Devīpattana is a sacred town on the shore of the southern ocean in the Setu-kshetra. It is named after Śrī Devī, who slew Mahishāsura at the nearby Dharma Pushkariṇī on the Gandhamādana mountain. It is the place from which Bhagavān Rāma began to build Rāmasetu, and where he gathered the great army of vānaras before he crossed to Laṅkā.

Origin of the name

The name Devīpattana means “the city of the Devī”. It comes from the great event of Śrī Devī’s slaying of Mahishāsura at this place. Mahishāsura conquered all three worlds, and the devas were driven out of svarga (heaven). They went to Brahmā, who led them to Vishṇu and Śiva. The devas prayed. The joined tejas (shining power) of Brahmā, Vishṇu, Śiva, Indra and all the other devas came together in the form of Mahādevī, Śrī Mahishāsuramardinī. She took up the weapons that each deva gave her and fought Mahishāsura. The decisive fight took place at Dharma Pushkariṇī on the Gandhamādana mountain. Devī slew Mahishāsura, and the region that holds this battlefield came to be called Devīpattana, the sacred home of Devī (Chapters 6 and 7).

The battle of Mahishāsura

The Setu Māhātmya tells the birth of Mahishāsura. A daughter of Diti, one of the mothers of the daityas, did hard tapas (austerity). By the power of this tapas Mahishāsura was born, an asura of great power. He conquered all three worlds, drove Indra out of svarga, and brought the order of the cosmos to a standstill. The devas could not beat him. Together they went to Brahmā, and then to Vishṇu and Śiva. These, together with all the devas, poured their tejas into the making of Mahādevī. She slew Mahishāsura at the place of Dharma Pushkariṇī and brought dharma back to the three worlds (Chapters 6 and 7).

Starting point of Rāmasetu

Devīpattana was the meeting place and starting point for the building of Rāmasetu. Bhagavān Rāma decided to cross the ocean and defeat Rāvaṇa. He gathered his huge army of vānaras at Devīpattana on the southern shore. From here he gave Nala, son of Viśvakarman, the task of planning and building the bridge. The first stones of the setu were laid from the shore at Devīpattana (Chapter 7).

Nala’s nine stones

During the building of Rāmasetu from Devīpattana, Nala set up nine special stones (nava-pāshāṇa) that could float on water. These were consecrated stones of divine origin. They were part of the wonderful work that let the bridge stretch a hundred yojanas across the ocean to Laṅkā (Chapter 7).

Sources

Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Setu Māhātmya, Chapters 6 and 7