The Tara Tarini Temple has ancient origins, with evidence of worship at the site dating back to at least the 8th-9th century CE. The site was historically part of the Kalinga region, ruled by the Somavamshi dynasty and later the Eastern Gangas. The temple was a major centre for the Tantric tradition, particularly the worship of the goddess Tara, who is also venerated in Buddhism as a bodhisattva.
The site sits at the crossroads of Hindu and Buddhist Tantric traditions — Tara is one of the ten Mahavidyas in Shaktism and also a principal bodhisattva in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. The temple reached prominence under the Somavamshi rulers and the Suryavamsi Gajapatis of Odisha. During the Maratha occupation of Odisha (18th century), the temple was renovated and expanded.
The current temple structure is a modern construction built in the traditional Kalinga Rekha style, using locally quarried red khondalite stone. The Archaeological Survey of India has recorded inscriptions and sculptural fragments at the site indicating continuous occupation from the early medieval period.
