Joranda, about 40 km north of Dhenkanal town, is the spiritual headquarters of the Mahima Dharma — an unusual Hindu reform sect founded in the mid-19th century. The complex centres on the Sunya Mandir, an unadorned conical white shrine that contains no image — only a single sacred fire kept perpetually burning. Surrounding it are dormitories, gardens, and the samadhi (memorial) of the founder Mahima Swami.
The annual Magha Mela in late January or February draws thousands of devotees and ash-smeared sadhus to a several-day fair. Outside that time the complex is quiet and contemplative, and one of the more genuinely unusual religious sites in eastern India. Photography of monks should be requested first.