Sarala

Sarala is the Shakta goddess of the Sarala temple at Jhankad in Jagatsinghpur district, shown with eight arms in the pose of Mahishasuramardini, the slayer of the buffalo demon. She is honoured as Adi Shakti and as the goddess of learning, and she is tied to the poet Sarala Das, who wrote the Odia Mahabharata. The temple is among the best known Shakta shrines of Odisha and is linked with the Jagannath temple at Puri. Festivals include Sharadiya Utsav, Pana Sankranti and Dola Purnima.

According to the Jagatsinghpur district account, the Sarala shrine is believed to have been built by the Bhauma kings in the eighth century. Another tradition credits Parashurama, who is said to have carved the image with the point of his arrow and worshipped the goddess for wisdom and power. A...