Once the prosperous and ancient capital of Utkal, Jajpur was an important and flourishing centre for trade and commerce in the olden days. Its diverse cultural cross-currents enlivened and enriched the city even in the clays of the visit of the Chinese traveller Huien T'Sang.

A historic place of pilgrimage, Jajpur situated on the bank of river vaitarani, has the sacred  shrines of mother Goddess Viraja (Durga), Sveta Varha (incarnation of Lord Vishnu as the white boar), Sapta Matruka and a host of other shrines.

How to Get There 
The nearest railhead is at Jajpur-Keonjhar Road on the Howrah-Chennai main line of the S. E. Railway from where one can reach Jajpur by an all-weather motorable road. Jajpur is 92 km from Cuttack by road.

Where to stay 
Viraja Panthasala of Orissa Tourism (Tel. 20029), Contact Tourist Office , Cuttack, (Tel. 2612225) for booking and assistance.

Otherwise known as Vaitarani Tirtha, Jajpur with Goddess Viraja (Durga) as its presiding deity is one of the sacred places of pilgrimage in Orissa. The place has its unique importance in India as Navigaya Kshetra where pinda is offered for the satisfaction of the ancestors. The shrine of Sweta Varaha (the white boar incarnation of Vishnu) along with hundreds of other shrines here made Jajpur a Tirtha par excellence. The "Dasasvamedha Ghat", the flight of steps leading to the Vaitarani where the ten horse sacrifices were performed is a great sanctified spot for the Hindus.