Chausath Yogini Temple: Hirapur

Frontal view of the temple

I redeemed myself off from the ignominy of having been an unworthy ignorant Odiya all these years. Being born and bred in a diverse and culturally vibrant state, I possessed little knowledge of what my state had to offer. I meandered all through my growing up years blankly. But today, after all these years, the subdued spirit has ignited and wants to learn more about its rich homestate Orissa. And thus started my journey . Because its never too late. And I started with 64 Yogini Temple, Hirapur.

The archedway displaying the 64 yogini statuettes

The 64 yogini temple at Hirapur, which is just 15 kms from Bhubaneswar, hides within itself deep mysteries and untold legends. Its uniqueness can be gauged by the fact that it is only second of its kind in Orissa and one of four such temples in the world. The temple is hypaethral, that means it is roofless. And the circular archway dons 64 statuettes of yoginis.

One such Yogini statuette

Legend has it that a demon king Raktabija had a boon that for each drop of his blood spilled on the ground, he would multiply his form. When his existence became intolerable, Goddess Durga waged a war against him. Durga took the help of the yoginis and directed them to drink all the drops of blood before it could touch the ground. Thus the demon was killed.

The village Hirapur though being so close to the city has its rustic charm surrounded by open swathes of paddy fields and a small pond in front of the temple.

You have to cross this Kuakhai river bridge to reach Hirapur.

For more information on 64 yogini temple, read the, HINDU article which featured a story on this little known temple.