The origin of Shakti or worship of the Earth as a female embodiment of power is found across many cultures all over the world.

In Odisha which has a high density of tribal population whose religious practices have been assimilated into the mainstream Hindu faith, the worship of natural formations such as rocks, tree trunks, rivers is widespread among the tribes.

Maa Tarini is always depicted as a red face with two large eyes and a mark in the middle which serves as an indication for a nose and also a tilak.

The red colour has been attributed to dyes made out of iron ores or ocher which are quite plentiful in the state and would thus have been used by the tribes for anointing and decorating the sacred figures of worship.

Although the two are embodiments of the same divinity, Kali is the goddess of death and destruction whereas Maa Tarini is the force of life.

In one retelling of the Ramayana, after Sita was abducted by Ravana, Lord Rama and his brother Lakshmana started searching for her.

Mythological accounts hold that Maa Tarini agreed to follow Bhanja provided he never looked backed all the way from Puri to Keonjhar.

The exact sequence of events which led to the installation of the goddess at her chief shrine in Ghatagaon are still a matter of debate among historians.

He prayed to Lord Jagannath and it is believed that he was directed to appoint one Govinda Bhanja as his Senapati or General of his army.

Whatever may be the real reason it is here that Bhanja and thus Hindu society as a whole was introduced to Maa Tarini and she was admitted into the Pantheon.

Utkal, a coastal kingdom which was carved out of the former Kalinga is described to have many important shrines and areas for the practice of Tantra.