Tara Tarini sits on the Kumari hills with the Rushikulya curving below it, and the approach — either roughly a thousand steps or a ropeway — is part of what people come for. It is a long day from Puri, four hours each way, but it is the most striking hilltop shrine in coastal Odisha and rarely feels like a tourist site.
About the shrine
A Shakti Pitha on a hilltop above the Rushikulya river, held to be where the breasts of Sati fell. The twin goddesses are the presiding deities of the whole Ganjam belt, and the Chaitra Mela here draws crowds from across south Odisha.
- Deity
- Maa Tara and Maa Tarini
- Location
- Kumari hills, Purushottampur, Ganjam district
- Temple timings
- Roughly 5am to 8pm; ropeway and steps both operate through the day
- Time from Puri
- a long full day, 11 hours
Planning the trip
- Both a step climb and a ropeway serve the hilltop; the ropeway queue is long on Tuesdays and during Chaitra.
- The Chaitra Mela on Tuesdays in March and April is the peak — enormous crowds, and a much longer day.
- Start before 6am from Puri; getting back after dark on this route is avoidable with an early departure.
Worth combining with Berhampur or Gopalpur-on-Sea if you are staying overnight 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.