04/10/2026
विमला सा महादेवी जगन्नाथस्तु भैरवः
Among the Char Dham of Sanatana Dharma, Puri stands peerless. Shree Jagannath Dham is the only sacred threshold where the Supreme Divinity and the Primordial Energy dwell side by side—home to the revered Adi Shaktipeeth of Maa Bimala, resting right within the divine aura of Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath’s temple.
In Puri, where Sati’s pada (feet) or uchhishta (remnants) is said to have fallen, Maa Bimala is the Adi Shakti. Ordinarily, a classical Shiva lingam serves as the Bhairava. However, this verse reveals a unique synthesis: Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha Himself assumes the role of Bhairava.
During the month of Aswina ( Sept-Oct) , unlike the standard Navaratri and 4-to-5-day public pandal celebrations in various parts of India , Odisha celebrates the 16 Puja (known natively in Odisha as Shodasha Dinatmaka Upachara Puja or Shodasha Dinatmaka Sharadiya Parva) which is the traditional 16-day Durga Puja observed at Shree Bimala Shakti Peetha i.e inside the Shree Jagannatha Temple premises and across major Shakti shrines of Odisha .
The 16-day worship begins with Ashwina Krishna Ashtami (the 8th day of the dark fortnight, also referred to as Mula Ashtami) and concludes on Ashwina Shukla Navami .
During this period , Devi Durga and Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha (represented by Madhava) are worshipped together. For the 16 days, both deities sit side by side on a bhadrasana . On the 1st 8 days the deties are worshipped at Maa Bimala Temple and the next 8 days they are brought out of the temple in a Ratha shaped Vimana to the Narayani Temple at Dolamandap Sahi of Puri . This Yatra is also called Gupt Gundicha Yatra .
The 16 Puja reflects the integration of Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Shaktism distinct to Odisha's religious history. The festival does not worship Shakti in isolation; it honors the eternal union of dynamic cosmic power (Devi Durga) and transcendent supreme consciousness (Madhava).
[Shree Jagannath, Maa Bimala, Adi Shaktipeeth, Bhairava, Mahadevi, Mahaprasad, Naivedya, Shodasha Puja, 16 Puja, Durga Madhava, Mula Ashtami, Ashwina, Ta**ra, Shakta, Vaishnavism, Biraja Kshetra, Jajpur, Simhadhwaja, Ratha Yatra]
