Maa Sarala is a Hindu goddess who is primarily worshipped in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. She is considered to be an incarnation of the Hindu goddess Shakti, and is also known as “Sarala Devi” or “Sarala Thakurani”. Maa Sarala is often depicted holding a trident and riding a lion, and is associated with fertility, prosperity, and power. She is also believed to protect her devotees from evil spirits and negative influences.
The Sarala Temple, located at Jhankada, in the Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha, is dedicated to Maa Sarala and is considered to be one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the region. The temple is believed to have been built in the 16th century, and is visited by thousands of devotees every year. The harmony of Vaishnava and Shakta culture can be seen in Sarla temple. In this temple, betel leaves and tusi leaves are used in the worship of mother, which is not found in any other temple. Because betel leaves and tulsi leaves are symbols of two different cultures in Hinduism. Mother Sarla is called Bak Devi, who is the goddess of knowledge and wisdom. It is said that Siddheshwar Parida was a humble farmer and a devotee of the Maa at one time; with the blessings of Maa, Siddeshwar Parida became Sarala Das, who is the author of the Ordia Mahabharata.
According to folklore, thousands of years ago, it was the time of Parashuram. It is said that Lord Parashuram drew the goddess on the arrowhead. The new temple is less than 500 years old, built by King Manijunga. The remains of the old temple are no longer to be seen; According to the legend, it was in the Bada Sarola, where the Ganesha temple stands as a witness, where the old temple once stood. People call it Nanda Deula, it is now renovated. Many festivals are celebrated in the temple, the main ones being: Parvan, Sharadiya festival, Pana Sankranti, Doa Purnima and Chandan Yatra. The people of Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Cuttack adore Mother Sarla so much that they make a point of visiting the temple at least once a year.
In the Tretaya Yuga, Parshuram, the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu, set out on pilgrimage, intending to set up mother’s worship place on his way. While traveling from place to place, he reached the river Chandrabhaga, took a dip in the river and rested under a banyan tree. When he sat in meditation, he found that a power appeared and wanted to manifest itself. Then Parshuram brought out from the soil a Parashmani stone, which is called mugunipathar, from the soil. The divine image of the goddess was drawn with an arrow. There is a legendary meeting place called ‘Vetbar’. The name Jhankar or Jhankad is a linguistic term that refers to the hypnotic jingle or echo produced by Parshuram’s arrow touching the divine stone. According to legend, Sarada is another name of the goddess because Parshuram carved the image of the goddess on her head. According to another legend, Parashuram visited many pilgrimages and bathed in holy rivers. While going to bathe in the river, Chandrabhaga left his bow at the root of a banyan tree. He was surprised when he came back from the bath. Because everywhere he saw landslides due to the weight of his bow. But nothing like that happened there. Thinking that there is some greatness in that place, the soil was dug up and an idol of Shaktimayee was drawn on a piece of stone. The idol of the goddess was installed there.
According to another legend, the said place and the statue are related to Dakshaya, as described in the Devi Purana and other mythological texts. In deep grief and remorse, Shiva threw Sati’s body on his shoulder and wandered around in disbelief. Realizing the anger of Shiva which was harmful to the society, Vishnu dismembered Sati’s body with the wheel. His body parts fell into 51 places, each place being a holy place and seat of power. According to the legend, the navel fell in Jajpur, where Birja is worshiped, which is dedicated as the navel. The foot rested in the shrine, where Vimala worshiped is called Padapitha and the tongue rested in a Jhankada which is known as Jinha or Banipeetha. So Goddess Sarla is also called ‘Utkal Bharati’.
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