ISSN 0970-8669 Review

Introduction The temple of Mausima, one of the important Sakta shrines of Odisha is situated almost on the midway of Simhadvara and in the Grand Road of town. This is a small temple dedicated to goddess Mausima or Ardhasani. The goddess Ardhasani is popularly known as Mausima (the mother’s sister) of Lord Jagannatha.1 Legend says that when the sea overflows during the deluge, this goddess sucks half of water and

Mausima Temple at Puri

Dr. Ratnakar Mohapatra

hence she became famous as Ardhasosani or of love of Their Mausi to them. From the religious 2 Ardhasani i.e. the goddess who drinks a half. point of view, the shrine of Devi Mausima is an Skanda Purana says goddess Ardhasosani or important sacred place of Srikshetra. The temple Ardhasani allows the pralayavari (water) in the of Mausima consists of five structures such as beginning of creation. Goddess Ardhasani or vimana, jagamohana, natamandapa, Mausima is also one of the Astha-Sakti engaged bhogamandapa and additional . The in the protection of Srikshetra.3The legend also main Deula and its porch are plastered with lime says that when Lord Jagannatha and Balabhadra left Sri- Mandira being banished by Lakshmi, mortar. This temple is built in both bricks and sand Subhadra left Sri Mandira and stayed with stones. It faces to south. A modest attempt has Mausima. On the returning journey of Car festival been made in this article to highlight the detailed day Jagannatha triad halt at this place to take art and architecture of the temple of Mausima of Podapitha Bhoga (one kind of cake) as a token Puri.

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ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE panchanga type like the bada of the vimana. All TEMPLE the elements of the bada are undecorated. The bada of the jagamohana is surmounted by the A. Vimana pyramidal superstructure, which consists of three The vimana of Mausima temple is a pidhas and each pidha is decorated with tankus pancharatharekha deula and its height is about in all sides. Dopichha lions and Deula Charini 20 feet from the surface of the road level.4 The figures are also absent in their respective places. bada of the vimana is panchnaga type i.e. having The mastaka of the jagamohana consists five fold divisions namely pabhaga, talajangha, of beki, ghanta above which there is another beki, bandhana, upper jangha and baranda. The base amalakasila, khapuri and kalasa. Here, the ayudha of the bada is approximately 12 feet on each side. and dhvaja are completely missing. All the component parts of the bada are completely devoid of decoration. The Inner walls of the jagamohana are devoid of decorative elements. The jagamohana has one parsvadevata images are absent in the central doorway towards the natamandapa. The niches of the bada of the vimana. doorway lintel is depicted with paintings of The bada of the vimana is surmounted Jagannatha, Subhadra and Balabhadra. Two by the curvilinear spire, which displays five pagas. female figures are depicted on both sides of the The raha or central paga of the gandi doorway as the dvarapalas of the temple. contains a jhapasimha in the middle portions of C. Natamandapa all sides. Dopichha lions and Deula Charini figures are completely absent in their respective places. The natamandapa of the temple is a The bada and gandi of the vimana are thickly pidhadeula and its height is about 12 feet. The plastered with lime mortar. base of the bada is approximately 12 feet on each side. The entire bada portion of the natamandapa The mastaka of the vimana consists of is completely undecorated. The gandi of the beki, amalakasila, khapuri, kalasa, ayudha natamandapa consists of two pidhas. There is no (chakra) and dhvaja. component parts of mastaka found from the top The sanctum preserves goddess of the upper pidha. Inner walls of the Ardhasani or Mausima as the presiding deity of natamandapa are completely plain. The the temple. The figures of Chhaya and Maya are doorjambs of the natamandapa are devoid of decorative devices. The paintings of navagrahas installed on both sides of devi Ardhasani as the are finely depicted on the architrave above the attendants.The image of devi Ardhasani very much doorway lintel. resembles with devi Subhadra. The sanctum has one doorway towards the jagamohana. The D. Bhogamandapa doorway of the sanctum is devoid of any The bhogamandapa of the temple is a flat ornament. roof deula and its height is about 10 feet. It has B. Jagamohana three doorways, one on each side i.e. eastern, western and southern. The outer walls of the The jagamohana of the temple is a pidha bhogamandapa are rigorously plain. The inner deula and its height is about 15 feet from the road walls of the bhogamandapa are depicted with level. The base of the bada of the jagamohana is paintings of Mahisamardini astabhuja ,

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Ganesha, Dasamahavidya figures, Radha-Krishna completely a renovated shrine of Puri town. yugala figure, Jagannatha, Rama-Sita with their Though the architectural features of the temple of followers, Hanumana, Siva and Parvati in Mausima are not so significant like other notable Kailashamountain and Yajna-Narasimha. These shrines of Odisha, still it is very important from paintings are executed by the local artists of Puri the religious point of view. The vimana of the in modern period. temple was possibly constructed in the Ganga Additional Mandapa period. The natamandapa, bhogamandapa and additional mandapa of the Mausima temple were The additional mandapa of the temple is built in the modern period. During the Car festival a flat roofed structure and its height is about 12 day, Jagannatha triad halt at this place to take feet. There is a lion on couchant elephant noticed podapitha bhoga (one kind of cake) as a token in the floor of the additional mandapa. of love of their Mausi to them. It is a unique Boundary Wall cultural tradition of the Rathayatra of Lord Jagannatha of Puri Sri Mandira. Most of the The temple complex is enclosed by a devotees visit the temple of Mausima at the time boundary wall of 6 feet high and it is made of of their visit to Lord Jagannatha of Puri Sri bricks. Two huge lions are installed on the western Mandira. On the whole, the site of the Mausima side of the boundary wall. They are facing to temple is considered by devotees as a notable Badadanda and acting as the gate keepers of the sacred shrine of Srikshetra in Odisha. temple. Now this temple is being managed by a committee. References : Date of the temple 1. Sashadhar Kar, Puri Guide, Puri. 1992, p.41. There is no authentic record with regard 2. J.B. Padhi, Sri Jagannatha at Puri, Puri, 2000, p.197. Also see G.C. Tripathy, Sri Kshetra Sri to the exact date of the construction period of the Mandira Sri Jagannatha (Odia), , Mausima temple of Puri. The present Mausima 1996, p.180. temple is a renovated temple. S.P. Senapati opines 3. R.C. Mishra,Purusottama Kshetra, (A Study on that the Mausima temple of Puri was constructed Jagannatha Culture), Puri, 2003, p. 312. during the reigning period of the Keshari dynasty.5 According to Madalapanji, the Ardhasani temple 4. S.P.Senapati, “Ardhasani Ba Mausima 6 Mandira”, in B. Mishra (ed.), Srikshetrara Deva was built by Nara Keshari. On the basis of the Devi, Vol.I, Puri, 2003, p.22. architectural features and the local tradition, the construction period of the main temple of 5. Ibid., p.19. Mausima can be tentatively assigned to the 6. A.B.Mohanty (ed.), Madalapanji, Prachi, Reprint contemporary of the construction period of at Orissa Sahitya Academi ; Bhubaneswar; 2001, present Sri Mandira. It was possibly built by p.6. Ganga ruler of Odisha. Other structures of the temple are built in much later period. Conclusion Dr. Ratnakar Mohapatra, Lecturer in History, Kalinga Thus, it is known from the above Institute of Social Sciences, KISS Tribal University, discussion that the temple of Devi Mausima is Campus-3, Bhubaneswar- 751024.

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