Baladevjew Temple of Kendrapara, Odisha

Baladevjew Temple (Odia: ବଳଦେବଜୀଉ ମନ୍ଦିର) is a Hindu temple situated in Tulasi Kshetra of Kendrapara district in Odisha. Lord Balaram is the main divinity of this temple.

But Jagannath and Subhadra are also worshipped on the Ratna Sinhasan (Gem Throne) in the main temple. An idol representing Tulasi as a goddess in a seated position is also present after the sacred seven steps.

History of Baladevjew Temple:-

The present temple was constructed at  Ichhapur in around 1761 AD during the Maratha rule in Odisha. It was constructed by Raja Gopal Sandha (the king of Kujanga) and Srinivas Narendra Mahapatra (the Zamindar of Chhedara Killah).

One saint named Gopi Das and Sairatak Giri convinced the then Maratha Chief Janoji and constructed the Jagamohan, Bhoga Mandapa of the main temple, the temple of Gundicha, and compound wall.

It is believed that Khan-I-Duran, the subedar of Odisha during the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb demolished the temple in 1661 and built a mosque on the remains of the temple. Devotees of Lord Baladevjew took the deity in disguise in a boat through the river Gobari and kept the deity in a secret place near Baranga (Chhedara) Jungle. Afterward, it was shifted to Balarampur village near Luna river at Sakhi Bata. Later it was transferred to the present-day Icchapur temple.

The architecture of Baladev Jew Temple:-

There are four main parts of Baladev Jew Temple:

1. Bada Deula or Sri Mandir
2. Majhi Mandir or Bhog Mandap
3. Jagamohan or Natya Mandir
4. Bata Mandir or Mukhashala

The main temple is 75 feet (23 m) high and 40 feet (12 m) wide. The main temple has a 7 step construction and heavy baulamalia stones are used in this construction. There are other small temples inside the premise, where other Gods and Goddesses are worshipped. All the temples have beautiful architecture and are constructed in a traditional way.

The other important parts of the temple are Garuda Stambha, Ratna Bhandar, Snana Mandap, Mukti Mandap, Jhulan Gruha, Laxmi Mandira, Anand Bazar, Bhairabi Mandir, NabaGraha Mandir, Kasi Biswonath, Astasambhu Mahadev, Sri Ram mandir, Sidheswar Mahadev, Mukti Mandap, Ganesh mandir, and Adhistati Devi Tulasi Temple.

Prasad of Baladebjew Temple:-

Different types of Prasad are made with trained traditional families, called Supakara, and Mekap are engaged solely for deities. Some of the delicacies are highly patronized in different historic regimes. A comprehensive list of the delicacies is as follows.

Baula Gaintha, Upana Pitha, Mithei, Chaurashi Vyanjana (84 vegetable Curry), Makara Chaula, Bhaja, Ghia Anna, Dali, Phalamula (fruits and roots), Dry sweets, Ghanavarta, Pura Kakara, Rasabali, Putuli Pitha, Chipa Kakara, Karanji, Khaja, Magaja Ladoo, Dalimba, Khuduma, Nishkudi, Mutha Gaja, Tala, Chhena Chakata are the famous ones.

• All these photographs are taken by Manas Muduli and one photograph is taken by Mrutyunjay Kar bhai with a CC-BY-SA Creative Commons license.

Further Reading:

• Baladevjew Temple of Keonjhar