Maa Tarini Temple, Ghatagaon

The temple's origin is told through legend. According to Odia Wikipedia, which cites the temple's former website, Govinda Bhanja, a prince of the Keonjhar ruling family, served as a general of the Gajapati king Purushottama Deva of Puri and won his blessing before a campaign after praying at a Tarini shrine. When he later became ruler of Keonjhar, he wished to bring the goddess to his own kingdom. The legend says she agreed to follow his horse on the condition that he never look back; she guided him with the sound of her anklets, and when the sound stopped in the forest of Keonjhar and he turned round, she became fixed in stone at that spot, which became her shrine in a grove of sal trees. Odia Wikipedia gives 1480 for these events; this date comes from tradition and is not confirmed by an independent historical source.

Kalinga TV reports that the Chaiti Parba of Maa Tarini has been celebrated since 1937, when the goddess was worshipped in the Shaala Vana (sal forest). Odia Wikipedia adds that the festival was originally held for one day on Pana Sankranti and has run for seven days since 1937.

The shrine has grown steadily as a pilgrimage centre. In December 2025 the Chief Minister of Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi, laid the foundation stone of a Rs 313 crore redevelopment of the Maa Tarini Temple area, covering about 60 acres, with a 216-bed pilgrim rest house, a tourist centre, an auditorium, parking, improved roads and the beautification of ponds, according to the Chief Minister's office.

Architecture and sacred features

Wikipedia classifies the temple in the Kalinga style. An Odisha Tourism feature on Keonjhar, however, notes that the shrine differs from typical Kalinga temples: it has no walls, only pillars supporting the roof, so that devotees can see the goddess from all sides.