Jeypore, 3rd Oct 2025: The Dussehra festival is ongoing on the hill near Panaspot Baga. According to the local residents, the worship of Maa Dashabhuja (the ten-armed form of Goddess Durga) has been conducted here for over 200 years. The main festival celebration will take place on Ashtami day (the eighth day of Navratri) this Tuesday. For this occasion, the youth from nearby villages are preparing enthusiastically. The rituals and worship will be performed properly on Ashtami. Saroj Mahanti of Panaspot Bagmi stated that arrangements have been made to serve prasada (sacred food) to around 3,000 devotees. The Maa Durga worshipped here is considered the sister of Maa Dakshinakali of Puranagar.
According to Shri Mahanti, based on local legends and accounts from the village elders, more than 200 years ago, two sisters, Durga and Dakshinakali, were worshipped on the hilltop by the local tribal people. For some reason, the idol of Dakshinakali was sold to the Khadanga family of Jaypur city by a community. The Khadanga family then kept the Dakshinakali idol at their home and performed worship rituals.
When the Khadanga family informed the king about Dakshinakali, the king had the idol installed in Puranagar after conducting rituals. Since then, Dakshinakali is worshipped in Puranagar and Maa Durga on the hill.
For the worship of Maa Durga on the hill, the royal family appointed a priest from Panaspot Bagra. The king also donated land to the priest’s family so that they could sustain themselves by farming. The priest’s descendants continue the worship of Maa Durga even today.
The temple holds worship services every Tuesday and Friday. The main festival is celebrated on Maha Ashtami. According to ancient tradition, only after bringing the worship materials from the Durga temple at Panaspot Bagra to the Dakshinakali temple, the Dussehra festival begins there. This tradition is still followed.
Last week, the village youth accompanied the priests to the Kali temple carrying worship materials. The Dakshinakali temple in Puranagar has seen some development, but no improvements have been made to the temple on Panaspot Bagra hill. Earlier, the worship of Maa Durga was conducted in the open air, but now tents have been set up. Devotees have to walk to reach the temple on foot.