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Kalijai Temple is located on an island in Chilika Lake.  It is considered to be the abode of the Goddess Kalijai. Goddess Kalijai is actually Kali, the source and the first 'Mahavidya' of 'Dasmahavidyas'. 

Highly revered by the local populace, the deity has been venerated in the local folklores and legends. The island provides an excellent destination for pilgrims as well as tourists. Every year in January, a huge gala fair is held during the festival of Makar Sankranti.

Legend has it that a newly married girl (named Jaai) along with her father was going to meet her husband. As her in-law's house was on an island in Chilika Lake, they had to take a boat to ferry them across the lake. Odisha's coast is very prone to cyclones and during this boat trip, they encountered a severe cyclone, because of which their boat capsized in  Chilika Lake.

 Everyone except the girl Jaai survived. They searched for her but did not find her. After this accidental death of that newly wed girl, she became the Goddess of the people residing nearby and till now, she is worshiped as an Avatar of Kali. This is how the place got its name.

Dr. Radha Charan Panda mentions in The History of Parikud (1930) that this temple was built by Sri Jagannath Mansingh, king of Bankad (currently known as Banapur) in the year 1717.