Puri is one of the majestic places. The serene land is ornamented with gorgeous beaches, rolling surf of Bay of Bengal, and the temples, which make Puri one of the sacred places.
The Shree temple is quite known to the world. With Lord Jagannath adorning the throne of the Shree temples with his siblings, it is one of the most sought after pilgrimage site in India. However, along with this, there is another famous temple- Mausi Maa Temple.
Mausi Maa Temple Puri
It is situated in the midway at Grand Road in Puri, the temple is dedicated to Mausi Maa. The literal meaning of Mausi means ‘Aunt’ (mother’s sister) and ‘Maa’ means mother. This could be stated that it is the temple of Aunt mother of Lord Jagannath.
There is another name for the Goddess Mausi Maa- Ardhasini. According to a tale, she drank half of the seawater to save Puri from drowning in floods. And therefore got the name Ardhasini. According to another belief, Ardhasini along with Kapalmochna Shiva are the day and night guardians of Shree Temple and Puri Town.
The temple is closely associated with Rath Yatra or Chariot Festival. Mausima temple is facing towards south and closely associated with the Car festival of Lord Jagannath. As per the rituals of Car Festival, on the day of Bahuda Jatra (return car festival day), the chariots of Balabhadra and Subhadra are pulled directly to the Singha Dwara (Lion’s Gate of Jagannath Temple), whereas the chariot of Jagannath stops in front of Mausima temple for a while. Here, Lord Jagannth accepts his favorite rice cake known as ‘Poda Pitha’ from his aunt.
Other festivals like Mahasaptami, Mahasaptami, Mahanavami are also observed in Ardhasini temple.
To stay connected with such interesting festivals and folklores of Puri town, stay connected with us at www.holidayresort.com
