Kalijai Temple is located on an island in

Chilika Lake Chilika Lake is a brackish water lagoon, spread over the Puri, khordha and Ganjam districts of Odisha state on the east coast of India, at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal, covering an area of over . It is the bigge ...

. It is considered to be the abode of the Goddess Kalijai. Goddess Kalijai is actually Kali, the source and the first 'Mahavidya' of 'Dasmahavidyas'. Highly revered by the local populace, the deity has been venerated in the local folklores and legends. The island provides an excellent destination for pilgrims as well as tourists. Every year in January, a huge gala fair is held during the festival of

Makar Sankranti Makar(a) Sankranti (), also referred to as Uttarayana, Maghi, or simply Sankranti, is a Hindu observance and a festival. Usually falling on the date of January 14 annually, this occasion marks the transition of the Sun from the zodiac of Sag ...

Legend

Legend has it that a newly married girl (named Jaai) along with her father was going to meet her husband. As her in-law's house was on an island in

they had to take a boat to ferry them across the lake.

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

's coast is very prone to

Cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anti ...

s and during this boat trip they were encountered with a severe

, as a result their boat was capsized in the

. Only the boatman and her father survived this event except for the girl Jaai. They searched for her but were unable to locate her. After this accidental death of that newly wed girl, she became the Goddess of people residing nearby and till now, she is worshiped as an EXCERPT of

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...

. And, this is how the place got its name. According to a poem by Pandit

Godabarish Mishra Pandit Godabarish Mishra (26 October 1886 – 26 July 1956) was a poet and notable socialist from Odisha, India. He is known for his contribution to Odia literature. Early life Godabarish Mishra was born to Lingaraj Mishra & Apsara Devi in a ...

, Jaai was a girl who was going to get married in Parikud island. The boat capsized in the storm. She met her tragic death and became the deity Kalijai. However, it's attributed to the imagination of the poet and may not be evidenced. Dr. Radha Charan Panda mentions in ''The History of Parikud'' (1930) that this temple was built by Sri Jagannath Mansingh, king of Bankad (currently known as Banapur) in the year 1717. File:Maa Kalijai 1.jpg, Maa Kalijai at the temple File:Maa Kalijai 2.jpg, Maa Kalijai

References

External links

the drowned bride worshipped as goddessmap showing the place
Hindu temples in Khordha district Devi temples in Odisha {{Odisha-hindu-temple-stub

Legend

See also

References

External links