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Odisha Part 6: The Yogini Temple of Hirapur

I fell in love with this temple the first time I set eyes on it. Back in 2017 , I had been excited to see yet another Yogini temple, when I visited Puri. The resort I was staying at (and writing for), had arranged for a car and driver to take me around. The driver was happy to take me to most of the places I wanted to go, but when it came to Hirapur, he was appalled. He knew of the temple, but had never been there. It was a tantric temple, one not visited by women, and certainly not women travelling alone. He tried to convince me not to go, but my stubbornness and persistence paid off, and he reluctantly agreed when I told him that if he didn’t take me, I would find another driver who would. All along the way, he kept going on about the sinister things that happened at the temple, the tantric rituals that were performed at night…. An Odisha brahmin who took his religious duties very seriously, to the extent of stopping the car to perform the sandhyavandam when he deemed it time, he...
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Mariamman Teppakulam, Madurai



This temple is built in the centre of a tank next to the Mariamman Temple at Madurai. Called the Mariamman Teppakulam, this is where the annual float festival (Theppotsavam in Tamil) takes place. 

One of the largest temple tanks in southern India, this one measures about 1100 ft by 950 ft. The island at the centre has a garden with a temple enshrining Lord Ganesha. It was built in the 17th century, and is connected to the river Vaigai by underground channels! Unfortunately today, neither the river nor the tank has any water! The Teppotsavam or float festival is celebrated in the month of Jan/Feb, when the main deities of Madurai - Meenakshi and Sundareswarar are brought here in a grand procession and taken in a float around the temple. 

For more information, click here. 

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