Baladevjew Temple


Baladevjew Temple is a Hindu temple in Ichhapur, Kendrapara, Odisha, India. Baladevjew is the main divinity. His siblings Jagannath and Subhadra are also worshipped in the Ratna Sinhasan in the main temple.

History

It is believed that Khan-I-Duran, the subedar of Odisha during the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's reign demolished the original temple of Baladevjew in 1661 and built a mosque on the remains of the temple. Devotees took the deity in disguise in a boat through the river Govari and kept him in a secret place near Baranga Jungle. Afterwards it was shifted to Balarampur village near Luna river at Sakhi Bata. Later it was transferred to the present day Icchapur temple.
The present temple of Siddha Baladevajew was constructed during the Maratha rule in Odisha of Ichhapur. It was constructed by the king of Kujanga, Raja Gopal Sandha and Zamindar of Chhedara killah, Srinivas Narendra Mahapatra. One saint Gopi Das and Sairatak Giri convinced the then Maratha Senasahibsubha Janoji Bhonsle and constructed the Jagamohana, Bhoga Mandapa of the main temple, temple of Gundicha and compound wall.

Architecture

Baladevjew Temple is constructed over an area of of land. There are 2 parts in the total area. In one part, different temples are there and the other part is a garden. There is a boundary around the temple, high.
There are four main parts of Baladevjew Temple are
  1. Bada Deula or Sri Mandir
  2. Majhi Mandir or Bhoga Mandapa
  3. Jagamohana or Natya Mandir
  4. Bata Mandir or Mukhashala
The main temple is high and wide. The main temple has a 7 step construction made of heavy baulamalia stone.
The goddess Tulasi in a seated position is also worshipped in Adhistati Devi Tulasi temple after the sacred seven steps.
There are other small temples in the premises, dedicated to various deities: Lakshmi, Bhairabi, Nabagraha, Shiva in forms of Kasi Biswonath, Astasambhu Mahadev and Sidheswar Mahadev; Rama and Ganesha.
The other important parts of the temple are Garuda Stambha, Ratna Bhandar, Snana Mandapa, Mukti Mandapa, Jhulan Gruha and Anand Bazar.

Rituals

The deities of Baladevjew, Jagannath and Subhadra are decorated in different clothes during important festivals. This tradition is known as Besha.
Some important Beshas are
  1. Raghunatha Besha on Chaitra Purnima Festival
  2. Padma Besha on Kartik Purnima Festival and Tulsi Vivah in Kartik
  3. Gamhabhisheka Besha – From Shraavana Sukla Dashami to Purnima, holy srinakshatra ceremony of Balarama
  4. Pushyabhisheka Besha on Pausha Purnima festival
  5. Kanchi Kaveri Besha on Vasant Panchami festival
  6. Suna Besha on Bhadrapad Dwadashi Day
  7. Krishna Balarama Besha on Phalguna Purnima festival
  8. Dwibinda banara besha that was offered by Pandit Binod Behari Dash who was a famous Sanskrit scholar of Ichhapur, Kendrapada
The Rath Yatra here is famous for the Brahma Taladhwaja Rath.

Offerings

There are arrangements for three main Naivedya offerings and 3 minor offerings for the deities daily.
  1. Morning offering
  2. Offering at pre-noon
  3. Rice offering
  4. Offering at evening
  5. Rice offering
  6. Offering at night
Different types of offerings are made with trained traditional families, called as 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 given below.
Baula Gaintha, Upana Pitha, Mithei, Chaurashi Vyanjana, Makara Chaula, Bhaja, Ghia Anna, Dali, Phalamula, 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.