Tara Tarini Temple, Ganjam

01The breasts of Sati

Odisha’s tradition, citing the Kalika Purana, counts four Adi Shakti Peethas: Kamakhya in Assam, Vimala at Puri, Dakshina Kalika at Kalighat, and Tara Tarini here, where the breasts of Sati are said to have fallen. The Devis are two stone faces adorned with gold and silver, kept side by side. The hill rises steeply from the river; nearly a thousand steps lead up, and a road and a ropeway now serve those who cannot climb. Every Tuesday of Chaitra, the Chaitra Parba, the hill is thick with pilgrims from Ganjam and Andhra.

02Sailors’ Devi

The Rushikulya reaches the sea a few kilometres away, and the old ports of the Kalinga coast lay close by. The temple’s account says the merchants who sailed from here to Southeast Asia prayed to Tara Tarini before setting out, and her name, the one who carries across, fitted them. Her worship follows the Tantric rite of the Devi. The mundan of children, often promised at birth, is the great offering; barbers sit in rows along the steps in Chaitra.