Four Adi Sakthi Peethas :Bimala Shaktipeeth:Orissa

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Four Adi Sakthi Peethas :Bimala Shaktipeeth: Orissa




Bimala Shaktipeeth

Bimala Shaktipeethis one of the four Adi Shakti Peethas located in Puri, India. The temple dedicated to the goddess Bimala is located to the right of the main temple of Jagannath within the Jagannath Temple, Puri complex beside the Rohini Kund.

It is believed that the feet [Pada Khanda] of Goddess Sati fell here.

The temple is considered foremost among all Shaktipeeths. Lord Jagannath worshipped as the Bhairav form shows syncretism of Vaishnav amd Shaivite beliefs. Goddess Bimala is worshipped as a peaceful form of Shakti.

For Sakta Tantric Jagannatha is Bhairava and Bimala is Bhairavi. In the month of Asvina, during the Durga Puja, animal sacrifice is made before goddess Bimala which is the only of its kind in the otherwise bloodless rituals performed in the temple. The holy food offered to Shri Jagannatha is sanctified only after it is presented to Bimala and then acquires the character of Mahaprasad. The Goddess Bimala, a manifestation of the Mother Goddess and considered as Shakti of Lord Jagannatha.

Religious Significance:


Vimala is identified with the goddesses Katyayini, Durga, Bhairavi, Bhuvaneshvari and Ekanamsha in various texts and rituals. She is considered the shakti of Vishnu as well as Shiva in the climactic Durga Puja festivities in the temple. She appears as Mahishasuramardini (Durga as slayer of the demon Mahishasura) or Vijayalakshmi (the warrior form of Lakshmi) in New Delhi Konark stele, 13th century stone stele originally from Konark Sun Temple and now housed in National Museum, New Delhi


The people of Orissa take pride in the Vimala temple. They consider it the most important temple to the Goddess and a must-visit. Devotees visit the temple religiously every day and recite hymns from the Devi Mahatmya, attributed to the sage Markandeya, Debyaparadhakshyamapana stotram by Adi Shankara and Vimalastakam composed by Purusottam Rakshit. It is prescribed that devotees pay their respects to the goddess Vimala before worshipping Jagannath in the main temple.[SUP]

[/SUP] The waters of Rohini kunda, the tirtha (sacred pool) of Vimala, are also considered holy. Tantrics often visit the temple, which they consider more important than the central Jagannath shrine.[SUP]

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The Goddess-oriented festival of Durga Puja in the Hindu month of Ashvin (October) is celebrated for sixteen days, culminating with Vijayadashami.[SUP]

[/SUP]On Vijayadashami, Vimala is worshipped by the titular Gajapati king of Puri as the goddess Durga, who is believed to have slain the demon Mahishasura on this day. The earliest record of this is the New Delhi Konark stele, which narrate that King Narasimhadeva I (reign: 1238–1264) worshipped Durga-Madhava (Vimala-Jagannath) on the tenth day of Durga Puja, that is, Vijayadashami.[SUP]

[/SUP] As the goddess is believed to assume a destructive aspect during the Durga Puja, women are debarred in the temple as they are considered too "weak-hearted" to witness this terrible form of the goddess









Bimala Shaktipeeth
Vimala Temple - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia