Pendrani

Maa Pendrani

The goddess Pendrani is a legendary deity of Umerkote, a town in Nabarangpur District in Orissa. A marvelous temple has been constructed at west end of the town in order to create a place for worshiping for the locals. Sunday is the only weekday on which the temple remains open. People from far away places visit the goddess.

Maa Pendrani of Umerkote is born out of a legend. A small village Pendra (Pendrahandi) near Umerkote worship a pure soul Pendrani, a married girl who was a victim of secret jealousy of her own brothers . As the story goes , her husband was overtly pampered by her parents who made him stay in their household with no work to bother about. The four brothers out of sheer jealousy conspired and succeeded in killing her innocent husband ( Pendara ) and buried him in their field . Sensing a foul play , Pendrani could unfold the heinous crime and apparently jumped into her husband’s funeral pyre and perished in its flames. Days later her spirit was believed to roam about the villages helping those who trusted her supernatural transformation. People adore her scrifice and worship in a temple erected at Umerkote. That the local degree College is name after her is a tribute to the saga of supreme sacrifice.