Sureswari

Sureswari is a Shakta goddess worshipped at Sonepur, in Subarnapur district of western Odisha. The sanctum holds a six-armed standing image of Kali, worshipped as Sureswari. Her temple stands on the left bank of the Tel river, near its meeting with the Mahanadi. The name is regarded as a Sanskritised form of the local name Sursuri. She is counted among the Astha Chandi shrines of the region and is honoured as guardian of old Suvarnapur. Durga Puja is observed at the shrine.

Her story rests on local and scholarly tradition. One view holds that she was the presiding deity of the Suvarnapur fort in Somavamsi times, about the ninth century. Another source records her worship as guardian of the fort at the entrance gate of the Satabandha. Seven ponds beside the temple are...