Maa Tara Chandi Temple

Maa Tara Chandi Temple, about 5 kilometres from Sasaram in Bihar, is dedicated to the goddess Durga as Tara Chandi and is regarded as one of the 51 Shakta pithas. It is described as Sasaram's oldest temple and among its holiest. Legend says Sati's right eye fell here when Vishnu's discus cut her body apart, and the shrine was first called Maa Sati. Another story says that after his enlightenment the Buddha came here and the goddess appeared to him as a young girl, sending him on to Sarnath. She is also the family goddess of the Surwar Rajputs.

Worship follows the satvik mode, with daily puja, adornment, aarti, an offering of halwa and puri, and a night aarti. An inscription of Pratapdhavala is cut on a rock near the temple. The Kaimur Hills around Sasaram hold other sights, including the Gupta Mahadev Temple, old caves and the Manjhar Kund and Dhuan Kund waterfalls.