Baladevjew Temple is situated in Ichhapur (Tulasi Khetra),

Kendrapara Kendrapara is a Town and a municipality in the Kendrapara district of the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of Kendrapara district. Geography Kendrapara is located at . It has an average elevation of . It is surrounded by Bhadrak, ...

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

, India. Baladevjew Temple is a very famous temple of Odisha and

Balarama Balarama ( Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: ''Balarāma'') is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Bala ...

is its main divinity. However,

Jagannath Jagannath ( or, ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, lit=Lord of the Universe, Jagannātha; formerly en, Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra, and sister ...

and Subhadra are also worshipped in the ''Ratna Sinhasan'' (Gem Throne) in the main temple. An idol representing

tulasi ''Ocimum tenuiflorum'', commonly known as holy basil, ''tulsi'' or ''tulasi'', is an aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and widespread as a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian ...

as a goddess in a seated position is also present after the sacred seven steps.

History

The present shrine of Siddha Baladevajew was constructed during the Maratha rule in Odisha (1761 AD) of Ichhapur (Kendrapara). It was constructed by the king of Kujanga, Raja Gopal Sandha and

Zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...

(landlord) of Chhedara killah, Srinivas Narendra Mahapatra. One saint (Santha) Gopi Das and Sairatak Giri convinced the then Maratha Chief Janoji and constructed the Jagamohan, Bhoga Mandapa of the main temple, temple of Gundicha and compound wall. It is believed that Khan-I-Duran, the subedar of Odisha during the

Mughal Emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...

Aurangzeb demolished the temple in 1661 and built a mosque on the remains of the temple. Devotees of Lord Baladev Jeu, took the deity in disguise in a boat through the river Govari and kept the deity in a secret place near Baranga (Chhedara) Jungle. Afterwards it was shifted to Balarampur village near Luna river at Sakhi Bata. Later it was transferred to the present day Icchapur temple.

Architecture and construction of Baladevjew Temple

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 #Bada Deula or Sri Mandir #Majhi Mandir or Bhog Mandap #Jagamohan or Natya Mandir #Bata Mandir or Mukhashala The main temple is high and wide. The main temple has a 7 step construction and heavy baulamalia stone 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 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, & adhistati Devi Tulasi Temple

Rituals

The deities of Lord Baladevjew, Lord Jagannath and Goddess Subhadra wear different costumes and are decorated in different ways during different important festivals. This tradition is known as Besha (alankara). The

Rath Yatra Ratha Yatra (), or Chariot festival, is any public procession in a chariot. The term particularly refers to the annual Ratha Yatra in Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and other East Indian states, particularly the Odia festival that involve a ...

here is famous for the Brahma Taladhwaja Rath. Some important alankara are # Sri Raghunatha Besha on

Chaitra Chaitra (Hindi: चैत्र) is a month of the Hindu calendar. In the standard Hindu calendar and India's national civil calendar, Chaitra is the first month of the year. It is the last month in the Bengali calendar, where it is called Cho ...

Purnima Festival # Padma Besha on

Kartik Purnima Kartika Purnima is a Hindu, Sikh and Jain cultural festival that is celebrated on Purnima (full moon day), the 15th (or 30th) lunar day of the month of Kartika. It falls in November or December of the Gregorian calendar and is also known as ...

Festival and

Tulsi Vivah Tulasi Vivaha (, kan, ತುಳಸಿ ಮದುವೆ, translit=Tulasi Maduve, , ), also called Tulasi Kalyanam, is a Hindu festival, in which a ceremonial wedding of the goddess Tulasi (The personification of the holy basil, a form of Laksh ...

in Kartik # Gamhabhisheka Besha – From

Shraavana Śrāvaṇa ( sa, श्रावण) is the fifth month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Śrāvaṇa is the fifth month of the year, beginning on July 23 and ending on August 22. In the Tamil calendar, it is known ...

Sukla Dashami to Purnima, holy srinakshatra ceremony of Lord

# Pushyabhisheka Besha on

Pausha Pausha ( sa, पौष ; hi, पूस ; ta, தை ), also called Paush, Poush, Pausa or Pushya, is the tenth month of the Hindu calendar, corresponding with December/January of the Gregorian calendar. In the Indian national calendar, Pausha ...

Purnima festival # Kanchi Kaveri Besha on

Vasant Panchami Vasant Panchami, also called Saraswati Puja in honor of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, is a festival that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring. The festival is celebrated in Indian religions in different ways depending on the region. ...

festival # Suna Besha (Bali Vamana Besha) on

Bhadrapad Bhadra or Bhadrapada or Bhādo or Bhadraba (Bengali language, Bengali: ভাদ্র ''bhādro''; ) (Hindi: भादों ''bhādo''; )(Sanskrit: भाद्रपद ''bhādrapada'';) ( ne, भाद्र ''Bhādra'';) ( or, ଭାଦ୍� ...

Dwadashi Day #

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

Besha on

Phalguna Phalguna ( sa, फाल्गुन ) is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Phalguna is twelfth month of the year, and corresponds with February/March in the Gregorian calendar.Henderson, Helene. (Ed.) (2005) ' ...

Purnima festival # Dwibinda banara besha that was offered by Pandit Binod Behari Dash who was a famous Sanskrit scholar of Ichhapur, Kendrapada

Offerings

There are arrangements for three main

Naivedya 200px, Prasad thaal offered to Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad ">Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad">Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad Prasada (, Sanskrit: प्रसाद, ), Prasadam or Prasad is a religious offering in Hinduism. Most o ...

offerings (Dhupa) and 3 minor offerings (Abakasha) for the deities daily. # Morning offering (Sakala Dhupa) # Offering at pre-noon (Madhhyanna Dhupa) # Rice offering ( Dwiprahara Dhupa/ Anna Dhupa) # Offering at evening ( Sandhya Aarati Dhupa) # Rice offering ( Nisankhudi Dhupa) # Offering at night ( Badasinghar Dhupa) Different types of offerings (prasad) 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(84 vegetable Curry), Makara Chaula, Bhaja, Ghia Anna,

Dal In Indian cuisine, ''dal'' (also spelled ''daal'' or ''dhal''; pronunciation: , Hindi: दाल, Urdu: ) are dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of pu ...

i, Phalamula (fruits and roots), Dry sweets, Ghanavarta, Pura Kakara,

Rasabali Rasabali (, IAST: rasābaḷi) is a sweet dish from Odisha, India. Rasabali is offered to Baladevjew, and originated in the Baladevjew Temple of Kendrapara. It is one of the Chapana bhoga of Jagannath temple. It consists of deep fried flattene ...

, Putuli Pitha, Chipa Kakara, Karanji, Khaja, Magaja Ladoo, Dalimba, Khuduma, Nishkudi, Mutha Gaja, Tala, Chhena Chakata are the famous ones.

Notes

References

External links

* http://www.baladevjew.webs.com
report on Baldeva temple

panorama of sculptures in Baladeva temple, Ichhapur

{{Hindu temples in Orissa Vishnu temples Kendrapara district Hindu temples in Odisha 1761 establishments in India