Situtaed 205 km from Balasore,Khiching was the ancient capital of the Bhanja rulers and an important centre of art, architecture and religious activities. Legends suggest that Khiching had a group of eight temples dedicated to Lord Shiva once upon a time. The lingams of the seven temples can be seen even today. Today, Khiching has three ancient temples dedicated to Kutaitundi, Chandrasekhar and Kichakeswari. The ruins of the forts of Viratgarh and Kichakagarh, few stupas and several sculptures can also be seen at Khiching. The largest temple of the town is dedicated to Goddess Kichakeswari, the family goddess of the ruling chiefs of Mayurbhanj. The Khiching temple, made of chlorite, is architecturally brilliant and well carved from its outer surface. This temple is the most impressive temple in Khiching. The original temple was built somewhere in the 7th or the 8th century AD and was reconstructed in the 20th century from the ruins of an earlier temple. The shrine contains a large ten-armed skeletal image of Chamunda with striking veins, ribs and sunken belly, wearing a garland of skulls and seated over a dead body. The Parasvadevatas, the Chaitya arches, the amorous couples, the scroll works and the arabesques can still be seen in the original portions of the temple. The architecture of the temple is contemporary of the Brahmesvara and the Lingaraj temples of Bhubaneswar. The plinth and the walls of the temple of Chandrasekhar stand intact in the compound. The sikhara is still in position while the mastaka portion had fallen off but has been restored. The ornamentations on the lintel, the doorjambs and the dwarpalas (figures of the doorkeepers), Chanda and Prachanda, are well executed.Other sculptures featuring in this temple are equally beautiful reflecting a remarkable sophistication and deftness