Baladevjew Temple, Ichhapur –
Legends
Tulasi Kshetra:
As per
legend, the demon king Kandarasura was ruling over the area around Lalitagiri
and Alatigiri mountain ranges. Lord Balabhadra defeated him in a pitched
battle. After suffering defeat at the hands of Balabhadra, the demon king left
the place and went to Kapilash mountain as he was an ardent devotee of Lord
Shiva. He lived in disguise in the nearest mountain range.
Lord
Balabhadra thoroughly searched the demon everywhere in the hill and could not
able to locate him. Finally, he ploughed the hill with his plough as a result
of which one perennial spring emerged from the hill. The spring came to be
called as Langal Siar Jharana (spring of the plough). Finally, he engaged the
demon and killed the demon in a fight and threw his body all over nearby places
by cutting it into pieces.
It is
generally believed that the scattered body pieces fell at Asureswar named after
the head (Aswa Sira), Balagandi named after the trunk (Gandi of Aswa), Kamar
Khandi named after the waist (Kamar Khanda) and Navi Khanda named after the naval
(Navi Khanda). It is also believed that the Shiva temples of Swapneswar at
Kantia, Lankeswara of Gualisingh, Bileswar of Kagal were founded by Baladeva
over the face, neck and waist of the demon respectively.
Balagandi,
the place where the trunk of Kandarasura had fallen came to be called as Kandara
Padi. Later it got corrupted to Kandharapara / Kendrapara. It is said that Lord
Balabhadra first killed Madhudaitya, the chief military general of Kandarasura
at Lalitagiri before killing the demon Kandarasura through his war weapon
plough. The blood gushing out from the body of the general formed a river named
Madhusagar (now called as Gobari river).
It flow
towards east by the side of Kandarasura Menhir and finally reaches the sea. Lord
Balabhadra married Tulasi, the only daughter of Kandarasura on the 12th
day of the bright fortnight in the month of Magha. This event is celebrated every
year as Tulasi bibaha day (marriage day of Tulasi) in this temple. The place
where this marriage was performed came to be called as Tulasi
Kshetra. The deity of Tulasi Devi is worshipped in a temple nearby village
Gochha on the northern side of the road from Kendrapara to Ichhapur.
Siddha Baladev Jiu:
As per
legend, Lord Balabhadra established himself as a deity to be worshipped here
before his departure to his abode. The deity was worshipped by devas at the
door of Patalpuri (Lalitagiri) in Dwapar Yuga. When Buddhism started to spread
in this area during Kali Yuga, the deity was hidden under the water of
Madhusagar (Gobari River). Gopal Siddha Das, a cowherd discovered this idol near
Siddha Sarobar. Since then, this deity is worshipped at Kendrapara. The deity came
to be called as Siddha Baladev Jiu after the name of Gopal Siddha Das.
Other Names:
The
place was called as Tulasi Kshetra, Gupta Kshetra, Brahma Kshetra,
Kandarapadi, Gupta Brindaban Baladeba Kshetra and Manibigraha Kshetra.
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