The Legend of the Historic Biennial Festival of Maa Budhi Thakurani of Brahmapur
The legendary tale behind the historic biennial festival (Jatra) of Maa Budhi Thakurani of Brahmapur is very ancient. It is believed that the Jatra began many years after the divine appearance of the Goddess. Initially, Maa was worshipped by the Telugu community, as per historical accounts. Over time, the responsibility of worship was taken over by the Bhandari community, and the Dera Sampradaya began managing the festival.
The Brahmapur Thakurani Jatra, which is said to have begun around 300 years ago during the Gadajat rule, is believed—based on traditions and old community members—to have started in the year 1700 AD. A member of the Dera clan was the first to support and organize the festival with help from the community. Among the Dera Sampradaya, Patala Pareya Desibehara was known as a devoted follower of Maa. Every day, the late Pareya used to visit Maa’s temple in the morning and evening before attending to other activities—this was part of his daily routine.
In earlier times, the place where the temple now stands was a forested area with sparse population. Pareya would walk through the jungle paths every day to see Maa and return. One day, while returning late in the evening, he heard a young girl crying in the lonely forest path. Following the sound, he found a small girl sitting on the path, crying. He approached her, tried to comfort her, and asked what was wrong. The girl informed him that she had lost her way and didn’t know how to get back to her father’s house. When Pareya asked for her father’s name, she said she didn’t know. Seeing it was getting late, he offered to take her to his house for the night, promising to find her family the next day. The girl remained silent for a while, then suddenly disappeared from the spot.
Shocked and heartbroken, Pareya returned home. That night, in his dream, Maa appeared and reminded him of the evening’s events. She told him, “From today, you are my father. Bring me home as your daughter.” After narrating the entire incident to his community, the Dera Sampradaya decided to bring Maa to the community as per her wish.
They waited for a sign from the Goddess about when to bring her. In a dream, she informed Pareya that she would let them know the right time. When the time came, the community received the divine permission. The Dera Sampradaya invited and brought Maa with great reverence and began the Jatra. At that time, the community was divided into seven areas within the city, and each had a leader known as a “Senapati” (commander), who coordinated the festival in their respective areas.
Over time, after Pareya, his descendants like P. Lingaraj Desibehara, P. Poleya, P. Bishwanath Desibehara, and P. Basavaraju Desibehara managed the Jatra. Basavaraju named one of his sons after his ancestor Poleya. Poleya Desibehara, born in 1901, started organizing the Jatra from 1917. His wife, Patala Gauri Mahalaxmi Rajamani, used to carry Maa’s command garland and perform rituals around the temple.
As Poleya had no sons, he adopted his grandson, Durga Prasad (son of his niece V. Laxmikanta), and permitted him to continue the tradition. Currently, Desibehara Patala Durga Prasad Desibehara has been managing the Jatra since 1995, with his wife P. Debaki carrying the divine garland and leading the rituals of the procession. Along with her, other women of the community carry the remaining eight sacred pots (parshwaghat) and actively participate in the festival.
By Balakrushna Dikshit