Goddess Ramachandi temple is located at Rama Chandi around 8 km south of Konark Sun Temple in Odisha. Goddess Ramachandi is the 10-armed form of Goddess Durga. The main sanctum sanctorum has ten-armed Goddess Ramachandi as the presiding deity of the temple. She is worshipped in the form of Dasabhuja Durga.
Her right five arms display khadga, gada, chakra, trident
and lotus flower whereas the left
five hands hold panapatra, parasu, pasa, bow and dambaru respectively. The murti
is carved in black chlorite and it is 30 inches in height. Goddess wears a
silver mukuta on her head. Lion, the conventional mount of Devi is carved on
the pedestal. Goddess Ramachandi is depicted as piercing Demon Mahimsasura, using
her trident. The murti of Ramachandi is installed on the simhasana of
2 feet high.
The wide spread belief is that deity is certainly more ancient than the Sun temple at Konark. According to local tradition, during the 16th century CE Goddess Ramachandi was worshipped in a small shrine in the Sun Temple Complex of Konark. After the complex was destroyed by Kalapahada, the Goddess was shifted to the present site.
A Shivling named Rameshwara is worshiped in the north west
corner of the temple. The Shivling faces east.
The parsvadevata worshipped in the temple are Buddha,
Biranchi-Narayana and a four-armed Devi. The eight-handed murti of
Biranchi-Narayana is the parsvadevata of the eastern side. He has been installed
on the decorated pedestal. The image has three heads (one female, one Varaha
and another a male head). It stands in alidha pose on a chariot drawn by seven
spirited pigs. There are smaller murtis of Goddess Varahi in many parts of the
temple. The temple is decorated with paintings of Dasa Mahavidyas in the
patachitra style.
The most important festival in the temple is the nine-day
Navratri festival which concludes on the Dasara day.
Goddess Ramachandi is the presiding deity and protector of the
whole of Arkakshetra.