Puri: The holy town Puri has been considered a famous centre of Vaisnavism and it is also recognized as the root place of Shakti. There is a temple dedicated to Goddess Mangala on the gateway to Puri, which is also known as the Bata Mangala temple.
This temple is located at a distance of 3 kilometres from Atharanala on the road leading from Puri to Bhubaneswar, on State Highway No.8.
In Odia language ‘Bata’ means ‘Way’, since Goddess Mangala is enshrined on the way to Shreekhetra, she is known as Bata Mangala. The temple is revered by devotees on the way to the nearby Jagannath Temple. It is customary that devotees pray in this temple before they proceed to the Jagannath Temple.
Considered from the significance of all mythological descriptions, Maa Mangala has been described as a Goddess symbolic of a proper pathfinder in life.
According to old mythological legends, Goddess Mangala is worshipped as a universal divine guide. She is also believed as the displayer of right and proper directions to all her devotees.
It is believed in some as per the mythological stories, the King Indradyumna, in order to consecrate Sri Jagannath temple, went to the abode of Lord Brahma in heaven and invited him to come down to the earth to perform the ritual. When King Indradyumna and Lord Brahma descended on the earth, they missed the way to the Puri. In that time, ‘Maa’ Bata Mangala guided them to their destination.
Thus, Batamangala Temple has got its own spiritual importance and the existence at the entry point of Puri is deemed as a displayer of the righteous path to the pilgrims bound for Puri. The deity it is believed bestows blessings on the devotees before they enter the grand temple. The devotee bound for the Grand Temple from Bhubaneswar stands for a while in front of Batamangala and offers sacred light-seeking her blessings.
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