Kalijai Temple

Kalijai Temple

Kalijai island of Goddess Kalijai is among the most frequent visited spot for tourists. The island is famous as a centre of religious worship due to the temple of Goddess Kalijai. This temple is situated on an island where the presiding deity is Goddess Kalijai. The localites strongly believe in this Goddess and every fisherman in Chilika bows down to her before setting out for their fishing activities. Besides regular days, during Makar Sankranti time, the temple witnesses the maximum visitors. The deity worshipped here was apparently once a girl named Kalijai who was going to her in-laws through a boat on this lake, and was killed in an accident after a heavy storm capsized the boat. The temple was built on the site where the boat sank; the locals, fishermen, sailors and even some tourists visit the temple to pray for a safe journey to the lagoon.