Maa Majhighariani Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Visakhapatnam International Airport is the nearest airport, about 170 km away.

• By train

  Rayagada Railway Station is the nearest railway station, and Rayagada is the nearest railhead.

• By road

  Rayagada is well connected by State and National Highways.

Why devotees come here

Maa Majhighariani Temple stands in Rayagada, a hill town in southern Odisha and the headquarters of Rayagada district. It is a shrine to Devi Majhighariani, one of the Shakti temples of Odisha. Visitors also walk across the Hanging Bridge at Chekaguda, a scenic spot in the same town.

Devi Majhighariani is worshipped here as a Shakti deity, and the temple is counted among the Shakti temples of Odisha. Local belief says the king who built the temple made Rayagada his capital and then went on to conquer a large dominion. Rayagada is a municipality and the headquarters of Rayagada district, a town known for its tribal culture, natural beauty and history.

The Odisha District Gazetteer says King Vishwanath Dev Gajapati of the Suryavansh dynasty moved his capital to Rayagada from Nandapur in the 16th century. He built a fort on the Nagavali river and placed a temple to Majhighariani inside it. The British later destroyed the fort and used its stones to build a bridge, and the fort is now in ruins.

The temple you visit today was built in the late 20th century. Its architecture is in the Kalinga style.

Festivals

• OctoberDussehra

  Visitors come to the shrine for Dussehra.

• March to AprilChaitra Parva

  The Chaitra parva draws visitors to the shrine, and Chaitra Puja is also celebrated here.

Tips for your visit

• Many visitors come on Wednesdays and Fridays.
• The Jagannath Temple at the market on the south side of Rayagada is near this temple.

Questions people ask