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Maa Tara Tarini Temple

Kumari Hills, on the Rushikulya river near Purusottampur, Ganjam district · Goddesses Tara and Tarini, twin forms of Adi Shakti; a Shakti Peetha

Twin sister goddesses on a hill above the Rushikulya river, reached by 999 steps or a four-seat ropeway.

Maa Tara Tarini is a hilltop Shakti shrine on the bank of the Rushikulya river in Ganjam district, Odisha, about 28 to 32 km from Berhampur (Brahmapur). Two goddesses, Tara and Tarini, are worshipped as sisters and as one power. The temple is counted among the Adi Shakti Peethas, where a part of Sati's body is said to have fallen. Most visitors climb the 999 steps or take the ropeway, and many families bring babies for their first head-shaving (mundan) here.

Timings

• Temple open (usual): approx. 6:30 AM to 8:30 PM, with breaks around noon and in the evening (one travel blog; confirm at the temple)
• Chaitra Tuesdays: 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM on the four Tuesdays of Chaitra (Orissa Post)
• Sankranti: approx. 5:30 AM to 10:00 PM (Wikipedia)
• Ropeway: approx. 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM; depends on the weather (operator site)

Daily rituals

• approx. 5:00 AM – Majana: The morning bath of the goddesses.
• approx. 6:15 AM – Mangala Aarti and first bhog: The first lamp worship and food offering.
• approx. 12:15 PM – Raja Bhog: The main midday food offering, followed by a rest (pahada) break.
• approx. 6:15 PM – Sandhya Aarti: The evening lamp worship.
• approx. 9:45 PM – Night bhog and pahada: The last offering and the closing of the sanctum.

Darshan types and costs

• General darshan – Free. Short on normal days; long queues on Chaitra Tuesdays, Sankranti and weekends.
• Special darshan – approx. Rs 100 (a 2022 listing). Faster entry, used mainly on festival days. Confirm the price at the counter.

Sevas and costs at Maa Tara Tarini Temple

Khichdi bhog – Rs 7 per portion (Wikipedia and a travel blog)

When: Mainly Tuesdays

A simple khichdi cooked in the temple is offered to the goddesses and served as prasad.

How to book: Buy at the prasad counter.

Persons allowed: Per portion

Sold on Tuesdays in Chaitra. Confirm the day and price.

Mundan (first head-shaving) – Check at the barber counter

When: Any day; most on Chaitra Tuesdays

A barber arranged by the Development Board shaves the baby's head and the hair is offered to the goddesses. Orissa Post reported four tonsure centres in Chaitra.

How to book: Walk-in at the tonsure centre.

Persons allowed: Child and family

Collected hair is sold by the board (Orissa Post). Use only the official centres.

Daily bhog and aarti sevas – Check at the temple (older listings show Rs 50 to Rs 200)

When: Daily

Priests offer the morning, midday and evening bhogs and aarti in the devotee's name.

How to book: Ask at the Development Board counter.

Persons allowed: Family

We did not find an official current price list, so confirm before you pay.

How to book darshan

Darshan is walk-in. There is no official temple booking site we could confirm. Ropeway tickets can be booked on the operator's own site, udankhatola.com, or bought at the counter.

1. Reach the foot of the hill and park. Buy ropeway tickets at the counter or from udankhatola.com, or start the 999-step climb.
2. On Chaitra Tuesdays, buses and queues are managed by the Development Board; follow police and volunteer directions.
3. Ask for the price of any seva before you agree, and buy prasad only from the board's counters.

Booking safely

• The ropeway operator's page advises buying tickets at the official counter rather than from touts.
• Devotees have complained of liquor sales and a shortage of tent accommodation on the hill in Chaitra (Orissa Post).

Darshan is walk-in. Buy tickets and services only at the Development Board and ropeway counters.

Prasadam and offerings

• Khichdi – Rs 7 per portion. Mainly on Tuesdays.
• Packaged prasad at the foothill – Check at the counter. Sold by the temple management at the foot of the hill (travel blog).

• Mundan (hair offering): Babies are tonsured and the hair is offered to the goddesses. The Development Board provides barbers.
• Coconut, flowers, sari: The usual offerings to the goddesses.

Dress code

Modest traditional clothes. Wear comfortable footwear for the climb; footwear is removed before the temple.

Temple etiquette

• Follow the queues set by the police and Development Board, especially on Chaitra Tuesdays.
• Use only the Board's tonsure centres and counters.
• Report liquor sales or touts to the police or the Development Board. Devotees have complained to the administration about liquor sales near the temple (Orissa Post).

Why it matters

The sanctum holds two stone faces decorated with gold and silver, with two brass heads (the festival images, chalanti pratima) between them. A small Buddha image is also found, which scholars link to the Buddhist history of the region.

Tradition says the breasts of Sati fell here, so the goddesses are worshipped as the divine mothers who nourish children. Families from Ganjam and nearby districts bring their babies for the first tonsure on the Tuesdays of Chaitra.

Scholars quoted by Orissa Post see Tara Tarini as a main deity of the old Kalinga kingdom. The Jaugada rock edicts of Ashoka are about 4 km away.

Legends

Sati and the Adi Shakti Peethas

After Sati gave up her life at her father Daksha's yajna, Shiva carried her body in grief, and Vishnu's Sudarshana Chakra cut it into parts. The places where the parts fell became Shakti Peethas. The breasts are said to have fallen at Tara Tarini.

The Pandavas

A story told at the temple says the five Pandavas prayed here for victory on Krishna's advice. Treat this as local tradition.

History

Ancient: Kalinga era worship

Sources say the goddesses were worshipped in the time of the Kalinga kings. The exact date is not documented.

17th century: Revival

Wikipedia credits Basu Praharaj with medieval work in the 17th century, and other sources say the idols were rediscovered and worship revived in that century.

Recent decades: Development Board and ropeway

The Tara Tarini Development Board runs the temple, special buses and tonsure arrangements. An aerial ropeway run by Usha Breco now reaches the hilltop.

June 2025: Revised development plan

Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced that a revised detailed project report would be prepared for the temple's development (OdishaTV, June 2025).

Architecture

The temple is built in the Kalinga style and the complex has five temples, according to Wikipedia. There are two inscriptions at the foot of the hill, near the Shiva temple.

The hill is about 708 feet high (a travel blog's figure). The 999 steps climb the front; a paved road for cars goes to the back of the hill.

What to see

• The twin goddesses: Two decorated stone faces in the sanctum, with the two brass festival heads between them.
• 999 steps: The traditional climb, with shaded landings. Plan to rest on the way.
• Ropeway: A short four-seat cabin ride of about 333 m and 149 m rise, about 5 minutes (operator's site).
• View of the Rushikulya river: From the top of the hill.
• Mundan (head-shaving) of babies: The Development Board arranges barbers, especially on the Chaitra Tuesdays.

How to cover the temple

Go up the hill by the 999 steps or the ropeway, have darshan of the twin goddesses, and come down the same way. Families with babies often add the head-shaving (mundan) rite.

1. Park and choose your climb: Park at the foot. Choose between the 999 steps, the ropeway (about 5 minutes) or the paved road to the back of the hill (travel blog).
2. Steps or ropeway: The steps have landings to rest. The ropeway stops in bad weather.
3. The two goddesses: Join the queue to see the twin stone faces decorated in gold and silver. Special darshan is available for a fee on busy days.
4. Official centres: On the Chaitra Tuesdays, tonsure centres run by the Development Board are open. Use only the official centres.
5. Khichdi: A simple khichdi is served as prasad, mainly on Tuesdays.
6. Return: Come down the steps slowly, or by ropeway.

Customs and traditions

Mundan (first tonsure) of babies

A baby's first head-shaving, with the hair offered to the goddesses.

Devotees believe the ritual protects the child from evil and supports well-being (Orissa Post).

Done by barbers arranged by the Development Board, especially on the four Tuesdays of Chaitra. Check cost at the centre.

Chaitra Jatra

A month-long mela with special worship on Tuesdays.

The Tuesdays of Chaitra are considered especially auspicious for the twin goddesses.

The shrine stays open from 6 AM to 11 PM on those Tuesdays and special buses run.

For elders and differently-abled visitors

Access: Hard. The hill has 999 steps, which is hard for most elders. The ropeway or the paved road to the back of the hill makes the visit possible, but the ropeway stops in bad weather and queues are long on Chaitra Tuesdays.

• 999 steps on the front side of the hill. The ropeway takes about 5 minutes (333 m, 149 m rise).
• Use the ropeway or the road to the back of the hill. Ask the Development Board staff about assistance. We found no published wheelchair service.

Waiting time

Usually short on weekdays. We found no published wait times.

Very long on the Tuesdays of Chaitra, Sankranti and weekends. Orissa Post reported thousands of families and about 417 police deployed in 2020.

Best time to visit

October to February for the climb. Chaitra (March to April) is the festival month but extremely crowded on Tuesdays.

Festivals

Chaitra Jatra (Tuesdays of Chaitra (March to April))

A month of mela. Thousands of families come, especially for mundan. The shrine stays open from 6 AM to 11 PM, the Board runs special buses, and police deploy in large numbers.

Sankranti Mela (Each Sankranti)

A smaller mela on the first day of the solar month.

How to reach Maa Tara Tarini Temple

• By air: Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar, about 165 km (operator's site gives about 166 km).
• By rail: Brahmapur (Berhampur) station, about 32 km. Local buses and taxis go on to the hill.
• By road: Good road from Berhampur through Purusottampur to the Kumari Hills; Bhubaneswar is about 161 km (Orissa Post). Vehicles park at the foot of the hill or at the back of the hill via the paved road. Special buses run in Chaitra.

Road safety

A good road from Berhampur leads to the Kumari Hills. Pilgrims then climb 999 steps, take the ropeway, or drive to the back of the hill. The main risk is the crowd on the Tuesdays of Chaitra.

A paved road runs up to the back of the hill for cars (a travel blog). The front climb is 999 steps. The ropeway runs from the foot of the hill and stops in bad weather.

Full road-safety guide

Where to stay

A few rooms and dormitories at the foot of the hill, and hotels in Berhampur and Gopalpur-on-Sea. Rooms in the hill area are limited during Chaitra.

• Rooms and dormitories at the foothill – Check at the temple office. Travel blogs say these are first come, first served. Confirm locally.
• Hotels in Berhampur – Varies. Book directly with the hotel.

Suggested plan

Half day

• Start early to avoid the heat and queues.
• Take the ropeway up or climb the 999 steps.
• Have darshan, then rest on the hill.
• Return by the ropeway or steps, and have lunch in Purusottampur or Berhampur.

Tips

• The ropeway stops in bad weather, so keep time for the steps.
• Carry water and cap on summer days.
• In Chaitra, go on a weekday. Tuesdays are extremely busy.

Frequently asked questions

How many steps are there?

About 999 steps on the front side of the hill.

Is there a ropeway?

Yes, a four-seat cabin ropeway run by Usha Breco takes about 5 minutes. Operator-listed hours are about 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM, subject to weather.

Is there a temple website?

We could not find an official site for the Tara Tarini Development Board that we could confirm.

Temples nearby

• Lingaraj Temple, Bhubaneswar – Old Town, Bhubaneswar (Ekamra Kshetra), Khordha district, Odisha (about 154 km by road)
• Shri Jagannath Temple, Puri – Grand Road (Bada Danda), Puri, Odisha (about 192 km by road)
• Konark Sun Temple – Konark, Puri district, Odisha (about 195 km by road)
• Maa Biraja Temple, Jajpur – Jajpur town, on the Baitarani (Vaitarani) river, Jajpur district (about 252 km by road)
• Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Devasthanam, Simhachalam – Simhachalam hill (Simhadri), Visakhapatnam, Visakhapatnam district (about 298 km by road)

More Devi (Durga & Shakti) temples

• Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam (Kanaka Durga Temple) – Indrakeeladri hill, Vijayawada, NTR district
• Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple – Madurai, Madurai district
• Sri Chamundeshwari Temple – Chamundi Hills, Mysuru, Mysuru district
• Gangotri Temple (Shri Ganga Mata Mandir) – Gangotri, Uttarkashi district, on the Bhagirathi river (approx. 99–100 km from Uttarkashi)
• Yamunotri Temple (Shri Yamuna Mata Mandir) – Yamunotri, Uttarkashi district, below the Bandarpunch massif, approx. 6 km above Janki Chatti
• Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine (Holy Cave), Trikuta Hills – Trikuta hills above Katra, Reasi district, Jammu & Kashmir

All Devi (Durga & Shakti) temples

Managed by

• Commissioner of Endowments, Odisha (Odisha Hindu Religious Endowments Commission)

No official website: We could not find a website of the Tara Tarini Development Board that we could confirm; the ropeway operator's site is separate and only sells ropeway tickets.

Sources

• OrissaPOST – Chaitra Mela starts in Tara Tarini temple
• Udan Khatola (Usha Breco) – Taratarini ropeway
• Wikipedia – Tara Tarini Temple
• YatraDham blog – Taratarini temple timings and booking (March 2022; older, confirm locally)
• OdishaTV – Revised DPR for Tara Tarini development (June 2025)

Last checked: 2026-10. Timings and fees change – confirm with the temple before you travel.