Chapter 11
The Glories
of
B h u b a n e s wa r
the result of visiting My kñetra.” So those who circumambulate Våndävana are supposed to visit Bhüteçvara Liìga in Mathurä at the beginning and at the end of their parikrama. This Bhubaneswar-kñetra is also Çiva’s dhäma. It is mentioned in the Skanda Puräëa that Lord Väsudeva Kåñëa told Lord Çiva, “My kñetra is Puruñottama-kñetra and in the north of that kñetra is Ekämra Känana. I give you that very beautiful and auspicious place, which can give bhukti* and mukti.** It will become famous as Bhubaneswar. Go and reside there and become the guard of that kñetra, as the kñetra-päla.” Thus, Lord Çiva, by the order and mercy of Janärdana, has become the kñetra-päla. Hence, Bhubaneswar is also known as ‘Hemäcala’ and ‘Svarnadé Kñetra’. In this kñetra there are crores and crores of Çivajés, koöi-liìga. There is also the añöa-tértha, the eight famous térthas. Bhubaneswar is considered superior to Väräëasé and is also dearer to Lord Çivajé. In the Svarnadé-Mahädeva-grantha,*** we find that Vyäsadeva once came here and has described its glories. It is mentioned herein that once Devé Bhagavaté, goddess Pärvaté, heard the glories of Ekämra Känana from the lips of Lord Çiva. She came here to see this kñetra. She saw the Mahäliìga, the form of Çiva that is worshipped, which is half white and half black, sétäséta-varëa. She also offered püjä to that Mahä-liìga. One day, Devé saw hundreds of cows coming out of a nearby lake. They poured milk from their udders onto the Mahäliìga, circumambulated it and then went away. * Bhukti: material enjoyment. ** Mukti: liberation from material attachment. *** Svarnadé-Mahädeva-grantha: a book written by Çréla Vyäsadeva glorifying Bhubaneswar.
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