in those days. Baidehisha Vilasha, Labanyabati, Koti Brahmanda Sundari are his outstanding works.
His poems were with palm leaf illustrations that added to their charm. He was a very handsome and romantic soul. He was banished from his kingdom as a result of treachery. He lost his wife in his youth. While he was thus wandering in the dense forest of Kulada , he landed up worshipping the local deity Byaghra Devi who inspired the poet in him.
Prince in exile Upendra Bhanja was instructed by the goddess to visit Odogaon and meet Ramatarakamantara who had excelled in tantravidya. The wandering prince who had almost lost his mind was revived through tantric practices and placed those esoteric feelings in his poems too. For his inimitable word play, he was revered as Kavi Samrat Upendra Bhanja.
Goddess Byaghra Devi was worshipped by the royal household as their protective deity and also as goddess Saraswati for bestowing wisdom and knowledge. According to legends, it is due to the grace of the goddess that the king of Ghumusar could thwart the British army.
The Bhanja dynasty was secure in the protective care of the goddess for a long spell and could retain its independence. Dense forests inhabited with ferocious wild animals and tall mountain ranges provided a natural defence to the tiny kingdom. The goddess sometimes referred to as Bagdevi or Byaghra Devi had showered her blessings on the kingdom and it never suffered from drought. There was no case of theft, robbery or murder in the kingdom.
Tribals, mostly Kondhs, inhabit in the locality and Byaghra Devi continues to be the most significant living deity for them. According to legends there were two brave tribal youths called Kula and Daha who were ruling Kulada. King Pratap Bhanja was searching for in ideal site to construct his fort palace fought with the brothers and caught them. The brothers, who did not anticipate this, begged the king to be allowed to worship their Istadevi who resided atop the hill. The king gladly accepted and the rite continues even today.
Kondhs used to sacrifice animals and at times humans expecting a bumper harvest. Locals say that the original idol of the goddess is located on the top of a hill nearby, and as the steep hill and dense forests made it a dangerous and herculean task for the priest to climb up and offer puja to the goddess every day another site was found and another idol was installed. On Tuesdays and on Sankrantis the priest offers offerings to the original idol.
There is a tale that says that once the priest was climbing down the hill and on the way realised that he had forgotten his pitcher. He went back to retrieve it. To his amazement, he saw the goddess playing with her sisters and attendants and sharing the ‘bhog' he had offered. The goddess, however, assured him that it was not his fault and nudged the brass pitcher downhill. Where the pitcher stopped ultimately was the spot there a new home for the goddess was set up.
At the temple located in the beautiful ambience, the eight-armed goddess is worshipped riding on a tiger. The tiger is straddling on a corpse. The Bhanja kings used to sacrifice animals and sometime humans to attain their objectives. Even today if anyone seeks the goddess's mercy for four to five days consecutively it is believed that the goddess grants their wishes.
There is a sacrificial site in front of the temple at Kulada where the soldiers used to smear themselves with ash that made them invincible. The Kondhs firmly believed in this. The sacred site at the higher altitude is referred to as the Jogapitha and the present site where a spacious temple complex has come up is known as Bhogapitha. The goddess is known as Byaghra Devi and Bagdevi respectively. Those who sought knowledge worshipped Bagdevi and Byaghra Devi is invoked in times of war.
On Dola purnima, a large mela is observed here and thousands of tribals participate in the same. Two animated stone tigers guard the steps that lead to the temple. In the spacious temple compound the goddess is worshipped in a small dome-shaped shrine. There are sites for other deities and an open place for the devotees to congregate. Adjacent to the temple, is another temple of Lord Jagannath . A gentle stream meanders by.
Today Kulada has a burgeoning population and small hamlets dot the road to Kulada from Bhanjanagar for eight miles. Barefaced rocks and dense forests are the enchanting sights that keep the visitors captivated. In winter birds also flock in.
Kulada is sacred and one can combine a trip to the land of blackbucks at Bhetnoti and also a drive on the steep and enchanting Kalinga Ghati is extremely rewarding.
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