Maa Bala Tripura Sundari Devi Temple located in Barhiya.
– Photo: Amar Ujala
Expansion
The glory of the famous Maa Bala Tripurasundari in Barhiya of Lakhisarai district of Bihar is unique. Bhagwati Tripura Sundari is one of the various forms of Goddess Durga. Maa Tripura Sundari is the most beautiful goddess among all the goddesses as per her name. The people of Barhiya believe that life here is prosperous and always safe only by the grace of the Goddess. A large crowd of devotees gather here during Durga Puja. However, devotees continue to arrive every Saturday and Tuesday throughout the year to pay obeisance to the Mother Goddess. It is believed that Shridhar Ojha of Badhiya village used to worship Goddess Vaishno Devi established in Jammu and Kashmir. Mother gave him darshan once and said that you go to your village and I will come there. Ganga used to flow near the place of Barhiya where the grand temple of Mata Bala Tripura Sundari is established.
Shakta brothers established the village
Shri Prithu Thakur and Shri Jai Jai Thakur, who founded Barhiya village, stayed in this village for night rest after crossing the Ganga while going to Jagannathpuri. It is said that both the brothers were Maithil Kulbhushan. He was born in a worthy family of Maithil Brahmins in Sandahpur village near Darbhanga. He was a devotee of religion, a scientist and a trikaldarshi. This great scholar of Tantra Shastra. At the place where Mata’s temple is established, these two brothers saw the fight between a rat and a cat. He also observed that in this war the rat drove away the cat. At the same time he came to know that this brave land has the supernatural power of Mother Tripura Sundari. There is a statement in Bhagwat that there is a Siddha Peeth of Bhagwati on the banks of Ganga, which is called Mangalapith. It is also believed that apart from this Peetha, there is no other Mangalapitha on the banks of Ganga in the whole of India. When both Shakta brothers returned from Jagannath ji after a few months, they stayed here and started searching for a way to attain Tejaswi Dih. At that time, this land was under the rule of Indradyumna, a mighty king of the Pala dynasty. The king was troubled by the leprosy of his only son. The king begged from both Shakta brothers Sriprithu Thakur and Srijai Jai Thakur for a new life for his son. Accepting this request, Shakta Bandhu cured the king’s son from the disease with his Tantra power and obtained this land from the king. It is said that people of carpenter caste were living on this land. Therefore, later on, this area became famous by the name of Barhiya.
Shridhar Ojha was a proven Tantrik.
In the Brahmin dynasty, Pandit Shridhar Ojha, the founder of morning memorial and Tripura Sundari, was incarnated. However, no written evidence has been found anywhere regarding his date and time of birth. In Bhaktacharitarank published from Geeta Press Gorakhpur in 1939, it has been said about him that he was a scientist, a proven Tantrik and a crematorium seeker. By living in a hut on the banks of the Ganges, away from his family, he had attained many of the siddhis of the Goddess. He used to preach religion here several hundred years before the construction of Badhiya village. Shridhar Ojha was the founder of Vaishno Devi in the whole of India.
…and mother Vaishnavi came in the dream
There is a similarity in the life story of Shridhar Ojha, who consecrated Tripura Sundari of Badhiya village. When Shridhar Ojha came to the village, while sleeping, he had a dream at night that in the morning he would be able to see Tripura Sundari in the form of light and he would see that light flowing into the Ganga in the coffin of the dead body. One day in his dream, Vaishno Devi blessed him and said that it was because of my inspiration that you have seen Tripura Sundari on the banks of Ganga in Badhiya village. She will always reside in your birthplace in the form of a child. Because of me and my part-form Tripura Sundari, your fame will always remain intact. After receiving the blessings of Vaishnavi Devi, Shridhar Ojha returned to the village with his family. With his Tantric knowledge and power of worship, he prayed to the Goddess to reside in this village forever.
Mother ascended the throne after two terms
Mother Tripura Sundari accepted his request with two conditions. According to the first condition, Mother Tripura Sundari expressed her desire to reside in the mud lump of Ganga and according to the second condition, she ordered Shridhar Ojha to take water samadhi. On the body of that Jyoti Swarupa Bhagwati at the Ghat, Shridhar Ojha established Maa Tripura Sundari in an earthen pindi in the classical method and thus, with the inspiration of the Goddess, four earthen Pindias were created at that time. In these four Pindis, Tripura Sundari, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati started being worshiped respectively. As per the orders of Shridhar Ojha Bhagwati, he took Jal Samadhi on the banks of Ganga. Due to his fruitful meditation and supernatural victory, this ghat was named Vijay Ghat. Later the devotees established another earthen mass in his memory in the northern part of the treatment. A total of five fairies located in a big temple are worshipped.
