Maa Khambesvari

Khambeswari temple, Aska.
PC: Debashish Dash https://twitter.com/TheDashDD

Goddess Khambhesvari is originally an tribal Goddess worshipped by the tribes of hinterland Odisha. In course of time She was like many other tribal deities given a place in the Hindu pantheon and subsequently she was transformed from a nomadic cult to Shakti cult. Khambhesvari, the Goddess of the Post or Pillar is one of the famous formless autochthonous deities widely worshipped in the hill tracts of Bargarh, Sambalpur, Angul, Dhenkanal, Bolangir, Subarnapur, Boudh, Kalahandi and the Ganjam districts of Odisha. She is worshipped as a manifestation of Shakti in the form of wooden posts or pillars and also through stones.
Legends:

Khambeswari temple--Aska

An interesting legend about the temple in Aska says that once Goddess Khambhesvari appeared in a dream before Khambamuni who lived in the forest and desired that she should be worshipped by the latter. As per the stipulation of Khambamuni she lived in his hut as a daughter. But this unfortunately caused suspicion among the people passing through the forest by the side of the hut about the old man living alone in the company of a young girl. Khambamuni was very sorry to know about this and one fine morning to save himself from defame revealed the true self of the girl, who ( the Goddess) convinced the people of the truth disclosed by Kambamuni by miraculously disappearing from the spot. From thence forward she made a lot of fun and frolic with her foster father, such as she would purchase bangles and met the old man pay for it and frightened the old man by her sudden appearance before him holding in her arms a baby cut into pieces. At last the old man lost his patience and out of annoyance slapped her as a result of which her face turned to one side. After this incident she declared that her childhood play (Balya Lila) or disguise was over, that her foster father (Khambamuni) would die and that she would be worshipped on the spot, i.e. in the forest by the tribal people. Thus the legend accounts for the affiliation of the tribals to Goddess Khambesvari. The feature of the baby cut into pieces conveys the idea of human sacrifice or at least tantric practices associated with the Goddess.

Worship of two wooden posts representing Khambeswari (GopalaPrasad)

Sacrificial post in Khambeswari temple, Aska

Khambeswari post near Gandhardi

Maa Stambheswari, Chittalpur, Hindol
PC: https://twitter.com/apsubhakanta98?s=17

Historical reference:
Sulkis were the feudatories of the Bhauma-Karas popularized the cult of Khambhesvari in Kodalaka Mandala. Dhenkanal, Talcher and the neighbouring area was known as Kodalaka Mandala during the 8th and 9th centuries A.D. and was under the rule of the kings belonging to Sulki family who were the feudatories of the Bhauma-Kara rulers. Khambhesvari was the tutelary deity of the Sulki dynasty. In their inscriptions the Sulkies claimed to have received their kingship in their capital Kodalaka and achieved success and prosperity through the grace of Goddess Khambhesvari. In the Dhenkanal plates of Kulastambha we come across the phrase ‘Stambhesvari Labdha Vara Prasadah’. Similarly in the Puri plates of Ranastambha we find mention of ‘Stambhesvari Datta Vara Prasadat’. Ranastambha in another of his copper plate grants is said to have received boons from Stambhesvari (Stambhesvari Prapta Vara Prasadat). Stambhesvari is declared as the witness (Sakhini) of the Dhenkanal grants. In their inscriptions they described themselves as the lord of all Gonds (Gondamadhinatha). There is no doubt that the Gondomas of their inscriptions are the same as the Gonds who even now flourish in large number in Bamanda; Bonai and Gangpur regions as well as in the valley between the Sankha and the Koel. In the Dhenkanal grant of Jayastambha there is a recorded tradition that Kanadastambha first uprooted a king named Dhekata who seems to be identical with the Savara Chief Dhenka, who is often associated with Dhenkanal in popular traditions. Even now near Dhenkanal there is a stone pillar called Dhenka Savara Munda which is worshipped by the people twice a year. The following verse of the Sulki charters makes it clear that Stambhesvari was the family deity of the royal house :-
Stambhesvari Lavdha Vara Prasadah Sulkikulebhut Ksitipah Ksatarih / Sriman Kulastambha Iti Pratitah Sphurat Pratapodaya-tapitarih//
It is striking to note that the Sulki rulers used the epithet Stambha as their surname such as Kanda Stambha, Kanchana Stambha, Rana Stambha, Kula Stambha, Jaya Stambha and Nidaya Stambha. By adopting this nomenclature the Sulkis obviously wanted to associate themselves with the Divine Mother whom they worshipped in the form of a Stambha or a pillar or a post.
Note that Khambesvari and Stambhesvari both are same.

Khambesvari temple, Sonepur, Odisha
PC: nuaodisha.com

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There is not the division of opinion that the Khambhesvari is one of the best examples of the autochthonous Goddess of Odisha and continued to be a popular faith of the people of Odisha for centuries.