nadia district in West Bengal where it is celebrated as a five-day-long festival. Her worship and rituals are derived from Tantra. It is believed that her worship frees her devotees from ego and all other materialistic desires.
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Azhakodi Devi Temple or Azhakodi Devi Mahakshethram is a Hindu temple located in Thiruthiyad, Kozhikode District, Kerala, South India. It is one of the famous Devi temples, situated hardly 1.5 km away from the Mofussil Bus stand and 2.5 km from the KSRTC Bus stand, the area still retains the beauty and charm of un-spoilt rural settings within the heart of the Kozhikode city. The temple and the Kalayana Mandapom are administered by the Malabar Devaswom Board.
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This article lists the traditional festivals and other cultural events in the Odisha region of India. Odisha celebrates 13 festivals in 12 months as the saying goes Bāra Māsare Tera Parba.
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Nuakhai is an agricultural festival mainly observed by people of Western Odisha in India. Nuakhai is observed to welcome the new rice of the season. According to the calendar it is observed on panchami tithi of the lunar fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada or Bhadraba (August–September), the day after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. This is the most important social festival of Western Odisha and adjoining areas of Simdega in Jharkhand, where the culture of Western Odisha is much predominant.
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Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in honor of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. It spans over nine nights, first in the month of Chaitra, and again in the month of Ashvin (September–October). It is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Hindu Indian cultural sphere. Theoretically, there are four seasonal Navaratri. However, in practice, it is the post-monsoon autumn festival called Sharada Navaratri. There are 2 Gupta Navaratris as well, one starting on the Shukla paksha Pratipada of the Magha Month and another starting in the Shukla Paksha Pratipada of Jyestha Month.
The Ambubachi Mela is an annual Hindu mela (gathering) held at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam. This yearly mela is celebrated during the monsoon season that happens to fall during the Assamese month Ahaar, around the middle of June when the sun transits to the zodiac of Mithuna, when the Brahmaputra river is in spate. During this time Brahmaputra River near the temple turns Red for three days.
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The Bhu Varaha Swamy temple is a Hindu temple, located at Srimushnam, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Constructed in the South Indian style of architecture, the temple is dedicated to Varaha, the boar-avatar of the god Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi as Ambujavalli Thayar. It is Classified one among the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of Vaishnavate tradition.
There are 51 Shaktipeeth of Goddess Sati all over the country, one of the main Shaktipeeth is Goddess Kamakhya, where the vaginal part of the Goddess was fallen, apart from this, there are various temples of maa Kamakhya all over the country, one of which is located in the famous village Jai Devi of Sunder Nagar in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, which is famous far and wide due to its beliefs and miracles." Kamaksha " word means the goddess who fulfills all kinds of desires.
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