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RESULTS HISTORY AND PRESENT STRUCTURE OF THE SECT Founder's life       According to the statements of the Mahima Dharmins, the founder of the sect Mahima or Alekha Gosvami entered Orissa in 1826. For the teachings of the sect, Mahima Svami was no human being, but rather one not born out of a mother's womb (ayonisambhuta) a pure incarnation of the Mahima (radiance, glory) of Sunya Anadi Brahma (see below) who came to this earth in the Himalayas, turned later to Utkal, the holiest land of India and settled down on Kapilas mountain at Dhenkanal under the shelter of the snake God (naga). There, so continues the official biography, he lived only on water (Jaladhari Gosai) for twelve years, without indicating his true nature. After the expiry of this period, he accepted his first disciple, initially called Jagannatha and named him Vasudeva. According to the teaching of the sect he was the God Jagannatha himself who was the first to know of the advent of Mahima Gosvami because of is good karma and realizing that his period was over Jagannatha left immediately his temple in Puri in order to serve his true deliverer and spread his teachings.       After initiating Jagannatha, Mahima Gosvami subsisted for twelve years on fruit (Phaladhari Gosvami). Thereafter he start taking milk as well, supplied to him everyday in new earthen bowls by the mother of the then king of Dhenkanal who too, like her son, is described as a disciple in the Mahima Gosvami converted Annapurna, the goddess of abundance, accepted boiled rice from her for the first time and started afterwards roaming through the country and preaching with his disciple Jagannatha.       This biography unites the most important elements Orissa's history of religion and subordinate it to Mahima Svami: the Saivism is represented by the Kapilas temple. The Snake God, the mother goddess and Jagannatha are at the service of the new deliverer.       There are hardly any details about the actual personality of the founder. It is only certain that he was a Vaisnava originally who had settled on Kapilas near the Siva shrine took part in temple services, looked after the sick who sought recovery on Kapilas, had tremendous success in it and won a certain fame. The Tahsildar of Banki reported in 1881 that Mahima Svami was previously called Mukunda Das and after leaving Kapilas, he had lived for 6 years near the Lokanatha temple in Puri. However, this statement is not corroborated by any other sources.12 12 Jagannath Temple correspondence, Nr. 131,p.1324.

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