HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 6000 YEARS OLD HISTORY OF THE TARA TARINI HILL SHRINE (KALYANI DHAM)

By
R.P.Tripathy
Media & Publicity in charge,
Tara Tarini Development Board (TTDB)
New Delhi

Taratarini Hill Shrine (http:/taratarini.nic.in) near the silk city Berhampur in Orissa is one of the oldest pilgrimage sites of mother goddess and amongst the four major ancient Shakti centers in India. The Mythological Texts recognize four major Shakti peethas (centers), like Bimala, Taratarini, Kamakshya and Dakhina Kalika among the 52 sacred Shakti Peethas, which originated from the limbs of the Corpse of Mata Sati in the Satya Yuga.

Rooted in the hoary past, mentioned in the Puranas, the Tantras and as the main seat of Tantric cult for thousands of years and center of Shakti worship since time immemorial, this Hill Shrine is believed to be the Sthana Peetha (Breast Shrine of Mata Sati) and an important prehistoric religious center which bears an uninterrupted history of not less than 6000 years.

According to mythological texts and folk lore this Shrine has seen all the greatest icons of the human civilization like Lord Ram, Lord Krishna, Lord Parasuram, the Pandavas and great saints like Jagadguru Sankaracharya, Shri Chaitanya and Balayogi Neelakanthi. It has also been the confluence ground of plethora of ancient religions like the Vedic religion, the Brahminical religion, the Hinduism, the Buddhism, the Tantricism etc. Unquestionably, these facts from the Mythology demonstrate the historicity and importance of the Hill Shrine it occupied in the past. Further, the presence of the mythological pious river Rushikulya or Rushikalyani (Known as the elder sister of the Ganges in the Vedas) on the foot hill of the Shrine has further enhanced the significance of the Tara Tarini Dham also known as Kalyani Dham.

According to the Mythological Puranas the origin of Maa Taratarini is directly attributed to Daksha Prajapati’s Jagna in Satya Yuga. The famous Shakta Peethas of Bimala, Tara-Tarini, Dakshina Kalika, and Kamakshi originated from the limbs of the divine Corpse of Devi Sati. Mythological sacred texts like the Shiva Purana, the Kalika Purana, the Devi Bhagabat (a contemporary text of the Mahabharata written by Shri Vyasa Dev around 6000 years ago) attest this fact.

It is known from the Mahabharata that before the commencement of the Mahabharata war Lord Srikrishna had advised Arjuna to offer prayer for victory at Shridevi kupa or Bhadrakali. Bhadrakali originated from the limbs of Sati like the other four major Shakti Peethas, which existed during the time of the Mahabharata or around 6000 years ago. This is the oldest data/information we get till date, regarding the existence of the Shrine of TaraTarini.

According to available historical sources the fall of Kalingan Empire and its capital Sampa (Samapa) in the Kalinga war around 2300 years ago by Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, strengthened the grip of Buddhists in this part of India. The then Sampa was hardly 4 kms away from Taratarini Hill Shrine. So, some scholars believe that Taratarini might be the principal deity (Ista-Devi) of the mighty Kalinga Empire.

According to the texts of Mahayana Buddhists, in the initial days, the Buddhists didn’t believe in the worship of Goddesses or in Pratimapuja (Idol Worship). But, the ecclesiastical texts of Mahayana’s reveal that from 1st century AD after the fall of Kalinga, for the first time the Mahayana Buddhists accepted the worship of Mother Goddess ‘Tara’. So there is seldom any doubt that the Buddhists have learned the ‘Tara’ Puja concept from this Shrine. The Bouddha Tantrik texts, texts of Vajrajani sect and Hindu Tantrik texts also attest these facts. Scholars believe that in the primary days the Buddhists worshiped Taratarini, the principal seat of Tantrik sect in Hinduism at that time, as Bouddha Tara, and later on included ‘Tara’ as the Tantrik deity or spouse of bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in their belief system. Gradually this ‘Tara’ worship spread to different parts of the world.

Besides the worship of Tara by the Buddhist Tantrikas, the maritime history of Kalinga also suggest the worship of ‘Tara’ by the Sadhavas, merchants and sea-men before launching their sea voyage from the great sea ports like Dantapura (Gopalpur), Pallur near Chilika Lake, kalingapatna and river Rushikulya . It is important to mention, that all these major Seaports of the ancient world were present very near to the Taratarini Hill Shrine.

According to folklore and folk stories, it is around 8th Century AD when Jagadguru Sankaracharya toured the whole country, that he discovered this Shrine. But, it did not exist in its present form. After long try he came to know that this ancient Shakti centre was under the control of Buddhist tantrikas. Then he released this Peetha from the control of Bouddha tantrikas and handed it over to Hindus.

It is known from the available sources that till 17th century this place was out of the sight of the common man. But, according to a folk story once Maa Taratarini appeared as two sisters in the house of Shri Basu Praharaj. He was a learned Brahmin of Kharida Vira Jagannathpur village in Ganjam District and one of the great devotees of the Mother Goddess but child less. After staying for some years one day both the sisters disappeared suddenly from the house of Basu Praharaj and according to the account of the villagers both the sisters traveled up to the Tarini Parvat/ Ratnagiri and disappeared there. Basu Praharaj searched these two sisters but did not find their tracings. His heart broke down with grief and pain. On that night he saw a dream where the Goddesses Tara and Tarini informed Basu Praharaj that actually they were not his daughters; but they are the Goddesses Tara and Tarini. The Goddesses ordered Basu to come out of the grief and said that the time has arrived and with full devotion renovate the temple on the Hill Top of Tarini Parvat and establish the deities according to the tradition.

After that divine direction Basu discovered the tracings of ancient most presence of Goddesses Tara-Tarini on the sacred Hill Top and immediately took steps to reconstruct the temple and the Shrine. Since that time for its magnetism and sanctity this Shakti Peetha became a centre of faith and reverence for countless numbers of people, out in search of peace, tranquility, guidance and spiritual energy and its fame spread like wild fire to become one of the popular religious destinations for millions of devotees.

Visitors' Opinion

Content writer

Travelogue - Taratarini, Toptopani, Daringbari & Dhoboleshwar, Orissa By Mr. Debashis Bose, Contributing Traveller

10-1-2007 to 16-1-2007
This time we were 7 heads. We left Howrah by Gurudev Express at 11.25 pm and our destination was Brahmapur.

11-1-07 : We arrived at Brahmapur at 10.10am, and then reached the bus stand by auto in 10 minutes. Our bus for Taratarini started at 11.05 am and reached at 12.20pm, covering 30 kms. We had lunch at a roadside hotel and then went to Panthashala of OTDC by a trekker. It is a small, calm and quite place. The Panthashala is at the top of a small hillock - a nice location, clean and tidy. While at the top of the hill, we could see valleys and ranges of hills around us.
Inside the temple compound of the Taratarini Temple
Gradually the sun went down. We went to the temple of Tara & Tarini. The old temple is smaller while the new one is under construction - located just around the old one. There were a lot of craftsmen giving shape to stone boulders. This may take another two and a half years to be completed. Though there will be a vehicular road, there will also be 999 steps. Around the temple, there are lots of big trees and its serenity can be felt. Going down, we reached Rishikulya river. Here we met two local young men who informed us that a lot of pilgrims arrive at the temple on all Tuesdays of the month of Choitro (15th March to 15th April) every year, to worship the goddess. The other bank of the river is known as Purushottampur.
12-1-07 : We hired a Tata Sumo and left at 07.22am to Purushottampur to visit the temple of Tumbeshwar Shiva and Dokshinakali Devi.

Temple of Lord Shiva near hot spring at Toptopani

Our next target was Toptopani. Though there is a direct road, we went via
Gopalpur since some of our teammates had never been to Gopalpur.
Temple of Dakshinakali at Prushottompur

Gopalpur - on-sea, as it was known earlier, is a very small place with a few hotels and shops on the sea beach and around. We went for a stroll along the beach, had tea and visited a few shops of local handicrafts. We also indulged in some shopping. Next, we reached Toptopani at 12.25pm. Here again, we stayed at Panthashala of OTDC. There are a few double storied buildings that offer double bed room accommodations with attached bath, and a two room suite & office in a separate building. There is an eatery in a separate building as well. Toptopani is a calm and quite village with big trees, almost within a jungle. We had our lunch at the eatery.

In the evening, we went for a walk and visited a hot spring from which Toptopani has derived its name. As expected, the water of the hotspring was smelling of sulphur. There are two separate bathing places near the hot spring, for gents & ladies. The hot water has been taken by pipelines to a few taps on the roadside and to the panthashala. Bathing in this hot water makes one feel fresh and energetic. it has been said that this water is good for health. We had our dinner at the same place.

13-1-07 : After our morning's daily routine and breakfast, we left at 10.30am by Tata Sumo and reached Horbhongi Dam, 30 km away, at 11.45am. Here we spent 45 minutes, going around the dam & the inspection bunglow.

Dam at Horbhongi

Our next destination was Daringbari, 240 km away and reached at 02.30 pm, at a height of 4000 ft. This place is also known as the Kashmir of Orissa, and it is said that in the past, there was snowfall here. We had our accommodation booked at the Panthaniwas of OTDC.
Another view of the dam

The Panthaniwas was not very clean and the caretaker was not in a normal state. Anyhow, the rooms were cleaned and we occupied our respective rooms. This is like a small town and the temperatures are low here. Next day was Mokor songkranti, a festival day and hence, the shops and markets remained closed. We decided to purchase some ingredients to prepare our food for the next day. Here, it may be stated that, OTDC has two types of accommodation for tourists - Panthashala & Panthaniwas, the former has arrangements for cooked food, while the latter does not provide food. There are a few utensils available and food may be prepared with the help of the caretaker. We had our dinner at a roadside hotel.

Source: www.contentwriter.in

New Taratarini Temple fast heading for completion

New Taratarini Temple fast heading for completion

As Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is keen on completion of south Orissa's oldest shrine, Taratarini Temple, money is pouring in to the kitty of the Taratarini Development Board (TTDB). People of Ganjam district are making huge contributions, and the largest chunk of money amounting to Rs 16 lakh has been received from Hinjili, the Chief Minister's constituency, and Rs 8 lakh has come from Purusottampur block.

Till date, a total of Rs 1.35 crore has already been spent on construction of the temple. Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy was visibly happy at the fast pace of completion while reviewing the progress of the construction on Friday in the temple premises. The construction of sandstone-built Rekha-style temple with an elevation of about 55 ft above the hilltop has made good progress, thanks to the initiative of Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) and chairman of the TTDB Satyabrat Sahu. This most modern temple is being built in accordance with the ancient Orissan temple architecture replacing the old shrine.

The TTDB has entrusted noted sculptor Padma Bhusan Raghunath Mohapatra with the construction of the temple in the ancient architectural form. The Jagannath Temple of Puri and Lingaraj Temple of Bhubaneswar are examples of this traditional temple architecture of Orissa.

Though the construction of the temple started in 2003, it picked up after Sahu took over as the RDC and chief of the TTDB. More than 40 sculptors and artisans, led by Mohapatra, are engaged in the construction work. The walls and other portions of the temple bear intricate carving on stone. The temple is made in such a fashion that it can be viewed from all sides around.

The construction of a Mukteswar-style Arch Gate in front of the temple has added lustre to the temple. Once the main temple construction is completed, the entire area will be developed along with better facilities for the visiting devotees, said Sahu.

Source: The Pioneer, April 12, 2008

People donate generously to build new Taratarini temple

Berhampur: The tremendous support from the people of Ganjam to erect a new temple of Maa Taratarini has left the officials dumbfounded. The temple of Taratarini, the twin Goddesses, is situated on the top of a blue-capped hill of Purusottampur, 32 km from Berhampur. Only one of the 22 blocks of the district has contributed Rs 8.5 lakh for the purpose.

Revenue Divisional Commissioner Satyabrat Sahu, who is also the Chairman of the Tara Tarini Development Board (TTDB), is happy over the unstinted public support in Purusottampur block. The TTDB is busy in construction of a sandstone-built Rekha-style temple in place of the present one with an elevation of about 65 feet above the hilltop with an investment of Rs 2.8 crore. A sum of Rs 1.28 crore has already been spent.

The deadline for completion of the huge project is set as March 31, 2008. The chariot carrying the model of the proposed temple is moving across Ganjam district. A sealed Hundi has been placed on the chariot for collection of donations from devotees.

Officials feel that the level of support available from one block clearly indicates that there will be no problem for funds for the temple. The chariot will cover the remaining 21 blocks and the city of Berhampur town, and officials expect to get a collection of at least Rs 50 lakh. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who has already contributed to the temple fund, has expressed happiness over the people's support for the project.

Earlier the TTDB had decided to rope in captains of industries and corporate sector for their assistance for the project, but little support came form them. So, a conscious decision was taken to involve people in setting up the temple, which has paid dividends, said TTDB secretary Pramod Kumar Panda.

The temple is being erected amidst natural surroundings rich in vegetation. The beauty of the place is enhanced by the encircling river Rushikulya. The shrine draws huge crowds throughout the year, especially every Tuesday in the month of Chaitra. Earlier, the devotees had to scale 999 steps to go to the hilltop. Now, with the ropeway in place, it has been much easier for the people to go up. However, any body can also go to the hilltop by a vehicle.

Source: The Pioneer, Wednesday, November 21, 2007