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OFFTRACK:
BAGADIHA, ORISSA
 Rise
and Shrine
A
village deity leaps from obscurity to fame. So does her town.
By Ruben
Banerjee
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| A Sight
Typical of any village in Orissa's faceless backyard |
It's
a sight typical of any village in orissa's faceless backyard. A bustling
settlement straddling a dusty road, unfettered cattle intermittently blocking
the way, urchins scampering all over the coconut-lined landscape, a small
rivulet that lazily cuts across the natural beauty. Most of the thatched
huts are in a cluster and the lush green fields stretch all the way up
to the distant horizon. And the temple. For no village in the state is
complete without its own temple. Neither is Bagadiha. In a corner, but
not hidden from sight, is the abode of the local presiding deity, Ma Gojabayani.
The rustic
similarities end here. What separates Bagadiha from the rest of the teeming
villages is that its local deity's fame has spread so far and wide that
a visit to the otherwise inconsequential village has emerged as a must
in the itinerary of pilgrims.
All round
the year, Bagadiha in Kendrapara district is awash with visitors from
far and wide. They come in all modes of transport and from all walks of
life. But once they are in the temple,they are all same. They pray, they
prostrate themselves and seek the blessings of Ma Gojabayani. In a land
where Lord Jagannath traditionally has everyone in thrall, Ma Gojabayani
has suddenly become popular and carved a niche for herself. Even those
who throng the alleys leading to the Jagannath temple are visiting Ma
Gojabayani's abode. Bagadiha is consequently basking in the sudden prominence
of its deity.
"The
rush has been unending over the last few years," says Balram Das,
a village priest. So heavy has been the traffic that even the normally
indifferent district administration has been forced to sit up and take
note. While special buses have been pressed into service from Cuttack
to facilitate the journey of pilgrims to the hitherto unknown village,
the road to Bagadiha-though still pot-holed—has been metalled. Some
ingenious locals have also jumped into the fray. Traffic jams are common
along the narrow road choked by the rush of men and vehicles. So some
villagers have started a ferry service along the rivulet to the temple-at
a price, of course.
The rush
is at its peak on Thursdays when pilgrims from places as distant as Koraput,
Kalahandi and neighbouring states like West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh
come in. "It's as if Bagadiha is one of the most favoured destinations
in Orissa these days," marvels Sanjaya Kumar Jena, a resident of
the nearby village of Marsaghai. The unending crowd means putting up with
lot of chaos and inconvenience. But no one is really worried. Besides
the spreading fame of the region that all its inhabitants apparently relish,
there have been economic benefits too. Villagers have set up roadside
kiosks, selling everything from flowers and eatables to photographs of
the deity. Others are engaged as pujaris and guides. "Ma Gojabayani
has been distinctly kind," admits Dhiren Das, a villager. "She
has given us an opportunity to make a living."
And therein
lies an understatement. For, some people are making a killing in the name
of the deity. So powerful is the deity's hold on the state that audio
cassettes selling Ma Gojabayani bhajans have now become sure-fire moneyspinners.
A feature film on the deity has also been made and pronounced a hit. Her
name sells and so there are a surfeit of eateries and business establishments
that seek to pull in crowds by using her name. One therefore gets to see
Ma Gojabayani restaurants and Ma Gojabayani furniture shops, among other
things.
But unlike
the majestic temples in Puri and elsewhere, Ma Gojabayani's abode in Bagadiha
still remains small. Until some years ago it remained ensconced among
shrubs and only the locals went from time to time to light a few oil lamps.
Then suddenly the word spread that a girl from the region had been cured
of cancer by her divine intervention and Ma Gojabayani made her big leap
from obscurity to fame.With donations pouring in, plans are now on to
build a bigger temple. But as of now, the Goddess' fame remains hugely
disproportionate to the size of her temple.
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says INDIA TODAY Associate Editor, V Shankar Aiyar
