The Temple of Maa Ashtadasabhuja Durga in Remuna
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ISSN 0970-8669 Odisha Review t the foot of Bay of Bengal cosily sits the Acoastal town of Balasore. This small town occupies a pride of place on the map of India as it boasts of the Missile Testing Range, situated on the coast of Chandipur. Nestled quietly in the heart of Balasore lies the calm and serene semi- town of Remuna. Remuna, whose etymological meaning in Odia means a place of tremendous beauty, is a popular tourist destination. Remuna is famous for the temple of Khirachora Gopinath. About two kilometers towards the west of the Khirachora Gopinath temple, on the banks of Swarna Nadi(the golden river) rests a tiny hamlet of Nalapatna. A huge pond covering The Temple of Maa Ashtadasabhuja Durga in Remuna Devidutta Das an area of almost one hundred acres is a well of Odisha like Pandit Gopabandhu Das, Sardar known spot in the neck of the woods. On western Surendra Nath Das and Dr. Harekrushna bank of this pond, there lies the temple of Maa Mahatab. Ashtadasabhuja Durga. Generally the idol of Goddess Durga has Instead of the concrete structure of the ten hands, that is the reason why she is known as temple, there was a small thatched cottage and Maa Dasabhuja or the Goddess with ten hands. the deity used to be worshipped over there. In But this idol in the village like the idol of the the year 1910, a sage named Shri Ramgulam Chamunda temple at Karnataka, has eighteen Ramanuja Maharaj started the worship of the idol. hands. The special feature of the idol is that it is The founder of the temple, Shri Ramagulam carved out of a single rock. Years after the temple Maharaj was a freedom fighter. He was was built, the trinity idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra instrumental in spreading the fire of independence and Subhadra were also installed in the same among people in the pre-independence era. He complex of the temple. A distinctive trait about was a henchman of the illustrious freedom fighters the idol of the Goddess Subhadra is that unlike 48 SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2017 Odisha Review ISSN 0970-8669 other idols, this idol has fingers carved out on her took good care of the temple. She was lovingly hands and legs(a similar idol can be found only in addressed by everyone as “Maa”. After “Maa”’s Jagannath the temple at Chhatia. death in1994, the local people formed a committee to take care of the temple. If legends are to be believed, after the construction of the famous Sun temple at Konark, Every year the famous Indian festivals like the then King of Odisha Langula Narasimha Deva Durga Puja, Ratha Yatra and Raja are celebrated ordered for the construction of two large ponds here with great fervour. In spite of its scenic in this place. It is believed that, the Brajapokhori beauty, this place has failed to gather the proper (pokhori in Odia means pond) was built by the attention of the tourists and it still remains under order of the king and the Kutapokhori was built the veil of obscurity. This place certainly deserves by the queen. It is believed that the idol of the some concern and attention from the Department goddess Ashtadasabhuja Durga was excavated of Tourism, so that it attracts tourists from all over during the construction of the Kutapokhori. the globe. After the death of Ramagulam Maharaj, the onus of taking care of the temple rested on the shoulders of his beloved disciple from Jajpur (a small town in Odisha), Shri Trilocahandas Maharaj. After the passing away of Shri Devidutta Das, C/o-Pravat Ranjan Das, Trilochandas Maharaj, his wife Chandramanidasi At/Po-Sahadevkhunta, Near Hotel Suraj, Dist-Balasore. SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2017 49.