Ugratara

Ugratara is the fierce form of Tara, worshipped at a temple at Mulajharigarh near Bhusandapur in Khordha district, about sixty kilometres from Bhubaneswar. The image is three-eyed and four-armed, holding a sword, dagger, blue lotus and a drinking cup. Tara is among the Dasa Mahavidyas of Shakta Tantra, and Ugratara is revered as a saviour from danger. The temple lies in the Shakta tradition of Odisha, and the state government has included it in a development programme. Devotees come through the year and during Navaratri.

In Shakta and Tantric scripture, Tara is one of the ten Mahavidyas, and the Tantric texts describe her as one who carries devotees across dangers. The name Ugra, meaning fierce, is explained in the tradition as pointing to her power to save from great peril. In Hindu Tantric lore she is also...