Ganga Mata Matha, Puri – Legends

Ganga Mata Matha, Puri – Legends

As per the matha legends, the matha is named after Sachi Devi, the daughter of the Naresh Narayana, zamindar of Puntiya. Sachi devi was born in Puntiya currently in the Rajshahi district of present-day Bangladesh. From her early childhood, Sachi Devi was indifferent to family life and devoted to Krishna. Her parents saw this and wanted to see her married as soon as possible, but Sachi told them that she refused to accept any mortal as her husband. When she announced her determination to remain unmarried in this way, her parents could do nothing to change her mind.

When her mother died, Sachi Devi left home and set out on a pilgrimage which led her first to Puri and then to Vrindavan. Sachidevi received initiation from Shri Haridas Pandit Goswami, the great worshiper of Shri Govindaji in Vrindavan and began performing her bhajan in Vrindavan. Later she continued her sadhana at Radha Kunda. Upon her arrival in Vrindavan Dhama, she met Sri Haridas Goswami and felt her entire pilgrimage was fulfilled. She wanted to take initiation from him, but he hesitated at first because of her wealthy family background.

Later, however, when he saw her asceticism and her unswerving determination to engage in pure devotional life, he gave her initiation in the eighteen-syllabled mantra. This event took place in the Govindaji temple on the Chaitra Shukla Ekadashi. After having received her guru’s mercy, she began to engage in intense Bhajana, subsisting through begging from door to door for food. After a year of this intense devotional activity, she was told by her spiritual master to live in Radha Kund with her spiritually advanced aunt and god-sister, Lakshmi Priya, who regularly chanted three lakhs of naam every day.

As a part of their regular spiritual practice, the two of them daily circumambulated Sri Govardana Giri. After several years of such practice at Radha Kund, when Sachi had become very advanced in her devotional life, her Guru sent her to Purushottam Kshetra to revive and restore the home of Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, which had fallen into disrepair. Obeying her Guru’s instructions, Sachi Devi went to Jagannath Puri and took the kshetra-sannyasa vow. Among others, King Mukundadeva of Jagannath Puri and a number of Jagannath's Sevaits received Deeksha from her. She was also an eloquent speaker and explained Shrimad Bhagavata for large audiences.

To fulfill her desire to take bath in the Ganga, Lord Jagannath being pleased with her devotion made Gangadevi to appear in the adjoining tank. Since the water of the tank turned milky when the river goddess appears in the tank, the tank came to be known as Sweta Ganga and Sachidevi as Ganga Mata. Ganges came from the lotus feet of Lord Jagannath to her ashram and allowed her to bathe on the same night. Entering Ganga Devi’s waters, she floated to the lotus feet of Jagannath Swami in Jagannath Puri. Early in the morning, when the pujaris unlocked the doors and opened the gates, they discovered her.

Thinking she was a thief, they immediately put her in jail. But Lord Jagannath seeing this mistake appeared in the dream to both the king and the head pujari, ordering them to immediately release Sachidevi from jail and to take initiation from her. The glories of Sachidevi spread throughout Puri and Sachidevi was hurriedly released by the order of Jagannath. From that time onwards, she became famous as Ganga Mata Goswamini. In Jaipur, there is a Deity called Shri Shyama Raya was worshiped by a brahmin. This Deity appeared to the Brahmin in his dream and told him he should take him to Puri and hand him to Gangamata Goswamini.

Following the order of the deity, the Brahmin went to Puri and presented Shri Shyama Raya to her. On the order of Gangamata Goswamini, the king renovated the old palace of Shri Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya and she then established Shri Shyama Raya, and he is still being worshiped there today. The monastery on the bank of Sweta Ganga established by Sachidevi was later known as Ganga Mata Matha or Sachidevi Matha.