ART-0512 Kurma-kshetra: The land of the Tortoise Incarnation

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This site is important to the Vaishnava traditions (especially the Shri Vaishnavas and the Gaudiya Vaishnavas). The story of Lord Kurma can be found on the CD-Rom, code number STO-302.

There is a temple here dedicated to Lord Kurma, the tortoise incarnation of the Lord. This temple is said to be the only temple of Lord Kurma on Earth. The original temple is said to have been built in 200 CE. The present temple is at least 700 years old and is located on the shore of Swartha Puskarini Lake.

Shri Kurma is one of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu who are collectively known as the “Dashavatar”. The deity consisits of two stones, about two feet long, coming out from the ground which represent the head and body of Shri Kurma. The deity of Shri Kurma has a raised back. He is wearing a golden crown studded with valuable jewels and topped with a peacock feather, the symbol of the Vishnu avatars. As one enters the inner sanctum of the temple, the deities of Lord Rama, Lakshman and Sita are on one side, and the deities of Govindadeva (Krishna) and his sakhis (friends) are on the opposite side.

In the Prapannamrita, it is said that one night Lord Jagannatha threw Sri Ramanujacharya from Puri to Kurma-kshetra. Later when Ramanujacharya understood that the Kurma-Murti was another form of Lord Vishnu, he instituted opulent worship of the deity.

Lord Chaitanya visited this sacred place over four centuries ago, yet his instructions to one of its residents are remembered even today. The Chaitanya Charitamrita describes that when Lord Chaitanya came to Kurma-kshetra, He stayed in the house of a local brahmana. When the Lord was preparing to leave, the Brahmana wanted to take sannyasa (the renounced order of life) and travel with him, but Lord Chaitanya forbade him to do so. Rather, the Lord instructed the brahmana to remain at home and always chant the holy name of Krishna. In this way, the process of transforming one’s residence into a holy place by chanting the holy names of Krishna was introduced and passed down through the Vaishnava line. Perched on a hill in Kurma-kshetra, is a small shrine that houses the footprints of Lord Chaitanya who visited Kurma-kshetra in 1512.

Kurma-kshetra is loated 125 miles south of Jagannatha Puri.