Jajpur — also known as Vaitarani Tirtha — is one of Odisha's most important Hindu pilgrimage sites, built around the sacred Vaitarani river. The presiding deity is Goddess Viraja, whose Biraja Temple draws devotees from across India, particularly those performing ancestral rites.
The town's special significance lies in its role as a Navigaya Kshetra: a place where Hindus come to offer pinda (rice balls) for the souls of their ancestors. This makes Jajpur a quieter, more contemplative pilgrimage than the crowds of Puri — the people you see here are mostly on a specific religious mission. The atmosphere around the ghats is unhurried and genuinely devout.
The Dasashwamedh Ghat is the ritual focal point — a broad flight of steps descending to the Vaitarani river, traditionally said to be where ten horse sacrifices (ashvamedha) were performed in ancient times. The compound also contains the Varahanatha Temple — the shrine of Sweta Varaha (the white boar, an avatar of Vishnu) — plus the Saptamatruka Temple and the Budha Ganesha Temple. Wandering among them is the main thing to do here.
Jajpur is a straightforward base for visiting these sites and for day trips into the Buddhist "Diamond Triangle" of Ratnagiri and Lalitgiri and Udayagiri. It's not a major tourist destination in the conventional sense, but for those interested in living Hindu practice and Odishan religious architecture, it rewards a day or two.