Sarala at Jhankad is a serious Shakti shrine that sits well off the tourist route, in the flat rice country of Jagatsinghpur. Devotees come for the goddess; anyone with an interest in Odia language and literature has a second reason, since this is the shrine at the root of the Odia Mahabharata.
About the shrine
One of the principal Shakti shrines of coastal Odisha, and the goddess associated with Sarala Das — the 15th-century poet who wrote the Odia Mahabharata and effectively founded Odia literature. The shrine has a literary standing few temples anywhere can claim.
- Deity
- Maa Sarala
- Location
- Jhankad, Jagatsinghpur district
- Temple timings
- Roughly 6am to 8pm; heaviest on Tuesdays and during Durga Puja
- Time from Puri
- a full day, about 8 hours
Planning the trip
- The route runs via Bhubaneswar and Jagatsinghpur; the final stretch is rural and unhurried.
- Durga Puja and Tuesdays bring heavy crowds; other weekdays are calm.
- Can be paired with Paradeep on a longer day if you want the coast as well.
Worth combining with Paradeep port and beach on an extended day if you have the time — tell us when you book and we will build it into the same fixed fare rather than adding it as an extra.
How the fare works
This is priced as a return darshan trip, not a one-way drop. The same cab and driver stay with you for the whole outing and wait at the temple while you queue — there is no per-hour waiting charge and no second fare for the journey back to Puri.
- Pickup from your Puri hotel gate and drop back at the same
- Tolls, parking, fuel and driver allowance
- Waiting time at the temple for the length of a normal darshan
- A fixed price agreed on WhatsApp before you travel
Temple entry, prasad, ropeway or boat charges where they apply are paid directly by you and are not part of the fare.
Travelling with elders
Most of the people we drive on these runs are on a pilgrimage with parents or grandparents, so the pace is set accordingly — no rushing the return, stops when they are needed, and an Innova recommended over a sedan on anything past two hours each way. See pilgrimage taxi for how we handle temple trips generally.