Tara Tarini Temple History, Story and Significance

Written by , Dekho Dham. Facts are checked against official temple, government and scripture sources. How we source information

Kalinga-style stone shrines of the Tara Tarini Temple on Kumari Hill in Ganjam, Odisha
Kalinga-style stone shrines of the Tara Tarini Temple on Kumari Hill. Photo: Nayansatya, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Twin Goddesses of Kumari Hill

तारा तारिणी मंदिर - इतिहास और कथा

Page 1 of 6. Checked 16 October 2026

Tara Tarini Temple stands on Kumari Hill beside the Rushikulya river, near Purushottampur in Ganjam district, Odisha. It is counted among the four Adi Shakti Peethas. Tradition says that the breasts of Sati fell here, and the goddess is worshipped as two sisters, Tara and Tarini.

This page tells the legend, what history can and cannot prove, what is inside the sanctum and why the hill matters to people of Ganjam and beyond. It is Page 1 of our 6-page Tara Tarini guide.

In short: Two stone faces with gold and silver ornaments form the main deity. The exact founding date is not known. Dates and claims below are marked as record, scholarly view or tradition. Last checked: 16 October 2026.

Tara Tarini at a Glance

एक नज़र में

Master facts

WhereKumari Hill, on the bank of the Rushikulya river, near Purushottampur, Ganjam district, Odisha
DistanceAbout 28 to 32 km from Berhampur (Brahmapur) and about 160 km from Bhubaneswar. Sources differ by a few km
Map pointAbout 19.49 N, 84.90 E (Wikipedia)
DeityTara and Tarini, shown as two stone faces with gold and silver ornaments, with two brass heads (Chalanti Pratima) between them
TraditionOne of the four Adi Shakti Peethas. The breasts (stana) of Sati are said to have fallen here
Also in the sanctumA small Buddha image, a sign of the hill's old Buddhist link
Climb999 steps, or the ropeway, or a road to the back of the hill
Run byTara Tarini Development Board
Big festivalChaitra Jatra on Tuesdays of Chaitra (March-April)
The main shrine of Tara Tarini Temple with its stepped Odisha-style tower
The main shrine of Tara Tarini Temple with its stepped Odisha-style tower. Photo: Nibedit, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Legend of Sati

सती की कथा

How the Peetha is explained

Daksha Yajna and the falling of Sati

In the story told in the Puranas, Sati, the daughter of Daksha, gave up her life at her father's sacrifice after he insulted her husband Shiva. Grief-struck Shiva carried her body across the world. Vishnu's Sudarshan Chakra cut the body into parts, and each place where a part fell became a Shakti Peetha.

Local belief places the breasts of Sati on Kumari Hill. Tara and Tarini are the two sisters whose twin form marks this spot. This is sacred tradition. It is not a recorded event, and the lists of Peethas differ from one text to another.

The Four Adi Shakti Peethas

आदि शक्ति पीठ

Where Tara Tarini fits

Public sources list four Adi Shakti Peethas, based on the Kalika Purana tradition. Each is linked to a part of Sati's body. Two of the four are in Odisha, and the other two are in Assam and West Bengal.

PeethaBody part in tradition
Tara Tarini, Ganjam, OdishaBreasts (stana)
Kamakhya, Guwahati, AssamYoni (genitals)
Vimala, inside the Jagannath Temple, Puri, OdishaFeet
Kalighat, Kolkata, West BengalToes of the right foot (Wikipedia). The verse below says face (mukha)

Some lists name Dakshina Kali or Kalighat for the fourth Peetha, and sources differ on the body part there (toes or face). Please treat the table as the common tradition. You can read our Kamakhya guide to see another of the four.

What the Texts Say

शास्त्र क्या कहते हैं

One verse, with its source

The idea of four Adi Shakti Peethas comes from Puranic and Tantric writing. The verse we could trace that names Tara Tarini is printed below, together with where we found it.

Bimala pada khandancha,
Stana khandancha Tarini (Tara Tarini),
Kamakhya yoni khandancha,
Mukha khandancha Kalika (Dakshina Kalika)

Meaning, as the same article explains it: Bimala (Vimala, Puri) stands for the foot, Tara Tarini for the breast, Kamakhya for the yoni, and Kalika (Kalighat) for the face.

Source: quoted by Dr. K.K. Debnath in "Shakti Peethas (Tantra Peethas) of India" (eSamskriti, 2011), who attributes it to the Asta Shakti and the Kalika Purana. Spelling is the article's own transliteration. We could not check a critical edition of the text, so please treat the wording as a secondary quotation.

Why we show it: It places Tara Tarini beside Kamakhya, Vimala and Kalika as one of four. It also shows that sources differ on the body part at Kalighat, which is why the table above lists both.

What History Can Show

इतिहास क्या कहता है

Record, view and tradition

No inscription gives a clear founding date for the temple. Different sources say different things, so we keep the claims in three groups.

TopicWhat the sources say
Present buildingThe shrine was enlarged and rebuilt in the classical Odisha style in about 2005 (Live History India). Older stone shrines still stand on the hill
Earlier workWikipedia says Kalinga kings built the temple in ancient times, and that Basupraharaj (Basu Praharaj) did work there in the 17th century. We could not confirm these from an inscription
RediscoveryOne history article says the shrine began as a local tribal place of worship, was forgotten for a long time and was recognised again in the 17th century. This is a scholarly summary, not a dated record
Sailodbhava yearsThe Sailodbhava dynasty ruled South Odisha in the 7th and 8th centuries. Some writers link the hill to the sea trade of that age. No source we found proves who built the shrine
Buddhist linkA small Buddha image sits in the sanctum, and some writers see a Vajrayana phase when Tara was worshipped as a protector of sailors. This is a view, not a settled fact
Tara Tarini Temple shrines in Ganjam during renovation work
Tara Tarini shrines in Ganjam during renovation work. Photo: Arpita Tripathy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Goddess of the Sea Merchants

सागर की रक्षक देवी

A tradition of Kalinga

Kalinga is the old name of the Odisha coast. A 2019 Live History India article says its merchants sailed from ports such as Dantapuram and Pallur to Java, Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, and that the goddess was seen as the patron of these sailors, with ships going up the Rushikulya to pay respects before a voyage. Tara is also known in Buddhist belief as a saviour who protects travellers from storms.

How sure are we? This is one article's account. We found no inscription or port record that names the temple, so please read it as tradition and as a historian's summary. It does explain why many coastal families still pray to Tara Tarini.

The Deity and the Sanctum

गर्भगृह

What devotees see

Main deitiesTwo stone faces of Tara and Tarini, covered with gold and silver ornaments
Moving imagesTwo brass heads (Chalanti Pratima) are kept between the stone faces
Buddha imageA small Buddha image is also kept in the sanctum
Other shrinesWikipedia says two inscriptions stand at the foot of the hill, near a Shiva temple
The lower gate at the foot of Kumari Hill, Tara Tarini Temple
The lower gate at the foot of Kumari Hill. Photo: SANTOSH.NAHAK12, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Festivals and Customs

पर्व और परंपराएँ

When the hill is busiest

FestivalDetails
Chaitra JatraHeld on Tuesdays (Mangalabara) of Chaitra, in March-April. Reports say four or five Tuesdays, depending on the year. Many families bring young children for the first head shaving (mundan)
Sankranti MelaHeld on each Sankranti, the first day of a Hindu month. It is considered especially auspicious by Tantra practitioners
Khechidi bhogaA simple khichdi offering sold by the temple trust, reported at Rs 7 a packet in 2020 sources, so the price may have changed. Sold on Tuesdays in Chaitra and at Sankranti
Other daysWikipedia also lists Dola Parba, Dussehra, Navaratri and Dipabali
Bird's eye view of Tara Tarini Temple lit up at night during the Chaitra festival
Bird's eye view of Tara Tarini Temple lit up at night during the Chaitra festival. Photo: Government of Odisha, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A word on crowds: The hill can get very crowded on Chaitra Tuesdays. See Page 2 for timings and tips, and Page 4 for routes.

Watch: The Story in 3 Minutes

वीडियो

A short film on the temple

A short third-party film by Kailasa Siddhi, narrated by Kailash Kher. It is not an official temple video, so details may differ slightly from the sources listed below.

Why It Matters

महत्व

For devotees and for Odisha

For many families in Ganjam and nearby districts, Tara Tarini is the family goddess. They come to offer thanks, to bring babies for the first haircut and to ask for safety on journeys. The hill is also a place where Shakti worship, Tantra and Buddhist ideas seem to meet, which is rare and interesting for students of Odisha's religious history. The ancient Ashokan site at Jaugada is also close by. See Page 3 for nearby places.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers

Where is Tara Tarini Temple?
It is on Kumari Hill beside the Rushikulya river, near Purushottampur in Ganjam district, Odisha. It is about 28 to 32 km from Berhampur and about 160 km from Bhubaneswar.
Why is Tara Tarini Temple important?
It is counted as one of the four Adi Shakti Peethas. Tradition says that the breasts of Sati fell on this hill. The goddess is worshipped as the twin sisters Tara and Tarini.
Who are Tara and Tarini?
They are the twin forms of the goddess worshipped here, shown as two stone faces with gold and silver ornaments. Local belief calls them sisters.
When was Tara Tarini Temple built?
No clear founding date is recorded. Sources mention Kalinga kings, 17th-century work by Basupraharaj and a major rebuild in about 2005. Older legends should be seen as tradition.
Is Tara Tarini connected to Buddhism?
Some writers say so. A small Buddha image is kept in the sanctum, and Tara is also a Buddhist saviour. How far this goes back is debated, so it is shown here as a view and not as a settled fact.
Which are the four Adi Shakti Peethas?
By common tradition: Tara Tarini in Ganjam, Kamakhya in Guwahati, Vimala in Puri and Kalighat in Kolkata. Some lists differ.
What is the main festival?
Chaitra Jatra, held on Tuesdays of the Chaitra month (March-April). Sankranti Mela is held every month on Sankranti.
Is there a Sanskrit verse about Tara Tarini?
One verse attributed to the Asta Shakti and Kalika Purana names it among four Peethas: Bimala pada khandancha, Stana khandancha Tarini, Kamakhya yoni khandancha, Mukha khandancha Kalika. We found it only as a quotation in a modern article.

Tara Tarini Temple - Complete Guide (6 pages)

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Sources and further reading

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