Shree Shree Samaleswari, the presiding deity of Sambalpur, is a strong
religious force in western part of Orissa and Chhattisgarh state of
India. On the bank of the river Mahanadi the mother goddess Samaleswari
is worshipped from ancient times as Jagatjanani, Adishakti, Mahalaxmi
and Mahasaraswati. The region in which the temple is situated has a rich
cultural heritage. Sambalpur region is popularly known as Hirakhanda
from ancient times. Ptolemy has described the place as Sambalak,
Acording to Tavernir, the French traveller, and Edward Gibbon, the
English historian, diamonds were exported to Rome from Sambalpur