Kalika Dance during Jhamu Jatra of Goddess Mangala of Kakatpur

Kakatpur: The Jhamu Jatra of Goddess Mangala of Kakatpur in Puri district of Odisha in the Chaitra month is the prime festival of the temple. During this festival many unique traditions are witnessed. One of those is the Kalika Dance. As per mythology, origin of Kalika Dance is associated with a popular mythological legend.

In mythology Goddesses Durga, Kali and Saraswati have been described as incarnations of Maa Mangala. Goddess Durga had slayed demon Mahisasura. However, ahead of that She had killed another demon, Raktabirjya.

This demon had got the blessings that when a drop of his blood would fall on the ground, a number of more Raktabirjyas would be created automatically from his blood.

Hence, when Goddess Durga was trying to kill him, more numbers of demons were getting created. Hence, Goddess Durga thought of Goddess Mangala and She created Goddess Kali whom she asked to open out her mouth, so that the moment Goddess Durga strikes Raktabīja with weapons, She would drink off the blood as fast as it runs out of his body. She instructs that Goddess Kali would drink off all the jets of blood in such a way that not a drop of it escapes and falls on the ground. Ultimately, even as every drop of the blood that streamed from the demon was consumed by Goddess Kali, Raktabīja was beheaded.

Also read: Worship Maa Siddhidatri On 9th Day Of Navratri To Get Her Blessings

On the basis of this legend, on the night of the third Tuesday in the month of Chaitra during the Jhamu Jatra of Maa Kakatpur Mangala the Kalika dance takes place. Hundreds of people gather at the venue to witness this special dance.

This Kalika dance has been held in the temple of Goddess Mangala for the last many years. And to provide this special dance service, a special servitor family is there. Mangaraj Swain’s family is performing Kalika dance here during Jhamu Jatra hereditarily generation after generation.

To perform this dance during Jhamu Jatra the dancer is required to follow certain divine prescriptions. From the beginning of the Chaitra month he consumes only ‘arua’ (not boiled) anna (rice) and keeps himself as pious as possible by avoiding negative chores. He also chants a secret mantra of Goddess Mangala.

On the performance day, following the ‘Sahana Mela’ ritual in the temple, Goddess Mangala is given a holy bath at the temple at about 10 pm. Later ulagi and mailam rituals are performed. And then a servitor of Maa Mangala, on behalf of the temple trust, visits the place of the Kalika servitor with a message that now Goddess Mangala is ready.

After getting the message, the Kalika servitor who is supposed to perform the Kalika dance takes a deep at the Prachi River. Then he proceeds to the Maa Mangala temple being accompanied by the Goddess Mangala servitor and enters the temple through the east gate. He reaches at the sanctum sanctorum and offers a ‘sastanga’ Prostration to the Goddess. Then he proceeds to the Gorada room located in the east side of the temple. There the Maa Mangala servitor attires the Kalika servitor to look like Maa Kali.

After wearing the attire he gets out of the temple being accompanied with a torch (dihudi) and amid the sound of bells, cymbals, Dhol, mahuri and other instruments and goes on performing Kalika Dance on the roads of Kakatpur.

Following the town visit, he then enters the temple through the east gate and gets out of the temple through the narrow way (Argali baata). There he gets the Angyamala and a sword and a lotus. He then goes out of the temple. He surrounds the temple three times and then dances in front of each of the gates (dwaras) by waving the sword. He then proceeds towards the north gate and proceeds to the nearby Maa Kakatei temple. Then he returns back to the Gorada house. At the Gorada house he gets unconscious by resting on a servitor. At this moment the divine shadow of Goddess kalika is believed to have been leaving his body.

This is an amazing and divine scene as per the devotees. Astonishingly, at this time the whole body of the kalika servitor becomes stiff in such a way that it becomes very hard for the other young servitors to make him offer a prostration to the Goddess by bending his waist.