#21Days21Deities
Day 11 : Maa Markama
Maa Markama is one of the primary deity in Rayagada district of Odisha. Here, a temple is dedicated to her and her sister, Maa Karkama. It is the only shrine (Shakti Peethas) of her in Odisha. https://twitter.com/ashishsarangi/status/1246112210000072704

The legend says that the Devi is being worshiped for centuries. However, the temple was constructed in the recent past. As per historical references, Kalahambir, the king of SURYA dynasty (Suryavansi) ruled Bissam cuttack & Devi Maa Markama was the Ishtadevi of the royal family.

The mention of Devi Maa Markama can also be found in the chandi purana of Sarala Dash and also in bata abakash of Matta Balarama Dash. The Devi has been mentioned as Utkaleeya (Odia for "of Odisha") jogini in mythological books.

Several legends say that Devi Markama helped the King of Bissam Cuttack during a war by mesmerizing enemy soldiers. The ritual of human sacrifice was prevalent here and was stopped during the British rule. Yet the ritual of buffalo sacrifice continued, which was stopped in 1950s.

Information and pics collected from Wikipedia and Google..