her temple, famously known as the Samaleswari temple. Among the varieties of festivals observed before the goddess throughout the year, three festivals are observed prominently. The first two are Navaratri pujas during the months of March and April and during the months of September and October (Chaitra Navaratri and Ashwin Navaratri respectively). The goddess is dressed differently on each day representing each of the Navadurgas, this is called Beeja. Among these two navaratra pujas (nine days continuous worship of the goddess), the second one is observed with great splendour and devotion. On the 1st day of the Navaratri, the goddess is dressed in white attire, called Dhabalamukhi. The third festival which is said to be the chief festival of the whole western Odisha region is Nuakhai. In this festival, the farmers offer the first produce from their lands to the goddess before using it for their personal use. External links Samaleswari Shakti temples Hindu temples in Sambalpur district Tourist attractions in Sambalpur Buildings and structures in Sambalpur