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The Maa Sarala Temple is a Hindu temple in the district of Jagatsinghpur, Odisha, India. The temple is accessible by road from Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack and Paradeep. The nearest airport is Bhubaneshwar, which is approximately 80 km, and is well connected by road. The nearest railway station is Cuttack; however, there is a small Passenger Halt at Sarala Road, near Tentulipada. The temple can be reached via Jagatsinghpur, or Tarapur by road, from Cuttack. Maa Saarala is a Hindu goddess who patronizes the cultures of Vaishnav and Shakta. Rarely does one find the use of ''Vilva Patra'' and ''Tulasi patra '' in any temple, as they are symbols of two distinct divisions of Hindu culture. There is also some controversy regarding the deity, where it is suspected that the deity may be a Buddhist tantric figure, as she holds a book, Veena and hand bell – known Mahayana symbols. It is said that Huen Tsang, the Chinese pilgrim, visited Odisha and he had taken a ship from Chilitolo Port to Sri lanka, which historians attribute to modern day Tirtol. This may be a possibility as geography shows that Paradip was an island and the land in and around Kujanga was under water - Sea/River. There is geographic evidence to support this. To be at a safer side, we may conclude that Sarala represents the ''Shiva-Shakti'' worship which evolved from an amalgamation of Shaivism (worship of Shiva), Shaktism (worship of the Mother Goddess) and/or Tantric form. Goddess Sarala is known as ''Vak Devi'', the Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom. It is well documented that Sidheshwar Parida - a small time farmer and part-time Oriya ''Paika'' - was an ardent follower of the Goddess and it was after her blessings that Sidheshwar Parida became Sarala Das, the author of the Oriya ''Mahabharata''. Folklore goes back to thousands of years, to the age of ''Parashurama''. It is said that it was God ''Parashurama'' who had carved the goddess with the tip of his arrow. Even this temple survived the ravages of ''Kala Chand'' (legendary Kala Pahada). The new temple- 500 years old - was built by the Raja of Manijanga. The remnants of the old temple is not visible, but folklore goes that it was at Badasarol, a place where the Ganesha Temple, (generally adorns the south gate of all Oriya temples) (Nanda Deula, now renovated) stands as witness, where the old temple once stood. Although there are many festivals that are celebrated in the temple, the major ones are: ''Parbana, Sharadiya Utsav, Pana Sankranti, Dola Purnima, Chandan Jatra''. The people of the Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Cuttack districts are so attached to the goddess that they make it a point to visit the temple every year - at least once. ==Synopsis== This shrine of Goddess Sarala of Jhankada is one of the most spiritually elevated expression of Shaktism from time immemorial. The heavenly abode of the Goddess is existent in the village of Sarala (Kanakapur) of the Jagatsinghpur district, located on the eastern coast of India. It is believed that Goddess Sarala is a synthesis of divine figure of Durga and Matangi. Three idols of Goddess are there in the sanctum sanctorum of the main temple. The main idol, carved out of stone is of eight-armed keeping right feet on the lion in Mahisha Mardini posture. As per the main priest (Puja Panda), the dhruva/main idol of Goddess is stationary (Achalanti Mula Vigraha) and she holds Sword (Khadga), Trident (Trishul), Manuscript (Pustak) and Lute or Veena in her right hands and Disk (pattisha), Bow (Karmuka), Bell (Ghanta) and the head of Buffalo Demon (Mahishasura) left hands. Some scholars associate Devi as Matangi mahavidya. The second idol of Maa is four-armed, holding Shankha, Chakra, Varada and abhaya mudra, and the third idol is two-armed, made out of eight precious metals (Ashtadhatu). These idols of Maa are taken out of temple in different ceremonial occasions and known as movable idols (Chalanti Bigraha). The Goddess otherwise known as Jhankad Vaasini Sharada or ‘Maa Sarola’ is worshiped in most of the houses of the local districts as well as in the state. The Culture of the deity result of the amalgamation of three principal Hindu worship subjects Vedic, Tantrik and Vaishnavite. This place is one among the eight most famous Shakta shrines of Odisha.〔(www.maasarala.org )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sarala Temple」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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