Siddha Bakula Matha, Puri, Odisha

Siddha Bakula Matha, Puri, Odisha

Siddha Bakula Matha is a religious place connected to the lives of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Haridasa Thakura, located in Puri, a famous pilgrimage town in the state of Odisha, India. Siddha Bakula is located near Kasi Mishra house (Radha Kanta Matha). The Matha is located at about 800 meters from Puri Jagannatha Temple, 3 Kms from Puri Bus Stand and 3 Kms from Puri Railway Station.

Legends

Siddha Bakula is located near Kasi Mishra house (Radha Kanta Matha). Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu personally arranged for Srila Haridasa Thakura to reside at this place. Siddha Bakula is the Bhajana Kutir of Haridasa Thakura, the place where he chanted 300,000 names of Krishna daily. Haridasa Thakura being a Muslim, could not enter the Jagannatha Temple, who looked at the Nilachakra on top of Lord Jagannath’s Temple and offered his prayers from this place.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to would visit him daily at this place. In order to provide shade for Haridasa Thakura, Sri Chaitanya planted a used tooth stick of Lord Jagannath. All of a sudden, it grew up and appeared as a great tree. Rupa Goswami recited Lalitha Madhava and Vidagdha Madhava under this tree before Sri Gauranga and his followers. During his stay Sanatana Goswami lived with Haridasa Thakura here. Haridasa Thakur left his body here and Lord Chaitanya personally carried his body to the sea.

In course of time, the King of Orissa ordered his officers to cut down the tree here in order to construct Lord Jagannatha’s Ratha Yatra cart. Big amount of wood is needed, since the carts are about 13 m high and each year new ones are constructed. They come to cut this tree but Srila Jagannatha Goswami objected, informing them that the tree had been planted by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu for giving shade to Haridasa Thakura. But they refused and decided to cut this tree in the next day. Overnight, the tree becomes hollow.

The trunk remained standing, but its insides were empty.  The next morning when the royal officers came, they found the tree hollow and returned without cutting it. The tree was not ordinary tree, having been used as a toothbrush for Lord Jagannatha, and then planted in the ground by Mahaprabhu own hand, and acting as shelter for Nama Acharya Srila Haridasa Thakura. The Tree had attained perfection, Siddha, and from that day on was known as the Siddha Bakula by all the local people.

The Matha

The site has a unique Bakula tree winding and climbing around the courtyard. People tie stones to this Kalpa Dharu (wish-fulfilling tree) and make their wishes. There is a small shrine housing an idol of Haridas Thakura in sitting posture chanting Japa. There is another shrine housing Shadabhuja Gauranga (six-armed Gauranga) in the middle flanked by Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Advaita Acharya. An idol of Lord Narasimha can also be found nearby.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2020/01/puri-odisha-connectivity-puri.html

Location