Maa Sarala Temple

The Maa Sarala Temple is a Hindu temple in the Odisha district of  Jagatsinghpur. It is one of Odisha’s eight most famous Shakta shrines. 

‘Maa Sarala’ (Mother Sarala) is a Hindu Goddess who serves as a patron  to Vaishnav and Shakta devotees. It is unusual for a single deity to be  worshipped by both of these Hindu sects. 

She is sometimes thought to be a Buddhist tantric figure because she is  holding a book, a Veena, and a handbell, all of which are Mahayana  symbols.  

Vak Devi, the Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom, and Jhankad Vaasini Sharada are some of the other names for Goddess Sarala. 

The goddess’ folklore dates back thousands of years, to the time of  Parashurama. It is said that the goddess was carved with the tip of the  god Parashurama’s arrow.  

Sidheshwar Parida, a small-time farmer, and part-time Odia Paika are  credited with popularising Goddess worship in the 15th century CE. 

He was a devout devotee of the Goddess who later became Sarala Das, the  author of the Odia Mahabharata. He refers to Goddess Sarala as Durga,  Aparna, Parvati, Narayani, Bhavani,Barati, Mahalakshmi, Mahakali,  Katyayani, Chandi, Ugratara, Kamala, Bhairavi, Bhagavati, Mangala,  Aparna, Hingula, Tripura, Vasuli, Maha Yogeswari, Tarini, Ambika,  Mahasaraswati, Charchika, and Parama Vaisnavi etc.