At Mahishi, west of Saharsa, stands the Ugratara Sthan — a Shakti shrine to the goddess Ugratara (Tara) and the only temple of its kind in Bihar. Its black-stone image, flanked by the deities Ekjata and Nil-Saraswati, marks an ancient seat of Shakta and tantric devotion that draws seekers from across India and Nepal.
The village of Mahishi is also remembered as the home of the great scholar Mandan Mishra, whose celebrated debate with Adi Shankaracharya is one of the legendary episodes of Indian philosophy. During Navratri the temple hosts a vast fair, with tens of thousands of pilgrims arriving for Dussehra.