Ghanteswari

Ghanteswari is a Shakta goddess of the Mahanadi bank at Chipilima, in Sambalpur district of western Odisha. Her temple is known for the thousands of bells that devotees tie there, usually after a vow is fulfilled. Local accounts say the sound of wind-moved bells once warned boatmen of the whirlpools where the river's streams meet, so she is remembered as a protector of travellers on the water. Devotees come throughout the year, and the shrine is especially busy during Durga Puja and on major festival days.

The goddess is known by her name, Ghanteswari, the lady of the bell. In the Devi Mahatmya, the gods arm the goddess Ambika for battle, and Indra gives her a bell taken from his elephant Airavata. A later hymn in the same text asks the goddess to protect the world with the sound of her bell, which...