वाराही मंदिर ओडिशा के पुरी जिले के एक छोटे से गांव चौरासी में 9वीं शताब्दी में निर्मित एक प्राचीन मंदिर है। चौरासी प्राची घाटी क्षेत्र में स्थित है। यह अपने आध्यात्मिक प्रभाव के लिए प्रसिद्ध है। वाराही मंदिर ओडिशा में पाए जाने वाले खाखरा मंदिरों में से एक है। खखरा मंदिरों का निर्माण एक शक्ति, एक महिला देवता को प्रतिष्ठित करने के लिए किया जाता है। वैताल मंदिर और गौरी मंदिर, भुवनेश्वर में पाए जाने वाले कुछ खाखरा मंदिर हैं।
Goddess Varahi is the female counterpart of Lord Varaha, the boar incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Goddess Varahi is one among the Sapta-matrikas group which includes Goddess Vaishnavi, Goddess Maheswari, Goddess Brahmani, Goddess Indrani, Goddess Kaumari, and Goddess Chamunda. The Markandeya Purana suggests that the Sapta-matrikas came out of the bodies of their gods to help Devi fight with Shumbha-Nishumbha. Goddess Varahi came out of the body of Lord Varaha. A mound of a ruined temple having an image of Chamunda in the neighborhood of Chaurasi led to the assumption that there could have been a group of 7 temples each dedicated to one Sapta-matrikas.
The temple comprises a jagamohana and a deul. The jagamohana is constructed following a tri-ratha pattern having a 2-tier flat roof. The temple stands on a platform with the deul standing above it. The deul is based on pancha-ratha pattern comprising of pabhaga, jangha and baranda. The total height of the temple is about 25 feet. The pabhaga consists of 3 mouldings. The jangha has 5 projections. Niches on corners contain images of mithuna. The naga-pillars in the temple are the first incidence of a such motif in an Odisha temple. The Naga is entwined around the pillar.
There is no separate baranda moulding. The tower is divided into two tiers. It follows the Pancha-ratha pattern. A moulding separates gandi and mastaka of the temple. The mastaka has muhanti, mukhata and kalasa. Muhanti, the lower edge of the roof, is adorned with mithuna-images. Mukhata, the central part of the roof, is embellished with vajra-mastakas.
The image of Goddess Varahi enshrined in the sanctum symbolizes her tantric form. Varahi Tantra mentions five forms of Goddess Varahi: Svapna Varahi, Canda Varahi, Bhairavi Varahi, Krcca Varahi, and Matsya Varahi. The image of Varahi matches the description of Matsya Varahi with three eyes and two hands. She is holding a fish and kapala in her two hands. She is seated in lalitasana-mudra with her right foot set over a buffalo. She has a big belly representing the universe inside her womb. There are two more images of Goddess Varahi found in jagamohana. One image has two hands holding a fish and a kapala with her mount, naravahana. The other image has four hands holding a kapala, fish, and rosary with her fourth hand in the varada-mudra.
