Chari Kshetra (literally ''four holy regions'') is a group of four holy regions in the Indian state of

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

. According to tradition, when

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

killed the demon

Gayasura Gayasura () is an asura mentioned in Hindu texts like ''Bhagavata Purana'' and ''Vayu Purana'' who lived during the Treta Yuga. According to Hindu literature, he is regarded to have lived in the Magadha of present-day Bihar, India. According to l ...

, to commemorate the glory of his victory, he placed his ''

shankha A Turbinella pyrum, shankha () has religious ritual importance in Hinduism. In Hinduism, the shankha called panchajanya is a sacred emblem of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu. It is still used as a trumpet in Hindu ritual, and in the past was us ...

'' (conch) in

Puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...

, ''

chakra A chakra (; ; ) is one of the various focal points used in a variety of ancient meditation practices, collectively denominated as Tantra, part of the inner traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. The concept of the chakra arose in Hinduism. B ...

'' (discus) in

Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar () is the capital and the largest city of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Odisha. It is located in the Khordha district. The suburban region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Chakra ...

, '' gada'' (mace) in

Jajpur Jajpur (also known as Jajapur) () is a town and a municipality in Jajpur district in the Indian state of Odisha. It was the capital of the Kesari dynasty, later supplanted by Cuttack. It is the headquarter of Jajpur district. Etymology a ...

and ''

padma The Padma () is a major river in Bangladesh. It is the eastern and main distributary of the Ganges, flowing generally southeast for to its confluence with the Meghna River, near the Bay of Bengal. The city of Rajshahi is situated on the bank ...

'' (lotus) in

Konark Konark is a medium-sized town in the Puri district in the state of Odisha, India. It lies on the coast by the Bay of Bengal, 65 kilometres from the state capital Bhubaneswar. It is the site of the 13th-century Konark Sun Temple, Sun Temple, also ...

and they were known as Sankha Kshetra, Chakra Kshetra, Gada Kshetra, and Padma Kshetra respectively.

Sankha Kshetra

In the ''Sacred Geography of Puri : Structure and Organisation and Cultural Role of a Pilgrim Centre'', Nityanand Patnaik detailed the following structure of the Puri centre: The first zone is in the form of the archetypal circle within which the modem wooden icons are represented standing on the Lion throne. In the words of the Visrttt Reliasya of the

Brahma Purana The ''Brahma Purana'' ( or ; ) is one of the eighteen major Puranas collections of Hindu texts in Sanskrit. It is listed as the first Mahapurana in all anthologies, and is therefore also called ''Adi Purana''. Another title for this text is ''Sa ...

"In the centre of the seven enclosures, in the cave of the Blue Mountain there is an abode . . . full of “consciousness". The text explains that inside "the three innermost circuits,

, the highest

Purusa ''Purusha'' (, ʊɾʊʂᵊ ) is a complex concept whose meaning evolved in Vedic and Upanishadic times. Depending on source and historical timeline, it means the cosmic being or self, awareness, and universal principle.Karl Potter, Presupposit ...

, is present in the wooden form. The second circuit is in the shape of a hexagon. In the six angles are depicted four goddesses: Durga-VimaIa, Kamala-Laksmi, Uttara Durga and Batamangala, together with

Garuda Garuda (; ; Vedic Sanskrit: , ) is a Hindu deity who is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. This divine creature is mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain faiths. Garuda is also the half-brother of the D ...

on the south, and the summit of the Blue Mountain on the north. In the outer eastern facing spaces are found

Sarasvati Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...

, the Salmotaru tree, and the Golden Well. In the western ones are the sacred

banyan tree A banyan, also spelled banian ( ), is a Ficus, fig that develops accessory trunks from Aerial root#"Stranglers" (prop-root), adjacent prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees ...

, the Rohini Well, and

Uchchhishta Ganapati Uchchhishta Ganapati (, ) is a Tantric aspect of the Hindu god Ganesha (Ganapati). He is the primary deity of the ''Uchchhishta Ganapatya'' sect, one of six major schools of the Ganapatyas. He is worshipped primarily by heterodox vamachara ritua ...

. The third circuit consists of a circle with a sixteen-petalled lotus. On the petals are placed the eight Sivas and right Saktis who guard the Lion throne. These deities are found on the Blue Hill and are as follows: Agnisvara, Indranidevi, Ksetrapala, Svanabhairavi. Multtesvara. Citraltali, Vatamarltandeya,

Katyayani ''Katyayani'' (कात्यायनी) is an aspect of Mahadevi and the slayer of the tyrannical demon Mahishasura. She is the sixth among the Navadurgas, the nine forms of Hindu goddess Durga who are worshipped during the festival of Nava ...

, Gopesvara, Bedakali, Patalesvara, Bhuvartesvari, Vailtuntesvara, Jagnesvari, lsanesvara, and Sitala. The fourth zone is in the form of a

yantra Yantra (; 'machine'/'contraption') is a geometrical diagram, mainly from the Tantric traditions of the Indian religions. Yantras are used for the worship of deities in temples or at home; as an aid in meditation; and for the benefits believe ...

or square with four points of access. It corresponds to the Blue Mountain (Nila-achal/Niladri) with its gateways and steps. The fifth circuit is in the shape of it sixteen-petalled lotus. This ''mandala'' comprises the Candis and Sambhus who guard the outer perimeter of the hill. The Sivas are Viiwesvara, Markantleiwara, Mahakalesvara, Karnainesvara, Muktesvara, Ugresvara, Kapala-mocana and Agnisvsra, also the Goddesses Visvesvari, the

Saptamatrika Matrikas (Sanskrit: मातृका (singular), IAST: mātṛkā, lit. "mothers") also called Mataras or Matri, are a group of mother goddesses in Hinduism. The Matrikas are often depicted in a group of seven, the Saptamatrika(s) (Seven Mot ...

(stone images of the Mothers from the Somavansi period at the Martandeya tirtha), Dakshinakali, Charchika, Alamesvari, Varahi, Vanadurga, and Vaseli. The sixth is in the form of a lotus that contains the major sacred bathing places and the four oldest monasteries at Puri. The ''panchatirtha'' consists of the Markandeya Pool, the Rohini Well, the King Indradyumna Lake and sometimes includes Svetaganga, while the four ashrama are Angira in the east, Bhrgu in the south, Pandu in the west, and Markandeya in the north. The seventh and last circuit is in the shape of a

conch Conch ( , , ) is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high Spire (mollusc), spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point on both ...

-shell. On the top of the ''

'' is a huge symbol of Lokanatha Svaymbhu, and on the southeast tip, the Vilvesara temple. The last three Sivas, together with Kapalamocana and Goddess Ardhasini, act as the day and night guardians of the town.

Nilakantha Nilkanth, Neelkanth, or Nīlakaṇtha () is another name or characteristic of the Hindu deity Shiva. It may also refer to: People * Mahipatram Rupram Nilkanth, Gujarati educationist, reformer, novelist and biographer * Neelakantha Chaturdhara ...

is the governor of the ''

kshetra Tirtha (, ) is a Sanskrit word that means "crossing place, ford", and refers to any place, text or person that is holy. It particularly refers to pilgrimage sites and holy places in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The process or journey asso ...

'',

Narasimha Narasimha (, , or , ), is the fourth avatara of the Hindu god Vishnu in the Satya Yuga. He incarnated as a part-lion, part-man and killed Hiranyakashipu, ended religious persecution and calamity on earth, and restored dharma. Narasimha has th ...

protects the places where the fire ceremony is performed. Both Svargadvara, with its cremation ground and Chakra tirtha are represented on the map. Surrounding the city is the sea below, the sky above and a branch of the Bhargavi River which forms the handle of the Sankha ''kshetra''.

References

Sources

*Eschmann, A., H. Kulke and G.C. Tripathi (Ed.): The Cult of Jagannātha and the Regional Tradition of Orissa, 1978, Manohar, Delhi. *Starza-Majewski, Olgierd M. L: The Jagannatha temple at Puri and its Deities, Amsterdam, 1983. *Starza-Majewski, Olgierd Maria Ludwik: The Jagannatha Temple At Puri: Its Architecture, Art And Cult, E.J. Brill (Leiden and New York).

993 Year 993 ( CMXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – The 12-year-old King Otto III gives the Sword of Saints Cosmas and Damian (also known as the Sword of Essen) as ...

*Patnaik, N.: Sacred Geography of Puri : Structure and Organisation and Cultural Role of a Pilgrim Centre, Year: 2006, *Siṃhadeba, Jitāmitra Prasāda: Tāntric art of Orissa {{coord , 19.808661, 85.835675, display=title Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Jagannath Tourist attractions in Odisha Char Dham temples Vaishnavism