Information of Chandi Temple, Cuttack, Odisha

The Chandi temple is located in the Cuttack District of the Indian state of Orissa now known as Odisha. The Cuttack Chandi temple differs from the temples in Bhubaneswar because the main deity worshipped in Cuttack is Goddess Durga in the form of Chandi where the primary deity in Bhubaneswar temples id Lord Shiva. Goddess Durga is commonly known as Maa Katak Chandi. Cuttack is an ancient city of Orissa ruled over by many Kings belonging to different dynasties.

Chandi Temple Religious Significance

The primary deity of the temple is also the primary deity of Lord Cuttack and is worshipped as Bhuvaneshvari Mahavidya which means the Queen of the Universe. She is considered as a living Goddess as she answers each prayer from her ardent devotees. The Goddess eradicates all forms of evil and kills every demon on her way. She is often seen wearing a garland made out of the heads of the demons she beheaded. Goddess Chandi is just another form of Durga who appears as the situation demands her to be.

The most important festival celebrated in the temple is Durga Puja and Kali Puja. The Durga Puja celebrated here is similar to celebrations by other Durga temple but instead of a span of ten days here the worships goes on for sixteen days. The celebration begins from dark fortnight of Ashwina Krishna Ashtami until Ashwina Shukla navami and Vijayadashami.

The daily worship along with worships during the festivals too is carried on by Sevayatas who belong to Utkala Brahmins.

The temple remains open throughout a day with a short interval between and is open throughout the year.

Chandi Temple Mythology & History

A strange myth is present regarding the Cuttack Chandi Temple. At the time of Gajapati Dynasty during the medieval period Lord Chandi used to be their deity. When the area was invaded by non Hindus the king buried the deity underground and fled to Puri.

Years passed a Priest of the then King of Kanika used to graze his cattle shed on a piece of barren land. After a hard day of work the priest Sri Hansa Panda rested on a small mountain of dry mud. He felt something weird and unusual coincidently on the same night he had a vision from Goddess Chandi asking him to take her out of the land. Surprised Hansa Panda narrated his experience to the Kind. The King immediately carried out a work force to dig the fallow land. It is said about forty carts of vermillion powder was excavated and finally emerged the presiding deity of Goddess Chandi. A temple was built which housed the discovered deity of the area.

Priest Hansa Panda started worshipping as the primary purohit of the temple. After his death his lineage started following his foot prints and worships the temple with same faith and belief as Late Hansa Panda. He had a son named Sri Lakshmana Panda who along with his daughters Champa, mali, Tulasi and Malati carried out the worships. The Goddess answered the Pandas prayers and blessed him with a son named as Dayanidhi Panda. He further had six sons who carried out the daily worshipping. The present fourteen Pandas are all brothers who have continued the works of their great great grand fathers.

Chandi Temple Architectural Significance

The temple of Chandi in Cuttack does not belong to any ancient form of architecture but is built in a typical later age temples. It is a colourful structure cascaded with brown tiles. The entrance of the Temple is guarded by lion stamping elephants on either side. The top of the temple also displays two standing lions and is decorated by yellow dharma chakras. The main shrine is a square structure and houses the beautiful idol of Goddess Chandi. The idol of Goddess Chandi is four armed holding a noose (Paasha), goad (Ankusha), gestures dispelling fear (Abhaya) and granting boon (Varada).

The idol is decorated with beautiful garlands and flowers in a neat and tidy manner. The idol of the deity wears a golden crown and is place in a silver cascade.

The temple attracts a large number of devotees especially from the local area. The people worship and have a strong belief on the Goddess for granting boons.