Virajakshetra Shakti Peetha

Maa Biraja Temple is located in Jajpur, Odisha, an ancient pilgrimage centre known as Biraja Kshetra or Viraja Kshetra. The presiding goddess, worshipped as Biraja or Girija, appears in a distinctive two-armed form defeating Mahishasura. Odisha Tourism recognizes the temple as one of the major Shakti Peethas and connects Jajpur with the sacred name Nabhi Gaya. The complex also contains numerous Shaiva shrines and a sacred well where pilgrims perform ancestral rites, linking goddess worship with the ritual geography of Gaya traditions.

According to the Virajakshetra or Utkala Peetha tradition, Sati’s navel, or nabhi, fell here. The database records Vimala as the Devi and Jagannatha, with Jaya as a variant, as Bhairava. Other traditions identify the presiding goddess directly as Viraja or Girija. These differences reflect variations in textual pairing and should remain visible rather than forcing all names into one form.

Sharadiya Durga Puja is the temple’s principal annual observance and includes an extended ritual cycle. The Simhadhwaja Ratha Yatra, named for its lion-bannered chariot, is a distinctive festival associated with Biraja during the Durga Puja period. Daily Tantric and Agamic worship continues throughout the year. The temple’s importance combines Shakti Peetha belief, Nabhi Gaya ancestral rites, Odisha’s temple heritage and the powerful Mahishasuramardini image of Biraja.