MA PAUDI

Ma Paudi appeared before them and commanded that she should be installed in a temple inside the palace. She was brought to the place on the Jeshtha Sukla Chaturthi and installed. This day is celebrated as her birthday and there is a special jantal (congregation and worship). There is another version of the Jeshtha jantal, which is also known as dhulia jantal. It is said that Maharaja Abhiram Singh was on a pilgrimage to Ganga Sagar and his ship was wrecked. He offered prayers to Ma Paudi in all humility and was saved.

Immediately on his return to Seraikella and even without washing his feet (dhulia means dusty) he performed the jantal puja of Sri Ma Paudi. It is a historical fact that, since the installation of Ma Paudi at Seraikella, the power and prestige of Seraikella Raj went on increasing. This caused a good deal of jealousy in the minds of the Maharajas of Porahat where Ma Paudi had been installed before. Jagannath Singh, one of the Maharajas of Porahat, was without any son. He had adopted a son of Abhiram Singh, the Raja of Seraikella. The adopted boy had intimate knowledge of -the secret places of Seraikella palace.

The boy was sent by Raja Jagannath Singh to Seraikella palace to steal away the image of Sri Sri Ma Paudi and, if need be, even to kill his own natural father for the purpose. The boy was, however, caught red-handed and the conspiracy was nipped in the bud. * There was another attempt to get the image of Ma Paudi through the good offices of the British, when the Maharaja entered into treaty relationship with them in 1820. But this attempt was also foiled. So there was a keen competition between the Rajas of Porahat and Seraikella for the possession of the image of Ma Paudi.

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