Goddess Ugra Tara

The Goddess Ugratara is the tutelary deity of the former Kalinga kingdom’s Eastern Ganga dynasty kings. Her old temple is located in Mulajharigarh hamlet, Bhusandapur, Odisha, India, 65 kilometers from the state capital Bhubaneswar. Mother Tara’s icon is three-eyed and Chaturbhuja, with powerful weapons in her hands such as a sword, dagger, blue lotus, and a drinking cup. She is standing over a body on a funeral pyre, which is engulfed in flames. There are serpent anklets and a serpent on the crown, which undoubtedly originate from the 11th-century Tantrik treatise Sadhanamala Tantra. Later Gajapati dynasty monarchs regarded goddess Kali or Shyamakaali with less reverence, and her worship got less attention. However, many Vasishtha Gotra devotees worship her as Ishta Devi. In Hindu Tantrik theology, she is one of ten Mahavidya. She is known as Ugratara because of her fearsome appearance, yet as Ekajata/Neela-Saraswati, she is benevolent to her devotees. Bhushandapur, in the Khordha district, is a nearby railway station that is served by local passenger trains between Bhubaneswar and Balugaon. Chaitra parba, Raja Parba, and Sharadiya Durga Puja are the most important festivals in this region. She is worshipped in a tantric manner, with all Tantrik fivefold paraphernalia being offered to her.

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