Markama

Markama is a goddess of southern Odisha, worshipped at the Maa Markama temple at Bissam Cuttack in Rayagada district, beside the temple of her sister Karkama. Local tradition describes her as the tutelary deity of the Thatraja rulers of the Bissam Cuttack estate. The temple stands in a hill and forest region with a large Kondh tribal population, and the shrine is associated with Kondh and Hindu worship together. Dussehra and the Chaitra Parba are the two main annual festivals.

Markama is a local goddess whose worship has older roots than the Puranic traditions. According to local tradition she has been worshipped for centuries at Bissam Cuttack, and she is regarded as the tutelary deity of the Thatraja rulers of the Bissam Cuttack estate. Her sister Karkama has a temple...