The much- awaited historic Maa Hingula Yatra and 11th lok Mahotsav kick-started here. It will continue till May 2. This year, Maa Hingula (Goddess of Fire) appeared at the back side of the Hingula Temple at Gopal Prasad. She is being worshipped at the place in a make –shift arrangement. Thousands of devotees are thronging the site to worship the deity with several offerings.

History says Maa Hingula is another name for the cosmic mother and manifests herself in the form of fire. Every year, on Bishudamanak Chaturdashi (Chaitra Sukla Chaturdashi), the goddess is said to give darshan to her devotees in the form of raging fire at a spot near the Hingula temple, considered a famous Shakti Pitha in India. There are many similarities between Hingula Yatra and Rath Yatra and also interesting legends about the Hingula Pitha.

Hingula Unnayan Parishad secretary Jagmohan Garnaik said when lord Vishnu tore apart the body of Sati in the Puranic age each, 52 pieces fell and formed what is known as Shakti Pithas. A piece identified as Brahmandreya fell in Baluchistan where Shakti appeared like burning fire. In course of time, Nalaraja in western India became an ardent devotee of the deity. He decided to start anna Prasad at the Puri lord Jagannath temple where the deity responded to his prayers and asked him to bring Hingula to manage his kitchen. Accordingly, the Puri king in association with Nalaraja brought the goddess to Puri.

On the way to Puri, the duo kings reached Gopalgarh, 25 km from here, and took rest. The goddess was pleased and said Nalaraja in a dream that Gopalgarh would be his Puja Pitha. On Sukla Chaturdashi of Chaitra, the goddess leaves the Srimandir kitchen and gives darshan just like Jagannath does during the Rath Yatra to her devotees here in the form of burning fire. A few days before Chaturdashi, the goddess is said to appear near the temple and inform the chief priest about the location where the yatra should start. The burning spot is surrounded with heaps of coal till the yatra.

Without the presence of a priest at the Ubhasthal or spot, bhog is offered to the fire by the devotees. After nine days, Sital Puja is performed on the spot, Garnaik said.

In the fifteenth century, illustrious poet Sarala Das described Goddess Hingula in his Mahabharat as the manifestation of Goddess Sarala. In fact, he always worshipped Goddess Sarala as Goddess Hingula.

Before the Bhog for Shree Jagannath is prepared at the Sri Mandir, Goddess Hingula is worshipped for the fire in the lord’s kitchen. It needs special mention that Goddess Hingula has no other form except fire and she is linked with the Agni Kona (South East direction). It is, therefore, no wonder that Odisha is situated in the south east direction of India, Puri in the south east direction of the State,

Gopal Prasad Gada in the south east direction of Talcher and the Hingula Pith in the south east direction of Gopla Prasad. Even the temple of Maa Hingula is in the south east direction of the house of her priest. Similarly, the kitchen of Sri Mandir lies to the south east of Shree Kshetra and Goddess Hingula is worshiped in the south east direction of the kitchen. Since 1575, Maa Hingula is being worshipped at Gopalprasad. Birbar Harichandan was the first king of Talcher who started the festival.

There is no discrimination of caste, creed and colour at the festival venue. The district administration made elaborate preparation to streamline the crowd by erecting barricades at the temple. Two DSPs, three inspectors, 71 constables, 85 home guards and 11 sections of police force were deployed at the shrine to avert any untoward incident during the yatra.