2. Different Names of the Purushottama-kshetra

The kshetra of Purusottama is mentioned in Puranas as Nilacala, Nilagiri, or Niladri, Sankha ksetra, Dasavatara ksetra and Sriksetra. Besides these ancient names, other appellations of the ksetra, are Caritra, Bhauma kshetra, Dibya ksetra, Purusottamapura, Jagannath ksetra, Jekaranat, Jugernaut, Purusottama ksetra, Jaggarnath-pooree, Purusottama-Puri and lastly Puri. The most ancient name of the ksetra was Nilacala or 'Blue-Hill' given to it to ennoble one of the sand ridges in the centre of the town, barely 20 feet of high, on which the temple of main divinity (Jagannatha) now stands.5 The name Nilacala however, is not now in common use. Thereafter, the ksetra was called as Nilagiri or Niladri by the local people. The ksetra of Purusottama was often called as Sankha ksetra. This sacred city is described as resembling the shape of a sankha (conch shell) in the Puranas. The Skanda Purana in its Purusottama Mahatmyam, even mentions the different deities residing in various parts of the conch-shell with the majestic temple of Lord Purusottama occupies the navel or centre position of the Sankha ksetra. The area from Belesvara on the east to Lokanatha temple (of the ksetra) on the west is regarded as the place of Sankha ksetra. The same Purana further mentions that the city is also called as Dashavatara kshetra or the place where from all the ten incarnations of Lord Visnu are emanated. It is said that Lord Visnu assumes different avataras or incarnations in this ksetra and goes to different places accordingly for His works. At the end he returned to this place (ksetra). This kshetra is also popularly known as Shrikshetra. According to Jagabandhu Padhi, the term Sri before ksetra denoting either goddess Laksmi or 2

simply beauty. On the basis of Puranic tradition, Laksmi is the mistress of the ksetra and hence the place (Puri town) often called as Sriksetra. According to Alexander Cunningham, the ancient name of the present Puri town was Caritra or Caritrapura. It is mentioned by the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang in his account i.e. Si-yu-ki as Che-li-Ta-Lo, which was situated on the shore of the Ocean. 'There is a lot of controversy among the scholars with regard to the identification of Che-Li-Ta-Lo with present Puri town. N.K. Sahu gives a new interpretation of the word Che-Li-Ta-Lo. By taking Che-Li to be Sri and Ta-Lo to be tra and combining it he puts forth the new word Sritra and suggests it as Sriksetra with the middle syllable kse being dropped. He thus supports the identification with Puri, which is also known as Sriksetra.10On the other hand, K.S. Behera opines that the proper restoration of this name should be a variant of Sriksetra but it is possible that Lord Purusottama existed during Hiuen Tsang's visit (period). "Probably, the word 'Che-Li-Ta-Lo' mentioned by Chinese pilgrim (Hiuen Tsang) may be identified with the modern Puri Town. 12 Pandita Surya Narayan Das has referred to other ancient names of this ksetra as Bhauma ksetra and Dibya ksetra.¹² S.N.Rajguru has mentioned that the name of this ksetra was Purusapura or Purusamandapa and in this Purusapura, Lord Purusottama was being worshipped much before the 4th century AD.13 It is one of the fascinating aspects of the cultural history of Orissa that religion became the part of Orissan kingship. The early development of this relationship can be traced back to the Somavamsi period. It is said that in order to strentgthen and legitimize their rule in the Puri region, which was then known as Purusottama ksetra,the rulers have utilized the religious faith of the people upon Lord. Purusottama. The word 'Purusottama' is the name of the divinity, the noblest male deity of this kshetra. Arjun Joshi has described that the name Purusottama ksetra is derived from the name of presiding deity of the ksetra." After the construction of the great temple of Lord Purusottama at this ksetra, the place became famous as the abode of Lord Purusottama or Purusottama ksetra. In the Nagari Copper plate charter of Anangabhima Deva-III dated Saka year 1152 i.e. corresponding to 1230 AD, the place is recorded as Purusottama ksetra.15 Ain- 3

4 I-Akbari, written by Abul Fazl, the court historian of emperor Akbar (1558-1603 AD) also describes it as the kshetra of Purushottama.16 17 During the reign of Anangabhima Deva III (1211. to 1238 AD), the presiding deity Purusottama was called as Jagannatha, the Lord of the world. The Kurmesvara temple inscription (dated 1230 AD) is the first record (so far known to us) to refer Jagannatha as the presiding deity of the ksetra. " This inscription also clearly refers to Sri Jagannatha as the real king of Ganga kingdom and Anangabhima Deva-III as the Rout or deputy of Lord Jagannatha. The name was changed from Purusottama to Jagannatha to suit the different sections of religious beliefs such as Buddhists, Jainas, Saivas, Vaisnavas and Saktas. At that time, Muslim powers of the frontiers of Ganga kingdom were powerful and called the Ganga kingdom as the ksetra of Jagannatha. After the complete occupation of Orissa by British in 1803 AD, the British officials recorded it (ksetra) as the city of Jugarnnath. Initially, the ksetra was also recorded as Purusottama by them but in later period they recorded it in various names such as Jekarnat, Juggernaut, Juggarnath-poore etc. Sir Thomas Roe, who visited India during the reign of emperor Jahangir (1603 AD- 1627 AD), has described to the place as the chief city called 'Jekanat'. Similarly an English visitor William Bruston, who came here (Puri) in 1633 AD, has called it 'the great city of Juggarnat. William Hamilton in his 'Description of Hindostan' written in 1820 AD mentions the city as Juggarnath, Juggannath-poor and Poore. While Andrew Stirling in his "Account of Orissa Proper or Cuttack", has referred to it both as Jugarnath-Poore and simply Poore.18R.L. Mitra opines that the most appropriate name for it, has been preeminently and par-excellence, Puri, the city." L.S.S.O' Malley writes 'Evidently, therefore, the later name commended itself to popular taste as a handy abbreviation and displaced the older and more correct name Jagannatha, the Lord of the world, whose temple has made the town famous throughout India. 20The present name of this ksetra (Puri), which seems to have been derived from the British recorded word i.e. Jugarnath-poore. The name Purusottama ksetra was also for some time known as 'Purusottama-Puri' and the word Purusottama-Puri was contracted into kshetra or

Chhatra. So Purusottama-Puri was also expressed in the contracted form of Puri. In modern Period, this kshetra became famous as Puri in the whole of India and abroad.