Goddess Of ‘Unknown Tree’ In Cuttack: Explore The Legend Of Maa Bali Bhuasuni | My Odisha, My Pride

On the banks of the majestic river Mahanadi, there is a temple, almost 800 years old, which harbours a history that is not known to many – The legend of Maa Bhuasuni, The Goddess Of The ‘Unknown Tree’.
Maa Bhuasuni is revered as a vibrant and lively goddess. According to the temple's chief servitor, she is believed to answer the prayers of her devotees almost instantly when they invoke her with sincerity.

The Maa Bhuasuni temple holds significant cultural importance, and an interesting legend surrounds its origin. According to the tale, a washerwoman named Nitei often washed clothes in the Mahanadi River. She was known for her mystical powers.
One day, while she was washing, she noticed a shadow cast on the water. When she looked up, she saw Goddess Kamakshya Devi flying Maa Bhuasuni away on the skies using her divine powers. With her own spiritual strength, Nitei was able to bring Maa Bhuasuni to the earth. Since then, Maa Bhuasuni has been worshiped at this shrine located on the banks of the Mahanadi River in the Bidanasi area of Cuttack.

The temple servitor further explained how the legend of Maa Bhuasuni temple has deep connection with Srimandir in Puri. 
He said that after Maa Bhuasuni was placed alongside the bank of Mahanadi, Devi Kamakshya took a Banyan Sapling from that and planted it near the Southern gate in Srimandir. The Banyan tree is still there near the Southern Gate, near the temple of Devi Sitala and Lord Dhabaleswar is worshiped under it.
The temple priest revealed that the mysterious tree in this pitha is over 800 years old. With its unique five-branched leaves, it is called the "unknown tree" as no similar tree exists elsewhere.  
Servitors claim that eating its leaves in the name of Mother Bhuasuni have healing powers. The priest also shared a strange legend about revelation of the name of the unknown tree.

The servitor of the Devi temple further mentioned that, the 800-year-old tree does not grow beyond a certain limit. The tree continues to exist in this certain size since generations, and gets mysteriously trimmed over time on its own. 
On being asked what help they need for the development of the Devi Pith, Janaki Vallabh, the chief servitor expressed the road problems in the area.

Devotees from various parts of the state, as well as from distant regions, come to Maa Bhuasuni temple to seek her blessings. Many come with specific wishes they hope will be fulfilled by the grace of Maa Bhuasuni.