'Gosani Jatra’: The Ancient Way of Durga Puja In Jagannath Culture

'Gosani Jatra’: The Ancient Way of Durga Puja In Jagannath Culture

In a time when the world has transformed into a closely-knit global community and cultural interactions have accelerated, maintaining authenticity, preserving one's roots, and safeguarding tradition and culture from dilution has become an arduous task. As we delve into the realm of culture and tradition, it's impossible to ignore the globally renowned city of Jagannath Dham Puri, celebrated for its profound cultural and traditional heritage. Along with the world famous Rath Jatra, the city has several other exceptional rituals and celebrations all over the year, and ‘Gosani' Jatra’ is one of them. 

During Dussehra or Durga Puja, the festival dedicated to the worship of Maa Durga, here in Puri, the idols are referred to as ''Gosani'' and are named according to their ancient designations specific to the region. According to the Hindu calendar, starting from ‘Ashvina Krishna Paksha Mulastami’ till ‘Sukla Paksha Navami’ the rituals continue for 16 long days. Devotees have the opportunity to behold a mesmerising array of 'Gosani' idols representing various forms of Maa Durga, including ‘Maa Barabati’, ‘Janhikhai’, ‘Sunya 'Gosani'’, ‘Belabai’, ‘Gelabai’, and others. The festivities also feature the display of other significant idols such as ‘Naga’, ‘Sampati Chadhei’, ‘Budha-Budhi’, ‘Dasamundiya Ravana’, and more.

This Jatra is endemic to Puri and it began in the twelfth century, representing an indigenous cultural characteristic of this sacred city, unlike anything found elsewhere. The style of worship of the 'Gosani's has not been adapted from any other state or culture, it authentically belongs to Puri. It has deep-rooted connections with the Puri Shree Mandir (Puri Jagannath Temple) spanning many centuries. While the temple has a strong association with ‘Vaishnavism’, it also serves as a convergence point for various other Hindu religious sects, including ‘Shaiva’, ‘Shakti’, ‘Ganapatya’, and ‘Saura’, resulting in the creation of the cosmopolitan Jagannatha cult.

On ‘Ekadashi Tithi’ (11th day) of the ‘Shukla Paksha’ (bright fortnight) of the Hindu lunar month of ‘Ashvina’, clay images of 'Gosani's gather in front of the ‘Singhadwara’ of the Jagannath Temple and late in the night are taken to nearby rivers for ‘bhasani’ (immersion). According to the traditions, the 'Gosani's come out one by one in a procession and ‘mahadeep’ is lit on the Jagannath Temple.

The grand procession of 'Gosani', till today, doesn't have any loud music playing on speakers nor any brass bands unlike any other 'bhasani' processions in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar or any other place of the state. 'Gosani' procession only includes traditional musical instruments like ‘dhola’, ‘mandala’, ‘ghanta’, ‘Sambalpuri singha baja’, among others. In ancient times, during the procession, hundreds of people used to carry idols, one by one, on their shoulders with the use of bamboo and wood carriers but now, tractors or trucks are used. 

What/Who is 'Gosani'?

The word ‘'Gosani'’ has several meanings and is locked in mystery. It is believed that the 'Gosanis' are the associated ‘Shaktis’ of the supreme Goddess Durga during her war with ‘Mahishasur’. It is for pacifying these terrifying ‘Shaktis’ that clay idols ('Gosani's) are worshipped annually during Durga Puja. Locals believe the 'Gosani's to be the ‘Shaktis’ of Lord Shiva, who is also known as ‘Bhootnath’ and is the lord of spirits, evil powers, and ghosts.

Going by the description found in ‘madala panji’; the Jagannath Temple journal of daily events, the first king of the Ganga dynasty, Chodaganga Deva, the king who initiated the building of the current Jagannath Temple was an expert tantric and through his powers and expertise had reined in all 'Gosani's of Odisha. History says that Chodaganga Deva was a Shiva worshipper, converted to a Vishnu worshipper by the ‘Vedanta acharya’, Ramanuja.

According to some scholars, the word 'Gosani' is derived from the Odia word ‘Gosamani’, which means ‘aristocratic lady’, the wife of the owner or the paternal grandmother (‘Gosein’ maa in Odia). In the royal families of Odisha, the prince and princess are called ‘Jenamani’ and ‘Jemamani’ respectively. In this way, the paternal great grandmother is called ‘Gosein maa’ or ‘Gosamani’. In this connection, local people believe the 'Gosani's as saviours and nourish their locality and therefore, during the Durga Puja festival, they worship images of 'Gosani' in their respective sahis (neighbourhood).

In Odia, the word Goswami also means a Brahmin (is also called or Gossein) landlord owning cows and his wife is called Goswamini and 'Gosani' can be colloquial of it. Again, Lord Shiva is also called ‘Goswami’ as he rides on the back of his bull Nandi and hence his consort Shakti of Durga is ‘Goswamini’ from which 'Gosani' could have been derived. Further, in Puri co-worship of Mahisamardini Durga and Madhava (Lord Jagannath) is prevalent from the Ganga period and scholars conclude that 'Gosani' must be Durga.

Before the 'bhasani' on Dashami the 'bhasani' puja of every idol takes place. So it is believed that the divine power or soul has been extracted from the idols a day before the 'bhasani'. So they are like bodies with no soul, and that’s another reason to call them ‘Asariri’ (Ghost) or ‘'Gosani'’.

Creating 'Gosani' Durga

What makes this tradition special is that it involves worshipping large clay statues portraying ‘Mahishasura-Mardini’, where Goddess Durga is depicted as the vanquisher of the buffalo demon. Notably, most of the 'Gosani' idols are depicted with eight hands, diverging from the common image of Goddess Durga, which typically features ten hands. These idols possess an earthly, robust, and muscular appearance, exuding a fierce countenance as they engage with the buffalo demon, Mahishasura. All the idols have large eyes, eyebrows which extend till the ears, and proper facial features. They have muscular hands, protruding chest, and feet like those of a beautiful warrior lady. They wear all those ornaments which Odia women wear according to the culture.

In this dramatic scene, the buffalo demon looks up at the goddess, and she looks down at him. She grabs his hair, strangles him with a snake, stabs him with her trident, and also kicks him hard in the chest all at the same time. The eyes of the 'Gosani' and the buffalo demon remain locked in this intense combat.

In most cases, the ‘Mahishasura’ in 'Gosani' images is depicted in theriomorphic form (head is of a buffalo while the body is of a human being). 'Gosani' images are coloured by primary colours and built in typical Odia style. While yellow colour is applied to the Goddess, blue/green is applied to the demon.The decoration of these images is also indigenous in nature with ‘sola’ (Indian cork) and ‘jari’ (colourful thin plastic sheets) work. The crown, ornaments, attributes and the halo are made of ‘sola’ and ‘jari’. 

Tuna Sahoo, who has been working as a ‘Medha’ (backdrop), special ornaments and ‘Tahia’ artist for 30 years, has dedicated his whole life in the service of Jagannath culture. He says, “I have assisted my guru Gopinath Gochhikar for years and now it has become a part of my life. Over the years we have tried our best to keep the authenticity of our art. It takes 2-2.5 months to complete a ‘Medha’ design. Along with that, we make ornaments for the idols in which we use ‘sola’ and ‘jari’ along with ‘kaintha atha’ (the sticky layer around the unripe seeds of wood apple) as the glue.”

“The size of the ‘Medha’ depends on the size of the idol. Most of the time we make 22-25 ft depending on the size of the idol. This is seasonal work so we don’t earn that much all year. For artists like us income doesn’t matter, passion for art and Jagganath culture does,” he concluded.

Another speciality of 'Gosani' images is that the artist, after applying colour to the images, draws a ‘Devi Yantra’ on the chest of the image and covers it with new clothes around the body of the Goddess. 

In this tradition, the maternal aspect of Goddess Durga is not emphasised largely, and as a result, she is not typically associated with her children, such as Ganesha, Kartikeya, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. In numerous 'Gosani' depictions, only her sons accompany her into battle.

Sanjay Das Mohapatra, who is a ‘daitapati’ of Lord Jagannath, has been born and brought up within the Jagannath culture. A native of Mati ‘Mandap sahi’, Sanjay has seen ‘Sunya Gosani' and ‘Bhoga Jaga Gosani' rituals since his childhood. While talking about the special offering for the goddess, he said, “The whole world knows the originality and uniqueness of our cuisine. During this time all the offerings to the goddess are made without onion and garlic. Some of the main dishes prepared this time are ‘machha besara’, ‘chingudi tarkari, ‘khechedi’, ‘ghia arna', among others. Every single day the offering must include a non-veg dish of ‘macha’ (fish) or chingudi (prawn).” 

“'Gosani' Jatra is a big celebration time for all of us at Puri. We exchange food between families and neighbours, family get-togethers also happen during this time. Starting from the ‘Sola puja’ till the 'bhasani', there are just cheerful moments with family and friends.” he added.

What/Who is 'Naga'?

Like 'Gosanis’, gigantic images of ‘Naga’ are also made and worshipped during 'Gosani' Jatra. These large male images symbolise heroism and valour. The 'Naga' images basically represent the ‘jaga-akhada’ culture of Puri. Wearing pata bastra with uttariya, the huge 'Naga' idols also have traditional accessories like ‘rudraksha mala’, ‘handia’, ‘bagha chala’ (tiger skin), ‘kalingi’ made of ‘Erapakshi’ feathers, ‘olamala’ made of ‘pata bastra’, ‘karatara’ made of ‘bagha chala’, ‘pati’, ‘ghanti’, ‘bajra chauri’ and different types of silver ornaments. They are worshipped with ‘Banadurga mantras’.

According to some scholars, 'Naga’s’ are one of the Shaiva sects set up by Adi Sankaracharya. The sadhus of this 'Naga' sect, besides being Shiva worshippers, also practise wrestling and in the olden days were instrumental in defeating Buddhists. In mediaeval days they played a great role by resisting Muslim aggression in Puri. In between the years 1190-1198 , Ganga dynasty’s king Anangabhima Dev has created few ‘Jaga Ghara’ (Akhada) across the city to make the security of the Shree Mandir empowered. Hinjala Jaga Panchayat Samiti secretary, Jitendra Muduli who is one of the main organisers of the Bali sahi 'Naga' stated that this is the oldest 'Naga pitha’ here, so it is also known as 'Naga gaddi’ and a special mention in the ‘panji’.

When asked about the history behind 'Naga', he said, “Long ago, Sikh Guru Gobind Singh, who founded the Sikh warrior community, ‘Khalsa’, travelled all over the country in search of manpower to protect the Golden temple from Muslim attackers. There is a community here known as ‘Deula Karana’. Basant Rai, one of the fellow disciples of Gobind Singh, met their ancestors here at puri and discussed the situation. Then he proposed them to make a few people from Puri learn Punjab’s ‘Khalsa’ fighting techniques and help them out. The places starting from Bata Lokanath Temple to Solakhia Baragachha were known as ‘Khandia Padia’. The ‘Deula Karana’ had a conversation regarding this with the Gajapati Raja and invited all the ‘jaga-akhada’ people together for a meeting. There they learnt the techniques of ‘Khalsa’ fighting. Like the Punjabi ‘Khalsa’ used to carry about sixteen weapons in their body, both the ‘Deula Karana’ and Rai decided to make a huge sculpture with all these weapons to use as a symbol of bravery and devotion towards the lord. They named that place at Hinjala Jaga as 'Nagarjuna Gaddi’. The culture of worshipping 'Naga' during 'Gosani' Jatra also started.” Here it is notable that Himmat Rai, one of the five ‘Panj Pyares’ (gathered ad hoc quintet of baptised Sikhs).  Some scholars say that 'Naga' is a devotee of lord Shiva and some believe him as a part of Shiva. “He is being worshipped with Shiva’s ‘Mantras’ but he is not the part of Shiva,” added Muduli when asked about it.

Few scholars also believe that during the rule of Gajapati Mukunda Deb 'Naga' community people used to travel to Puri for the darshan of lord Jagannath. They were true believers of Hinduism and muscular too. So the Gajapati established different 'Naga matha’ to provide them shelter in Puri and in return they used to act like warriors against the enemies who attacked the Jagannath Temple.
'Naga' dance is also a special dance form in Odisha, which involves energetic and stimulating dance performances by men. Like most of the other dances in Odisha, this dance form is also performed during the religious processions in the Puri district. Being considered a Bramhachari (celibate) 'Naga' is offered with fruits and without onion garlic offering mostly. Puri has more than 50 ‘Jaga Gharas’ (Akhadas), which still have the old body building and war practising equipment like ‘Mudgara’, ‘Danda’, ‘Khanda’ (Sword), ‘Dhala’ (Dhal), among others. The ‘Jaga Gharas’ have been developed and added new machines of gymming under government schemes’.

What/Who is Sampati Chadhei?

At ‘Satabakhara Jaga’ of the Markandeswara sahi, ‘Sampati Chadhei’ is worshipped as 'Gosani', which is peculiar to Puri. ‘Satabakhara Jaga’ is also known as the worshipping place of the Sugriva (a character from the ancient Indian epic Ramayana) and Sampati is a demigod in Hinduism. He has the form of either a vulture or an eagle. 

He is the elder son of Aruṇa and Shyeni and the elder brother of Jatayu. A huge ‘Sampati Chadhei' of 16 ft is being made here every year with the Astamalla (namely Hanuman, Angada, Jambabana, Susena, Nala, Nila, Gandha and Mardana) on her spreaded wings. As per the rituals here only Sukili Bhoga (dry offerings) is offered to him. He is another attraction in the 'Gosani' Jatra.

During their youth, Samapati and Jatayu, in order to test their powers, flew towards Surya, the solar deity. Jatayu, careless due to his youthfulness, out flew his brother, and entered the ‘Suryamaṇḍala’, the orbit of the Sun, during noon. Due to the blazing heat of Surya, his wings started to get scorched. In a desperate bid to rescue his brother, Sampati flew ahead of him, spreading his wings wide open to shield him. As a consequence, it was Sampati who had his wings burnt. 

When Angada, Hanuman, and Jambavan are on the mission to locate Sita, using his supernatural vision, Sampati has informed them that they can find Sita 1000 yojanas (100 miles) away, on the island. He revealed that his son had come across Ravana, and had gleaned that Sita was at the Ashoka Vatika, a park that was guarded by Rakshasis. After this revelation, Sampati's wings grew back.

The Sacred World of The 'Gosanis’

In every village, there is a special goddess known as ‘Grama-Devi’. 'Gosanis’ are like the ‘Grama-Devi’ of the sahis of Puri. Many 'Gosani's are said to have been attached to ‘akhadas’ established by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century. Among the 'Gosanis’, ‘Kakudikhai’ is the supreme Goddess and is the chief 'Gosani'. She is considered as the Goddess Durga herself and is the representative of Goddess Bimala outside Shree Jagannath Temple. The other prominent 'Gosanis’ are considered as her daughters, where Barabati is considered as the elder sister and Janhikhai is younger to her.
The wild and fierce ‘Shakti’ is part of the temple complex just as the Goddess Bimala and as the eight Mangala goddesses who guard the various roads leading to Purushottama-kshetra, or region of Puri. As per the beliefs, they demand blood. To the extent that in the vegetarian temple precinct, once a year, in secret, a goat is offered to Bimala within the temple itself.

The tale of Durga defeating the buffalo demon and her helpers consuming Raktabeeja's blood is found in the Devi Mahatmya, a part of the ‘Markandeya Purana’. This text is believed to be around 1,500 years old. Some historians suggest, although it's a bit debated, that this story might have arrived with the Kushanas or Indo-Greeks approximately 2,000 years ago.

In the Puri temple, there's a special ceremony during Navaratri called the ‘Gupta Gundicha’ ceremonies. During this ritual, Mahishasura-Mardini (the Goddess) and Madhaba (Krishna) are worshipped together. Normally, Vishnu or Krishna is linked to a more gentle form of Goddess Lakshmi or Saraswati, while the fierce Goddess is associated with Shiva. However, in Puri, Krishna is considered as ‘Bhairaba’, specifically ‘Kala-Bhairava’, the dark guardian, and Balarama as ‘Gora-Bhairava’, the white guardian of the Goddess, according to Tantric traditions.

Kakudikhai ‘Gosani’

Kakudikhai 'Gosani' is known as the mother of all other 'Gosanis’. According to the public tales Kakudikhai used to be worshipped at the Balaram Kota matha at Khajapati but later she was moved to a ‘mandap’ provided by the matha itself. On the occasion of ‘Sathi Osa’, the inauguration of the idol making process of the goddess takes place. Along with Kakudikhai, idols of Ganesh and Kartik also worshipped there.

Barabati ‘Gosani’

Worshipped at the Barabati Jaga, Harachandi sahi, this 'Gosani' is considered as the biggest of all other 'Gosanis’. As per the ancient calculation, from the middle finger tip to the elbow end, is considered as one ‘hata’ (one hand). The height of the Barabati 'Gosani' has been noted as ‘satara hata’ (17 Hata). The 'Gosani' has eight hands where she holds the weapons like ‘sankha’, ‘chakra’, ‘khanda’, ‘kharpara’, ‘dhanu’, ‘tira’, ‘trisula’ and in one hand she holds the tongue of the demon king Mahishasura. Earlier on ‘Dashmi’, after the 'bhasani' puja, Barabati 'Gosani' was taken in front of Jagannath Ballava matha at Bada Danda and then returned to her place and again on ‘ekadashi’ is taken for the 'bhasani' Jatra. But now the ritual has been stopped and like other 'Gosanis’, she also gets out of her place only on ‘ekadashi’.

Janhikhai ‘Gosani’

Well known as second largest 'Gosani' idol after the Barabati 'Gosani', Janhikhai 'Gosani' is worshipped at the Angira Aashram near Janhimundia Chaka, Dolamandap sahi. This 18 ft tall idol has 10 hands, where she holds the weapons like ‘chakra’, ‘gada’, ‘padma’, ‘pharsa’, ‘sarpa’, ‘khanda’, ‘dhala’, ‘dhanu’, ‘tira’ and also grabs the hair of Mahishasura in one hand. On the day of 'bhasani', ridge gourd/ turai attached with fake legs made of sticks, is sacrificed here as an offering to the goddess. The uniqueness of this 'Gosani' lies with the ‘sitala bhoga’ (fruits as offering) while non-veg and cooked food is offered to all other 'Gosani' Goddesses.

Sunya 'Gosani' & Bhogajaga ‘Gosani’

Sunya 'Gosani' is worshipped at Matimandap sahi. The making style of this 'Gosani' Idol is as such that it looks like floating in air. Using her eight hands, the goddess holds ‘sankha’, ‘chakra’, ‘dhanu’, ‘tira’, ‘trisula’, ‘dhala’, ‘khanda’ and the mouth of the devil in one hand. As per the rituals here ash gourd is sacrificed as offering. The height of this 'Gosani' is about 12 ft. which looks amazing standing on a single pillar. Matimandap sahi also has another 'Gosani' at Bhoga Jaga, named after the jaga-ghara. The height of this idol is about 12 ft. The idol making process of this 'Gosani' starts from the ‘Radhastami’ and ends in ‘Ashvina Shukla Shashthi Tithi’. Here the 'Gosani' is offered with roasted fish sacrifice.

Harachandi ‘Gosani’

Harachandi 'Gosani' is worshipped at the Karati Lane, Dolamandap Sahi. This eight handed idol holds ‘sankha’, ‘chakra’, ‘tarabari’, ‘trisula’, ‘dhala’ and ‘pasankusha’. While the right foot of the goddess rests on the lion's back, the left foot is placed over the left shoulder of Mahishasura. Whole roasted fish is in the sacrifice list of this 'Gosani' goddess, before the immersion ash gourd is also sacrificed as offering.

Banadurga 'Gosani' & Gelabai ‘Gosani’

In the Manikarnika sahi, Banadurga 'Gosani' is worshipped. Known as Vaishnabi Goddess, this 'Gosani' has four hands holding ‘sankha’, ‘chakra’, ‘dhanu’ and ‘tira’. A peacock is placed near the goddess and lord Vishnu is seen pulling a thorn out of her foot. Besides the 'Gosani' idol, an idol of lord Shiva is also placed. Manikarnika sahi has another 'Gosani' namely ‘Gelabai Gosani'. The height of this 'Gosani' idol is 10 ft. On ‘Dashami’ cucumber is sacrificed in front of the goddess.

Mahateswari 'Gosani' & Chamundamundi 'Gosani'

Harachandi sahi has two 'Gosani' goddesses . One is called ‘Mahateswari Gosani' and the other one is known as  ‘Chamundamundi Gosani'. On the ‘Sunnia Tithi’ the making process of Mahateswari 'Gosani' starts and before the 'bhasani', Cucumber is sacrificed in front of the goddess. The Chamundamundi 'Gosani' has Parvati, Ganesh and Kartika idols beside her. Ash gourd is sacrificed for this goddess.

Bali sahi ra Janhikhai ‘Gosani’

At the Kadambagada Jaga Chhaka, Bali sahi, Janhikhai 'Gosani' idol is worshipped. On both sides of the idol here, Ganga, Jamuna, Ganesh and Kartika idols are also worshipped. On the ‘Maha Ashtami’ late in the night ‘turai’ is sacrificed here for the goddess. This grand festival is still one of Odisha's best kept secrets. Thousands of devotees gather in Bada Danda to watch the glittering 'Gosani' jatra and Dev Sabha every year.

If you ever come across the opportunity to witness this special festival, make sure to not miss it. My City Links wishes everyone a happy and prosperous Dussehra.

This article includes inputs from two books:

‘Shreekshetrara Sanskrutika Aitiha’ 

(Topic: Shrikshetrara 'Gosani' Upasana by Dr. Bhaskar Mishra) 

and  ‘Tales From The Land of Jagannatha’ by Devdutt Pattanaik.