Verse 3.2.308

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 3.2.308:

সর্ব-তীর্থ-জল যথা বিন্দু বিন্দু আনি’ `বিন্দু-সরোবর’ শিব সৃজিলা আপনি ॥ ৩০৮ ॥

सर्व-तीर्थ-जल यथा बिन्दु बिन्दु आनि’ `बिन्दु-सरोवर’ शिव सृजिला आपनि ॥ ३०८ ॥

sarva-tīrtha-jala yathā bindu bindu āni’ `bindu-sarovara’ śiva sṛjilā āpani || 308 ||

sarva-tirtha-jala yatha bindu bindu ani’ `bindu-sarovara’ siva srjila apani (308)

English translation:

(308) Śiva brought drops of water from all the holy places and created the lake known as Bindu-sarovara.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

After killing the two demons Kṛtti and Vāsa by crushing them under her feet, Bhuvaneśvarī in the form of a cowherd girl fell asleep with an intense thirst. To quench Bhuvaneśvarī’s thirst, Mahādeva pierced a mountain with the tip of his trident and created a well. This well became renowned as Śaṅkara-vāpī, Lord Śiva’s well. Yet Bhuvaneśvarī desired to drink water from a properly established reservoir. Śambhu thus sent his bull carrier to bring water from all the holy places and to invite Brahmā to establish that reservoir by performing a sacrifice. Being invited by the bull carrier, Brahmā and other demigods came to this place and offered their obeisances to Bhuvaneśvara. The bull then brought waters of the Mandākinī and other sources from heaven; he brought waters from Prayāga, Puṣkara, Gaṅgā, Gaṅgādvara, Naimiṣa, Prabhāsa, Pitṛ-tīrtha, Gaṅgā-sāgara-saṅgama, Payoṣṇī, Vipāśā, Śatadru, Kāverī, Gomatī, Kṛṣṇā, Yamunā, Sarasvatī, Gaṇḍakī, Ṛṣikulyā, Mahānadī, and other sources from earth; and he brought waters from the milk ocean and other sources from Pātāla. When Bhuvaneśvara saw all the tīrthas assembled there, he took up his trident, pierced a mountain, and said, “I have decided to create a

lake at this place. All of you offer one drop of water into this lake.” After the tīrthas followed the order of Śambhu, Lord Janārdana and the demigods headed by Brahmā took bath therein. Bhuvaneśvara and his followers also happily entered into those waters. Bhuvaneśvara then said, “Now two pure reservoirs of water, Śaṅkara-vāpī and Bindu-sarovara, have been established. If one takes bath in Śaṅkara-vāpī, one will attain the same features as mine, and if one takes bath in Bindu-sarovara, one will attain my abode.”

Thereafter the topmost Vaiṣṇava Śambhu offered his obeisances to Janārdana and said, “O Puruṣottama, please reside with Ananta as two Deities on the eastern bank of this lake and take the positions of my controller and the protector of this abode.” Since then Lord Ananta Vāsudeva has been blessing His dear Śaṅkara by giving him His remnants and residing on the eastern bank of Bindu-sarovara as Śambhu’s controller and the protector of this abode. Thus Bhuvaneśvara Śambhu is worshiped by offerings of Śrī Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva’s remnants.

In the Svarṇādri-mahodaya it is stated that this Bindu-sarovara is also known by the name Maṇikarṇī, and it is the essence of all tīrthas. If a person takes darśana of Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva after taking a bath in this essence of all tīrthas Maṇikarṇī, he will certainly go to Vaikuṇṭhaloka. By giving charity to brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas at this place one obtains a hundred times the fruits obtained at other holy places, and by offering oblations here to the forefathers with the remnants of Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva the souls of one’s forefathers obtain inexhaustible satisfaction. Taking a bath in this Bindu-sarovara is equal to taking a bath at all holy places. By taking darśana of Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva after taking bath, one attains unlimited fruits.

Festivals like Śrī Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva and Śrī Śrī Madana-mohana’s Candana-yātrā and boat pastimes are held in this Bindu-sarovara.

The ancient temple of Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva is still present today on the eastern bank of Bindu-sarovara. This temple is decorated by fine art and architecture. The Deity of Śrī Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva Viṣṇu was established

in this large temple beautified by fine art and architecture by Śrī Bhavadeva Bhaṭṭa, a resident of Siddhala-grāma. Learned scholars of the Sāvarṇa dynasty were given many villages by the king. Siddhala-grāma was the best of those villages. In this village the three great souls Mahādeva, Bhavadeva (the first), and Aṭṭahāsa took birth. Of them, Bhavadeva became most prominent and popular. He received the village Hastinī from the King of Gauḍa. He had eight sons headed by Rathāṅga. The son of Rathāṅga was Atyaṅga, the son of Atyaṅga was Budha, and the son of Budha was Ādideva, who became the Gauḍa king’s prime minister. Ādideva’s son Govardhana married a girl from the Bandyaghaṭiya family. From her womb the second Bhavadeva took birth. This Bhavadeva was greatly learned in tantra, mathematics, astrology, and āyur-veda. Books on astrology, logic, and mīmāṃsā written by him have become well known in the society of learned scholars. On the strength of this Bhavadeva’s counsel, Harivarmadeva and his son enjoyed ruling the kingdom for a long time. This Bhavadeva Bhaṭṭa established many reservoirs of water in various places of Rāḍha-deśa, which is generally bereft of water. It was he who established the Deity form of Śrī Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva Viṣṇu in a newly built temple and who had Bindu- sarovara dredged clean. He was decorated with the title Bāla-vallabhī- bhujaṅga. This information is found in the description of Bhavadeva Bhaṭṭa’s dynasty engraved in stone within the Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva temple. The poet named Śrī Vācaspati, a dear friend of Bhavadeva, wrote this information in poem. This stone inscription was preserved within the temple until the middle of the nineteenth century. Thereafter Colonel Kiṭo Sāheba attached this stone inscription along with the Megheśvara inscription to the wall of the Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva temple. The dimensions of this stone inscription are two cubits, two inches long and one cubit, one inch wide (a cubit is about a foot and a half). There are twenty-five lines of inscription on the stone. Each letter measures about a half inch.

In the sixth and seventh chapters of the Svarṇādri-mahodaya, Mahādeva

says, “O Brahmā, you should come with the other demigods to Ekāmraka forest and faithfully worship the ancient liṅga with various transcendental ingredients. After the completion of the worship you should faithfully honor his remnants.”

After hearing the order of Mahādeva, Brahmā asked, “O Maheśvara, we do not know your glories. The sages say that the remnants of a liṅga should not be honored. Therefore how can we accept those remnants?” Vyāsa said, “Although the remnants of a liṅga are not to be accepted, Śrī Bhuvaneśvara is not a liṅga, he is the eternal Supreme Brahman.

Statements that prohibit one from honoring Śiva’s remnants are not applicable to Bhuvaneśvara. The demigods honor the remnants of Bhuvaneśvara to cross the material ocean. Foodstuffs offered to Bhuvaneśvara should be honored with the understanding that they are transcendental. As far as the acceptance of Bhuvaneśvara’s remnants is concerned, there should not be any discrimination whether one is a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, or outcaste, otherwise one will certainly go to hell. On receiving Bhuvaneśvara’s prasāda, one should immediately honor it. Bhuvaneśvara’s prasāda is never contaminated by contact with impure living entities. One should distribute this prasāda to the demigods, forefathers, and brāhmaṇas. The result one obtains by giving charity in Kurukṣetra during the solar or lunar eclipse is attained by distributing the remnants of Bhuvaneśvara. Whether it is dry, stale, or brought from a distant place, simply by honoring Bhuvaneśvara’s prasāda one is delivered from all unwanted habits. By honoring Bhuvaneśvara’s prasāda one attains the result of seeing, worshiping, meditating on, or hearing about Viṣṇu. There is a possibility of taking birth again after drinking nectar, but there is no rebirth for one who honors Bhuvaneśvara’s prasāda. By seeing Bhuvaneśvara’s prasāda one’s desires are fulfilled, by touching it to one’s head one’s sinful reactions are destroyed, by honoring it one counteracts the reactions of eating nonvegetarian food, by smelling it the sins committed in one’s mind are destroyed, by seeing it one’s vision is purified, by smearing it

on one’s limbs the body is purified, by eating it to one’s full satisfaction one attains the result of observing an Ekādaśī without water, and by honoring it with full respect one attains the devotional service of Viṣṇu.” When the sages inquired further, Vyāsa said, “In the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, Brahmā said to Nārada, `What to speak of human beings, even the demigods headed by Brahmā accept human forms and beg for Bhuvaneśvara’s remnants. There is no consideration of rules and regulations or auspicious or inauspicious times in the eating of Bhuvaneśvara’s prasāda. If one accepts Bhuvaneśvara’s prasāda that has been touched by a most fallen person, one attains the abode of Viṣṇu.

Those who criticize Bhuvaneśvara’s prasāda by comparing it to the ordinary prasāda of a Śiva-liṅga certainly go to hell. Gaurī, the greatest Vaiṣṇavī, cooks Bhuvaneśvara’s offerings, and the eternal Supreme Brahman eats it. Therefore there is no consideration of any contamination in it because of contact with impure living entities. You should know that it is completely transcendental. If the remnants of Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva and the mahā-mahā-prasāda of Śrī Bhuvaneśvara is touched by the mouth of a dog or brought from a place where nonvegetarian foods are kept, it is to be accepted by even the best of the brāhmaṇas. By eating the remnants of this transcendental liṅga one attains Lord Viṣṇu’s shelter, which is rare for even personalities like Brahmā and Indra. Those who blaspheme persons who eat such mahā-prasāda will continue to live in hell for as long as the sun and moon shine in the sky. Whether one has taken bath or not, simply by honoring Bhuvaneśvara’s mahā-prasāda one becomes purified externally and internally. With His thousand mouths even Anantadeva is unable to describe the glories of this mahā-mahā-prasāda, which is the remnants of Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva’s remnants. One can please Bhuvaneśvara simply by hearing the glories of this prasāda, and if Bhuvaneśvara is pleased Govinda is also pleased.’”

Everyday after the completion of Śrī Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva’s worship and offering, Śrī Bhuvaneśvara accepts his own worship and offering. This system is still current in Bhuvaneśvara. Apart from this, he teaches

Viṣṇu’s devotional service to the people of the entire world while setting the example of giving up material enjoyment for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa by his own behavior of not riding on the chariot or going out during the Candana-yātrā or boat festival but offering these conveyances and various other enjoyable ingredients to his eternal Lords, Śrī Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva and Śrī Śrī Madana-mohana. Whenever it is mentioned that Śrī Bhuvaneśvara rides on an airplane or chariot, it is to be understood that the pleasure of Śrī Śrī Madana-mohana and Śrī Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva was the purpose of all such occasions.

The pāṇḍās (priests) of Bhuvaneśvara call Śrī Śrī Madana-mohana the pratinidhi, or “representative,” of Bhuvaneśvara. In this context the word “representative” does not mean subordinate as it is normally understood in the relationship between a king and his representative. According to the consideration of servitorship, or śakti-tattva, Śrī Bhuvaneśvara does not personally accept any items of enjoyment but offers them to his only Lord, the supremely independent Śrī Madana-mohana, who is the source of all energies and the proprietor of all enjoyable objects. In other words, because he does not independently enjoy but rather gives enjoyment to his Lord, his Lord is addressed as his “representative.” Rather than accept worship for himself, Bhuvaneśvara accepts worship on behalf of his Lords, Śrī Madana-mohana and Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva. Even if he ever does accept any service for himself, he accepts it as a servant of Śrī Madana-mohana or Śrī Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva. He does not independently accept any service.

The Deity of Śrī Madana-mohana situated in Śrī Bhuvaneśvara is not

two-armed but is four-armed. On Madana-mohana’s upper left hand there is an impression of a deer, on His upper right hand there is an impression of an axe, His lower left hand displays the sign of fearlessness, and His lower right hand displays the sign of awarding benediction. Śrī Madana- mohana, Śrī Govinda, a five-headed Mahādeva, Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva’s vijaya-mūrti, a four-armed Harihara mūrti, and ŚrīŚālagrāma are worshiped in a temple south of the original Bhuvaneśvara temple.

Among the committee members who look after the service of the Śrī Bhuvaneśvara temple are Śrīyukta Priyanātha Caṭṭopādhyāya, a lawyer from Cuttack; Śrīyukta Gaṅgādhara Chaudhurī, a landlord from Purī district; and Śrīyukta Gopāla Prahararāja, another lawyer from Cuttack. This committee has employed a manager. The name of the present manager is Śrīyukta Lachman Rāmānuja dāsa. The manager takes care of the income and expenditure for the various services in the Bhuvaneśvara temple with the help of the four following head pāṇḍās: Jagannātha Mahāpātra, Nārāyaṇa Makadama, Dāmodara Sāntarā, and Sadaya Mahāpātra.

As a patita-pāvana mūrti is established within the lion gate of the Śrī Jagannātha temple for the benefit of fallen souls outside the varṇāśrama system, there is also a patita-pāvana mūrti within the lion gate of the Śrī Bhuvaneśvara temple. Within the lion gate there is a market known as Ānanda-bazaar. As in the PurīĀnanda-bazaar, items like prasāda are also bought and sold here. Like Jagannātha prasāda, the prasāda here is not contaminated by contact with impure living entities. After crossing the lion gate there is a Garuḍa-stambha, on the top of which a bull and Garuḍa are situated. As in the Jagannātha temple there also is a Deity of Nṛsiṃhadeva at the entrance here. This four-armed Deity of Nṛsiṃhadeva is in a peaceful mood. In His upper right hand He holds a cakra, in His upper left hand He holds a conch, and in His lower two hands He holds the Vedas. Śrī Lakṣmīdevī is sitting on His lap. South of the original temple is Bhuvaneśvara’s kitchen. There is an order that the rays of the sun and moon should not fall on it. Brāhmaṇa pāṇḍās from three hundred sixty families cook here. The deity of Śrī Bhuvaneśvara within the main temple is a combined form of Śrī Hari and Hara. The pāṇḍās show everyone this Śrī Bhuvaneśvara deity, which has a black and white form. The form of Śrī Bhuvaneśvara is shaped like a cakra and has impressions of Gaṅgā, Yamunā, and Sarasvatī as well as the ten incarnations beginning with Matsya and Kūrma.

The wonderful artistic work of Bhuvaneśvara temple attracts the attention

of common people who come for darśana. After seeing the artistry and architectural work of the Bhuvaneśvara temple, the Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva temple, and the many other temples in Bhuvaneśvara, one can realize how advanced Indian art was at one time. The Bhuvaneśvara temple is one hundred sixty-five feet tall. This temple is situated on a huge stone slab three hundred yards south of Bindu-sarovara. The dimensions of the temple are five hundred twenty by four hundred sixty-five feet. Apart from this, there is a twenty-eight foot exterior hall north of the temple.

The main hall measures two hundred thirty-five feet. The temple walls are seven foot five inch thick. There are large gates on the four sides of the temple. The eastern gate is the largest of the four and is called the Siṃha-dvāra, or the lion gate. There are two large lions on the two sides of the entrance. Within the courtyard there is twenty-foot long, four-foot high stone slab wall. This unbreakable stone wall was built to protect the temple from outside attack. The Deity of Śrī Nṛsiṃhadeva is situated on one side of this wall. There are many small Śiva temples within the western courtyard. Among those temples there is a twenty-foot tall temple. This temple is older than the main temple. The altar of this temple is five feet below the ground level of the temple. It is said that the original Śiva-liṅga is situated here. Even after the main temple was built the original liṅga was not transferred from here. There is a temple of Bhuvaneśvarī in one corner of the western courtyard. On one side of the expansive stone slab found after one enters the Siṃha-dvāra there is a temple of Gopālinī, Satī’s form as a cowherd girl. Although the ground level of the Gopālinī temple is lower than the ground level of the main temple, it is at the same level as the original liṅga. There are six stone steps west of the Gopālinī temple. Above those steps and below Bhuvaneśvara’s kitchen there is a deity of Vṛṣabha, the bull carrier.

The bhoga-maṇḍapa, or hall where offerings are made, is situated directly in front of the Bhuvaneśvara temple. Behind the hall is the nātya- mandira (the hall where drama, dance, and kīrtana are performed), behind the nātya-mandira is the jagamohana (the area directly in front of

the central altar), behind the jagamohana is the main temple, and within this is the garbha-gṛha, where the deity is situated. According to the conclusion of Rājā Rājendralāla Mitra, the bhoga-maṇḍapa was built during Kamala Keśarī’s rule, which lasted from A.D. 792 to 811. But other archeologists say that the Gaṅgā dynasty King Narasiṃhadeva, who built the sun temple at Konark, built the offering hall in the twenty-four years of his rule. By reading the inscription found on the door of the nātya-mandira one can understand that Mahārāja Kapilendradeva, who conquered Karnataka, arranged to donate a vast tract of land for the service of Bhuvaneśvara. According to the opinion of many archeologists this nātya-mandira was built many years before the time of Kapilendradeva. Rājā Rājendralāla Mitra said Śālinīkeśarī’s queen built this nātya-mandira between A.D. 1099 and 1104, but many archeologists disagree with this. On the right side of the entrance to the deity room there is a inscription that says that Narasiṃhadeva built the Konark sun temple and its entrance. The nātya-mandira and the entrance of the Bhuvaneśvara temple are certainly the glorious work of that valiant Gaṅgā dynasty king. Since the name of that king’s daughter is mentioned in that inscription, many people think that the Gaṅgā dynasty king’s daughter built it. Some people guess that this king’s daughter has been described in the Mādalā-paṅji calendar as Śālinīkeśarī’s queen.

The expertise, artistry, and architectural work in the construction of the jagamohana are superb. The roof of the jagamohana, like the roof of the offering hall, is shaped like a pinnacle. This roof is supported by four giant thirty-foot-tall stone pillars. Left of its southern entrance is a rectangular room decorated with adequate artistic work, but the builder of this room could not complete the work. There are a few brass deities within this room. They are Bhuvaneśvara’s vijaya-mūrtis, which are taken out during festivals. The Bhuvaneśvara temple is one hundred sixty feet tall from the ground to the kalasa, but since the deity room is two feet lower than ground level, the eastern courtyard is two to three feet below that. So at one time the height of the dome must have been one hundred

sixty-five feet.

Apart from the Liṅgarāja Śrī Bhuvaneśvara temple and the Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva temple, there are many other temples situated in the four directions within Bhuvaneśvara. It has already been stated that the Bhuvaneśvara temple is 160 feet tall from the ground level to the kalasa. The Ananta Vāsudeva temple is 60 foot tall. The Rameśvara temple is 78 feet tall, Yameśvara is 67 feet, Rājārāṇī is 63 feet, Bhagavatī is 54 feet, Sārīdeula is 53 feet, Nāgeśvara is 52 feet, Siddheśvara is 47 feet, Kapileśvara is 64 feet, Kedāreśvara is 46 feet, Paraśurāmeśvara is 38 feet, Mukteśvara is 35 feet, and Kopāri is 35 feet tall.

Many people think that the Bhuvaneśvara temple is older than the Jagannātha Purī temple and that the artistic work of the Purī temple is an imitation of the Bhuvaneśvara temple.

Rājā Rājendralāla Mitra said that King Yayāti Keśarī came from Magadha, drove away the Yavanas, and reestablished Hindu religion over the ruins of the Buddhist religion. The duration of Yayāti Keśarī’s rule extended from A.D. 474 to 526. Construction of the Bhuvaneśvara temple and the jagamohana began near the end of Yayāti Keśarī’s rule. Yayāti Keśarī could not complete the construction work. Although his descendent Sūrya Keśarī ruled the kingdom for a long time, he did not try to complete the temple. His heir, Ananta Keśarī, again started the temple construction. The Bhuvaneśvara temple was eventually completed during the reign of Lalāṭendu Keśarī in 588 Śakābda (A.D. 666). Regarding this, Rājā Rājendralāla Mitra has quoted the following verse:

gajāṣṭeṣum ite jāte śakābde kīrti vāsasah prāsādam akarod rājā lalāṭenduś ca keśarī

But some archeologists do not agree with the statement of Mitra Mahāśaya. They say that the stone inscription is similar to the unverified handwritten verses found that describe the construction of the Jagannātha temple and that there is no historical truth in it. They further say that the description Rājā Rājendralāla Mitra quoted from Jagannātha’s Mādalā-

pañji calendar is a futile attempt by the pāṇḍās, who are ignorant of historical facts, to prove that this holy place is more ancient than it actually is. The exact date of the construction of the Bhuvaneśvara temple and jagamohana is found in a stone inscription carved at the time of that construction. The famous Anaṅga-bhīma, who is said to be the builder of the Śrī Puruṣottama temple, is also described in that stone inscription to be the builder of the Bhuvaneśvara temple. Thirty-four years of Anaṅga- bhīma are described in that stone inscription. In the stone inscription of Cāteśvara and in the royal inscription on a copper plate of the second Narasiṃhadeva the names of two persons called Anaṅga-bhīma, or Aniyaṅka-bhīma, are found. The first Anaṅga-bhīma was the fourth son of Cauḍa Gaṅgā. He ruled the kingdom for ten years. He conquered Orissa and built the temple of Śrī Puruṣottama. The second Anaṅga- bhīma was the grandson of the first Anaṅga-bhīma and the son of Rājarāja. He ruled the kingdom for thirty-four years up to A.D. 1253.

Since the stone inscription in the Bhuvaneśvara temple mentions thirty- four years in connection with Aniyaṅka-bhīma, the son of Rājarāja, some archeologists ascertain the second Aniyaṅka-bhīma, or Anaṅga-bhīma, as the actual builder of the Bhuvaneśvara temple. This second Aniyaṅka- bhīma built many large temples in Cuttack and many places in the districts of Purī and Gañjāma.

We have already discussed something about the temple of Ananta Vāsudeva, situated on the eastern bank of the Bindu-sarovara in front of the middle ghāṭa. This temple is one hundred thirty-one feet long and one hundred seventeen feet wide. The main hall is ninety-six feet long and twenty-five feet wide. Adjacent to the main temple is the jagamohana, behind that is the nātya-mandira, and behind that is the bhoga-maṇḍapa. From ground level to the kalasa, the temple is sixty feet tall. Inside the nātya-mandira is a deity of Garuḍa made of black stone. The Deity of Ananta Vāsudeva Viṣṇu is situated within the main temple. This temple of Ananta Vāsudeva is the most ancient temple in Bhuvaneśvara. This is widely accepted by even the archeologists. No pilgrim visits the temples

of deities subordinate to Śrī Vāsudeva without first taking darśana of Ananta Vāsudeva Viṣṇu, the Lord of all. This practice is current in Bhuvaneśvara even today. We have already learned from the verses composed by the poet Vācaspati Miśra and inscribed on a stone attached to the wall of the Ananta Vāsudeva temple that Bhavadeva Bhaṭṭa built the temple of Ananta Vāsudeva and Bindu-sarovara, which is situated in front of the temple. Vācaspati Miśra wrote a book called Nyāya-sūcī- nibandha in 898 Śakābda (A.D. 976). It is not improper to consider his dear friend Bhavadeva Bhaṭṭa as his contemporary. Therefore some archeologists conclude that the temple of Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva was built in the tenth century.

Bindu-sarovara is thirteen hundred feet long, seven hundred feet wide, and sixteen feet deep. The four banks of this sarovara, or lake, are covered with stone slabs. There is a island built of stone in the middle of Bindu-sarovara. The island is 100x100 feet. There is a small temple in the northeast corner of the island. The festival Deity of Ananta Vāsudeva is brought here during the Snāna-yātrā. The Deity is then bathed by streams of water squirted out of fountains surrounding that temple. During the Snāna-yātrā, in other words, during the rainy season, this Bindu-sarovara becomes the residence of many large crocodiles.

Western historians like Starling, Hunter, and Cunningham, as well as archeologists of India like Rājā Rājendralāla Mitra have described Bhuvaneśvara as a principal Buddhist center. Other archeologists of India, however, have through argument and evidence like stone inscriptions found in various temples of Bhuvaneśvara and descriptions in ancient Purāṇas like the Mahābhārata demonstrated that there is no evidence to substantiate the claim that Bhuvaneśvara was a principal center for Buddhists during the time of Lord Buddha. The evidence of Buddhism found in Khaṇḍagiri and Udayagiri are from a much later time than that of Lord Buddha. Those who advertised that the elephant cave was a Buddhist cave have been proven completely wrong, because it has now been established as belonging to the Jains. The glories of the Orissan

King Kharbel Bhupati, who was a follower of the Jain religion, are found on a stone inscription within this elephant cave. But there is no evidence or proof of the exact date when this Jain Kharbel established his capitol at Bhuvaneśvara. The Mahābhārata, Vana-parva, Chapter 114 states that after the confluence at Gaṅgā-sāgara comes the sacred Vaitaraṇī River in Kaliṅga. Yājapura, where Brahmā performed a sacrifice, is on the bank of this river. After that comes Svayambhu-vana, and then comes Mahāvedi, which is near the ocean and which is renowned as Puruṣottama-kṣetra.

After that comes Mahendra Mountain, which is situated in Gañjāma district and which is known as the abode of Paraśurāma. The above- mentioned name Svayambhu refers to Śambhu, or Mahādeva. This is the opinion found in the ancient commentary on Mahābhārata known as Durgaṭārtha-prakāśinī. Since a long time this Svayambhu-vana was a place for ascetics to undergo austerities. It is stated in the Skanda Purāṇa, Utkala-khaṇḍa:

ittham etat purā kṣetraṃ mahādevena nirmitam tatra sākṣād umā-kāntaḥ sthāpitaḥ parameṣṭhināyad etac chāmbhavaṃ kṣetraṃ tamaso nāśanaṃ param

“This sacred place was created long ago by Mahādeva. Brahmā personally established the husband of Pārvatī at this place. Since then this place has been known as the destroyer of ignorance and a favorite place of Śambhu. This place is also known as Ekāmraka-vana or Ekāmraka- kṣetra.”

Elsewhere in the Skanda Purāṇa, Utkala-khaṇḍa, it is stated:

sa vartate nīlagirir yojane ‘tra tṛtīyake

idam tv ekāmraka-vanaṃ kṣetraṃ gaurī-pater vidhuḥ

catur deha sthito ‘haṃ vai yatra nīlamaṇi-mayaḥ tasyottarasyāṃ vikhyātaṃ vanam ekāmrakāhvayam

Ekāmraka-kanana, which is very dear to the husband of Pārvatī, is situated two yojanas north of Nīlācala in the state of Orissa. This

Ekāmraka-kṣetra is the Svayambhu-vana described in the Mahābhārata, Vana-parva, and many thoughtful persons have concluded that this place is much older than the time of Buddha.

A description of Śrī Bhuvaneśvara deva is found in the Kapila-saṃhita. Long ago Lord Viśveśvara (Śiva) of Kāśī told Devarṣi Nārada that he would not reside in Kāśī any longer and that Kāśī would soon be destroyed because the atheists overwhelmed with mundane knowledge were creating disturbances there. Religious principles would no longer remain, and everyone would become irreligious. Moreover, Kāśī would gradually become crowded, and it would become difficult to perform austerities without disturbance. Although it was a fact that Mahādeva painstakingly established Kāśī for the pleasure of Pārvatī, she was no longer inclined to stay there because of the disturbances created by the atheists. Where, therefore, was the place where one could sit and perpetually worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead? After hearing these statements from Śambhu, the best of the Vaiṣṇavas, Devarṣi Nārada said that there was a famous mountain, Nīla-śaila, situated on the shore of the saltwater ocean. North of this mountain is the most pleasing Ekāmraka-kanana. Vāsudeva, the Lord of Lakṣmī, resides in that solitary forest with Ananta. That place is most confidential. On hearing Nārada’s reply, Mahādeva left Kāśī and came to Ekāmraka-vana with Pārvatī.

After arriving at this sacred place, Mahādeva said to Śrī Hari, “I have come to Your shelter. Please give me a place to stay near Your lotus feet.” When Śrī Vāsudeva heard the appeal of Śambhu, the topmost Vaiṣṇava, He said, “O Śambhu, I will gladly let you stay here, but you have to promise that you will never return to Kāśī.”Śaṅkara then replied, “How can I leave Kāśī forever? My beloved Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā) and Maṇikarṇikā, the aggregate of all holy places, are situated there.” Vāsudeva said, “O Śambhu, here in front of Me there is Maṇikarṇikā, which is also known as Pāpanāśinī. The river Gaṅgā-Yamunā that emanates from My lotus feet flows southeast of Me. There are many other confidential tīrthas here.”Śaṅkara then replied, “I promise that I

will not leave Your lotus feet and go anywhere, even to Vārāṇasī.” After speaking these words, Śambhu stayed south of Viṣṇu in the form of a liṅga. That dark bluish liṅga glows like a crystal and is renowned as Tribhuvaneśvara, or Bhuvaneśvara.

A pañca-krośī(ten mile) Bhuvaneśvara parikramā is performed in the month of Kārtika. The parikramā starts from Varāhadevī, goes through Dhavalagiri, Khaṇḍagiri, Udayagiri, around the Bhuvaneśvara railway station, and eventually returns to the Varāhadevī temple.

Bhuvaneśvara is situated 272 miles from Howrah on the Bengal-Nagpur railway line. The Bhuvaneśvara temple is two miles from the Bhuvaneśvara station. The road is most beautiful, being covered on both sides by trees that grow in the mountains, particularly the kuñcilā, or Nux Vomica. No conveyance other than bullox carts is generally available, but buses and motorcars can drive on the road. There are two dharmaśālās in Bhuvaneśvara. On the bank of Bindu-sarovara, a Calcutta Marwari named Hazarimala has built a new large dharmaśālā. The other dharmaśālā was built by one Rāya Bahadur Hargovinda Viśveśvaralala. Pilgrims can stay for three days in those dharmaśālās. There is a charitable hospital, a telegraph office, and a post office. There is an open market every Monday and Thursday. Like Jagannātha prasāda, the prasāda of Śrī Ananta Vāsudeva and Bhuvaneśvara is sold.