Chausath Yogini Temple

Getting there

• By air

  The nearest airport is Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar, which lies 3 km from the city centre.

• By train

  Bhubaneswar railway station is one of the main stations of the Indian railway network.

Why devotees come here

Chausath Yogini Temple stands in Hirapur, 20 km outside Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha. Its small circular shrine is open to the sky, with niches for the 64 yogini images. It is believed to be the first Chausathi Yogini Temple in India.

The temple is a tantric shrine. Its idols show female figures standing on an animal, a demon or a human head, which stands for the victory of Shakti, the eternal power. Temples dedicated to yoginis are rare. Local priests tell a legend that Devi Durga took the form of 64 demi-goddesses to defeat a demon, and the 64 asked to be honoured with a temple.

The temple is believed to have been built by Queen Hiradevi in 864 CE. She was a Bhouma dynasty queen, linked with Santikaradeva II, also called Lonabhadra. Accounts differ on the date, and some place it in the ninth century. The site was discovered by the late K. N. Mahapatra, a historian and archaeologist of Orissa.

The shrine is small and circular, only 25 feet (7.6 m) across, and open to the sky. The walls are built of blocks of sandstone. A wall about 2 metres high holds 64 niches around its inner edge, one for each yogini image. The 56 surviving idols are made of black stone. They stand around a central image of Kali.

Tips for your visit

• Count the niches as you walk the circle, since only 56 of the 64 idols survive.
• The surviving idols are black stone, set against walls of sandstone blocks, and each stands in its own niche.

Questions people ask