The Mangala Temple at Kakatpur stands on the eastern bank of the Prachi river in Puri district and is dedicated to the goddess Mangala, counted among the Shakta pithas of Odisha. According to local tradition, the goddess was found beneath the river after a boatman dreamed of her. The present temple is said to date to 1548 CE. Puri priests also pray to Mangala for guidance during the Nabakalevara rite, when the wooden images of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are renewed.
quick facts
- district
Puri
how to reach
The nearest railway stations are Bhubaneswar and Puri, and the nearest airport is Bhubaneswar. By road, Kakatpur is about 60 km from Bhubaneswar, 55 km from Puri, 69 km from Cuttack and 38 km from Jagatsinghpur. It lies on the Bhubaneswar to Konark road via Pipili, and a bus stop is a short walk from the temple.
address: Kakatpur, Puri district, Odisha
history and significance
why it matters
Mangala is a much revered goddess of the Prachi valley. Her link with the Nabakalevara rite makes the temple important to the Jagannath tradition as well.
history
There is no written evidence for how the worship of Mangala began. A local myth says that the demon king Ravana worshipped Mangala, and that after Rama's victory a merchant brought the goddess from Singhala, the island of Sri Lanka, to Utkala and established her in the Prachi valley.
Another tradition says she lay hidden beneath the river. A boatman caught in a flood dreamed of her, recovered her image, and saw a crow dive into the spot and not return. The name Kakatpur is linked to the Odia words for crow and for being detained, and the village of Mangalapur is said to have become Kakatpur. According to Wikipedia, the present temple was built in 1548 CE by the local zamindar Panchanan Mitra Roychudamoni, though the same page also calls it a fifteenth and a sixteenth century temple in different places.
what to see
The temple follows the Utkaliya Peetha Vimana style of Kalingan architecture, with carvings in the usual Odia manner and a khilana and prabha behind the seated deity.
A solid stone bed is shown, on which the goddess is said to rest after touring the universe each day. It is worn from long use.
rituals and festivals
The festivals listed for the temple are Jhamu Yatra, Basanti Durga Puja, Sharadiya Durga Puja, Durga Sayana Utsav and Debasnana Purnima.
During the Nabakalevara rite, the Puri priests pray to Mangala, and the goddess is said to show them in dreams where the sacred Daru Brahma trees stand.
nearby
other temples nearby2
questions visitors ask
Where is the Mangala Temple?
It is at Kakatpur in Puri district, on the eastern bank of the Prachi river, on the Bhubaneswar to Konark road via Pipili.
What is the link between Mangala and Nabakalevara?
During Nabakalevara the Puri priests pray to Mangala, and she is said to reveal in their dreams where the Daru Brahma trees stand.
How did Kakatpur get its name?
According to tradition, a crow dived into the spot where the goddess was recovered and did not return, and the name is linked to the Odia words for crow and for being detained.
