Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/efHX3Tx93pk
Reference: https://odishatour.in/maa-majhighariani-temple-rayagada/
Location:
“Majhighariani
Temple, 5C46+72F, Rayagada, Odisha 765001”
On the banks of Nagavalli river, is
situated the Ma Majhigariani temple. Situated at a distance of around 3 KMs
from Rayagada town, the temple is home to MaJhigariani, who is the presiding
deity of Rayagada district, also known locally as Majji Gouri. The idol worship
of Majji Gouri is done on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.
History
and legend:
The legend states that the Majji Gouri
temple was established in the year 1528 AD, when Nandapur Maharaj Bishwanath
Dev bought in the Majji Gouri idol from Jeypore to Rayagada. She later came to
be known as MaJhigariani because he worships the mother in the center of the
city. Legend says that Ma Magalaghariani is the eldest among the 9 sisters. Out
of the other 8 sisters, Ma Durga is worshipping at Paika Sahi Maa Samaleshwari
Temple in Rayagada, and 7 sisters are staying at Brahman Sahi in Rayagada city.
Goddess Ma Jhigariani is believed to have
her origin back to 4th century AD. Majji Gouri temple is surrounded
by beautiful hill. The most famous festival of this temple is Chaitra, ‘chaitra
parba’ festival. The speciality of this temple is that Majji Gouri Ma fulfills
every wish of the devotees. During the
festival, sword of the deity is taken out around the town to ward off evils
from the town.
Architecturally, the temple showcases a
Kalinga style construction, characterized by its pyramid-shape spire or
shikhara and detailed carvings. The temple is often considered to be a
prominent pilgrimage destination for people in southern Odisha and northern AP,
attracting thousands of devotees every year, especially during festive season.
Nearby places to visit:
1)
Minajola Shiva temple and tourist
place
2)
Pataleshwar Shiva Temple, Paikapada
3)
Gadgada waterfall
4)
Padmapur Mallikeshwara Temple
5)
Hanging Bridge
6)
Laxmi Narayan temple, Theruballi
7)
Devagiri Hills
8)
Durgapadu waterfalls
9)
Jagannath temple
10)
Swarnagiri temple
11)
Hathipahar waterfall
12)
Jimidipeta waterfall
13)
Minakhunti waterfall
How
to Reach:
By
Air: Nearest
airport is at Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) 205 KMs away which is well
connected with New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Nagpur by going flights.
Bhubaneshwar Airport is around 380 KMs.
By
Road: Nearest bus stop is Rayagada bus stand, around 1.5 KMs
from the temple, connected to major cities and towns around.
By
Train: Nearest railway station is Rayagada around 3 KMs from the
temple, which is well-connected from other parts of India like Delhi, Chennai,
Allepy, Bokaro, Raipur, Gujrat, Nagpur, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bilaspur and
Bhubaneswar.
Stay Options:
For the next 2 days, we
were moving from Rayagada towards Koraput and Malkangiri while covering places
around. Staying options are available at Jeypore or Malkangiri, but our route
was like, for Jeypore we had to move to a different direction. There is a place
called Damanjodi, where there are couple of staying options. We stayed in a new
just started hotel: Hotel Lemon Royal, which is quite good at a descent cost
too. Food is good too. If staying at Rayagada, then the town itself has many
hotels to stay, so stay is not a problem at all.
Location: “Hotel Lemon Royal, Bhejaput Main Rd, Bhejaput, Damanjodi,
Odisha 763008”
Parking and Photography:
There is no dedicated
parking for the temple and parking your own vehicle is a bit of a problem. We
parked on the side of the railway barrier there.
Photography is
restricted to outside the temple. Drone usage should be done from a distance.
Major Festival:
1)
Navaratri
is celebrated for 9 days on the occasion of Dasahara puja, when daily
Chandipatha, Surya Puja are held at this temple.
2)
Chaitra
Parba, the annual festival every year during April (Chaitra), which the tribal
village celebrates. 5 day festival starts on the 11th day of
Suklapakhya in the month of Chaitra and ends on Purnima.
Timings:
Monday to Sunday: 5:30
am to 12:30 pm and 01:30 pm to 9 pm