ETV Bharat / state

Defying Tradition, Only Tribal 'Jara Sabara' Women Lead The Worship At Kendrapara's Maa Panchubarahi Temple

In Odisha's Bagapatia village, a centuries-old temple continues a unique tradition - not men or Brahmins, tribal women here don the role of priests.

By Radhakanta Mohanty

Kendrapara: At times, women lead the change in the most unlikely of places - temples - in some parts of the country. And one among them is the shrine of Maa Panchubarahi, the powerful sea goddess of Satabhaya - now relocated to Bagapatia in Kendrapara district. Here tribal women from the Jara Sabar community have held on to the priestly mantle for generations. These women have bathed, dressed, and adorned the deity, carrying forward a tradition that began after Maa herself wrote

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