Puri: On the eleventh day of the auspicious Sharadiya Sodasadinatmaka Puja, the ritual of “Bahara Bije” of Durgamadhaba was performed at Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri.
Durgamadhaba seated on a chariot like palanquin were carried to the Narayani temple by Sevayats.
Goddess Durga is mostly worshiped during the Dussehra festival also known as Durga Puja. However, in the Jagannath Temple, Durga Madhaba is worshiped for 16 days from Mulastami till Navami. Madhaba is the form of Lord Vishnu, also known as Lord Jagannath.
In the Puri temple, Maa Bimala is worshipped as Bhairabi while Lord Jagannath is known as Madhaba. The worship of Durga-Madhaba is as old as the temple.
According to traditional belief Durga Madhaba was worshiped following a quarrel between King Indradumnya and King Galamadhab. The dispute between the two kings was resolved due to intervention of Lord Brahma.
After the Grand Temple was built, Maharaja Indradyumna went to Brahmadeb to invite Him to earth for consecration of the Temple. At that time, Brahmadev was engrossed in deep meditation.
As such, Maharaja Indradyumna had to wait at Brahmalok till the completion of Brahma’s meditation. In the matter of calculation, one day in Brahmalok is equal to several thousand years on earth. In that way, when the Lord’s meditation was over for the day, several years had elapsed on earth.
During that period, the Puri temple had been covered with sand and slipped deep into earth. As time passed by, a king known as Galamadhab had come to power on earth. He was a very powerful king. While he was moving along the region where the temple had been built, the hoof of his horse struck the pinnacle of the temple.
King Galamadhab immediately got down and ordered for excavation of the holy structure and at last, the temple of the Lord was discovered. He also discovered the installation of goddess Bimala whom he worshipped for divine benediction in Tantric procedure. While so, Maharaja Indradyumna with Lord Brahma appeared at the temple site on earth and stated that it was he who had built the temple, and accordingly he established his right over the shrine and claimed the same from the imperial control of king Galamadhaba.
The occurrence that next followed was a sort of altercation between the two kings. At last, with the intervention of Lord Brahma, there was an amicable settlement of the matter between the two kings.
It was in the presence of Lord Brahma that the difference was amicably, settled and it was decided following the amicable settlement that in Srikshetra Puri, there shall be in vogue a religious practice according to which, Maa Durga i.e Bimala who was the goddess of Galamadhab and Sri Madhab, i.e Lord Jagannath who was the god of Maharaja Indradyumna, shall both be worshipped as a divine ritual in the Grand Temple.
It is also believed that on the day of Dussehra, a full view of Durga and Madhab is considered most auspicious. This gives the devotees all prosperity and victory in life. It fulfills the desires of the devotees and ensures overall happiness in life.
The Bhog of the Lord becomes Mahaprasad when it is offered to Goddess Bimala. This way, Durgamadhab worship as celebrated in the temple is linked to the shrine of Maa Bimala.