The idol of lord Narayan Gosain at Singhapur village near Rasulpur in Jajpur district is kept underwater, except for three days in a year.
People in large numbers gather on these three days to have a glimpse of the idol, when it is taken out. And the unique annual ceremony is known as Singhapur yatra. This has been a practice here for more than four centuries.
The idol of lord Narayan Gosain remains in a pond near the temple, Madhutirtha Khetra. The idol was brought out on Pana Sankranti day on Wednesday for three days. On the fourth day the idol will again be immersed in the pond.
So, why is the idol kept underwaterIJ There is some history involved.
In the 16th century, Kalapahada, a Muslim invader, after destroying numerous temples and Hindu idols reached the region. The then King of Madhupurgarh, to save the idol from Kalapahad, hid it in the pond.
But people and the King were unhappy as the idol remained underwater. A few days later, lord Narayan Gosain appeared in the dream of the King and asked him to take the idol out of the pond and worship and then to keep it back safely under water. This happened during Mahabisuba Sankranti or Pana Sankranti period.
Since then every year, the idol is taken out of the pond on the Pana Sankranti day and worshiped for three days. The deity was worshipped with gaiety and grandeur on Friday after large numbers of devotees fished out the deity from the pond. lakhs of devotees across the State visited Singhapur to offer prayers to their beloved lord at the sacred place Madhutirtha Khetra. This is a unique tradition in the country.
According to the tradition, first the King of Madhupurgarh comes and offers prayers to the lord on the bank of the pond as Narayan Gosain is the presiding deity. After the King’s Puja and prayer, thousands of devotees take part in the ceremony. Since 2007, the Queen of Madhupurgarh, Rani Aparna Dhir Singh, has been offering the Seva Puja and Pushpanjali to Narayana Gosain after the death of her father. This year Rani also first offered prayer to the deity after its emergence from the pond.