Taratarini: Goddess of the Eastern Seas

Rinky27 Aug, 2022Business

The deities Tara and Tarini have human faces. These idols are made of stone and are adorned with gold and silver jewels and precious stones. Goddess Taratarini is the presiding deity of most of the households of Southern Odisha. Chaitra Parba, also referred to as Chaitra mela or Chaitra Yatra, is one of the major festivals celebrated in the Taratarini Temple. It is held on each Tuesday in the month of Chaitra, which falls in April-May as per the English calendar attracting anywhere between 6-7 lakhs of pilgrims. Despite the constant clamoring of the shopkeepers urging every visitor to shop for ghee and lamp for puja, the cacophony of the over enthusiastic pilgrims and the cramped temple corridors,